All Things Bikes and Tacos! (...and every vehicle imaginable)

My bike came with Stans Flow rims and I ran them for 3.5 years without any rim issues. I weigh 230lbs, so I'm actually surprised they held up so well.

Hubs are a different story. I was eating through rear hubs every 8-10 months. Finally went with a beefier set of Project 321 hubs and laced them to Ibis carbon rims. So far, no issues with rims or hubs in about 10 months of usage.

Sometimes you can find new takeoffs on Craigslist/Facebook.

Crank Bros has wheelsets that start in your price range. I haven't heard much about them though.

 

Don’t you need a new bike first?

I’ve heard nothing but good things about Stans and Spank rims. I’ve had great experiences with Hope Pro4 hubs and DT. Currently running Project 321 hubs, which are the tits.

I haven’t run AL rims in a while though, and for you application I’d highly suggest carbon if you can swing it. My current fave is NOX, great pricing and super reliable. Also hear great reviews on We Are One rims and wheelsets.

I’m not that heavy, 150 geared up, but I do punish my gear hard. My LBS always jokes when I walk in the door, “What’d you break now?” Lol.

 

I’m not opposed to new take offs. Most I’ve seen are in the $200-300 range.

Fair enough haha

I’m actually finalizing a deal on a fuel ex carbon frame with minimal use. I had to come to terms that for my uses and preferences, the fuel ex fits the bill. No need to fix something that isn’t broke

Going full carbon everywhere is what I’d like to do. Once I get all the other bits buttoned up, what’s left in the budget will determine if carbon rims are a reality at the moment or not.

 

Idk..... I actually went back to aluminum (Spank oozys laced to Industry 9 hubs) after cracking a carbon hoop on my trail bike. Weight savings is null with carbon, but being able to tweak back an alloy rim while traveling is better than ruining gear mid-trip. Now I run carbon hoops on my park bike instead.

 

There’s places I’d skip carbon. For example cranksets. Sure, they’re lighter, but that’s about it. And really not that much lighter.
Frames, handlebars, rims, that makes a difference. A noticeable one too. If you do go carbon on anything, check the stiffness to compliance ratio. Some stuff is simply TOO stiff. There needs to be some flex in specific directions.
For example, I ran sixC bars and switched to Renthal carbon. Huge difference in feel.

For sure! Lots of good AL rims now. Funny though,I run AL rims of my park/dh bike , everything else is carbon on it) because it takes such a beating. I was just pointing out that for XC/light AM use, carbon rims will make a noticeable difference in feel. I honestly think a high quality wheel set should be the first major upgrade anyone does.
To me, in order of importance:
Tires
Frame
Suspension
Wheels
Pedals
Cockpit (stem/handlebars/grips)
Seat
Everything else

 

Quick update, went back for another round (or two) today to Braşov. 31 miles, 8400 ft (4000 gondola assisted). Found even better trails, really loving this place.
Some pics:

Anticipation


A welcome spring


Perspective


The one in the lower center is the pic above.

 

I considered that guy on pink bike too, there are actually a few of them. I ended up going with Colorado cyclist as well. Couldn’t be happier. I got DT 350 hubs front and rear laced up to race face arc 30 offset rims. Wheels look great and came with tape/valves.

 

Would you would spend $500 bucks on a rear hub?
https://onyxrp.com/store/mtb-hubs/mtb-boost-iso-hg-148-12mm-thru/

tl:dr instant engagement and completely silent

 

Be interesting to see how their durability and longevity hold up with those sprags. More points of engagement = more potential points of wear.

 

I’d imagine they last at least as long if not longer than a regular high end hub since in theory there should be no contact between the sprags and hub body (or whatever it’s called) until you start to pedal. Then more points of engagements means less force between each sprag and hub body. Where as other hubs are only applying force at the prawls that are engaged. I am assuming a high build quality at that price too. Reviews seem good for the hub, just a matter of whether you like the sound of a regular hub or not haha

 

I've been eye-fucking Onyx hubs for quite some time now. My next build will definitely include them. It's a moral imperative.

 

This is the crux of my curiosity at their longevity. For DH/Enduro riders; it's a non-issue as they don't have to pedal nearly as much as XC/AM/Endurance riders, thus less wear at the points of engagement. For us weirdos that like long hours in the saddle that naturally involves more pedaling, mechanical wear points over time become much more of a concern. Watching the video on the sprag pawl's animation is why I became curious. Their animation makes it appear as if the sprags are designed such that the ends are cammed when engaged and providing an equal amount of force at each contact point/sprag pawl. The longer one pedals, the more force is placed upon those points over time and the more wear to each point.

I guess I should just contact them and ask how they addressed that issue, whether the individual pawl sprags would wear first (like a sacrificial component such as clipless cleats wearing before the pedal interface), or the inner surface of the clutch body in the ring where they engage. I do like that they're serviceable, and my I9 hub will need to be replaced soon, which is why my curiosity is piqued.

This actually tells a lot about how they approached the design and serviceability...

"Limited Warranty – Onyx Racing Products

This product is guaranteed against manufacturing defects for five (5) years from the original date of purchase. This covers all components that are manufactured by Onyx Racing Products.

This products’ Sprag is guaranteed against manufacturing defects for a period of one (1) year. The bearings are guaranteed against manufacturing defects for a period of one (1) month from the original date of purchase. These are all the components which are NOT manufactured by Onyx Racing Products."

https://onyxrp.com/tech/

https://youtu.be/infyTz5LxAM

A similar design has been used in ratchets for decades, so it's not exactly an industry shattering design.

In case anyone is curious about the functionality behind the design.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaQxLNE0psA

 

That’s definitely a fair point. I guess I was more looking at it from an instant engagement point of view. I’ve blown up a freehub on a technical climb which is where I see the onyx shining with the instant engagement.

I could definitely see your concern about long amounts of pedaling where eventually the sprags might slip due to wear. Probably is a good question to ask them. I’m just thinking of pros and cons for your uses and keep switching views haha.

One thing I did think of is what happens if the sprags ever blow up or something. Will you still be able to pedal? When I blew up my hub it was locked so basically like a fixie which sucked but it was good enough to get off the trail. Could the onyx do that? Last thing I want is to be pushing my bike 10+ miles back to my truck or house.

 

Well, to be fair; I have been declared as "ruthlessly rational" by my friends, family and riding peers/teammates. If I'm going to drop that much coin on a hub; you can be damn sure I'mma do my due diligence on long-term value...

 

Hahaha one of my coworkers has been telling me to quit being rational when I explain why someone did something she didn’t like....

They are definitely expensive and fair concerns To work through before dropping money on one.

 

I’m a big fan of the Project 321 hubs. Have you checked those out yet? Near instant enhancement, can be damn near silent (or loud), magnetic pawls (no springs to wear out), good warranty.

 

Project 321 puts together damn fine hubs with ridiculous POE, as well.

 

Not yet, but I have heard of the recent expanded use of magnetic pawl systems... a silent MTB hub would be... odd, coming from years of racing on I9 and CK hubs!

 

My DT 350s are pretty quiet... it’s strange.

 

Yeah I popped a chain a couple days ago and going from my I9 Torches to silent was strange to say the least.