Scribe launched the Tempus wheelset with some bold claims around aerodynamics, stating its new time trial wheels are the “fastest bike wheels on the planet.” The Northern-Irish brand has been making waves in the industry since opening its doors in 2019, offering cyclists impressive wheels at more palatable price points through its direct-to-consumer sales model. Having catered to most of the cycling demographic with myriad options spanning the best road bike wheels segment, Scribe has leaped into the triathlon and time trial space with Tempus wheels in 2025 and finds itself going head-to-head against some very established rivals.
As a cyclist who spends a lot of time on my time trial bike, I naturally take my equipment very seriously and am always looking at ways to shave off time and go faster over the 10- and 25-mile distances. Of the many ways to go faster, I’ve found that wheel and tyre choice can account for a significant saving in the watt department, especially if you fit the very best road tyres. So when Scribe launched the Tempus range, I was pretty excited to put the company’s claims to the test.
(Image credit: Aaron Borrill)
Design and construction
There’s no denying the beauty of Tempus wheels – the finish looks incredible and bestows them with a refined and premium appearance. Much of this can be attributed to the gloss-finished unidirectional carbon fibre, which shimmers in the sunlight, almost giving off a metallic look at certain angles. Both the front wheel and solid disc rear are manufactured from high-filament (12K/18K) Japanese Toray T1000 carbon fibre, known for its lightweight properties and high tensile strength. There’s no fancy paint or special logos used here. Instead, the company has utilised its logo on both wheels but increased the scale to ensure onlookers don’t mistake it for anything but Scribe wheels.
Apart from the 100mm rim depth, there are no Tempus references on the front wheel – only on the solid rear disc, where a diagonal Tempus wordmark logo aligns with the valve hole. I love the look of both wheels, but truly appreciate the design of the rear wheel specifically. It uses a ‘pie-chart-like’ pattern on the carbon fibre, creating a three-dimensional effect despite its almost totally flat surfacing.
(Image credit: Aaron Borrill)
Looking at the specifications, Scribe has left no stone unturned with the Tempus wheels. Both wheels employ a mini-hook design and come standard with ceramic bearings (Grade 3). The front is built using 24 Sapim CX-Ray spokes laced in a 1:1 two-cross pattern with concealed nipples for a clean aerodynamic profile. With 24/21mm front/rear internal rim width, the wheelset was optimised around 28mm tyres for better comfort and aerodynamics. The total system weight of the Disc/100 wheelset is pegged at 1,900g. They can be purchased individually, as the Disc/100 wheelset pictured here, or optioned in a 100/100 configuration – the choice is yours.
The 100mm front wheel uses a wide, toroidal disc-specific rim profile – widely known for its aerodynamics and crosswind stability. The rear disc wheel was designed to balance weight with functionality across multiple frames. Scribe’s goal was to bring a lightweight disc for TT specialists and triathletes to the market that would be compatible with all frames and drivetrains, and I think the brand has succeeded.
(Image credit: Aaron Borrill)
According to Scribe, several shapes were computed and tested on both the drive- and non-drive sides within the disc and drivetrain parameters. Some of these were elaborate and novel concepts, but, in short, none proved groundbreaking in terms of measurable gains outside the testing margins of error. As a result, the drive side of the Scribe Tempus rear disc wheel features a slight concave shape to accommodate derailleur/jockey wheels in the largest sprocket. This ensures its compatibility with a range of derailleurs and aftermarket OSPW systems – particularly those requiring the full spread of gearing to be functional, especially on 1x setups on hilly/sporting courses.
(Image credit: Aaron Borrill)
I’ve struggled with rear disc wheel compatibility on my Cannondale SuperSlice TT frame in the past. The derailleur cage often rubs or scratches the disc wheel when the chain is in the upper sprockets, which is both annoying and costly in terms of wattage. The Tempus Disc, however, is dished in such a way that there’s no rub and plenty of clearance when my CeramicSpeed OSPW Aero is in the 30T on the cassette.
While it’s close to perfect from a functionality perspective, if I were to nitpick, I would have appreciated a dedicated rubber or carbon valve door as opposed to a vinyl sticker. Scribe says it did look at creating a dedicated valve door cover but decided it wasn’t needed with the consensus being that a vinyl sticker was a “lightweight and efficient” solution.
The ride
Aerodynamics is always going to be challenging to quantify in the real world, and manufacturer wind tunnel tests don’t always take individual body shapes and bike setup into account when benchmarking performance, which means the claimed gains will vary from rider to rider. That’s not to say Scribe’s claims of being the “fastest wheelset in the world” are not true – but the real world is a very different place from isolation in a laboratory, and that’s why all my testing was done outdoors on the same 10-mile time trial course, using the same bike, kit, and helmet. Sure, conditions are often variable and not as controlled as a lab, but I find that real-world rider/bike/environmental interaction is the best way to critique equipment of any kind, especially if the conditions are similar.
I’ve reached a point in my time trialing where I’ve settled into a good position and consistently complete 10-mile time trials in under 20 minutes – but my new goal is to dip under 19 minutes. My best result to date is 19:20 using an 80mm Caden Trispoke front and DT Swiss Arc 1100 DiCut rear disc, and I haven’t been able to go any faster since returning the Trispoke wheel to the manufacturer. This year, while pleasing and consistent, my times have plateaued somewhat, with my fastest attempts of 2025 being 19:48, 19:40, 19:30, and 19:57 using an 80mm DT Swiss Arc 1100 DiCut front and Arc 1100 DiCut Disc rear wheel wrapped in 28mm Vittoria Corsa Speed Pro tubeless tyres.
