What's the difference between road bike disc wheels /cyclocross disc wheels?
3 Answers
Cyclocoss will tend to be wider to accommodate the wider tires used in cyclocross. And tend to be sturdier. Are you buying the wheels for a road or cyclocross?
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1I added sturdier but not always the case. Depends on the quality of the wheel. Commented Aug 7, 2015 at 9:49
The real difference to look for is the axle width and connection method. A "standard" road bike has a 130mm/10mm rear axle and 100mm/9mm front axle that both use a standard quick release.
If a set of wheels matches those dimensions and has disk brake compatible hubs, then any difference between road/cyclocross disk will only be in the various details of the build and rim width/depth.
However, many of the newer road/cyclocross bikes with disk brakes are using different axle widths and connection methods. Often the rear hub axle is 135mm/10mm, and many CX bikes are now coming with through axle mounts. These kinds of specs were previously only found on mountain bikes.
Many hub manufacturers ( especially on the pricy end ) now provide exchangable caps to allow you to switch between connection styles. But before you spring for those fancy carbon wheels, you should verify that the axle widths/styles match your current bike.
answered Aug 22, 2015 at 1:17
Road wheels will be more likely to be more aero with aero bladed spokes, and possibly 4 less of them. Deeper section rims are more common on road wheels than cx wheels too out on the start lines.
