Scribe Cycling has launched four new wheelsets, two with bladed carbon spokes and two with aero steel spokes, both in 50mm and 65mm depths.

The Scribe Ultra range includes the 50mm deep Ultra Élan 5 with a 1,149g claimed weight and the Ultra Élan 6 with a 65mm depth and a 1,289g claimed weight, both built with carbon spokes at Scribe’s facility in Belfast. 

Scribe has also introduced the Ultra Core wheels with the same rim depths but laced with Alpina aero steel spokes, shaving £500 off the £1,999 price of the Ultra Élan, but increasing the weight to 1,338g in 50mm and 1,468g in 65mm depth. 

Scribe claims the 65mm depth Ultra Core is the fastest UCI-compliant wheelset you can buy, as the steel spokes are marginally more aero than its carbon ones, and says it will release the supporting wind-tunnel data later this month.

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Wider and lighter

Scribe started off with computer simulations of its wheels, but backed that up with wind-tunnel testing at the Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub – an increasingly popular destination for tests of bike aerodynamics, used by everyone from BMC for its Teammachine R to Bastion for its ultra-rarified Archetype.

Its rims follow the modern trend to increased width for both tyres and wheels, with a 24mm internal/30mm external rim width. Scribe has retained hooked beads for wide tyre compatibility and has optimised the wheels for 28mm to 30mm wide tyres.

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Wavy spokes

Scribe says its new OSL8 carbon spokes are designed to offer stiffness, compliance and best-in-class aerodynamics. It says the wavy profile makes the spokes around 0.5 watts faster than the more usual 5mm bladed carbon spokes seen on carbon spoked wheels. The spokes have conventional nipples, so they can be tightened or replaced.

In the Ultra Élan wheels there are 20 straight-pull spokes that are laced 1:1 front and rear; in the Core Ultra wheels, the 24 front and rear steel spokes are J-bend and also arranged 1:1.

Hubs

The new wheelsets turn on Scribe’s new Ultra hubs, which Scribe says have been designed from scratch for the aero carbon spokes. The Ultra Élan hubs have T-headed anchor points to prevent spoke rotation, while in the Core Ultra wheels, the flange edges are chamfered to enhance airflow. Both hubsets turn on ceramic TPI Grade 3 bearings and include a 36-tooth ratchet freehub. You can choose between Shimano HG11, SRAM XDR and Campagnolo freehubs.

Weight and pricing

The Ultra Élan 5’s 1,149g claimed weight represents a decrease of over 100g from Scribe’s previous generation Élan Superlight+ 50, which has a 1,268g claimed weight. 

We rated the Élan Superlight+ 50 wheelset when we reviewed the wheelset recently, commenting on its top-notch build quality and its performance, thanks to the low mass and stiffness, along with its crosswind stability. We’ve also been impressed by the brand’s service and support – and its more affordable pricing. 

Prices for the new Ultra wheelsets are £1,999 / $2,599 / €2,299 for the carbon spoked Ultra Élan in both depths and £1,499 / $1,999 / €1,699 for the steel spoked Ultra Core. 

The new Ultra wheels will be available to buy from January 2026, and Scribe is offering a three year warranty and lifetime crash replacement programme.