Details of the new SRAM Roam 60 carbon wheelset for 29ers

Jamie Darlow

£1,644 carbon wheelset for trail and enduro 29ers

sram roam 60

The new SRAM Roam 60 carbon wheels are a refinement rather than a revolution. With 30mm internal width and hookless design they’re on trend.

Wide is fast. More is better. Those are the taglines SRAM’s going with for these new, Roam 60 carbon wheels. We can’t comment on the fast part just yet, but with a 30mm internal width they are reasonably wide.

As revolutionary as SRAM XX1 Eagle drivetrain then? Probably not. But at 30mm they’re bang on trend and able to take the newer 2.5-2.8 wide sub-Plus tyres that are flooding the market.

sram road 60

It’s interesting that SRAM didn’t go super wide though, with some wheel builders forming 40mm and even 50mm wide rims for Plus tyres. Perhaps SRAM figured 30mm was the right compromise.

Back to the details then, and what’s new about the Roam wheelset? Well, the spoke count has increased to 28, in a four-cross pattern and there’s a new hub-shell design with sealed cartridges and a four-pawl engagement.

The Roam wheels weigh 1,790g which is pretty light for a wheelset this wide — the brilliant Stan’s No Tubes ZTR Bravo Team wheels weigh 68g less but are narrower, at 26mm.

Like other SRAM wheels before them, the Roam’s use a hookless carbon rim, which saves some weight. Apparently getting rid of the bead hook also makes the rim more resistant to dings and impacts due to the walls being a constant thickness. We’ll find out when we test some. It’s also cheaper and simpler to manufacture, but at north of £1,600 they’re not cheap.

Nice to see that they’ll be available in versions that accept Shimano cassettes and will also fit into non-Boost 12 x 142mm back ends as well as versions for XD cassettes and Boost 148 axles.

sram roam 60

SRAM Roam 60 carbon wheelset

  • WEIGHT: Front: 835g, Rear: 955g, Pair: 1,790g
  • SPOKE COUNT: 28
  • SPOKE PATTERN: 4 cross
  • FINISH: Unidirectional carbon fiber / matte clear coat / bake-on labels / decal pack included
  • INTERNAL RIM WIDTH: 30mm
  • RIM: Carbon clincher, hookless, tubeless-ready asymmetrical profile
  • HUBS: DOUBLE TIME, Four pawl, SPEEDBALL sealed cartridge bearings, 6-bolt disc
  • EXTERNAL NIPPLES: Brass
  • FRONT AXLE COMPATIBILITY: 15x100mm—regular or torque caps, BOOST 15x110mm—regular or torque caps
  • REAR AXLE COMPATIBILITY: 12x142mm BOOST 12x148mm
  • CASSETTE COMPATIBILITY: SRAM XD and SRAM/Shimano

“More is Better
 
“The evolution of high-performance 29” wheel bikes is undeniable. From XC to DH, these bikes have proven to be incredibly capable, not to mention a ton of fun. Making great 29” wheels requires a purpose-built approach, because bigger without a purpose is not necessarily better. Developing a proper wheel for these bikes means understanding that this new wheel needs to capitalize on the quick-rolling properties they bring to the table, while still making them light, efficient, responsive and, above all, playful.
 
“To accomplish this we’ve increased the spoke count, changed the lacing pattern, and engineered a new hub-shell design. The sum of these changes gives you a laterally stiff wheel that can smash berms and sprint out of corners, a torsionally stiff wheel that feels more responsive and accelerates faster, and a wheel that gives you the right amount of radial stiffness for best traction. And an added byproduct of the new ROAM 60 29 design is that tests show it to be really tough, too.
 
“Faster. Tougher. Playful. More is better.”