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Particle GCX45 Hyperlight scores 7/10: light and fast, durability a concern
Road.cc reviewed the Particle GCX45 Hyperlight wheelset and gave it 7/10, calling it «exceptionally light, fast and responsive but durability is a concern». Road.cc's scales put it at 994g, priced at $2,149. The wheels have 45mm carbon rims at 26mm internal/32mm external width, a 100kg system weight limit, and are hooked, tubeless-ready and designed for 28mm+ tyres.
The wheelset uses Particle's SR1 steel-bearing hubs with a Star Ratchet freehub offering 36 points of engagement, aerospace-grade aluminium and a Centrelock disc interface. Fourth-generation 3.2mm aero carbon spokes weigh 2.1g including nipples and are mechanically secured rather than bonded, making them replaceable. Road.cc's testing found the wheels to be the world's lightest UCI approved road/gravel wheels, surviving 2.5x the UCI Vertical Impact Test standard, as strong as XC MTB wheels in that test. Particle's own claimed weight for the GCX45 Hyperlight is 955g (±30g), and the brand's listed starting price is $1,799.
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