{"title":"Duke Wheels","description":"\u003cp\u003eCycling has never had a shortage of carbon wheel brands. What it has precious little of is operations like DUKE Racing Wheels: a small French outfit that has spent nearly two decades doing exactly one thing — designing its own rims and lacing them into wheels, by hand, one at a time, in its own workshop. No overseas contract factory, no house brand slapped on open molds. DUKE grew out of a wheelbuilding shop that also happens to be a distributor for Sapim spokes, which tells you where their priorities sit: these are people who think about spoke tension the way most brands think about logos.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat obsessiveness shows up in the engineering. DUKE's proprietary manufacturing processes — SLR5 for road and gravel, SLS5 for mountain — pair Toray T1100 carbon with an aerospace-grade resin and SpokeCore, a technique that molds every spoke hole into the layup rather than drilling through cured fiber. Their VFP finish skips varnish entirely: lighter, more scratch-resistant, and far cleaner to produce. And the catalog runs deep — cross-country to downhill on the mountain side, the Strada and Baccara road families, track and dynamo builds, and the new Sierra and Sierra Æra gravel range, whose CFD-designed micro-relief cuts drag by up to 10% over a smooth rim.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe French Atelier\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery DUKE wheelset is built to order. You pick the rim, then the build: DUKE's own Mad Max hubs, DT Swiss from 370 to 180, Tune's featherweight Nano, with Sapim CX-Ray spokes standard and exotics like BERD polymer or Tune CxCarbon available when the gram-counting gets serious. Custom decals, tuned spoke counts, carefully controlled tensions — the kind of choices that used to require knowing a good wheelbuilder personally. With DUKE, the good wheelbuilder is the brand.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eTechnology Without the Shouting\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDUKE's tech portfolio reads like a wheelbuilder's wish list rather than a marketing deck. DRC tuning manages vertical compliance so rough surfaces don't beat you up. AntiPinch bead design lets you run low pressures without sacrificing tires to square-edge hits. Hooked, tubeless-ready profiles ship with tape and valves installed. None of it is loud; all of it is the reason these wheels feel the way they do.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe AC Advantage\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe brought DUKE to Above Category for the same reason we build custom bikes: the best equipment comes from people who make things by hand and stand behind them. We've ridden these wheels on the roads and fire roads out our front door, we know the range model by model, and we're happy to talk through depths, hubs, spokes, and builds — stock or fully custom. If you can dream it, DUKE can probably lace it.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"duke-sierra-27-climber-wheelset","title":"DUKE Sierra 27 Climber Wheelset","description":"\u003cp\u003eEvery wheel brand claims their gravel range \"climbs well.\" DUKE built one that actually commits to it. The Sierra 27 is the light end of the new Sierra family from the French operation that has been hand-building wheels for 18 years: a 280-gram, 27mm-deep rim in Toray T1100 carbon, laid up with the SLR5 process DUKE developed for its most advanced mountain bike rims. Built on DUKE's Mad Max hubs, the pair starts at 1,099 grams — a number that used to require tubulars, a road bike, and a small fortune.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Sierra 27 is shaped for the rides where gravel gets vertical: adventure routes, hardpack, long days with serious elevation gain. The 29mm internal width — widest in the Sierra family — lets a 40mm tire (or up to 2.2\") take its full shape at low pressure, and DUKE's DRC tuning does the rest: vibration filtered before it reaches your hands, grip maintained on broken surfaces, energy returned rather than absorbed. Light wheels that beat you up are a false economy; these don't.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConstruction is the full SLR5 playbook. SpokeCore molds every spoke hole into the layup rather than drilling through cured carbon, preserving fiber integrity and letting DUKE control stiffness precisely. The AntiPinch bead design shrugs off square-edge hits at the low pressures this wheel invites. And the VFP finish skips varnish entirely — lighter, more scratch-resistant, and dramatically cleaner to produce. Versus the Baccara WRX it supersedes, the rim alone drops 30 grams. Hooked, tubeless-ready, with DUKE tape and valves in the box.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery set is hand-built to order: Mad Max or Tune Nano hubs, Sapim CX-Ray spokes standard with Tune's CxCarbon available on the top build, and your choice of freehub — XDR, HG11, N3W, or MicroSpline. If you're looking for a fully custom build around these rims — spoke counts, decals, a hub we don't list — \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/contact\"\u003ereach out\u003c\/a\u003e for a quote.