One of the first major products out of last year’s industry-vet startup Nex-Gen Sports was their TeXtreme-based V7 gravel wheels. Featuring a broad, bold rim profile and Industry Nine hubs, they were an interesting entry to the market for sure (and one that we’ve been testing and liking since…full review coming soon).
And at $1,699, they weren’t very expensive either. But now there’s an even more affordable version in the $1,299 V7 CF wheelset (and we have a huge Bikerumor-exclusive discount for you at bottom of this post)…
The key difference is the move to a standard carbon fiber rim, without the TeXtreme Innegra spread-tow fibers. They also switch to a house-brand hub, more on that in a minute.
The rims keep the same 33mm wide (26mm internal) and 38.5mm deep rims, with an aerodynamic profile designed by Paul Lew. The layup uses a low FAW Toray carbon fiber that’s tape wound rather than laid up by hand. They say that does two things: The low FAW number means less resin per gram of fiber, complemented by using special “resin scavenging” channels in the molds to get more excess resin out to save weight.
The tape winding process uses automated machines to wind the carbon plies around a removable mandrel to create the main rim body. This lets them use less overall material, and lay it up under tension, which they say yields a lighter, stronger rim than those laid up by hand with cut pieces of fiber.
Despite losing the highly impact-resistant Innegra fibers, they say these rims still pass a higher-than-necessary impact test without fracturing. As such, they come with a lifetime warranty (two year warranty on the hubs and bearings, and standard Sapim warranty on the spokes).
The hubs are a custom star ratchet design, with Center Lock rotor mounts and your choice of common freehub bodies.
The two wheelsets are similar in weight, with the V7 CF wheelset coming in at a claimed 1560g (without tape or valve stems), just 10g heavier than the higher end set. Max rider weight limit is 265lb (120kg).
Special Discount for Bikerumor Readers!
As a special offer for Bikerumour readers, Nex-Gen is offering 30 sets for just $999.00, available until they’re sold out. Use code BR-30V7 at checkout to get the deal at Nex-GenSports.com.
