Lightweight Pfadfinder EVO gravel wheels get full carbon rim, spokes & hub!

Written by Jessie-May Morgan Sep 17, 2021 3:44 a.m. ET

lightweight pfadfinder evo carbon gravel wheelset disc

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German high-end carbon road and gravel wheel manufacturers, Lightweight, are rolling out the all-new Lightweight Pfadfinder EVO disc wheelset. Based roughly on the Wegweiser EVO carbon road wheels, the Pfadfinder EVO can accommodate wider 40mm tires, in-line with the trend for higher volume tires.

Lightweight Pfadfinder EVO

The new Lightweight Pfadfinder EVO wheelset is disc only, with carbon rims braced by 20 carbon spokes, front and rear. Based on the Wegweiser EVO, the Pfadfinder EVO gets a 36mm deep rim is said to have a low sensitivity to side winds.The wheels have an 18.2mm internal width rim (24mm outer) which is said to allow the fitment of tires up to 40mm wide for additional riding comfort, but down to 23mm wide too. That rim width is narrow for road wheels, let alone gravel, so these certainly aren’t chasing the fad of ‘wider is better’.

The carbon rims themselves are made up of special high-modulus CFRP fibers (carbon fibre reinforced polymers) with the layup specifically optimized for significantly increased robustness. Lightweight say these rims have an outstanding stiffness to weight ratio, with a complete wheelset for SRAM 12 speed gearing weighing in at a claimed 1430g.

Laced to the rim is the Pentagon Hub, also seen on the Meilenstein wheelset. This was developed to be stronger and safer, able to withstand the braking heat generated at the hub due to the disc brakes. It uses a hub shell with 5 sides instead of one that is round. This means the hub shell is held in place not only with the bond of the epoxy, but also with a mechanical bond of the flanges around the pentagon shell.

The Pfadfinder EVO will be available in standard and Schwarz ED. The latter is the premium option with black decals and lower friction Ceramic Speed hub bearings. The wheels are compatible with SRAM, Shimano and Campagnolo groupsets.

Lightweight.info

Jessie-May Morgan

1,362 articles

Jessie-May Morgan is the UK & Ireland Tech Editor of Bikerumor. She has been writing about Mountain Bike Riding and Racing, and all its weird and wonderful technology for 4 years. Prior to that, she was an Intern at the Mountain Bike Center of Scotland, and a Mountain Bike Coach and Leader in the Tweed Valley.

Based in Innerleithen, Scotland, Jessie-May can often be seen riding the Glentress Trail Center, and its neighboring Enduro and Downhill Tracks. She regularly competes in Enduro at a national level, and has recently competed on the World Stage at a handful of Enduro World Series events.

For Bikerumor, Jessie-May is testing the latest mountain bikes, equipment and kit, letting readers know what’s hot and what’s not.

For context, she weighs 60kg and stands at 5ft 4″ tall (163cm).

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14 Comments

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2 years ago

garbage. I don’t need or want a stiffer wheel for gravel riding. My Current wheels are lighter, have replaceable spokes and can be serviced by me or at any shop.

Collin S

2 years ago

18.2 mm internal? My road wheels are wider then that. Being that its a lightweight product, it will probally be nearly $5000 for the whole set. I could go with a pair of HED Emporia GC3 Pro’s which are lighter, nearly 8 mm wider internal width, and can be serviced anywhere. Heck, I could buy 2 sets of the HEDs and spend less money than these.

gregoryvanthomas

2 years ago

If Lightweight is limited to narrow rims by their construction method, they need to change their construction method. It’s getting them nowhere right now

K-Pop is dangerous to your health

2 years ago

How stoked are you to put 40mm tires on a rim with internal widths that resemble road wheels from 20 years ago? Raise your hand.

Eggs Benedict

2 years ago

Only Ballers need apply for these bad-boys.

Shafty

2 years ago

What is the excuse from Lightweight for the narrower width rims? Is this an intrinsic limitation of their spoke and rim construction? I really don’t get it. Especially the consideration for 23mm tires on disc brake wheels. 25mm is about the narrowest that you’ll see on bikes these days, only on “road” bikes, and the 23-40mm range is wide enough to disrupt handling on most gravel bikes. Narrow tires *fit*, but it’s not great, and a smooth tread has nearly the same effect. When you want the 23mm tire ride, you really want something svelte, so you’ll use a dedicated bike for it. If they made a wide, lighter rim, with a modest pressure limit(75psi when tubeless), they’d have the eyes of wealthy gravel riders for sure.

I’ve always liked their aesthetic, but the specs really need revision. These aren’t even that light.

2 years ago

Anyone else find it funny these are gravel wheels essentially called “Fad Finder?” I wonder what fad they will find next?

Chris

2 years ago

Hard pass. I’ll stick with Stans carbon hoops on my gravel bike. Lighter, cheaper, and serviceable.

Seraph

2 years ago

I was expecting lighter than 1430g for a full carbon wheelset. My road/gravel wheels weigh 1150g with regular spokes.

Wing

2 years ago

These comments! You guys killed it (Lightweight what were you thinking?…) I was gonna wait ’til morning, but I’m off to the garage to read the comments to my bike, which is just about as crazy as these wheels.

Although, they are nice to look at.

K-Pop is dangerous to your health

2 years ago

Wider is better a “fad”? I think it’s a trend. Fad is a blip on the radar, trend is long term changes and evolution. Wwider road rims came about in the early 2000’s by Am Classic, Hed, Velocity. Just by concept of time alone this is a trend. Just take a look where we’re at now. We’ll all be riding 29″x3.0″ gravel tires soon, and lightweight might concede and stretch out to 21mm internal widths by then, lol.