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Duke","offers":[{"title":"Mad Max \/ XDR","offer_id":51952878059837,"sku":"210000065505","price":3690.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Mad Max \/ HG11","offer_id":51952878092605,"sku":"210000065506","price":3690.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Mad Max \/ N3W","offer_id":51952878125373,"sku":"210000065507","price":3690.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Mad Max \/ MicroSpline","offer_id":51952878158141,"sku":"210000065508","price":3690.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano \/ XDR","offer_id":51952878190909,"sku":"210000065509","price":3890.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano \/ HG11","offer_id":51952878223677,"sku":"210000065510","price":3890.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano \/ N3W","offer_id":51952878256445,"sku":"210000065511","price":3890.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano \/ MicroSpline","offer_id":51952878289213,"sku":"210000065512","price":3890.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano w\/Cx Carbon Spokes \/ XDR","offer_id":51952878321981,"sku":"210000065513","price":4290.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano w\/Cx Carbon Spokes \/ HG11","offer_id":51952878387517,"sku":"210000065514","price":4290.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano w\/Cx Carbon Spokes \/ N3W","offer_id":51952878420285,"sku":"210000065515","price":4290.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano w\/Cx Carbon Spokes \/ MicroSpline","offer_id":51952878453053,"sku":"210000065516","price":4290.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1234\/3118\/files\/Sierra27Wheelset.jpg?v=1783631922"},{"product_id":"duke-sierra-42-wheelset","title":"DUKE Sierra 42 Wheelset","description":"\u003cp\u003eBetween the featherweight Sierra 27 and the wind-cheating Æra sets sits the Sierra 42 — the wheel DUKE built for gravel that rolls fast and keeps rolling. A 42mm-deep, 375-gram rim in Toray T1100 carbon, made with the same SLR5 process as DUKE's most advanced mountain bike rims, and hand-built in the same French workshop that has been lacing wheels one at a time for 18 years. In the Mad Max build, the pair starts at 1,290 grams — remarkably little for a wheel with this much profile.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 42 is the Sierra for rolling courses and rides where average speed matters but the ground stays honest: enough depth to hold momentum on flat and rolling terrain, not so much that crosswinds or gram-counting become part of the conversation. The 28mm internal width lets a 40mm tire (up to 2.2\" optimal, 2.4\" compatible) run at proper gravel pressures, and DRC tuning filters the chatter without deadening the ride — accelerations stay sharp, broken surfaces stay manageable, and the last two hours of a long day hurt less.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConstruction is the full SLR5 playbook. SpokeCore molds every spoke hole into the layup rather than drilling through cured carbon, preserving fiber integrity and letting DUKE tune stiffness precisely. The AntiPinch bead design protects tires from square-edge hits at low pressure, and the VFP finish skips varnish entirely — lighter, more scratch-resistant, and dramatically cleaner to produce. Versus the outgoing Baccara WRX 42, the rim drops 40 grams. Hooked, tubeless-ready, with DUKE tape and valves in the box.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery set is hand-built to order: Mad Max or Tune Nano hubs, Sapim CX-Ray spokes standard with Tune's CxCarbon available on the top build, and your choice of freehub — XDR, HG11, N3W, or MicroSpline. If you're looking for a fully custom build around these rims — spoke counts, decals, a hub we don't list — \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/contact\"\u003ereach out\u003c\/a\u003e for a quote.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Duke","offers":[{"title":"Mad Max \/ XDR","offer_id":51952922067261,"sku":"210000065591","price":3690.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano \/ XDR","offer_id":51952922329405,"sku":"210000065592","price":3890.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano w\/Cx Carbon Spokes \/ XDR","offer_id":51952922558781,"sku":"210000065593","price":4290.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Mad Max \/ HG11","offer_id":51952923246909,"sku":"210000065594","price":3690.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano \/ HG11","offer_id":51952923279677,"sku":"210000065595","price":3890.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano w\/Cx Carbon Spokes \/ HG11","offer_id":51952923640125,"sku":"210000065596","price":4290.