Boyd Cycling is returning to the UK and has launched a new carbon wheelset, the Podium 36mm Carbon Disc SL with a claimed 1,130g weight (515g front/615g rear) and 36mm deep profile.
The Podium 36 Carbon Disc SL wheelset is designed for road and all-road use, with a 24mm internal/29mm external width hooked rim and is priced at £1,860 in the UK.
According to Boyd Cycling founder Boyd Johnson, the wheelset is designed for versatility. ‘It’s light enough for climbing, stiff enough for sprinting, stable on descents, and durable enough to ride every day. This is the wheelset most riders actually need,’ Johnson says.
Engineered for impact resistance
Based in South Carolina, USA, where it hand-builds all its wheels, Boyd Cycling was founded in 2009 and has a reputation for trying new things. It has focussed on its home market for the last few years, but is now aiming to increase its presence in the UK and Europe.
It was one of a few brands to offer ceramic-coated alloy rims for rim brakes back in the day and still sells rim brake carbon and alloy wheels. Its Podium carbon rim brake wheels offer rim depths of up to 80mm, while it also sells disc brake gravel and MTB wheelsets alongside its disc brake road, track and time trial wheels.
Boyd makes its alloy rims in-house and has recently added the capability for in-house carbon rim manufacturing.
Johnson says the new wheelset is optimised for 28mm to 30mm tyre widths, run either tubeless or with inner tubes. The rim has a claimed weight of 310g, with T1000 carbon fibre used for the bead hooks and spoke holes, high stress areas where impact resistance is important.Â
The layup at the spoke holes is designed to distribute stresses, with Johnson saying this allows higher spoke tensions, while high pressure moulding allows Boyd to achieve a claimed 72:28 fibre to resin ratio, which it says ensures strength-to-weight and rim consistency. The rim is claimed to be able to withstand more than 2.5 times the UCI-mandated impact force requirements.
Boyd’s new wheels turn on its Grade 54 hubs with a ratchet freehub with 54 points of engagement, equating to a narrow 6.6-degree engagement angle. The hubs have a claimed weight of 85g for the front and 185g for the rear. They employ Enduro steel bearings, offer tool-free service and are available for Shimano, SRAM XDR and Campagnolo cassettes.Â
Both the front and rear wheels are laced with 24 Pillar Wing 20 straight-pull aero spokes and alloy nipples and are supplied with tubeless rim tape and valves installed.
The Boyd Podium 36mm Carbon Disc SL wheelset is priced at £1,860 / $2,100 / €2,150.
