SCOPE R4D
REVIEWEDWe didn’t know which set we’d receive. Would it bebeautiful they look. Normally, I’m not a big fan eye-the shallow R3d, the deep R5d or the intermediatecatching logos on my wheels. But I have to say thatmodel, R4d? I was happy to see that it were thethe white Scope decals looked great in my Scott.

R4d that I was going to review. Measuring 45mm
in depth, it’s a disc brake wheelset with an average

For anyone that prefers their wheels more subtle,

height, something I simply just like.

Scope also offers them with black decals. But enoughon their appearance, let’s look at how they perform.

Besides the Scope R4d road bike wheelset I also
received a set of quick release skewers, and fitting

A ride of around 80 kilometers in fairly varied terrain

end-caps. However, I didn’t need them since I wasaround Nijmegen seemed like a good idea to get agoing to review the wheels on my Scott Addict Gravel.

first impression. I pumped the tires up to comfortable

Reviewed by: mantel.com
Published: July - 2019

RIDING HARD UPHILL,DOWNHILL AND THROUGH THE
POLDER: SCOPE R4D

5 bar. Not too hard and not too soft. Perfect for a
WELL-DEVELOPED RACE BIKE WHEELS

comfortable ride.

Scope collaborated with the TU Delft and the TU
Eindhoven to develop a wheel set with an optimal

I have ridden various high-end wheels in the past,

stiffness and an advanced carbon layup.

and I have often been enthusiastic. Also this time, I wascompletely sold after only a few kilometers. These areIt has become common sense that good race wheels

Thanks to their collaboration with tire manufacturer

are an essential piece of equipment if one wants toSchwalbe, all Scope wheels are optimized for tubelessgo fast. But good race bike wheels not only ensure totires. It seemed just fitting to set the wheels up with akeep one at speed, with a bit of luck they are also nicepair of 28mm Schwalbe Pro One tires.

and light, so one can also get up the mountains a loteasier.

That mounting is as easy as one could wish for.
Within half an hour I set up both wheels tubeless,

The race bike wheels of the Dutch brand Scope aremounted the disc brake rotors and the cassette.

lightweight, available in various depths and since

Ready to get going!

a couple of weeks also available at Mantel. A goodreason to to review them. We reached out to Scope

BEAUTIFUL, AND PERFORMING GREAT

and the agreed to send us a set.

Once I had put them into my bike I noticed how

great wheels! They feel very solid and roll just wonderful.

SCOPE R4D
REVIEWED
Traveling at more than 35 kilometer per hour they

Only half an hour later, I met them again on a climb.

buzz a little louder, but I liked that as well. And in“Need”, shouted one of them when I rode past them.

moments, when I didn’t spin, I could hear the lovely
sound of the ratchet. Not too loud, but not too quiet

It was a great first ride out on the R4d. The wheels

either. Exactly how I like it.

look great and the riding impression even topped myexpectations. It only took that one ride to notice that

PAUSE AND DROOL ON THE SCOPE R4D

these are top wheels.

During a short coffee break three riders walked overto my bike, with their coffee cups in their hands. TheyALL IN ONE RIDE

liked the bike but also took notice of the wheels.

It didn’t take long until my second ride, the Tour ofNijmegen. That’s a long distance ride that combines

SUPER STIFF

In fact, they had just walked over to the bike to take aroads with smooth and not so smooth asphalt. And

After a few sharp corners I noticed that the wheels

closer look at the wheels. They hadn’t heard of Scopewith the wind, the challenge was guaranteed.

are very quiet, apart from the buzzing of the tires on

and when I mentioned that these super-light carbon

the road. The disc brake rotors didn’t touch the brakerace wheels are made in the Netherlands, they

The first 35 kilometers feature a bit of climbing andpads at all. That was the first time that I experienced

became even more curious.

a fair amount of polders. The wheels felt nice whensuch a positive behavior with disc brake race bikewheels.

climbing. I could only really let go when descending.
I took the rear wheel out of my bike to show it toWithout really making any effort I caught up withthem. They were almost immediately hooked. Nicequite a few people. And that is also what one would

It was time for some proper sprints. I stopped at aand light, with a sleek finish and perfectly fitting tires

expect from good aerodynamic wheels. The higher

traffic light and once the light turned green, I put thewas their joint conclusion.

the speed, the better they can do their job.

JUST A QUICK TRIAL

But also in the polders I could easily keep up with“Are they also available for rim brakes”, one of thethe high pace. The speed in the group was aroundguys. “They are”, I answer.

40 kilometers per hour. However, it felt effortless.

power down. With the road going slightly uphill I wasable to put down a lot of power.
I could hear a slight whisker for around twentymeters, but that was it. The lateral stiffness of theScope R4d was great, really optimal.
The Scope wheels felt great both uphill and downhill.

Especially my speed in and after the corners was
They price for the wheels is reasonable. Yet when I

noticeably higher. I had to brake a few times inmentioned it, the guys waved conversation goodbye.

order to not get too close to the rider in f ront ofIt wasn;t the last time we saw each other, though.

me.

SCOPE R4D
REVIEWEDFRESH AND RELAXED

descents to steep, challenging climbs.

To my great surprise, he was completely exhausted at
one point while I still felt fairly fresh and relaxed. TimeIn total, I spent around 1.700 kilometers on them. Andto keep challenging! It was absolutely no problem tothe last kilometers felt as smooth as the first ones.

keep it up in the wind. The wheels felt really stable.

Due to their optimized tubeless compatibility, I only
had to reinflate the tires once a week, only 0,5 bar at

After 160 challenging kilometers it was time for themost.

well-deserved beer at the finish. It was then that a
few people took notice of the bike and the wheels.

Lastly, for the gram hunters; without tires, disc brake

They also seemed to like their look.

rotors and a cassette, the rear wheel weighs 838
grams and the front wheel 719 grams. The R4d are

TUBELESS COMFORTOver the following weeks I rode the Scope R4r innice and light wheels and a set to consider if you’re

There were not issues for the rest of the ride.

various conditions and a variety of terrains. I even put

looking for 45 mm deep aerodynamic race bikeDue to the low tire pressure, the badly surfacedsome Schwalbe gravel tires on it to ride in the forest.

wheels.

German roads became slightly more comfortable.

There too, the wheels performed well. Gravel, trails in

Yet, I felt the real difference during a longer

the forest, nothing kept the wheels from doing theirdescent. While the other riders had to ride withjob perfectly.

a lot more care, I could just simply keep going atfull speed.

REVIEWING THE SCOPE R4D
Of course, even after that, I wasn’t nearly finishedAt all times, the Scope wheels provided very

reviewing the wheels. Since I knew that I had tostable and safe feeling. They felt very agile andreturn them at some point, I kept riding them asreacted very directly.

much as I could. In total, I was able to enjoy them foralmost two months.

After that longer descent there were somesmaller climbs and then a long crosswind section.

And during those two months I never had any reason

Also there, the R4d did exactly what I had hoped

to doubt the Scope R4d. They felt good from dayfor. The group had fallen apart, but together with

one and kept on feeling good for the remainder ofa f riend I was able to hang on.

the test, under all circumstances. From long and fast

Simply put, a must-have!