2 years after testing the G25, a comparison with the G25 SL
For the competitive gravel rider, the "carbon tax" has long been a bitter pill to swallow. There is a specific, visceral frustration that comes with lining up at a UCI World Cup event, like the Wish One, only to realize your heavy aluminum rims have put you at a disadvantage before the neutral start is even over. For years, the industry line was simple: if you want sub-1400g wheels with a 50mm aero profile, you need to hand over three months’ rent to a European boutique brand.
But the market mechanics are shifting. After two years of "torture testing" wheelsets from ICAN—a Chinese manufacturer that has quietly established a robust logistics network in Europe—it is clear that the barrier to professional-grade performance has collapsed. The ICAN G25 SL represents a "brand killer" not just because of its price, but because of the engineering transparency it offers. With European warehouses now facilitating four-to-five-day delivery, the old fears of customs headaches and month-long shipping times are officially obsolete.
This is the original video from the French channel Augustin Rides, comparing the ICAN gravel wheelsets G25 and G25SL:
The "Flying Carpet" Effect: Geometry Over Hype
Switching from narrow aluminum rims to a 50mm carbon profile isn't just about aerodynamics; it’s about the structural support of the tire. The G25 SL utilizes a 25mm internal and 31.3mm external width. In technical terms, this allows the tire to "sit wider," increasing air volume and lateral stability. This geometry enables riders to run lower pressures without the tire "squirming" under hard cornering.
The result is what field testers describe as a "flying carpet" sensation—a significant reduction in high-frequency vibration and the ability to glide over stones rather than bouncing off them. Data from 24 months of testing shows a consistent speed increase of roughly 2 km/h over similar efforts on alloy wheels, largely due to improved momentum maintenance.
"The day I mounted these carbon wheels on my gravel bike, I almost wanted to cry because the difference was so impressive. It transforms the bike instantly; you gain speed, better responsiveness, and that 'flying carpet' effect where you simply glide over the terrain." — Field Test Notes, G25 SL Evaluation.
Rotational Inertia: Why the 410g Rim Matters
While the total wheelset weight is a headline-grabbing 1350g, the real story is the rim weight. At 410g per rim, the G25 SL achieves a weight-to-depth ratio previously exclusive to the "ultra-high-end" tier.
A 200g saving over a standard carbon wheelset isn't just about the scale; it’s about the "flickability" of the bike. A lighter rim changes the resonance of the wheel, providing better vibration dampening and more immediate "relance" (responsiveness) when exiting a corner or surging up a steep grade.
The G25 SL Weight Profile:
Total Wheelset Weight: 1350g
Individual Rim Weight: 410g
Weight Reduction (SL vs. Standard): 200g of critical rotational mass.
Boutique Engineering and the "Hooked" Advantage
In a move that many performance-focused riders will appreciate, ICAN has stuck with a hooked (jantes accrochées) rim design. While the industry is pushing toward hookless rims to reduce manufacturing costs, hooked rims remain the safer, more versatile choice, preventing tire blow-offs due to user error or pressure fluctuations.
The component list reads like a "best-of" in wheel building:
Sapim CX Ray Spokes
The steel standard for high-end builds, paired with "secure lock" nipples to prevent tension loss.
D91 Hub Architecture
This house-designed hub uses a 45-tooth star ratchet system—a proven, reliable technology that has become accessible as certain industry patents have expired. The hub shell is aggressively machined to shed weight, yet includes a steel anti-bite guard on the freehub to prevent cassette gouging.
Bearing Integrity
Precision machining of the hub shells ensures "no-play" bearing integrity even without the need for manual pre-loading.
Asymmetric Drilling
The rims feature staggered or "zigzag" drilling. This improves the spoke incidence angle, balancing the tension between the drive and non-drive sides for a stiffer, more durable build.
The Journalist's Caveat: While the engineering is sound, buyers using the European warehouse should note a specific limitation: stock is currently limited to Shimano HG and SRAM XDR drivers. If you’re looking to run a 12-speed Shimano MTB cassette via Micro Spline, you’ll likely need to order from the factory.
The Hidden Safety Metric: Compression Vents
One of the most critical features of the G25 SL is also the most easily missed: the decompression and drainage vents. Carbon rims are hollow structures; if your rim tape fails due to wear or heat, air can rush into the rim cavity. Without vents, this pressure can cause the carbon structure to explode catastrophically.
Pro-Tip: Never buy carbon wheels without these drainage/decompression holes. Furthermore, to maintain the integrity of this system, follow the industry standard (as recommended by DT Swiss) and replace your rim tape every six months.
The 2-Year Reliability Verdict: Reality vs. Stigma
To test the "cheap Chinese carbon" stigma, we subjected the predecessor to this wheelset to a two-year torture test. This wasn't a laboratory simulation; it involved World Cup gravel racing, heavily loaded bike-packing through the rugged Scottish Highlands, and the "Rocamadour grind." It even survived the daily abuse of commuting, including jumping curbs with fully loaded pannier racks.
The data after thousands of kilometers:
Spoke Tension: Zero loss; the wheels remained perfectly true ("sans voile").
Hub Durability: Zero bearing play, despite repeated exposure to mud and high-pressure cleaning.
Impact Resistance: Multiple rim strikes on square-edge rocks resulted in zero structural damage.
Conclusion: Data vs. Brand Loyalty
When you compare the €750 price point of the ICAN G25 SL against the €2000+ price tag of "innovative" European brands, the value proposition becomes hard to ignore. While ultra-premium brands might offer wider aero profiles (up to 38mm or 40mm externally), for the "reasoned" buyer, the marginal gains rarely justify an extra €1300.
In an age where a "budget" wheelset can survive a two-year World Cup torture test, is it still useful to pay for a European logo?
