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Nex-Gen Aero V7 gravel wheels built stronger with TeXtreme Innegra + carbon spread tow

Written by Cory Benson
Nex-Gen Aero V7 gravel wheels, aerodynamic TeXtreme Innegra carbon spread tow gravel bike wheelset, rim detail
25 Comments
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New US-built, consumer-direct carbon wheel maker Nex-Gen goes live with new Aero V7 gravel bike wheels. Claiming their rims are already more durable & comfortable thanks to unique Innegra carbon spread tow construction, now they add optimized gravel aerodynamics – all at competitive pricing from the factory, direct to you…

Nex-Gen Aero V7 aerodynamic TeXtreme Innegra carbon gravel wheels

Nex-Gen Aero V7 gravel wheels, aerodynamic TeXtreme Innegra carbon spread tow gravel bike front wheel
c. Nex-Gen Sports

Claiming to be the first to combine optimized aerodynamics, impact-resistance & vertical compliance into a single gravel wheelset design, Nex-Gen’s Aero V7 gravel wheels promise a fast and comfortable ride on & off-road.

Much of that comfort comes down to the TeXtreme Innegra & carbon spread tow material combination having a claimed 15% lower compressive stiffness than standard carbon fibers, which allows the Innegra to absorb & recover from higher impacts before failure.

Nex-Gen Aero V7 gravel wheels, aerodynamic TeXtreme Innegra carbon spread tow gravel bike wheelset, rim detail

At the same time, the wide 38.5mm deep Innegra carbon rims are said to be about the same weight as a conventional carbon, building up into a competitive 1553g complete wheelset weight.

Aerodynamic gravel wheel – Tech details

Nex-Gen Aero V7 gravel wheels, aerodynamic TeXtreme Innegra carbon spread tow gravel bike wheelset, US-builtWhen we got a tease of the new factory-direct consortium of Nex-Gen Sports earlier this winter, their unique tape-wound Innegra carbon spread tow rims were an obvious standout. Developed to automate a key part of the rim construction process, Nex-Gen says it results in more accurate & consistent placement of the carbon which allows them to better optimize weight & strength characteristics.

 

But it was also a notable cycling who’s who behind the project…

Nex-Gen Aero V7 gravel wheels, aerodynamic TeXtreme Innegra carbon spread tow gravel bike wheelset, CFD aero

Here that translates to a CFD-optimized aerodynamic rim profile created by Paul Lew, FEA structural analysis by the UK’s Performance Engineering Solutions, and TeXtreme Innegra + Toray carbon spread tow layup by Paul Farrell.

Nex-Gen Aero V7 gravel wheels, aerodynamic TeXtreme Innegra carbon spread tow gravel bike wheelset, testing

The hookless, tubeless-ready Aero V7 rims are 26mm internal, 33mm external, and 38.5mm deep.

Nex-Gen Aero V7 gravel wheels, aerodynamic TeXtreme Innegra carbon spread tow gravel bike wheelset, i9 hubs

Ultimately, Nex-Gen’s Aero V7 gravel rims get built up 2x with premium 24-hole centerlock Industry 9 Torch hubs, a mix of Sapim CX-Ray (non-driveside) & CX-Sprint (driveside) spokes, and brass nipples. Handbuilt in the US, the 1553g wheelset comes standard with 12mm thru-axles (oddly & most-likely incorrectly, Nex-Gen lists standard 12×100 front spacing & 12×148 Boost rear spacing Update: as expected, Nex-Gen simply switched this. The wheels are 12×142 non-Boost standard, although substitutions are possible… think Boost or even maybe Road Boost,yikes?!) and a Shimano HG11 freehub. But other axles & freehubs are available on request.

Nex-Gen Aero V7 gravel wheels – Pricing & availability

Nex-Gen Aero V7 gravel wheels, aerodynamic TeXtreme Innegra carbon spread tow gravel bike wheelset

The complete Nex-Gen Aero V7 tubeless-ready Innegra/carbon gravel wheels sell for $1700 consumer-direct and include tubeless tape, valves & Nex-Gen’s own sealant (that’s $100 more than their similarly-spec’d enduro MTB wheels). The wheels have a 265lb/120kg max rider weight limit, and include an “unconditional” 5-year warranty on the rims, plus standard Sapim & Industry Nine coverage. Nex-Gen ships for free in the US and offers a discount on Schwalbe tires if you buy them with the wheels.

Nex-Gensports.com
Cory Benson
4,364 articles

Cory Benson is the EU Tech Editor of Bikerumor.com.

