Campagnolo Bora X Wheelset review: A wonderfully balanced gravel race wheelset

As Campagnolo expands its gravel range and revitalises the entire Super Record groupset to include off-road electronic Super Record X, it brings with it a new gravel-focused iteration of the famous Bora wheels, the Bora X. The brand claims the new wheelset brings the best out of the new groupset, and vice versa, due to the synergy between components.

I can’t comment on that, having not tested the new Super Record X groupset, but after a lot of riding on the Bora X wheelset, I can confirm that it is a highly competent wheelset in many ways.

It’s lightweight for a 50mm deep wheel, although it is a little on the narrow side by some standards meaning it is perhaps better suited for 40-45mm tyres rather than larger. However, the greatest performance aspect of these wheels is the balance of stiffness. Lateral and torsional stiffness are easy enough to achieve, but to manage that with vertical compliance for a comfortable ride is sublime for gravel riding.

A hoard of high-quality parts, bags and accoutrements boost the value of these wheels, although they are still a shade under two grand. The cup and cone bearing system is perhaps not the preference for most, it works well if you look after it. Not to mention, the wheels frankly look stunning. They are a real winner in my books and a perfect addition to any gravel race bike.

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Design and specifications

The Campagnolo Bora X wheels are built upon a unidirectional carbon rim that very closely resembles the Bora WTO rims used on the road. The 50mm depth is high for a gravel wheel, and closely on trend with the increasing focus on aerodynamics in the discipline. The width of the rim is where the changes are bigger, with a 27mm internal channel designed for 35mm tyres and larger, using hooked rims still giving some riders that added sense of security. Externally, the rim reaches 31.5mm wide, relatively narrow by some standards in today’s market.

The rim also features a solid rim bed, eliminating the need for tubeless tape, with spokes instead adjusted externally. Valves are supplied and are long enough for the 50mm depth, which is designed to make tubeless setup very easy time after time. A glorious gloss C Lux finish is present on the rims, offset with a mix of matte black and chrome logos, which personally makes this a stunning set of wheels.

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Moving down from the rim, the spokes are laced in the iconic G3 lacing pattern. This uses sets of three spokes, one on the non-drive side at the rear and the non-rotor side at the front, two on the drive-side rear and rotor-side front. This results in a 2:1 ratio 21-spoke lacing configuration, with the seven radially laced, and the 14 using a three-cross arrangement. The spokes themselves are straight pull and bladed, but not all of them, some are rounded to balance stiffness and comfort for gravel riding.

The freehub is available for all standards from Campagnolo, SRAM, and Shimano, and uses NSW ceramic bearings, rather than the top-end CULT offering, with cup and cone rather than cartridge bearings. This requires a bit more maintenance, but if looked after, should last well. Lightweight lockrings are supplied as standard and attach externally. A nice bonus is the supply of both tyre levers and soft padded wheel bags large enough for wheels with 50mm tyres fitted. Claimed weight is 1,430g, but actual was 1,463g, although with lockrings and valves. Remove those, and the wheels still come in at 1,444g.

Performance

Tubeless setup for these wheels was one of the easiest I've done. The solid rim bed means no rim tape is required, just fit the valves, put the tyres on, and inflate with a track pump to seat. The Panaracer GravelKing ZX 45mm tyres inflated to 45mm exactly on these rims with the 27mm internal width and 31.5mm external. This is a bit narrow by some gravel wheelset standards, especially by modern wider trends, but it allows the versatility to run 35mm and upwards.

I have to say that the wheels look glorious. The C Lux finish combines a gloss carbon weave across the entirety of the rim with a mix of matte black ‘Bora’ logos with a chrome-finished ‘Campagnolo’ and winged wheel nut logo. They reflect the light in the sun and really make the frame pop. They do lose this once the dust from gravel riding gets them, but they’re easy enough to clean. I personally prefer this a lot to the standard matte black that is now all too common.

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Of course, these are performance gravel wheels, and they are an impressively balanced set which have several features that really help them on gravel. The spoke lacing is heavily asymmetric, with a 2:1 ratio on the rear drive side and front rotor side to better deal with the asymmetric forces applied to the wheels. This results in the wheels having a superb level of lateral stiffness for out of the saddle accelerations and putting the power down, but also a great deal of torsional stiffness when accelerating and braking.

