Princeton Wake 6560 EVO II Disc Brake Wheelset w/Chris King R45D Hubs

The Princeton Wake 6560 EVO II Disc Brake Wheelset w/Chris King R45D Hubs pairs Princeton CarbonWorks' second-generation 60/65mm carbon rim with one of the most respected hubs in cycling. It is a carbon road wheelset built for riders who want aero speed without giving up handling, and who care about what is spinning inside the rim as much as the rim itself.

Princeton designed the Wake 6560 to answer a familiar tradeoff. Deep wheels are fast in a straight line but can be a handful in gusty crosswinds and slow to accelerate. Shallow wheels are lighter and calmer but give up aerodynamic efficiency. Princeton describes the Wake 6560 as aerodynamically faster than deeper wheels while remaining lighter and better-handling than shallower ones, and it calls the EVO II its most aerodynamically efficient mass-start compliant road wheel. The depth here is 60mm up front and 65mm at the rear, a deliberate step in the rim's profile rather than one number applied to both ends.

A Wider Rim Built Around Modern Tires

The EVO II rim has a 22mm internal width and a 33mm maximum external width, with a fully hooked profile. Princeton designed it around a 28mm tire, which reflects where road riding has gone. Wider tires run at lower pressures, absorb more road chatter, and hold a line better through corners, and a rim shaped for them keeps the tire profile smooth into the airflow. The rims are clincher and tubeless ready, with non-drilled tire beds, so there is no spoke-hole cutout to tape over. Tubeless valves are included.

Princeton says the EVO II uses an all-new carbon layup that drops rim weight to 420 grams, down from 470 grams on the first-generation Wake 6560. The company credits that layup with improved impact resistance as well. Rims are pre-balanced. Spokes are Alipina Hyperlite Aero, 24 front and 24 rear, a lean count that suits a rim this stiff and keeps rotating mass and spoke drag down. This build comes in at 1435 grams for the pair.

Chris King R45D Ceramic Hubs

The wheelset is built on Chris King R45D Ceramic hubs. Chris King has made hubs by hand in Portland, Oregon for decades, and the R45D is its disc brake road hub, here with ceramic bearings. King's Ring Drive freehub is known for its fast, positive engagement and its distinctive buzz. These hubs are also serviceable and rebuildable, which matters on a wheelset in this price range. A set can be maintained and kept running for many seasons rather than replaced.

The wheels are Center Lock disc brake compatible and use 12x100mm front and 12x142mm rear thru axles. Driver options are HG11 for Shimano and SRAM 11-speed or XDR for SRAM's 12-speed systems. Princeton offers the Wake 6560 in ten finishes, including matte black, gloss black, matte white, gloss white, chrome, gold, sand, cobalt, red and chameleon, so the wheels can be matched to a frame or kept understated.

Who It Suits

The 60/65mm depth makes the Wake 6560 a good choice for road racing, fast group rides, and hilly events where you want a deep-section wheel that still climbs and corners well. It also suits riders building a high-end road bike who want a hub with a long service life behind the carbon. If you ride mostly in steady, strong crosswinds or weigh very little, it is worth talking through how a deeper rim feels in your conditions before choosing.

This is a premium build at a premium price, and the hub choice is a large part of that. If you want the Wake 6560 rim with a different hub, Princeton offers it with several, including White Industries, DT Swiss and Tactic Racing. The R45D Ceramic version is for riders who want the Chris King experience and are willing to pay for it.