Cory has been writing about mountain bikes, enduro, cyclocross, all-road, gravel bikes & bikepacking for over 25 years, even before the industry created some of these names. Prior to Bikerumor, Cory was a practicing Architect specializing in environmental sustainability, has designed bike shops & bike components, and worked as a bike shop mechanic.

Based in the Czech Republic for 15+ years, he is a technical mountain biker, adventurous gravel rider, and short & medium-haul bikepacker. Cory travels extensively across Europe riding bikes, meeting with key European product developers, industry experts & tastemakers for an in-depth review of what’s new, and what’s coming next.

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Edgar Lorenz
Edgar Lorenz
3 years ago

Cool wheels. But, 1550 grams is not competitive for a 38 deep wheel. Sorry. Also, way overpriced. Comparable Light Bicycle wheels weigh at least 150 grams less and are at a minimum $500 cheaper.

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KB
KB
3 years ago
Reply to  Edgar Lorenz

With i9s, CX-Rays, and a 265 lb weight limit? 1,553 grams seems pretty good to me. Plus free shipping… I poked around on Light Bike and don’t see anything comparable. Maybe I missed it…

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K-Pop is dangerous to your health
K-Pop is dangerous to your health
3 years ago
Reply to  KB

Edgar is absolutely right, too heavy and too expensive compared to what you can get from LB and others. And out of all the aftermarket hubs available i9 Torch hubs are garbage. Prepare for prematurely roasted bearings and machine gun freewheeling noise. I’ve had 150lb’ers kill rear Torch bearings in less than a season. i9’s budget 1/1 hubs are a million times better but heavy. Only if Hydra canceled out Torch, that would be something. Exclaiming “free shipping” is nothing but a marketing hook, it’s already factored into the price.

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KB
KB
3 years ago
Reply to  K-Pop is dangerous to your health

I only brought up Shipping because LB charges for it, and the cost is significant if you want it to come via airplane vs. a literal boat from mainland China (I have several friends with LB wheels that took quite a long time to arrive). I have no horse in the race anyways, what drew my attention initially was the TeXtreme carbon. I have a Felt cx frame made of it that I love.

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nightfend
nightfend
3 years ago
Reply to  KB

1550 gram is light for a gravel wheel with 38mm aero rims. I think Edgar is confused as Light Bicycle make mostly shallow MTB wheels.

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K-Pop is dangerous to your health
K-Pop is dangerous to your health
3 years ago
Reply to  nightfend

nightfend, I built a 1440gm set of LB WR38 for a 250 pounder, no problems whatsoever. Not so difficult making strong and light wheels for the bigs, lots of great options out there. Sure LB is very MTB oriented but also has 6 different wide aero rims for gravel. Is that not enough?

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Dr. Juan de Bobo, DDS, Esq.
Dr. Juan de Bobo, DDS, Esq.
3 years ago
Reply to  Edgar Lorenz

Lulz. Comparing megafactory Chinese wheels to boutique American wheels on price? Sure, that’s a good determining factor of a wheel set’s quality and desirability. But really, $1700 for a domestic carbon wheel set is a good price. And 1550g with a Clydesdale-plus weight rating is impressive.

So yeah, go buy generic or whatever and do what makes you happy because supporting innovative small companies is apparently not something you value.

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Andrew
Andrew
3 years ago
Reply to  Dr. Juan de Bobo, DDS, Esq.

this.

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gregoryvanthomas
gregoryvanthomas
3 years ago
Reply to  Dr. Juan de Bobo, DDS, Esq.

Juan,
You do realize that these wheels are designed and assembled in the US, but the rims are not manufactured in the US? See how they don’t use the term “Made” in the US? Lots and lots of carbon wheel companies assemble the wheels here from outsourced parts, for much less than $1700. Even Light Bicycle sometimes does, depending on what you’re asking for.

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El Pataron
El Pataron
3 years ago
Reply to  gregoryvanthomas

Damn. Usually proud myself on paying attention to fineprint. $1700 for assembled in USA? Nope. Damnit. So close!

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The honorable Dr. Juan de Bobo, DDS, Esq.
The honorable Dr. Juan de Bobo, DDS, Esq.
3 years ago
Reply to  gregoryvanthomas

@gregoryvanthomas, really? So lame. And shady. They seriously twist it to make it seem like the rims are USA made. I appreciate the domestic assembly and hubs, but that definitely changes their value. Ugh. Thumbs down for FauxUSA made

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No thankyou
No thankyou
3 years ago

Do they come in black instead of whatever that is?