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Mad Max \/ N3W","offer_id":51952923902269,"sku":"210000065597","price":3690.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano \/ N3W","offer_id":51952924524861,"sku":"210000065598","price":3890.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano w\/Cx Carbon Spokes \/ N3W","offer_id":51952924590397,"sku":"210000065599","price":4290.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Mad Max \/ MicroSpline","offer_id":51952925016381,"sku":"210000065600","price":3690.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano \/ MicroSpline","offer_id":51952925180221,"sku":"210000065601","price":3890.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano w\/Cx Carbon Spokes \/ MicroSpline","offer_id":51952926622013,"sku":"210000065602","price":4290.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1234\/3118\/files\/Sierra42Wheelset_2c82a7f8-130a-45a0-beb5-f15d70433309.jpg?v=1783631985"},{"product_id":"duke-sierra-aera-w48-56-wheelset","title":"DUKE Sierra Æra W48\/56 Wheelset","description":"\u003cp\u003eGravel racing has quietly become a discipline where the front of the field averages speeds that would have been respectable in a road race a decade ago, and DUKE — the small French operation that has been hand-building wheels for 18 years — has built its answer. The Sierra Æra W48\/56 is the fast end of their new gravel range: a 48mm-deep Wide front paired with a 56mm rear, both laid up in Toray T1100 carbon using the same SLR5 process that underpins DUKE's most advanced mountain bike rims.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe aero logic here is more considered than \"deeper is faster.\" The front wheel is where clean air lives, so that's where the Wide rim goes: at 43mm external — among the widest on the market — the W48 aligns its sidewalls with a 40–45mm gravel tire so air transitions from rubber to carbon without tripping over the junction. DUKE's argument, and the CFD work backs it, is that this alignment buys more efficiency than excess depth would, without the crosswind penalty. The rear runs in air already churned by your legs, so it gets a conventional 56mm profile instead: more depth, more high-speed inertia, in the one place crosswind sensitivity barely registers. Across both, DUKE's signature Æra micro-relief — the textured surface you can see in the carbon — conditions the airflow to reduce drag by up to 10% against a smooth rim of the same shape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat makes these compelling as gravel wheels rather than repurposed road wheels is everything under the surface. The 28mm internal width is built around modern gravel rubber. SpokeCore molds every spoke hole into the layup rather than drilling through cured carbon, DRC tuning filters vibration without going soft, and an AntiPinch bead design lets you run low pressures without donating tires to the rocks. The finish is DUKE's VFP — no varnish at all, which drops weight, resists scratching, and cuts the nasty emissions from production. Every set is hand-built to order: choose DUKE's own Mad Max hubs (from 1,412 grams the pair) or Tune's Nano hubs, with Sapim CX-Ray spokes standard and Tune's CxCarbon spokes available on the top build, plus a freehub body for every drivetrain — XDR, HG11, N3W, or MicroSpline. Taped, valved, and tubeless-ready out of the box.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf your gravel calendar involves start lines, pack dynamics, and long exposed miles at speed, this is the set. And if you're looking for a fully custom build around these rims — spoke counts, decals, a hub we don't list — \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/contact\"\u003ereach out\u003c\/a\u003e for a quote.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Duke","offers":[{"title":"Mad Max \/ XDR","offer_id":51952948838717,"sku":"210000065521","price":3690.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Mad Max \/ HG11","offer_id":51952948904253,"sku":"210000065522","price":3690.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Mad Max \/ N3W","offer_id":51952948937021,"sku":"210000065523","price":3690.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Mad Max \/ MicroSpline","offer_id":51952949002557,"sku":"210000065524","price":3690.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano \/ XDR","offer_id":51952949035325,"sku":"210000065525","price":3890.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano \/ HG11","offer_id":51952949100861,"sku":"210000065526","price":3890.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano \/ N3W","offer_id":51952949133629,"sku":"210000065527","price":3890.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano \/ MicroSpline","offer_id":51952949199165,"sku":"210000065528","price":3890.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano w\/Cx Carbon Spokes \/ XDR","offer_id":51952949231933,"sku":"210000065529","price":4290.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano w\/Cx Carbon Spokes \/ HG11","offer_id":51952949264701,"sku":"210000065530","price":4290.