Handbuilt G30 Carbon Gravel Wheelset
How to build a lightweight carbon fiber wheelset weighing only 1350 grams that can handle bumpy gravel roads? Gravel wheelsets have a heavy responsibility. They need to carry you through rugged bike trails, tow a fully loaded bike touring bag, and maintain high-speed rolling on paved surfaces between rides.The answer is in the build — every G30 leaves our workshop by hand, and not one wheel ships until it passes our final QC.
This is the original video of the entire process of building the G30 gravel wheelset.
G30 wheel assembly steps
Inspection of materials used in assembling wheelsets
Every build starts at the heart of the wheel: the hub. Whether you choose the D91 with steel or ceramic bearings, or the flagship DT Swiss 240 EXP with its 36-tooth ratchet, each hub is prepped by hand and its bearings inspected before a single spoke is laced. This is where rolling smoothness is won or lost — a gritty bearing will ruin even the best rim, so we check before we build, not after.
2 Cross Lacing & 24 Sapim CX-Ray Spokes
The G30 is laced in a 2-cross pattern with Sapim CX-Ray spokes — 24 of them, the proven balance of strength, weight, and compliance for gravel. The drive side and non-drive side are laced separately, each side getting the same disciplined care. The CX-Ray's bladed profile cuts drag while its stainless construction shrugs off the mud, water, and abuse that gravel dishes out daily.
Initial Tension & the First Truing Pass
Once laced, each nipple is threaded and the wheel receives its initial tensioning. Then comes the first truing pass, where we dial in both lateral and radial trueness — the rim running straight side to side, and true vertically, so your braking and rolling are smooth from day one.
Stress Relief: The "Set" That Keeps Wheels True
This is the step that separates a wheel from a properly built wheel: stress relief. After tensioning, the spokes need to "set" — seating the elbows and threads so the wheel holds its shape under load. Skipping this is why some wheels go out of true after a few hard rides. Our stress-relief process is the critical step that keeps the G30 straight for thousands of kilometers.
Final Tension Check & QC Sign-Off
Every wheel gets a final tension check with a tensiometer — not by feel, but by measurement — so spoke tension is consistent around the whole wheel. Then it's on to the final spin test, where the wheel is checked for true, round, and quiet running. Only a wheel that passes this gets the QC sign-off.
QC: Every Wheel, Every Time
The QC standard applies to every single G30, not just the showcase builds. Every wheelset that leaves our workshop goes through a strict quality control process — including a detailed spoke tension and trueness check on each wheel, ensuring every spoke is dialed to perfection before it ships to your door. When your G30 arrives, it's not a "good enough" wheel. It's a measured, signed-off one.
Advantages of 30mm inner width
The headline number on the G30 is the 30mm internal rim width, and it's not just a spec sheet flex. On a 700C gravel wheel, 30mm internal width does three real jobs:
More tire volume
Wider rims open up modern gravel tires to their full size, letting you run lower pressures with more air volume and better ride comfort.
Better tire shape
A wider rim supports the tire's sidewall properly, giving you a squarer, more stable contact patch for cornering confidence on loose surfaces.
Tubeless-friendly
The G30 is a clincher, tubeless-ready profile, and that wide bead shelf makes seating and sealing tubeless tires dramatically easier.
Pair that with the 50mm rim depth
Aero enough to keep you fast on the road sections, without the crosswind drama of a deeper section on exposed gravel — and you have a wheel that's genuinely fast where you ride.
The Bottom Line
A carbon gravel wheelset can be light, or aero, or strong. The G30 — 1350g ± 20g, handbuilt, T700 carbon, with a 30mm internal width and DT Swiss 240 EXP hub option.Sales are available in both European and American warehouses. It's available with Centerlock disc mounting and is compatible with Shimano 11-speed, SRAM XDR, and Shimano Micro Spline cassettes — so whether you're on a new GRX/Force build or a classic 11-speed rig, the G30 fits. The QC process behind it means you're not gambling on your next big ride.