Test aerycs Endurance 50: With its Endurance series, the North German manufacturer offers wheelsets that bridge the gap between racing bikes and gravel bikes and are therefore extremely versatile. You don't have to make any compromises when using current racing tires or medium-width gravel tires.
What exactly is “Endurance”? This is generally understood to be a racing bike that can be used off smooth asphalt with greater tire clearance. Bikes like the Cannondale Synapse or the Specialized Roubaix can be ridden with tires up to 35 or even 40 mm wide, which means that the Specialized in particular is clearly moving towards a gravel bike. It's also fitting that both models have a slightly more relaxed seat geometry - this is supposed to be more comfortable on long journeys, which is where the name "Endurance" comes from. And many components also bear this name - for example a set of wheels from aerycs near Hamburg. What is the aerycs Endurance 50 all about?
Road bike – Endurance – Gravel, this is how aerycs sorts its dropbar wheelsets. Not surprisingly, it goes from narrow to wide: The Aero WT for racing bikes comes with an internal width of 21 mm and a maximum rim width of 28 mm; the Endurance measures 22/29 mm and the GCX Terra for gravel bikes is tailored to wider tires with an internal width of 24 mm and a maximum rim width of 31 mm. There is also a gravel wheelset with hookless rims called “Explore”.
Different rim depths from super light to aero-optimized
All of these wheels are available with rims of different depths: the Aero WT in 30, 40, 50, 60 and 80 mm (the latter more for triathletes), Endurance, Terra and Explore in 30-40-50 mm. The flatter, the lighter, the deeper, the more aerodynamic - so you can choose a suitable model without compromise depending on your personal operating conditions. But who should choose the “Endurance”?
With the aerycs Endurance 50, the editorial team received a set of wheels with the aerodynamic 50 mm rim, for which, as luck would have it, I have exactly the right racing bike: a Canondale Synapse, which is extremely handy with a wheelbase of less than one meter , but can accommodate tires up to 35 mm wide. I usually ride 28s, which is now standard up to the WorldTour. And for a tire of this width, an internal width of 22 mm is just right.
Easy tubeless assembly
Installing the Schwalbe Pro One TLE is easy and doesn't even require a compressor; That's a plus point for the aerycs Endurance 50. When you check the tire fit in the rim, you notice that both components are practically the same width - the rim, as I said, 29 mm, the tire 29,5 mm. From an aerodynamic point of view, this is ideal because there are fewer air turbulences in the transition from the tire to the rim. The slight constriction of the tire is unavoidable - to make the transition even smoother, you would have to use a hookless rim.
For anyone who prefers 28 mm wide tires, the Endurance wheelset is the better choice in the aerycs range. The narrower Aero WT actually only makes sense if 25 mm tires are used; It has no advantages over the Endurance. Both also play in the same league when it comes to weight: on the editorial scales, the Endurance rear wheel weighs 797 grams, the front wheel weighs 695 grams (with tubeless rim tape, without valves). Just under 1.500 grams, which is impressive considering the deep rims. What is remarkable is that the Endurance 50 is almost 150 grams lighter than the one from two years ago 2022 gravel wheelset GCX Terra tested by Velomotion – also with the dimensions 22/29 mm, but with only 40 mm deep rims. The old GCX Terra was also 30 euros more expensive. The GCX Terra is now 2 mm wider and has therefore become “Gravel only”.
Smooth running even on windy days
If you go down with the rim depth, the price and weight of the Endurance go down: the 40 mm wheelset, which should hardly be any worse in terms of aerodynamics, is given at just under 1.430 grams, the 30 mm even at under 1.400 grams. This makes it the right choice for everyone who like it easy and one thing you definitely don't want is crosswind influences, which are unavoidable with deep rims. The front of my Cannondale with the aerycs Endurance 50 stays completely calm even on windy days; There are no sudden wind pressure when changing direction or an unpleasant tugging on the steering. On the other hand, the aerycs feel pretty fast when it's windy - the cheap rim and tire combination should save a few watts, not least because the slightly wider, tubeless tires are favorable in terms of rolling resistance .
Last but not least, the Endurance 50 appeals with its neutral handling, which is particularly pleasant when riding on steep climbs. The low weight of the rims – aerycs states 425 grams – pays off here. And when driving hard, the wheelset, which is built with 350 hubs from DT Swiss and 24 straight-pull spokes at the front and rear, “stands still”. The good reputation of the DT hubs gives aerycs a certain competitive advantage over other manufacturers who install their own hubs - even if their hubs don't have to be bad. The DT toothed disc freewheel delights with its sonorous sound; A big advantage is that you can remove the freehub body by hand, which makes switching from HG to XDR easy.
Optimal compatibility with the currently “hottest” tire width on racing bikes, low weight, neutral handling and high rigidity: With these properties, the aerycs Endurance is a wheelset where everything fits. The option to ride it with wider tires on a gravel bike makes it even more interesting, as do the variants with less deep but lighter rims - and the high-quality hub set is an additional plus. The manufacturer doesn't pay too much for this versatility: with a 50mm rim, the Endurance costs 1.029 euros, the two flatter versions even stay under 1.000 euros. Included in each case is an expensive tubeless set from Milkit, which contains valves, sealing milk and a filling syringe. The sum of its features makes this one of the most interesting wheel sets on the market for anyone who wants to run tires between 28 and 40 mm on a dropbar wheel.
