Scope R4.A review: a genuine do-it-all wheelset that comes in at a decent price

Construction

To make the R4.A better suited to a range of road surfaces, Scope has made the rim bed is wider than its R4 wheelset. This is now commonplace among many of the best road bike wheels. It measures 23mm internally and 30mm externally. It's designed for use with 28-30mm tyres, but can accommodate up to 65mm. Tubeless tape is required for sealing duties, but spokes can be adjusted with the external nipples.

The rim itself is developed with Scope's own Algorithm Enhanced Aerodynamics (AEA) for an optimal rim profile across multiple conditions. Spoke holes are locally reinforced to provide extra strength while maintaining a low weight. The wheelset weighs 1,580g on our scales, which is close enough to the claimed 1,583g, and the wheels have no user weight limit.

Spokes are all Sapim CX Sprint straight-pull, bladed spokes, laced in a 2:1 ratio with 21 spokes at the front and 24 at the rear. The front is radial laced on the non-rotor side and 2-cross on the rotor side. At the rear, they use 1-cross on the non-drive side and 2-cross on the drive side to optimise stiffness.

Scope utilises its proprietary R series hubs, with the option to upgrade to CeramicSpeed bearings. The freehub is a new Diamond Ratchet system, similar to DT Swiss' Hugi-style ratchet. Here we have a 36-tooth ratchet, but a 48-tooth option is available. Front axle is 100x12mm while the rear is 142x12mm, and both use centre locking systems for the rotors.

The Ride

Fitting a pair of 28mm road tyres proved more challenging than I had anticipated, but I got there eventually. The rims come pre-taped, and the supplied valves worked well with no issues. This wider internal width means that 28mm tyres sit a bit wider, with sidewalls nicely in line with the rim profile, and not bulging out.

On the road, performance is best described as muted. That's not a negative; it's just that nothing stands out the way that some higher-end wheelsets do.

They hold speed nicely on the flats, while the 45mm U-profiled rim did well in blustery conditions. In crosswinds they proved to be bang on par with more expensive wheelsets such as the Vision Metrons. Riding no-handed to put things in or take things out of pockets was not an issue.

When it comes to changes in pace, the Scope R4.A are balanced. Again, they feel understated, rather than 'wow'. Lateral and torsional stiffness feels good. Accelerating, braking, and hard cornering all feel great. Some £2k+ wheelsets forgo a decent amount of spokes in the pursuit of low weight and aero, but this can impact negatively on wheel performance. There's no such worries here. The downside is the R4.A are on the heavier side at 1583g, which does mean that when accelerating up steeper climbs, their weight can be felt compared to more lightweight options. However, for this price point, they are a decent weight and certainly not to be considered heavy.

The new ratchet drive hub helps deliver good engagement and strong acceleration, and although a 48t option is available, I prefer the security of the larger teeth and the potential longevity of the 36t option.

Where these wheels truly shine is in their versatility. With no weight limit, a wider internal and external width, plus the capacity to put some wider tyres on them, these are exceptional value. With practical and easy-to-replace internal parts and spokes, the Scope R4.A wheelset will also be very easy to live with.

Value and conclusion

Given the wheels somewhat muted performance, which is solid but not anything that feels next level, it might be easy to skip on these wheels and look elsewhere. However, at £1398 /$1649 I would say that these wheels perform better overall than nearly anything else I’ve tested within this price range. There are one or two similarly priced wheelsets that perform marginally better on the road, however they lack the off-road capabilities of the R4.A.

Yes, there are some higher end road wheels that feel subjectively faster, marginally stiffer, and a touch lighter. But these are often $/£2000+, and being lighter often comes with a weight limit and limited use for all-road conditions.

The Scope R4.A wheels are really the definition of a wheel that is a genuine jack of all trades. There are better road wheels, and there are better gravel wheels. However I think you would be very hard pressed to find a single wheelset that performs quite as well across both areas, let alone for this price.

Specifications

• 23mm internal, 30mm external
• 21 spokes front
• 24 spokes rear
• 45mm depth
• Sapim CX Sprint bladed spokes
• External nipples
• 36-tooth Diamond Ratchet freehub
• Upgradeable to 48-tooth
• Optional Ceramic Speed bearings
• Weight 1583g