Impressively, this is balanced with a good amount of vertical compliance which gives them a more plush sensation when riding off road on rougher surfaces. Some of this is apparently to do with the carbon layup, but also the use of elliptical spokes alongside the bladed aero ones. Of course tyres and pressures make up a lot of the cushioning sensation you get, which is why I test with the same tyres and pressures on the same routes to keep things consistent. The Bora X, however, are noticeably more comfortable to ride than other gravel wheels on test with all other variables kept consistent.

A 50mm depth means these are a solid set of wheels when travelling at speed. At speeds around 35kph the wheels start to come alive. I’ve used these on the road a few times as well, and even on faster group rides the wheels feel pretty at home and not much of a compromise compared to road wheels with 30mm tyres.

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Impressively, with this rim depth, the weight is competitive. Excluding the valves and lockrings, 1,444g for a 50mm wheelset is impressively lightweight. This is felt out on the trails when accelerating on steeper inclines. This, with the stiffness, means they get up to speed very competently and also brake effectively even on loose surfaces with heavier tyres fitted.

There are some concerns about the longevity of the bearings, however, as a cup and cone setup requires more user input to keep them running smoothly, but if you do this, they will run very well. Generally, cartridge bearings would be used with heavier external seals and potentially internal as well. A ratchet system is still used, but a 36-tooth engagement is on the lower side of teeth numbers. However it is sometimes seen as more resilient than high-tooth ratchets, and in practice the acceleration of the wheels was great even with a lower tooth count.

These wheels are also potentially a little on the narrow side. 27mm internal width works well for 35-45mm tyres, and can be used for wider. However, for using 50-55mm options, as is becoming more frequent, a lot of wheels are adopting a wider internal and external width. Meanwhile, the 31.5mm external width does mean the 45mm tyres used with this sit fairly wide. We’ve seen in wind tunnel testing that although wider tyres carry an aero penalty, this penalty can be reduced if the external width of the tyre is wider to better smooth the interface between tyre and rim. I can confirm that riding on tarmac surfaces, the likes of the Parcours FKT felt to roll a bit faster above 35kph, with a ballooning 40mm maximum external rim width.

Value

£1,999.99/$2,180 is an expensive set of wheels, putting it in the similar regions of the HUNT Limitless 40 UD Spoke with carbon rims, lower weight, and ceramic bearings. Of course, they are far behind the price of the likes of the Roval Terra Aero CLX (£2,998/$3,400) and the ENVE G SES 6.7 Pro (£3,500/$3,100).

My personal feeling with these wheels is that the versatility they offer is impressive. I like the inclusion of hooked rims, and with some 35mm tyres these would be great wheels on rough road surfaces let alone gravel. There is also no user weight limit, and a solid rim bed which makes future tubeless fitting a lot easier as tape won’t come loose while cleaning out old sealant.

Of course there are wheels that are cheaper, and not far off in terms of many performance aspects. The Scope R4G (£1,498/$1,798), for example, are superb, but the hub is like a siren while the Bora X are silent. Meanwhile, the Parcours FKT (£1,249 ) are great when rolling fast, but lack the same stiffness, compliance, and low weight that the Bora X offer.

I am also a big fan of the inclusion of the very lightweight external rotor lockrings, as well as the valves, tyre levers, bag for all of that, and some very high-quality wheel bags. It does mean that the wheelset as a whole does come with some additional value.

There is also the subjective element that I think these wheels look stunning, and that does add value to me. I like to look at the bike and think to myself that it looks great, and these wheels genuinely add to that. This is, of course, a highly individual and personal preference, but as are most aspects of value.

Verdict

The Campagnolo Bora X wheels have become my favourite gravel wheelset to ride. The balance of high stiffness for accelerations, braking, and cornering, combined with vertical compliance for comfort is fantastic. A deep rim depth and low weight also makes them wonderful to ride at speed or on climbs.

My only gripe is the relatively narrow rim width for tyres beyond 40mm, while the bearing setup will require more upkeep. But for the performance and included parts, not to mention looking stunning, the £2k price tag does not appear too high. There are better-value (around £1,500) wheelsets, but I prefer these.