Carbon spokes or steel spokes?

A pair of carbon road wheels on black, the spokes crossing the frame

Take steel unless the last hundred grams matter to you more than the convenience does. At the same rim depth, carbon spokes save about 100 g on the pair — the S series at 1220 g against the C series at 1320 g, both at 50 mm. That is the whole of the difference in weight, and it is not the whole of the decision.

Strength is not what separates them

This is the part most comparisons get wrong. Both of these families state no rider weight limit and both are rated for gravel — the C series on Alpina® Ultralite steel, the S series on Farsports' own carbon. If carbon spokes were the fragile option, the carbon-spoked wheel would be the one with a limit printed on it. It is not.

The wheels that do carry a limit are the EVO builds, at 120 kg, and they come in both steel and carbon. So the limit tracks how light the build is, not what the spokes are made of.

What carbon actually gives you

  • About 100 g at the same depth, and it is rotating weight, which is the kind you feel when you change speed.
  • A flatter, T-head profile that Farsports redesigned for the 2026 wheels, aimed at stiffness and at behaving better in a crosswind.
  • Fewer of them. The S series is laced 18 front and 18 rear; the C series runs 21 front and 24 rear. Fewer spokes is fewer things in the air.

What steel gives you

  • A spoke any wheelbuilder can source. Alpina Ultralite is a catalogue part. A carbon spoke is proprietary, which means a damaged one is a conversation with us rather than a trip to a local shop.
  • A lower price — the C series is the least expensive family here, at the same rim, the same hub design and the same warranty.
  • Familiar repair. Any competent shop can true a steel-spoked wheel without thinking about it.

None of that is a performance argument. It is an argument about the year after you buy, which is the part a spec sheet never covers.

2:1 lacing, on both

Both families lace 2:1 — twice as many spokes on the drive side of the rear wheel as on the other. A rear wheel is pulled harder on the side the cassette is on and dished away from centre on that side too, so an even count leaves one half working harder than the other. Splitting them 2:1 evens the tension out and is why a modern rear wheel can run so few spokes without going soft.

It is not a feature either family has over the other. It is why both can be built light without giving up stiffness.

So which one

If you race, count grams, or simply want the lighter wheel and can live with a proprietary spoke, take the S series. If you ride a lot of rough road, want the cheapest route to a wheel with no weight limit, or like knowing any shop can fix it, take the C series.

Both come at 45, 50 and 58 mm, both are rated for gravel, and both carry the same warranty.

The rest of the decision

Spokes are one of three. The others are which rim depth to take and, if you are near 120 kg, what a rider weight limit actually means. When the wheel is chosen, tubeless or tubes is next.

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Still asked

Can a carbon spoke be replaced if one breaks?

Yes, but not from a local shop’s drawer — it is a proprietary part, so it comes from us. That is the practical cost of the 100 grams, and it is worth weighing if you ride far from home or somewhere hard on wheels.

Do carbon spokes ride harsher?

Not in a way most riders can separate from everything else. Tyre width, pressure and the frame do far more to how a bike rides than spoke material does. If you are chasing comfort, drop your pressure before you change your wheels.

Why does the rear wheel have more spokes on one side?

That is 2:1 lacing, and both families use it. The drive side of a rear wheel is pulled harder and sits at a steeper angle, so it takes twice as many spokes as the other side. Splitting them that way evens out the tension and lets a modern rear wheel run very few spokes without going soft.

Are fewer spokes weaker?

Not on a wheel designed around the count. The S series runs 18 spokes front and rear and still states no rider weight limit. Spoke count is one variable in a design that also includes the rim, the lacing and the tension — reading it on its own tells you very little.