GRAVEL
ROAD
Written with ❤️ by
Hugo
Van Rysel, Decathlon’s performance cycling brand, unveils two new carbon wheelsets: the VR 35 and VR 50. Aimed at road and gravel riders, these wheels seem to blend aerodynamics, low weight and tubeless compatibility. Let’s take a closer look at the details of these two wheelsets. 👇
🚀 In brief:
Van Rysel, a Decathlon brand, is launching the VR 35 and VR 50 carbon wheels for road and gravel riders in 2025.
The VR 35 has a 35 mm rim height for versatility, while the VR 50 targets aerodynamics with 50 mm.
Tubeless-ready, these wheels improve grip and comfort while reducing the risk of punctures.
The Van Rysel VR 35 wheels use a 35 mm rim height, an ideal compromise between low weight and inertia. This makes for a versatile wheelset, ideal if you live in a hilly area. Its reduced side-wind sensitivity also makes it comfortable and reassuring in windy conditions, as I often get on the coast.
The VR 35 is designed for tubeless use, allowing you to lower tyre pressure without the risk of pinch flats. The benefits are multiple:
The Van Rysel VR 35 wheels come with a Shimano or SRAM freehub body depending on the version chosen, making installation straightforward and compatible with the vast majority of groupsets on the market.
| Caractéristique | Détail |
|---|---|
| Modèle | VR 35 Carbone 700c |
| Hauteur de jante | 35 mm |
| Matériau | Carbone avec crochets (compatible pneus tubeless & tubetype) |
| Freinage | Disc Centerlock |
| Largeur interne | 22 mm (Tubeless Compatible - TC) |
| Largeur externe | 30 mm |
| Moyeu | DT Swiss DT370 Classic |
| Corps de cassette | DT Swiss Ratchet LN (Shimano/Sram) |
| Rayons | 24 inox - double rétreint plat 2/1.6/2 |
| Poids (paire) | 1 480 g |
| Poids maximum supporté | 130 kg |
| Pression maximale | 8 bars |
| Compatibilité pneus | De 25 mm à 55 mm |
| Tension maximale admissible | 1400 N |
| Catégorie d'usage | ASTM2 (route & gravel léger) |
The Van Rysel VR 50 stand out with their 50 mm profile, designed to improve aerodynamics and maximise speed on the road as well as on very smooth, rolling tracks. With such a rim height, these wheels are ideal for:
The aerodynamic profile of the VR 50, improved by 16% compared with the VR 35 (wind-tunnel tested with a weighted average at 45 km/h), offers better penetration through the air, reducing drag and improving overall efficiency.
Like the VR 35, the VR 50 is tubeless compatible, letting you enjoy the same gains in comfort and safety. As you will have gathered, the main difference between these two wheelsets lies primarily in rim height.
| Caractéristique | Détail |
|---|---|
| Modèle | VR 50 Carbone 700c |
| Hauteur de jante | 50 mm |
| Matériau | Carbone avec crochets (compatible pneus tubeless & tubetype) |
| Freinage | Disc Centerlock |
| Largeur interne | 22 mm (Tubeless Compatible - TC) |
| Largeur externe | 30 mm |
| Moyeu | DT Swiss DT370 Classic |
| Corps de cassette | DT Swiss Ratchet LN (Shimano/Sram) |
| Rayons | 24 inox - double rétreint plat 2/1.6/2 |
| Poids (paire) | 1560 g |
| Poids maximum supporté | 130 kg |
| Pression maximale | 8 bars |
| Compatibilité pneus | De 25 mm à 55 mm |
| Tension maximale admissible | 1400 N |
| Catégorie d'usage | ASTM2 (route & gravel léger) |
Note that Van Rysel supplies 8 spare spokes (2 per length), 2 tubeless valves and 1 valve core remover.
The Van Rysel VR 35 and VR 50 wheels were developed through a rigorous process combining numerical simulations and real-world testing.
As with the work carried out on the RCR (road bike), the brand’s engineers first used CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) to analyse and optimise airflow around the wheels, thereby minimising aerodynamic drag.
Once the best concepts had been defined, wind-tunnel tests validated their performance at different yaw angles, up to 20 degrees, and at speeds of 30 km/h and 45 km/h, to ensure optimal efficiency in race conditions.
The results showed that the wheels deliver their best performance with 28 mm tyres, providing an ideal balance between aerodynamics, efficiency and comfort. 28 mm isn’t really a gravel size but if you want to choose these wheels for road use, it’s still a useful piece of information!
Finally, stiffness tests carried out in the laboratory revealed an average improvement of 5% compared with other models (but which ones?). This translates into excellent power transfer during accelerations and surges.
With these new VR 35 and VR 50, Van Rysel is offering carbon wheels with attractive features at a competitive price. Outside of promotions, it is hard to find such pricing on wheels from major brands!
But if you are looking for the best spec-to-price ratio, it is possible to find as good or even better. I am thinking, for example, of Elite Wheels with ceramic bearings, carbon spokes and a featherweight build for only about 200 euros more.
| Model | Van Rysel VR 35, Van Rysel VR 50 |
|---|---|
| Riding style | Road bike |
| Frame | Carbon |
| Weight (g) | 1560 |
| Hookless | Yes |
| Rim height (mm) | 50 |
| Internal width (mm) | 22 |
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