Wheelmaker FFWD rebuilds their popular wide & light DRIFT gravel wheels lighter & faster than ever, as the new RAW PACE & RAW CONTROL. Because cyclists were already gravel racing on their road / all-road RAW wheels to start with anyway, so the proper gravel wheels needed a racing upgrade.
The Raw formula is essentially the same here as on the Ryot road – lace lightweight hubs with fast CeramicSpeed bearings to proven discipline-specific aero carbon rims with aero-bladed Vonoa carbon spokes. The result is almost a hundred grams saved, without sacrificing off-road durability. The only downside is that they cost quite a bit more. Such is the cost of speed!
FFWD RAW Pace & Control premium aero gravel race wheels
FFWD’s carbon Drift gravel wheels got a solid makeover last summer, with wider 28mm hookless internals and either 36mm Control or 48mm deep Pace rims – all at reasonable light weights and prices as low as 1500€ for a set. But it seems, gravel racers wanted more.
So FFWD mixed up the ingredients they already had in the workshop: 2 versatile wide, blunt-nosed aero carbon rims; established ratchet hubs spinning on smooth Ceramic Speed bearings; and light, stiff & aero Vonoa carbon spokes.
Compared to the base Drift Control 36 & Drift Pace 48 wheels, the new Raw wheels save 165g & 150, respectively. And even against the more expensive DT 240 Drifts, the new wheels are 85g & 70g lighter, respectively. Plus, they will spin more smoothly on ceramic bearings and cut faster through the wind with fewer carbon spokes.
Tech details
- 38mm deep Raw Control rim, max 35mm external width
- 48mm deep Raw Pace rim, max 36mm external width
- blunt LAW tech aero carbon rim profiles from the Drift-series
- 28mm internal hookless tubeless rims
- laced 2:1 with high-tension carbon spokes & external 5.5mm HEX nipples
- 21 aero-bladed Vonoa carbon spokes (front & rear)
- FFWD-branded alloy straightpull CS² hubs with 36T ratchet internals
- CeramicSpeed bearings, centerlock disc brake, 12mm thru-axles
- Shimano HG, MicroSpline, SRAM XDR, Campagnolo & Campy N3W freehubs available
- rated for 38-60mm tires
- claimed wheelset weights:
1295g Raw Control 36 wheelset (585g front, 710g rear)
1380g Raw Pace 48 wheelset (630g front, 750g rear)
FFWD RAW Pace & Control – Pricing, options & availability
The gravel-specific RAW wheels come in two rim depth options – either 48mm deep Pace or 36mm deep Control. Both sell for 2700€ for a pair of race-ready aero gravel wheels – 50% more than Drifts with the same rims built on DT 240 hubs with stainless spokes
Officially, the new FFWD RAW Pace & Control gravel race wheels are not available just yet. Although, the road-going carbon-spoked RAW family is already available now in 33, 44, 55 & 77mm depths, plus a couple of mixed-depth combinations. All sell for the same 2700€ wheelset price, pre-taped for tubeless, including alloy valves and a premium padded wheelbag.
We got a preview sneak peek of the RAW Pace & Control gravel wheels last week, and they will go on sale very soon. We don’t have an official date yet. But FFWD says it will be July, and they will be available to ship from next week.
