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

Ran out of time to go to Farmington, next trip! I have friends who live in Durango, so going back for sure

 

SRAM sales

https://thundermountainbikes.com/collections/ride-friday-sneak-peek-sram-sale?page=1

 

Need some advice on componentry. I’m driving myself nuts looking at wheelsets, narrowed it down between a few and the biggest question seems to be alloy or carbon. Looking at the specs, weight difference seems to be about 85 grams, so not really a whole heck of a lot. I know this may spark a debate and that’s not my intention, is 85 grams of rotating mass really noticeable to the average goober? Any other actual benefits to carbon hoops over alloy?
If it helps, I’m looking at the 1/1 enduro S (this is what I currently have and really like them), Nobl 37 with 1/1 hubs, We Are One Unions with 1/1 and considering the Hydra hubs also but likely not worth the cost for a rider like me.

 

I ride and charge hard on some VERY rough terrain. i bend alu rims, even with inserts. Either the hook or the whole rim is toast. I avoid alu rims for that reason. Carbon,w hen it goes, it is a KABOOM and spectacular though. so there is that. whereas, with alu rims, they're going to still work to get you down if it's kinda shot.

That said, I haven't ever ridden HIGH quality alu rims. just..okay ones. i'm riding on high quality carbon rims and love the stiffness for my riding style.

If you're prone to crashing or breaking rims constantly but need them to stay bombproof for say, a race...then carbon might be the choice. but for the average rider, there's nothign wrong with a quality alu rim.

 

oh, also....alu rim would be cheaper even if you completely break one in comparison to a carbon rim.

yeah, many carbon rim manufacturers have crash warranty stuffs/no questions asked stuff. but still, they do the same with alu a lot.

 

I really like my Nobl 37 wheels. They are the only carbon wheelset I’ve owned but they are super nice. Very stiff, the wheel goes where I put it. My frame is the weak link in the stiffness department for sure. Reviews said that they are still compliant, can’t say I can confirm that but i have no complaints as far as comfort goes.

I have hit some technical cross country trails, did a 50 mile XC ride and have even hit jumps with them. I’m not gonna say I have put them through the wringer but with about 200 miles on them I’ve definitely tested them out a bit, especially since I’m like 225-235 pounds right now.

2 notes on Nobl, if you are an IMBA member they offer a discount through ExpertVoice. They also do weekly expedited wheel deals if you check out their Instagram.

In think the question is would I rather have carbon wheels with 1/1 hubs or aluminum with hydras…I’d probably go aluminum with hydras because hydras are amazing.

also to @ginseng27 point, Nobl has no questions asked replacement if I remember correctly…but you have to ship it out to them and everything. Their lead time on new builds is kind of long so if you ever did blow a rim you might be out a bit. If it ever happens I might just order the cheapest wheel available at the time as a backup haha.

 

Carbon wheels rarely go "kaboom" now.

Most damaged carbon wheels I see come through the shop now are damaged but still "rideable" as in get you home rideable.

 

I'll second the Nobls. My buddy just broke his and they sent him one no issues.

But... For transparency we both have a buddy that works for Nobl but they wouldn't treat a regular customer any different. A great operation they're running.

 

Mostly overkill for the riding in my part of the PI but it's best to never be outgunned.

 

Thanks buddy! I dig it.
I was going to switch things up next season anyway, and was stuck in the "too many choices" hole. I alllmost went for a SC Nomad, but when the 170 Arrival dropped with a better build kit for the $$, I pulled the trigger. Honestly, a lot of the decision was down to their ethos.
Hoping to get a southern Ut trip in this year, we'll see. Little one turns one next week, and hoping to take him to Moab for his first birthday. Maybe I can squeeze in a quick ride.

Bike was on the rack for a while before it hit dirt. I'm definitely very particular when it comes to setup, so lots of fine tuning before I get her out.

Man, those sales are amazing.
Fanatik is having one too. You can get a new '23 Zeb ultimate for under $900! Last year's is like $600! This is the time to any SRAM products you may have been eyeing, like AXS... Over $100 off.

