Princeton Carbonworks Grit 4540 Evolution Carbon Wheelset

The Princeton Carbonworks Grit 4540 Evolution is a disc-brake carbon wheelset for gravel and road racing on wider modern tires. It's built on White Industries hubs and uses 385g rims with a 24mm internal width. The rim depth is staggered from front to rear, 45mm at the front and 40mm at the rear. The rims have hooked bead walls and a hole-less tire bed, so there are no spoke holes in the surface the tire sits on.

What sets the Grit 4540 apart is Princeton's patented Radially Staggered Lacing. The rim depth alternates between the drive-side and non-drive-side spokes, which evens out spoke tension and bracing angles from one side of the wheel to the other. The rims are rated at 130J impact resistance, which Princeton states is 325% above the UCI minimum. This configuration comes in matte black with a Shimano freehub body.

Who It's For

• Gravel racers and fast all-road riders on wider modern tires

• Road riders who want one carbon wheelset that also handles mixed surfaces

• Riders on Shimano-compatible drivetrains with disc-brake frames

• Consider something else if your bike uses rim brakes or a SRAM XDR or Campagnolo cassette

What to Look For

• Freehub fit: This wheelset comes with a Shimano freehub body. Confirm it matches your cassette standard before you order.

• Tire pairing: With a 24mm internal width, match your tire to the rim. Check your tire maker's recommended rim widths and your frame's clearance.

• Rim profile: The deeper 45mm rim is at the front. If you race in exposed or windy conditions, factor that into your choice.

Key Features

Radially Staggered Lacing. This is the core of the design. On a disc wheel, the drive-side and non-drive-side spokes don't pull evenly. Princeton varies the rim depth at alternating spoke holes to even spoke tensions and bracing angles across both sides. More even tension is the basis of a wheel that stays true.

Impact resistance. The rims are rated at 130J, which Princeton puts at 325% above the UCI minimum. It's a measurable durability figure you can weigh for rough gravel, where rim strikes come with the territory.

Hooked, hole-less 24mm tire bed. Hooked bead walls work with a wider range of tires than hookless rims do. With no holes in the tire bed, the rim has an unbroken surface to mount tires on. The 24mm internal width is sized for the wider tires used in today's gravel and road racing.

Staggered depth, front to rear. The 45mm front / 40mm rear split gives the bike a deeper profile up front and a shallower rim at the back, rather than a matched pair.

White Industries hubs. The wheels are built on hubs from White Industries, a well-regarded American hub maker, and this configuration is fitted with a Shimano freehub body.

Rider Intent Summary

• Biggest strengths: Patented lacing for even spoke tension, 130J impact rating, and a hooked 24mm internal rim for wide tires

• Tradeoffs: Disc brakes only; this configuration is Shimano freehub only

• What makes it different: Radially Staggered Lacing, which varies rim depth from spoke to spoke to balance the wheel

Victory's Take

At Victory Bicycle Studio, we see the Grit 4540 Evolution as a carbon wheelset built to hold up to racing on real gravel. The lacing design and documented impact rating give it more to stand on than a weight figure alone. We're glad to confirm tire sizing and cassette compatibility before you order.