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano w\/Cx Carbon Spokes \/ N3W","offer_id":51952949330237,"sku":"210000065531","price":4290.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano w\/Cx Carbon Spokes \/ MicroSpline","offer_id":51952949363005,"sku":"210000065532","price":4290.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1234\/3118\/files\/SierraAEraW4856Wheelset.jpg?v=1783627539"},{"product_id":"duke-sierra-aera-w42-48-wheelset","title":"DUKE Sierra Æra W42\/48 Wheelset","description":"\u003cp\u003eIf the W48\/56 is DUKE's answer to flat-out gravel racing, the Sierra Æra W42\/48 is the version for everyone whose rides don't come with a race number every weekend — but who would still rather be faster. Same Toray T1100 carbon, same SLR5 process borrowed from DUKE's most advanced mountain bike rims, same hand-built care from a French workshop with 18 years of custom wheelbuilding behind it, in a front\/rear pairing that trades a little top-end depth for wheels that disappear beneath you on any terrain.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe front is the interesting one. At 42mm deep and a very wide 43mm external, the W42 is shaped so its sidewalls sit flush with a 40–45mm gravel tire. DUKE's CFD work shows the tire-to-rim transition matters more than raw depth, so the Wide rim buys aero efficiency without the wind exposure of a deeper wheel. The 48mm rear takes the conventional profile, since the air back there is already scrambled by rider and drivetrain, and a touch more depth adds inertia for holding speed. Over both runs the Æra signature relief — the repeating micro-profile you can see in the carbon — which reorganizes airflow to cut drag by up to 10% versus a smooth rim, with no loss of composure in crosswinds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnderneath, it's a proper gravel chassis: 28mm internal width sized for modern rubber, SpokeCore molded spoke holes that never puncture the carbon layup, DRC damping that filters chatter on broken surfaces without dulling accelerations, and an AntiPinch bead that tolerates low pressures and hard hits. The varnish-free VFP finish is lighter, tougher, and cleaner to produce than paint. Every set is hand-built to order: choose DUKE's own Mad Max hubs (from 1,351 grams the pair) or Tune's Nano hubs, with Sapim CX-Ray spokes standard and Tune's CxCarbon spokes available on the top build, plus a freehub body for every drivetrain — XDR, HG11, N3W, or MicroSpline. Tape and valves are in the box; tubeless or tubes, your call.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the set we'd point most fast gravel riders toward: rolling courses, mixed surfaces, long days where efficiency accumulates. And if you're looking for a fully custom build around these rims — spoke counts, decals, a hub we don't list — \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/contact\"\u003ereach out\u003c\/a\u003e for a quote.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Duke","offers":[{"title":"Mad Max \/ XDR","offer_id":51953118347581,"sku":"210000065542","price":3690.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Mad Max \/ HG11","offer_id":51953118380349,"sku":"210000065543","price":3690.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Mad Max \/ N3W","offer_id":51953118445885,"sku":"210000065544","price":3690.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Mad Max \/ MicroSpline","offer_id":51953118511421,"sku":"210000065545","price":3690.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano \/ XDR","offer_id":51953120018749,"sku":"210000065546","price":3890.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano \/ HG11","offer_id":51953120182589,"sku":"210000065547","price":3890.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano \/ N3W","offer_id":51953120215357,"sku":"210000065548","price":3890.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano \/ MicroSpline","offer_id":51953120379197,"sku":"210000065549","price":3890.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano w\/Cx Carbon Spokes \/ XDR","offer_id":51953120772413,"sku":"210000065550","price":4290.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano w\/Cx Carbon Spokes \/ HG11","offer_id":51953120903485,"sku":"210000065551","price":4290.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano w\/Cx Carbon Spokes \/ N3W","offer_id":51953121100093,"sku":"210000065552","price":4290.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tune Nano w\/Cx Carbon Spokes \/ MicroSpline","offer_id":51953121132861,"sku":"210000065553","price":4290.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1234\/3118\/files\/SierraAEraW4248Wheelset1.jpg?v=1783627803"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1234\/3118\/collections\/Prova_Night_Hero_2048x_3610cfb2-9bc4-473a-8339-93756b011363.webp?v=1781937245","url":"https:\/\/abovecategory.com\/collections\/duke-wheels\/duke-wheels.oembed","provider":"Above Category","version":"1.0","type":"link"}