(Image credit: Aaron Borrill)
As a consequence, I was very interested in Scribe’s latest offering, and the company’s claims got my attention. While 100mm for a front wheel is radically deep, I’ve never felt uncomfortable in the wind on my time trial bike and was intrigued to see how the claimed “lower rolling resistance, higher speed and uncompromised comfort and control” would translate into real-world performance.
The wheels arrived with 28mm Vittoria Corsa Pro Speed tyres pre-installed, complete with sealant, but with the wrong freehub body fitted. I quickly swapped out the SRAM XDR body for a Shimano version – a one-minute job. After fitting my 140mm front/rear rotors and 12-speed cassette, I checked the derailleur cage compatibility and was very happy to see ample clearance in the largest sprocket (30T). While I don’t often use the 30T, having the extra climbing gear at my disposal has been a bonus and real lifesaver – especially on some of the sporting courses I often race.
After a few shakedown rides, I was ready to put the wheels to the test on a local 10-mile course in Hampshire. While this particular course is not the fastest around, owing to the four roundabouts to negotiate and exposure to the wind, I wanted to feel them at speed in race conditions. The wind was relatively calm, and compared to my previous time on this course, I was 14 seconds quicker in similar conditions. I was pretty happy with my performance and how the front wheel dealt with the wind – if anything, it felt more controlled than the 80mm options I’ve been testing and provided me with confidence heading into my target races. The ride quality was good, too, and the wheels felt comfortable and stable at high speed.
(Image credit: Aaron Borrill)
After monitoring the weather conditions for a few days, the wind didn’t look great ahead of my target 10-mile time trial in Oxford, and far from ideal. With much of the dual-carriageway course exposed to the elements and the forecasted side wind coming on a downhill stretch of road, it would require some bravery and discipline to stay in the position at high speed. As the average yaw angle at the front wheel is consistently higher than at the rear, crosswind handling performance at the rear wheel is significantly less critical since the wheel is on a fixed axis, so I opted to stick with the rear disc wheel. It’s more important to swap out the front if you’re not feeling confident – I opted to keep the 100mm Scribe Tempus in place and focused on maintaining a less rigid, more supple position to counter any gusts while remaining as aero as possible.
I had a good start, reaching the first roundabout ahead of my target time and avoiding cars without getting held up. I kept the power down on a few rolling sections, where I felt the wheels helped with momentum at a high speed, and I was on for a decent time. Having made it to the turnaround several seconds ahead of my sub-19-minute pacing plan, the horrendous cross-headwind on the way back scuppered my sub-19-minute hopes, and I came home in 19:26 – just a few seconds off my PB. I wasn’t particularly dejected as the conditions were far from favourable, yet I was still able to put in a reasonably fast ride on the day. With one more 10-mile still to come, I’m confident I’ll dip below the 19-minute threshold if the wind plays ball and we get a float day.
I also tested the wheels over a 25-mile time trial on a course I’ve done a few times before to see how the Tempus wheels perform over a longer distance and whether they could help me dip under 50 minutes. While I finished the race a fair bit down on my goal, I did secure a personal best time of 51:25 – over one and a half minutes faster than my previous outing on this particular course and over two minutes faster than the second-place finisher. I reckon a sub-50-minute 25-mile is well within reach on the right course and in favourable conditions. I felt the wheels pushed me along quite nicely at certain yaw angles, and I felt comfortable and, more importantly, stable even when the wind did gust at times.
Value and conclusion
As a time trialist, the law of diminishing returns becomes a significant cost factor the faster you get, and this has turned the local time trialling scene into an arms race, with accessibility forcing people to the sidelines or driving them away from the sport entirely.
As a wheelmaker for the people, Scribe has built its reputation on affordable performance products, and the Tempus Disc/100 wheels are not any different. In fact, if we compare them to other options on the market – and I’m talking genuine rivals with a solid carbon rear disc wheel – there’s nothing that can compete with the Tempus on weight, specification, and performance.
(Image credit: Aaron Borrill)
Sure, there are some good-value alternatives available from brands such as Parcours. I thoroughly tested the 83mm Parcours Chrono Max and rear Disc in 2022 and, while they are very impressive and offer better value at £1,819 for the complete set, they are heavier, less ornate, shallower, and don’t come standard with ceramic bearings. Add the ceramic hardware and the price jumps to £2,039 – making them £41 dearer than the Scribe Tempus Disc/100 wheelset.
At £1,998, the Scribe Tempus Disc/100 wheelset is also considerably cheaper than high-performance options from DT Swiss. In fact, at £2,300, the new DT Swiss Arc 1100 DiCut 85mm front wheel alone is more expensive than the complete Tempus wheelset. Add the £2,500 1100 Dicut Disc rear and the total price jumps to £5,800 – £3,802 more than what Scibe has created with the Tempus wheelset.
If you’re a competitive time trialist looking to improve your 10-mile PB, the Scribe Tempus Disc/100 wheelset might be the key to unlock the gains you’ve been after. Not only do they look good and complement most bike colour schemes, but they are also lighter and cheaper than many options on the market, delivering high performance at an accessible price point. Furthermore, the wheels are backed by Scribe’s Infinity Warranty, which covers them for three years against material or workmanship defects. In the event of a crash, Scribe offers a 50% discount on all replacement parts for carbon wheels
I highly recommend them.
Scribe Tempus Disc/100 wheelset specs
Price: £1,998
Weight: 1,900g
Hubset: Ceramic bearings (Grade 3)
Freehub options: Shimano HG11/12, SRAM XDR, Campagnolo
Rim depth: 100mm front, solid disc rear
Rim width: 24mm internal, 31mm external (front) / 21mm internal, 29mm external (rear)
Spoke count: 24 front / N/A rear
Hookless: Mini-hook design
