BORG31 Disc wheelset

The BORG31 Disc wheelset is handbuilt to deal with multiple disciplines of riding and covering 'huge mileage without the need for servicing'. The weight weenies may scoff, but these wheels offer good overall performance, excellent stiffness and will take an absolute battering without flinching.

I'm going to kick off with my one criticism straight away, as, to be honest, once I've mentioned that I've only got great things to say about the BORG31s.

> Buy these online here

I think the unbranded rims do a disservice to the wheels. It cheapens the look a little and makes the wheels look a bit 'original equipment' – that set of wheels you know you're going to upgrade as soon as possible on your new bike for a bit of bling.

Malcolm is going to deal with this though. That being Malcolm Borg, who builds these wheels at The Cycle Clinic – and had placed a rather detailed description of the wheelset in the box, including that later this year he will have rims with branding on them.

Cool. Now we've dealt with that minor whinge, let's get on with the good stuff.

These unassuming looking wheels are really great to ride.

Looking at the weight you might be thinking, 'ooh, they're going to be a bit sluggish'. But they really aren't. They feel a good couple of hundred grams lighter when climbing or sprinting.

On the flat, the 31mm-deep alloy rim gives a small amount of an aerodynamic gain over a basic box section rim, but by far the biggest positive is just how stiff they are.

The moment you stamp on the pedals, they just go. They feel tight, like nothing is being wasted at all.

It's not all about making a wheel super stiff at the cost of comfort, either. Compared with tyres and pressures, the difference a wheel can make to ride quality is tiny and hard to detect – but ride enough different wheelsets using the same tyres and pressures and the way they behave, those little mannerisms, come through. These BORG31s don't have any of that overly solid feel of some deepish section aluminium alloy rims; they're firm, but with just a touch of forgiveness.

> Buyer’s Guide: 33 of the best disc brake road wheelsets

> The best gravel wheelsets you can buy

Going back to tyres and pressures, though, the 24mm width of the rim (19mm internal) is said to work well with rubber from 25mm up to 40mm.

They came fitted with a set of IRC Roadlite X Guard 25mm tyres (review to come) and I also tried them with my go-to set of gravel tyres, 40mm Zipp Tangente Course G40s.

The reason for the difference in tyre testing... well, the BORG31s can take on a bit of everything. From road riding to cyclo-cross, gravel stuff or even touring.

> Buyer’s Guide: 25 of the best gravel bike tyres

If you've read some of my bike and kit reviews, you'll know that I'm a bit of a fan of heading off into the wilderness on rigid bikes on some pretty unforgiving military byways. If a set of wheels can handle the abuse of four to six weeks of testing over this sort of terrain then they are all right in my book.

The BORGs have taken everything in their stride, showing no signs of losing spoke tension or going out of true over the test period.

Borg says that each wheel is tested with a side load of 600N four times before dispatch. If the wheels go out of true by as little as 0.1mm they are back in the truing jig before they leave the workshop.

The build

I've touched on the dimensions of the rim, but as far as the name goes it is catchily named as the Kinlin XR31 RTS OCR.

The spoke bed is offset, which increases the dishing of the wheel – the angle of the spokes from the hub to the nipple.

The width of a modern freehub means the drive side spokes of a rear wheel can run almost straight. By offsetting the holes for the nipples, the spokes can be sat at more of an angle, which achieves a better tension balance, improving the life of the spoke.

The same can be said for the front wheel, but in relation to the slacker angle caused by the disc end of the hub.

The hooked rims are compatible with both tubeless and clincher tyres, and they are supplied with tubeless tape already fitted.

Removing and refitting the 25mm tyres saw no real issues. It's a snug fit, but I could still get them on with just a nudge from the supplied IRC tyre levers for the last bit. The 40mm Zipps were very similar.

Hub-wise, the BORG DX are made by Miche to BORG's design. They use a large flange design which reduces the braking loads on the spokes, and come fitted with 6083 SKF bearings, which BORG says Miche specifies to a tighter tolerance and with better sealing than normal.

The freehub uses a titanium core with an aluminium splined body, available in Shimano, SRAM XDR and Campagnolo versions, including for the new 13-speed cassettes.

It has a 30-point engagement which gives an instantaneous pick-up, especially from a standing start, and if you like a subtle click when freewheeling you'll be happy with the BORGs.

As for the spokes, they are Sapim CX Force, which are triple butted and bladed, giving a cool look to the wheels. BORG has gone for 24 spokes front and rear, mated to Sapim alloy nipples.

Value

The BORG31s will set you back £540.80 which is a decent price for such quality.

The Mavic Allroad SL wheels that I tested recently are about 160g lighter (not that you'd really notice, considering how lively the BORGs feel) and £590. 

If you haven’t quite got the budget for the BORGs then there are a few other options on the market. Something like the DT Swiss G 1800 Spline wheelset is ideal for gravel use and less than perfect roads. They are weighty at 1,895g and Rachael found that the freehub pick up was a little slow too. They’re yours for around £350.

Conclusion

The BORG31s are a quality set of wheels, there is no doubt about it. While they might not look massively exciting, the combination of quality components and the skill of a wheelbuilder who obviously knows what they are doing means these are an absolute joy to ride. Okay, they aren't the lightest or fastest, but they aren't designed to be. If you want a set of wheels you can bung on your road bike, wet or dry, or stick on your CX or gravel bike without caring about the abuse you are about to give them, this is the wheelset for you.

Verdict

Quality wheelset for all types of riding – not for the weight weenies but for everyone else there is little to fault