Carbon's biggest benefit is strength and stiffness. I break shit, especially AL rims. I've never broken carbon rims, or even hurt one (other than cosmetically). If you can afford the lighter, stronger option, I'd go for it. The 1-1 hubs, with my limited experience, are really good. Hydras are great, but not sure if someone who doesn't log lots and lots of rides would notice.

 

When I first bought the Polygon, it had relatively low POE hubs. When I swapped to the 1/1, it was a very noticeable change, especially in the tech stuff. I'm not sure I'd really notice the difference going from the 1/1 to the Hydra, except in a few specific scenarios (I know there's a difference, I'm just not a good enough rider to really notice). So far, I haven't broken anything serious, just derailleurs. I'm relatively cautious and don't send any super big shit. If I break something, it's going to be because I chose a really shitty line and crash into something or wedge it between some rocks, not because of a hard impact.

I appreciate all the feedback, I have some decisions to make...

 

I've been getting parts together for a winter build and these sales are really helping!

Crazy that they are different from site to site. Jenson is doing it too. Fanatik had the cheapest Code brakes (and the rainbow hardware version in stock!). $100 off per brake is ridiculous!

 

The sale prices seem to be fluctuating as inventory levels change. Thunder Mountain had the best pricing across the board. Not the case anymore.

 

I'm in the same boat as you and now almost have a complete bike due to all the sales. Never dreamed I'd pick up a Fox 36 factory fork for $600! If I could have had my measurements done earlier, I would have jumped on the PNW dropper sale but I missed that one unfortunately. I'm going to see what drops on Black Friday or Cyber Monday and maybe grab some wheels then. All I'll have left after wheels is the seat and dropper. I picked up some tires the other day since the ones I was eyeing went on sale at the Lost Co. I went with a Schwalbe Magic Mary 29x2.6 up front and a Big Betty 29x2.4 out back.

 

Selling my BMX bike. 21" TT Hoffman Bama. Have way more details if anyone is interested, shoot me a PM. It's on facebook but y'all are way more reliable. We can figure out TW express if you're not in the new england area

 

anyone else watching pinkbike academy? no bmx backgrounds this year

 

If you were on the fence about a YT bike,

https://us.yt-industries.com/products/in-stock-bikes/

they've got all of their bikes on sale right now. If it's in stock.

I remember my old Capra, great bikes.

 

haha. Most. I've seen some go kaboom recently. Taco'd in pretty good from a case. :shrug: Still got the rim. hah!

 

I roached 2 DT swiss alloy enduro wheels this season. No dents or anything, just detensioned and flat spotted to the point of no return. Meanwhile my other carbon wheelset hasn't even seen a spoke wrench with now the 4th season on em. Couldn't be more impressed as I was initially one of those "i'll never ride carbon wheels" persons. I think they well made up the price difference at this point. If you're set just make sure they've got a solid lifetime warranty just in case. Most of them do these days.

 

I'll play devils advocate to the carbon crowd. I'm not riding the most rowdy stuff and certainly softer terrain (PNW) than big desert rock, but I ride pretty aggressively and weigh like 175 lbs so not big but not a lightweight. I have never broken, bent, or otherwise damaged an aluminum wheel outside a couple minor rim strikes. I compared everything last time i needed wheels and as much as I wanted carbon, I just couldn't justify the added expense based on my experience riding aluminum. I got a custom set built with 1/1 hubs, spank 350 rims, and light spokes for like $650 shipped. I just don't think you'll find a better bang for your buck than a good set of aluminum rims on 1/1 hubs. Will a carbon set with hydras be better? Absolutely, but are they worth an extra grand plus? That's up to you to decide, but I haven't been able to justify it (yet).

Oh and this is where I got my wheels. Great experience and highly recommended. https://www.speedgearbike.com/439084750

One more edit. The WAO Union is 495g and the Spank 350 is 525g (according to speedgear) so 30g lighter per rim or 60g lighter per wheelset. IMO negligible for the average goober. Buy the carbon for the stiffness and strength benefits not for the weight imo (the weight is just a nice added bonus).