Princeton Peak 4550 EVO II Disc Brake Wheelset w/DT Swiss 180 EXP Hubs

Princeton Peak 4550 EVO II Disc Brake Wheelset w/DT Swiss 180 EXP Hubs is Princeton CarbonWorks' climbing-focused road wheelset, built around the idea that a wheel meant for the mountains shouldn't have to trade away aerodynamics or stiffness to get there. Princeton calls it their "King of the Mountain" wheel, and the name on the box tells you most of what you need to know about the shape: a 45mm front rim paired with a 50mm rear.

That front-to-rear depth split is deliberate. The shallower front rim keeps handling predictable in crosswinds and on technical descents, where a deep front wheel can get pushed around, while the deeper rear rim picks up the aerodynamic benefit in a spot where crosswind sensitivity matters less. It's the same logic Princeton carried over from its Wake Evolution II wheels, refined for a wheelset that's meant to climb as well as it holds speed on rolling terrain.

The rim itself uses a 22mm internal width and 32mm external width, wide enough to properly support today's road tire widths without ballooning the tire's profile past what the rim can handle aerodynamically. Princeton brought rim weight down to 390 grams in this Evolution II update. The tire bed is hooked and drilled without spoke holes, which means no rim tape and no tubeless pressure restrictions, and Princeton is explicit about why: they've stuck with a hooked rim design rather than following the industry toward hookless, arguing that hooked rims are the safer and faster choice for road riding and racing, particularly around tire pressure limits and tire compatibility. The rim is rated to pass 120J of impact testing, and Princeton pre-balances every rim to match the tubeless valves included with the wheelset.

This build pairs the rim with DT Swiss 180 EXP hubs, a centerlock disc hub built around DT Swiss's EXP freehub mechanism, known for fast engagement without the drag of a traditional ratchet system. The hubs use 12x100mm front and 12x142mm rear thru-axle spacing, standard for modern disc road bikes, and Princeton laces them with Alpina Hyperlite spokes and Sapim SecureLock alloy nipples, a combination chosen for low weight without sacrificing the stiffness a wheel needs under hard climbing efforts or out-of-the-saddle sprints. With this hub, the complete wheelset weighs 1,270 grams, near the lighter end of what Princeton offers across its six hub options for this rim.

The wheels accept clincher or tubeless tires, so the rim doesn't force a setup choice on the rider, and Princeton includes tubeless valves and a padded wheel bag with every build. Freehub bodies are available for Shimano, SRAM XDR, and Campagnolo drivetrains, so the wheelset can be specced to match whatever groupset it's replacing.

The Peak 4550 EVO II comes in ten finishes, from the standard Matte Black and Gloss White options through newer colorways like Gloss Cobalt, Gloss Chameleon, and Gloss Sand, so the wheelset can match or contrast with the rest of the build. Pricing on this DT Swiss 180 EXP configuration runs $4,100 to $4,500 depending on freehub and finish selection. This is a wheelset for the rider who spends real time in the hills and wants a wheel that disappears underneath them on a climb, without giving up the composure and speed that makes the descent back down just as much fun.