Just Riding Along Monitor Carbon gravel wheelset review

Hand built to order in York, UK, the Just Riding Along Monitor Carbon wheelset has been designed for fast off-road riding.

What sets the Monitor wheelset apart from the competition is the level of customisation available, which is becoming harder to find in a world of pre-built wheels and harks back to the golden age of wheel building in the 1990s.

As specced here, it performs very well, hitting a great blend of comfort and speed for a relatively small outlay.

Just Riding Along Monitor Carbon details and specifications

With Monitor wheelsets built to order, you can choose from a range of Bitex hub options to match the carbon rim.

You can also choose between 24, 28 and 32-spoke configurations, and Shimano HG and Micro Spline, SRAM XDR and Campagnolo N3W freehub bodies.

It’s possible to specify a choice of hub options too, with Center Lock or six-bolt disc mounts, straight-pull or J-bend spokes.

There’s even an option for a Dynamo front hub to be fitted.

Our chosen configuration had 24 straight-pull spokes front and rear, laced to a SRAM XDR freehub, with alloy nipples. It took two weeks from order date to arrival.

The low-profile, 25mm-deep rims, combined with the straight-pull hubs, meant this pairing felt noticeably light in the hand.

The 1,346g weight (including tape) impresses, especially at this price.

Its 26.5mm-wide rim will take the widest of gravel tyres – if your frameset can accommodate the tyres, the rims will handle them.

The six-pawl, 48-point engagement hubs have stainless steel bearings and rims are supplied with pre-applied tape.

The wheels come with a three-year warranty and are covered by a crash replacement scheme in the first five years of ownership.

This includes rebuilding a damaged wheel at reduced cost: for £100, or one third of the cost of a new rim (whichever is the lowest), plus a nominal labour charge (currently £30-£40), Just Ride Along will replace a broken carbon rim.

Rim tape comes pre-applied, and I experienced no sealing issues.

Just Riding Along Monitor Carbon performance

On gravel, the Monitor Carbon produces an instantly smooth ride.

On bumpy tracks, it absorbs most of the buzz and chatter, taking the worst of the sting out of bigger hits through the more rugged, rocky sections of my local trails.

Interestingly, it impresses when pushing the speed in more difficult sections – it comes to life to almost float over the bumps, absorbing shocks well.

A good connection with the ground is maintained at all times and while you might anticipate a lack of stiffness and pick-up, that’s simply not the case.

When climbing, the wheelset is stiff enough to deliver instant pick-up and be precise through corners.

I found the Monitor Carbon really came into its own on faster, loose rocky descents. It brings about very little bouncing around, and it's possible to hold a good line without having to resort to a death grip on the bars.

Overall, the result is a less fatiguing ride on routes that involve more challenging terrain.

Compared to the best gravel wheels, there seems to be some drag on the seals when new, but this disappears after a few rides as the bearings bed in.

It’s worth noting that servicing the bearings requires a couple of 17mm cone spanners to get inside.

It’s a little more time-consuming than standard cartridge bearings, but certainly not a deal-breaker.

Just Riding Along Monitor Carbon bottom line

Overall, the Just Riding Along Monitor Carbon wheelset serves up a silent and unobtrusive ride.

It manages to balance the shock-absorbing qualities needed for the demands of diverse gravel riding, with decent pick-up and acceleration.

The fact you can also opt to customise the wheelset without incurring a high price makes it good value too.