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Oliver
Oliver
3 years ago
Reply to  No thankyou

It’s a carbon / dyneema (or similar to it) weave. That’s just how it looks.

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Jeff
Jeff
3 years ago

I9’s on a road or gravel wheel are pointless at best and possibly a negative due to their drag. the advantage of high POE is if you have to ratchet pedal over things. there are basically ZERO instances where you would ever have to ratchet pedal on a gravel bike. you are either pedaling or coasting. plus you have to listen to that horrible sound on long descents. this alone would immediately take these wheels off my list. that and they look like they have a cheap Wal-Mart vinyl wrap on them that is supposed to look like carbon or something. not sure what that is but it looks like hot garbage.

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K-Pop is dangerous to your health
K-Pop is dangerous to your health
3 years ago
Reply to  Jeff

I agree with you about the look of these rims, the weave resembles cheap lawn furniture regardless of the tech involved. About hubs however, high POE is is desirable for those of us that do more technical trail riding with the gravel bikes. Onyx have instant engagement with very low drag and silent freewheeling. White Industries are also very fast engagement and low drag. You must realize not everyone is riding gravel or off road roadie style. That’s a fairly myopic view.

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Clinton Blacksmith
Clinton Blacksmith
3 years ago
Reply to  K-Pop is dangerous to your health

Gravel is usually defined as off road roadie style my man. Can you ride your gravel bike on single track? Ya. And its super fun. But if you’re going to make a product for riding technical trail riding, you would probably define it as designed for mountain biking and not gravel. Don’t confuse how you blur the lines of gravel and mtb as the definition of the gravel category.

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K-Pop is dangerous to your health
K-Pop is dangerous to your health
3 years ago
Reply to  Clinton Blacksmith

Well my dude, Clinton. If there ever was a genre of cycling that blurs the lines it’s gravel. When I lived in the midwest I had access to thousands of miles of the typical fast gravel on the farm grid, and yeah sure I rode it like a roadie. That’s what the industry defines as gravel. Not everybody has access to that, it’s a regional thing. You assume far too much. Where I live now it’s extremely rough service/fire roads and double and single track. I have to travel a bit to find any semblance of what I came from. You make it sound as if you’re going to stand at a trail head and pass judgement on people if they’re riding a gravel bike on an mtb trail and say ‘you’re not gravel biking your mountain biking!’. Not even taking into consideration where they’re going or where they came from on the rest of their ride. With that kind of attitude you’d actually be really great at enforcing Sharia law on the streets of Iran as the morality police.

Anyway, you entirely missed the point of the exchange you’re replying to. High POE hubs are great for the mountain bike sections of whatever ride you’re doing. They will not hinder you if you’re just road riding fast gravel, but it’s there when/if you need it. And good luck finding anything but high POE hubs anymore. Most all hub manufactures went for high engagement regardless of genre.

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nooner
nooner
3 years ago

I love carbon rims for road riding, but for MTB, or gravel they can feel too harsh for my liking.

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Tony
Tony
3 years ago

It’s amazing how carbon gets better with every company that makes it. They are always, lighter, stronger, and cheaper. Keith Bontrager would be amazed that you CAN have all three!

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Dominic
Dominic
3 years ago
Reply to  Tony

still not “cheap” just cheap-er

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Tom
Tom
3 years ago

taking that into account, I’ve gotten nice wheels from LightBike with DT 240 hubs delivered to the house for right on $1K. The spec on these wheel looks nice at a casual glance, but I have no specific experience with Next or I9.

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K-Pop is dangerous to your health
K-Pop is dangerous to your health
3 years ago

Just consider the fact that 90%+ of the carbon rims out there are made in Asia. They’ve been at the forefront of carbon R&D and manufacturing for only decades. So much for country of origin bias. Lulz.

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K-Pop is dangerous to your health
K-Pop is dangerous to your health
3 years ago

KB, even with the shipping factored in final cost of LB’s wheel sets it’s still $400-$700 less than Nex Gen depending on the hub. And of course turnaround is long if you order from the HQ in China. But why would you? They have a North American distributor/builder that ships it about a week.

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Bikes_N_Jeeps
Bikes_N_Jeeps
3 years ago

I believe the categories of bikes are used to determine standards for ISO testing. Also,

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Emily Chen
Emily Chen
3 years ago

None of LB aero rims has any data to show they are designed and lab tested to show any aerodynamic advantage with hard data. Any body can claim any rim to be aero by just saying they are…. cannot see why we should just believe. What really makes LB successful nowadays is purely their price. Period! Let’s just face it. Price Price and Price is the only reason to choose LB.

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