IN BRIEF
American brand Berd is launching the Sparrow50 Gold, a carbon gravel wheelset that it presents as “the lightest production 50mm gravel wheelset on the planet”. The 700C version is claimed at 1,298 grams, a figure that owes a great deal to the brand’s own PolyLight spokes, made from synthetic fibre and quoted at 2.4 grams apiece. The rim is 50mm deep and 30mm wide internally. On the brand’s store viewed from Europe, expect to pay from €2,121.90 in 700C and €2,210.50 in 32in depending on the hubset — that is $2,395 and $2,495 in the US catalogue. Shipping of the 32in version is announced for 21 September.
| Price | From €2,121.90 in 700C and €2,210.50 in 32in on the store as seen from Europe ($2,395 and $2,495 in the US catalogue, up to $2,795 with Onyx hubs) |
| Weight | 1,298g per pair in 700C, 1,541g in 32in |
| Rim | Carbon, 50mm deep, 30mm internal, 38mm external |
| Spokes | 24 Berd PolyLight per wheel, 2.4g apiece, two-cross |
| Hubs | Talon ESL-R, Centerlock brake mounting |
| Freehub body | SRAM XD, Shimano Microspline, Shimano Hyperglide and Campagnolo N3W |
| Availability | 700C in stock, 32in shipping from 21 September 2026 |
A spoke made of fibre rather than steel: that is the bet Berd has been making for years, and the Sparrow50 Gold is its latest application. The brand claims a gravel wheelset of 1,298 grams in 700C, 50mm rim included — a weight that pairs built on steel spokes at this depth rarely reach.
The Berd Sparrow50 Gold stakes everything on its spokes
The principle behind Berd’s PolyLight spokes fits into a single line: replace steel with a braided synthetic fibre. The official product page quotes them at 2.4 grams each. With 24 spokes per wheel, two-cross front and rear, the saving shows up on the scales: 1,298 grams for the 700C pair, 1,541 grams for the 32in version.
These flexible spokes have a second consequence, one the brand puts forward: they filter out vibration. On its product page Berd claims “5 watts” saved at 30km/h through vibration damping alone — a gain the brand attributes to its spokes in general, and not to this wheel in particular, and which it says was independently measured by John Karrasch. It is a manufacturer’s claim, to be taken as such.
A 50mm rim cut out for big tyres
The carbon rim measures 50mm deep, 30mm wide internally and 38mm externally. That wide internal profile is in line with current gravel practice, where sections of 45mm and above have become commonplace. On the aerodynamic side, Berd states on its product page that the wheel is “14% more aerodynamic than our previous generation Sparrow” — that figure compares the wheel with the in-house model it replaces. The brand also says it tested it at the A2 wind tunnel in Mooresville, North Carolina, against the leading aerodynamic gravel wheels.
The wheels are built on the brand’s own Talon ESL-R hubs with Centerlock brake mounting. Berd’s catalogue offers four freehub bodies — SRAM XD, Shimano Microspline, Shimano Hyperglide and Campagnolo N3W — and leaves the choice between several third-party hubsets, including Hope, Industry Nine and Onyx, the last of which take the pair up to $2,795.
A 32in version, and a price listed in euros
Berd offers the Sparrow50 Gold in two diameters: the usual 700C and a 32in version, the large-wheel format that several brands have been pushing for a few months now in gravel and cross-country mountain biking. According to the official product page, the first is in stock and ships immediately; the second is on pre-order, with shipping announced for 21 September 2026.
That leaves the price. Berd’s store does serve a euro price list: viewed from Europe on 20 August, it shows the 700C pair from €2,121.90 to €2,387.70 and the 32in from €2,210.50 to €2,476.29, the difference coming down to the hubset chosen. The brand’s US catalogue, for its part, lists $2,395 in 700C and $2,495 in 32in with the in-house hubs.
