Design
This wheelset is designed for riding, racing, or bike-packing on 25/28/30mm tyres. Practically, this means that it needs to be light, aerodynamic, but most importantly strong enough to withstand the rigours of racing on a variety of surfaces.
The strength of these wheels is assured by 28 Sapim CX Ray spokes, strengthened rims, and tough gravel hubs. These wheels are therefore also suitable for heavier riders looking for fast road wheels.
All of our wheels are named after cities and rivers in Ukraine, out of respect to our Trailmech colleagues and all Ukrainians affected by the conflict. Our Kyiv wheels are our first ever wheelset, so it was natural we would name them after Ukraine’s capital city.
Rims
Our rims are made from a high quality T800 carbon fibre, for compliance, stiffness, lightness, and strength. With a 27mm external width, 22mm internal width (below rim hooks) and an 18.35mm width between rim hooks, these wheels are most aerodynamic with 25 and 28mm tyres, but can accommodate anything up to 43mm.
A U-shaped rim profile provides maximum aerodynamic efficiency at a wider variety of yaw-angles than a standard V-shaped rim. Our rims are paired with bladed Sapim CX-Ray spokes for their legendary strength, longevity, and aerodynamic advantages.
Hubs
Every Zolla wheelset is built on one of two hubsets, both made in Taiwan and both proven over big miles. Our standard build uses the Bitex BX160: a light, serviceable star-ratchet hub with twin 90-tooth ratchets for near-instant engagement, standard-size bearings any mechanic can replace, and a Centerlock rotor mount.
Want the premium option? Choose the DT Swiss 350: the hub more ultra-distance racers trust than any other, with DT’s Ratchet system (36 teeth as standard, tool-free upgrade to 54), easy freehub swaps between Shimano HG, SRAM XDR and Micro Spline, and spares available in almost any bike shop in the world.
Pick your hub when you order, or ask us which suits your riding. Our original hub partner Trailmech has paused production because of the war in Ukraine; read about our relationship with them and why this wheelset keeps its Ukrainian name.
Handbuilt
The value of handbuilt wheels is often understated. They can last a lifetime if well-specced and built by an experienced wheel builder. Whilst it’s often thought that wheel building is just about producing wheels that are true (aligned) in all directions, this is far from correct.
The strength of handbuilt wheels really comes from the way the spokes are tensioned and ensuring this tension is uniform throughout. The spokes on our wheel are individually measured to ensure perfect tension and uniformity across the entire structure.
To finish the build, we seat a tubeless tyre on the wheel and then measure the tension again across all spokes. This ensures that there is no shifting or settling of the spokes and rim to worry about when the wheel gets its first use.
Customise Your Wheels
Don’t see the options you want on this page? Don’t worry, we often build to spec and are happy to advise on custom builds. Whether it’s adding a dynamo hub or accommodating an unusual axle combination, we can figure it out.
Drop us an email at hello@zolla.cc and let us know what you’re looking for. Lead times for custom builds vary depending on component availability, but we can usually get them turned around in a few weeks.
Warranty
Our wheels are built to last, with each wheelset individually handbuilt. Therefore, we’re happy to offer a five-year warranty across all our wheels. This covers any material or workmanship failures or flaws. You can read more here.
If you have any problems at all with your wheels or require advice regarding routine maintenance then don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can email us here.
Jonny –
I bought these wheels specifically to withstand the rigours of ultra cycling events where reliability is paramount. In several months of riding they have lived up to my expectations. I also configured these to run tubeless tyres and fitting each tyre effortlessly took only a few minutes using normal hand-levers which may prove crucial when faced with a puncture in a remote location.
So far the ride has been incredible and they have performed well in all conditions including high winds and rain.
The pre-sales support was excellent and helped with choice of additional components that I required for the tubeless setup.
Finally the wheels look fantastic and I look forward to using them on many adventures.