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At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.
The Prime Orra 700c Carbon Gravel wheelset is a quality performer that offers impressive stiffness, weight and build quality which makes the price even more impressive – just a penny shy of six hundred quid! This is cheaper than any of those in our best gravel wheels buyer's guide.
Prime is well known for offering quality components at a competitive price – and that's exactly what the Wiggle CRC has done here with its Orra 700c Carbon Gravel wheelset.
You are getting a pair of wheels with 35mm-deep rims made from Toray's T700 UD carbon fibre, alloy hubs with a 36T ratchet system, CenterLock rotor mounts and tubeless compatibility, all for just £599.99.
This sort of price means that the Orras give even their most competitively priced rivals a run for their money – but that isn't where the high points end.
After a month or so of abuse on the gravel trails and byways the Orras have shown that you don't need to treat them with kid gloves. They have taken all of the abuse I have thrown at them, and the weather hasn't exactly been kind either, with virtually every ride lately taking place either in the rain, or in the wet, muddy and gritty conditions left by it.
Trueness hasn't been an issue, and the hubs are still running smoothly after some very wet rides, and places where the puddles on the local tank tracks have seen the water at least hub height. The sealed bearings certainly seem to have been doing their job.
Overall, the wheels are sufficiently stiff for all kinds of riding even if you like to climb hard or sprint. I got out of the saddle on numerous steep climbs and I couldn't detect any lateral flex.
With 24 spokes front and rear it feels like quite a solid build.
The SR2D hubs use a CNC-machined 7075-grade aluminium alloy body with a quite large diameter flange, which allows for the use of shorter spokes, which no doubt contributes to that stiffness.
The only freehub option when buying the wheels as a complete build is Shimano HG (which also works with SRAM cassettes, except XDR) although Campagnolo options are listed as aftermarket upgrades.
The blurb says that the freehub comes with a bite-guard, a steel strip that sits alongside one of the splines on the freehub to stop the cassette under pedalling load, but there isn't one on our review set which is a bit of a shame, although so far any indentation is very minimal.
Rather than pawls, Prime uses a sprung ratchet design with 36 teeth for engagement. It's very quick and if you are trackstanding, you'll feel no slop between engagement points. When freewheeling there is some buzz, but nothing over the top.
The rims' 24.5mm internal width makes them suited to the wider tyres used on gravel bikes and I found them just as at home with wide road tyres like the 36mm-wide WTB Exposure TCS Fast tyres I recently tested.
The Orras have hookless rims, which means they are only compatible with tubeless tyres. You can still run inner tubes, but the tyres themselves have to be tubeless, as the majority of clincher tyres aren't rated safe to be used on wheels with no hook to sit the bead underneath.
I did find it easy to fit tyres, though. I tried a range of gravel tyres as well as those WTB road tyres and they popped on relatively easily to the Orra's rim. You want quite a snug fit to stop them blowing off the rim, but you don't want anything so tight that you can't repair a puncture when out for a ride. I didn't find this to be an issue with the Primes.
The price for the Orras is a chunk of cash less than Hunt's 35 Carbon Gravel Disc X-Wide wheels that Mike gave maximum marks to, which are about 60g lighter, but two-hundred quid dearer at £799. That is £100 cheaper than when we reviewed them back in 2020 though.
Scribe's Gravel Wide+ 700 CD wheels sport a 32mm deep carbon fibre rim and a ratchet system for the freehub like the Primes. They cost £696, and while we haven't reviewed that exact model, at off.road.cc Matt has ridden the incredibly light Gravel Wide++ 700 Disc.
Overall, I think that the Prime Orra wheelset is definitely a recommended buy. The quality is impressive and at 1,610g (including tape) they are a competitive weight too. You're basically getting a lot of wheel for your money, and the box also comes with things such as valves.
A well-built set of wheels that are robust, a good weight and at a smidge under £600 they're an absolute bargain too!
If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website
road.cc test report
Make and model: Prime Orra 700C Carbon Gravel Wheelset
Size tested: 700c
Tell us what the wheel is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
Prime says: "Showing off its stiff and lightweight carbon fibre rim construction, tubeless ready technology and Centre Lock disc brake compatibility, the Prime Orra 700C Carbon Gravel Wheelset is fully equipped for the demands of gravel adventure riding."
The Orras are a well built wheelset that will cope well with gravel use – and they are very well priced too.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the wheel?
Rim Material: T700 UD Carbon Fibre
Use: Gravel
Axle Size Compatibility: Front: 100x12mm; Rear: 142x12mm (out of the box)
Rim Width: 24.5mm (internal); Rim Depth: 35mm
Hubs: SR2D, 36T Ratchet System, CNC machined 7075 Alloy hub body; Hub Bearings: Front: 2x 15267, Rear: 1x 6902, 1x 17287, Freehub: 2x 6802; Freehub: Anti Bite Guard, Shimano/SRAM 9/10/11 speed
Spokes: Front: PDB1415 JB, 277mm (Disc Side), PDB1415 JB, 279mm (Drive Side); Rear: PDB1415 JB, 273mm (Drive Side), PDB1415 JB, 279mm (Disc Side)
Tubeless ready (Compatible with tubeless tyres only)
Brake Type: Disc Brake; Disc Mount: Cente Lock
Rider Weight Limit: 110kg
Did the wheels stay true? Any issues with spoke tension?
No problems with trueness or tension over the review period.
How easy did you find it to fit tyres?
Fitting tyres was relatively easy. A snug fit that is required for hookless rims, but you don't want it to be too difficult to remove should you have a puncture.
How did the wheel extras (eg skewers and rim tape) perform?
All of the kit in the box did the job well.
Tell us how the wheel performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Stiff wheels that are well built to survive the abuse they'll receive when you hit gravel trails.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the wheel
Great price.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the wheel
No Campagnolo option as part of the complete build.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
They are very well priced, coming in at least £100 cheaper than the Scribe and Hunt wheels I compared them to in the review.
Did you enjoy using the wheel? Yes
Would you consider buying the wheel? Yes
Would you recommend the wheel to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
The Prime Orra is a very good set of wheels when it comes to performance and quality, but the fact that they are just £599.99 ups them to a 9/10.
Overall rating: 9/10
About the tester
Age: 44  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg
I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components
I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,
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With 20 years of road cycling and over 150,000 miles in his legs it's safe to say Stu is happiest when on the bike whatever the weather. Since writing his first review for road.cc back in 2009 he has also had a career in engineering including 3D-CAD design and product development, so has a real passion for all of the latest technology coming through in the industry but is also a sucker for a classic steel frame, skinny tyres, rim brakes and a damn good paintjob.
His fascination with gravel bikes is getting out of control too!
Schrodinger's BBC.
Thanks all. Well I'm 45, go to the gym quite a bit and have resonably physical job so looks like a regular road bike is going to be my best option....
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Stable and confident wheels with wide, hookless rims – the freehub is on the slow side, though
Good set of wheels with an excellent set of hubs at the centre of them
A lightweight disc-brake-only wheelset that can compete with the best in the market
Impressively stiff deep-section wheels that should give you a great aero boost – and they're a decent weight too
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