HED Lancaster G25 Wheelset

The HED Lancaster G25 Wheelset takes its name from Lancaster County, Nebraska — home of Gravel Worlds, one of the country's most demanding gravel races. That's not incidental; it's the design brief. HED built the Lancaster G25 for the kind of riding that asks everything from a wheelset at once: sustained climbing, rough two-track, fast pavement connectors, and conditions that change without warning. With a 25mm carbon rim depth, a 28.5mm internal width, and a complete wheelset weight of 1,605g, these are wheels tuned for responsiveness and all-day compliance rather than wind-tunnel depth numbers — a deliberate choice for terrain that doesn't reward aero at the expense of handling.

The 25mm rim depth sits at the shallow end of the carbon gravel wheel spectrum, and that's exactly where it belongs. Shallow rims stay predictable in crosswinds, accelerate more easily out of slow technical sections, and keep overall weight in check for the long climbs that define gravel racing. That depth pairs with a 28.5mm internal width, wide enough to properly support tires from 40mm up to 2.25 inches, and a hooked rim design that locks in tubeless setups securely. At the width the Lancaster G25 was designed for, a tire runs at lower pressures without squirming on the rim — the difference between a wheel that merely rolls over rough ground and one that absorbs it. The 36mm external width creates a smooth taper to modern gravel tire sidewalls, trimming aerodynamic drag without requiring the deeper section that would compromise the wheel's core climbing and handling intent.

HED equips the Lancaster G25 with their Sonic hub platform front and rear. The Sonic SP front hub is wind tunnel-tested and runs on a 12x100mm thru-axle with a centerlock disc interface. At the rear, the Sonic R36 uses a 36-tooth dual ratchet freehub on a 12x142mm thru-axle, also centerlock. Thirty-six points of engagement means the drivetrain connects almost immediately when you push — useful on loose climbs where a fraction of a second of freewheeling silence can cost traction before power transfers. The Sonic R36 is fully serviceable, which matters on a wheel that accumulates real miles in real conditions. Bladed straight-pull spokes run front and rear, providing aerodynamic benefit without the installation complexity of traditional J-bend builds. Spoke count is 24 front and rear — enough for the structural demands of rough gravel use while keeping rotational weight down.

The Lancaster G25 is designed for disc brake use only and arrives ready to run tubeless with a maximum recommended pressure of 50 psi. Freehub compatibility covers the full range of current gravel drivetrains: HG11 for Shimano and SRAM 11-speed, Microspline for Shimano 12-speed, XDR for SRAM AXS, and a Campagnolo Ekar option for five-pawl engagement. The wheel ships in black. There is no rim brake version.

HED has been hand-building wheels in Roseville, Minnesota since 1984, and the Lancaster G25 reflects that background. The brand made its name in triathlon and road racing — environments where aerodynamic engineering was the whole conversation — and that wind tunnel experience carries through to the Sonic hub design and bladed spoke selection even on a gravel-focused wheel. HED backs the Lancaster G25 with a five-year warranty. At $1,984, these are carbon gravel wheels built to a specific brief rather than adapted from a road platform, and that distinction is legible in every dimension on the spec sheet.