Vel Wheels

I have a set of vel 50's which am very happy with. Have greased freewheel pawls to quieten them down a bit
Was looking at mates Hunt wheels recently and noticed thet were identical, assume Hunt are providing rebadged wheels for Sigma? Makes sense i suppose

Mapdec did an interesting YouTube video a few weeks back on Vel wheels. Well worth a watch. My mate has two sets and he rates them. The hub noise is so loud you have to shout over it though when freewheeling.

I have some of the VEL alloy gravel wheels but the hubs are similar with straight pull spokes (if not the same even?). The Freehub sounds like swarming bees but that doesn't bother me, and they have been fine so far. These alloy rims were easy to set up tubeless and came with the valves etc. I have had multiple sets of wheels with these style of hubs (rebranded novatec maybe?) and no issues.

Could be wrong but a shop based brand has as much, if not more reason to help you out in the case of a warranty issue? I always think wheels are a bit of an odd one though for warranty, cos it's hard to prove a spoke that snaps early is a warranty issue or similarly a bearing that doesn't last very well.

I'd consider Vel if I was in the market for new road wheels.

I snapped up a pair of 60/85 RSL last year, with DT-Swiss hubs. Straight and round out of the box, all taped tubeless ready. There's a weight imbalance on the rear which I suspect the long valve and valve extender are contributing to, but I can only feel it on the workstand - not noticed anything when riding even though I know it's there.

The only comparison I have for these is the 34mm alloy Fulcrum 4 DB stock wheels from 2019 that came with the bike. No surprise that the Vels are faster, but they soak up some the road bumps far better than I was expecting for such deep carbon profiles.

My only gripe is that the disc rotor alignment on the rear is different to the Fulcrum. Whether that because the Fulcrum is out of tolerance or the Vel, I've no way to tell. Rotors seem to be the same thickness. When I swap the wheels over, I have to realign the caliper. It's only a tiny amount, but the tolerances on older Ultegra calipers are very small to start with.

I've got a used set of Vel 38s. DT Swiss ratchet hub, look good, working well tubeless, with relatively easy setup, easy to service. Mine arrived with good tension and are putting up with the twin challenges of awful roads and a heavy rider. Base your decision on whether you like the ultra-buzzy DT Swiss hub noise. Not sure about latest models but mine are only a 20.8mm internal width so best suited to 25 or maybe 28mm tyres.

I have no experience with the Vels I'm afraid but I do run a pair of Roval C38s on a Roubaix. Had them for a couple of years now, covering around 4000km on that particular bike. They roll nicely, and are a great trade off between deep section and lighter weight. They're easier to handle in the wind than the CL50s I also have on another bike, although not as fast IMO.

No issues encountered so can't speak for the warranty, although for other things I've found both Specialized dealers and their own Rider Care team exceptional with customer service. 

All in all, good all round choice.