Ere Genus SL30 wheelset review

The Genus SL30 is part of a four-strong line-up of carbon fibre, disc brake wheels from Dutch brand Ere.

It’s a solid wheelset for road riding and light gravel, with a sub-1,500g claimed weight, a noticeably stiff ride and tubeless compatibility, though there’s always a question mark over the value of carbon wheels like this.

Ere’s Genus line-up comprises the SL30 featured here, the mid-depth CL45 and full-fat aero AE65. No prizes for guessing the rim depth of each.

All are priced at €1,399 for the wheelset. There’s also the €1,699 AE00 rear disc wheel for time trial, track and triathlon use.

Ere doesn’t offer much info about the aerodynamic credentials of its Genus wheels but the rim has the type of blunt leading edge typical on many of the latest carbon wheels.

While the wheels are tubeless-ready (with rim tape fitted out of the box), the rims are not hookless, so you can run standard clinchers (Ere supplied my wheelset with a set of its fancy Genus Pro CC Skinwall tyres with inner tubes).

Ere Genus SL30 specification

Here’s how Ere describes the Genus SL30: “This 30mm version is ideal for long hours of climbing and changing road surface conditions. Bad roads and cobbled sections demand the wheels to absorb a lot of impacts continuously and still give you a high sense of control over your bike as these wheels do their job very well.”

In terms of numbers, the Genus SL30 has a 19mm internal rim width and 28mm external width, with a depth of 30mm. Claimed weight for the wheelset is 1,490g.

Bearings come from Japanese company Ezo, and a Shimano freehub with a four-pawl ratchet is fitted as standard. Ere offers replacement Campagnolo or SRAM XDR freehub bodies if you want to swap, but they’re not available as a stock option.

The wheels adhere to the latest thru-axle standard for road and gravel bikes, as you’d expect, with 12×100mm at the front and 12×142mm at the rear. You can convert the wheels for use with quick-release or 15mm thru-axles.

There are 24 bladed spokes front and rear (Ere supplies the Genus wheels with spare spokes) and the hubs are Ere's own.

The Genus SL30s are also supplied with a padded double wheel bag – it's smart as these things go – along with spacers for 8-, 9- and 10-speed cassettes, along with spare spokes/nipples. Ere offers a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects.

Ere Genus SL30 ride impressions

With an internal rim width of 19mm, the Genus wheelset isn’t radical by the very latest standards, but sizes up well with the 25mm and 28mm tyres still typical on most road bikes, giving a round profile that sits relatively flush with the rim.

Ere rates the wheels for use with tyres up to 36mm-wide, though they are best suited to road riding or “performance gravel”, as Ere describes it.

It’s not a particularly progressive design for proper gravel riding (if there’s a definition for such a thing) and the increasingly wide tyres associated with the latest genre-blurring gravel bikes.

The latest carbon wheels from the likes of Bontrager, with the new Aeolus RSL and Pro wheels, and Zipp, with the 303 S, feature a 23mm internal rim width and that’s not uncommon among the competition, so if wide tyres really are your thing (or you're specifically looking for a set of gravel bike wheels), there are plenty of plump rim options to match.

However, if you’re looking for dedicated road wheels for fairly traditional tyre sizes, or run relatively narrow tyres on your gravel bike, these will work well.

• Best road bike tyres
• Best tubeless tyres
• Best gravel bike tyres

I weighed this test pair at 844g for the rear wheel and 686g for the front wheel, so 1,530g for the pair – a little heavier than Ere’s claimed weight of 1,490g.

The weight is reasonably light but only on a par with many aluminium wheelsets that are likely to cost a lot less.

For example, Hunt’s £499 34 Aero Wide Disc wheels are deeper at 34mm and wider at 20mm (internal), and only a smidgen heavier at a claimed 1,548g. That’s one example but it illustrates the point. If you’re looking at carbon, the aforementioned Zipp 303 S wheels come in at a claimed 1,540g with a 45mm-deep rim.

That’s not to call out Ere, but shallow carbon wheels are a harder sell than they used to be, both in terms of out-right value and the fact we know aero trumps weight in the majority of riding scenarios.

Equally, while carbon fibre provides the opportunity to build extremely light wheels – and there are no two ways about it, light wheels feel very nice – that’s not really the case here (or anywhere, unless you’re spending seriously big bucks).

While the 30mm rim of the SL30s is deep enough to – possibly – offer some sort of minor aerodynamic advantage, if that’s really your thing then you’re likely to be looking at the 45mm Genus as a true all-rounder, or the 65mm-deep wheels as a full-fat aero option.

Despite all that, the Genus SL30s ride very nicely out on the road. They are a sprightly upgrade to any stock wheels specced on a road bike and, combined with the Genus Pro CC Skinwall tyres supplied with this test set, feel fast out on the road, both in terms of acceleration and stiffness.

That’s subjective, of course, but the reasonably low weight puts a noticeable spring in the bike’s step and the stiff build leaves nothing on the road.

Comfort is good, too, and there's no sensation of getting battered about on rough roads, particularly if you do opt for 28mm tubeless tyres at fairly low pressures.

The tyres, while sold separately, are worth noting and impressive for fast summer riding or racing. They're a lightweight option at 250g per tyre (on our scales) and contribute to the all-round sprightly feel of this setup. I also fitted a set of 28mm Schwalbe Pro One TLE tyres to the Genus SL30s and there were no problems with the tubeless setup.

Ere Genus SL30 bottom line

The Ere Genus SL30 is a solid, well-built wheelset with a stiff ride that will add some zing to many a bike, but they’re neither particularly lightweight or aerodynamic for the money, nor are they notably wide by the latest standards.

Shallow carbon wheels are a tricky value proposition against aluminium wheels at a similar weight and much lower cost, or deeper carbon wheels that offer more in the aerodynamic stakes.

However, if you are looking for relatively shallow carbon wheels like these, then there’s little to fault in the build, spec or performance.