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When I got my last set of wheels Light Bicycle were about the only option, but there seems to be quite a few options around £1k these days.......... 6th Element, Light Bike, Blue Flow, NOBL.
I see STW reviewed the 6th Element recently but none of the others. What's good, or has everyone gone back to alloy?
ps. No Santa Cruz/Enve chat, way out my price range.
Those Mavic carbons look mint.. Pity they are boost only 🙁
They have none boost too. 600 in 29 flavour
Why carbon? a high end alloy wheelset will be the same weight (or lighter) with better hubs and a few hundred quid cheaper.
They'll be less punishing to ride and if you do crack a rim down the line you won't be eating Tesco value beans for a month.
Don't get the carbon obsession for MTB, road yes because of aerodynamics but unless they're racing XC most people would be much better off with some really good alloy jobbies and a few hundred quid in the bank.
Each to their own I suppose
I priced up a self built set of wheels with Newmen hubs and light bicycle rims, can to about £1k and weight of about 1500g. Or with alloy, Newmen do a set which weigh just over 1600g for about £600.
Why carbon? a high end alloy wheelset will be the same weight (or lighter) with better hubs and a few hundred quid cheaper.
Certainly last time I was buying wheels (4 years ago), alloy wheels could not come close to carbon weights especially in wider rims. Things may have moved on, my comment at the end of my post as to whether everyone had gone back to alloy was genuine, have they? I've had a quick look around and while I've certainly found nice high end alloy wheelsets for less than the cheaper carbon ones, I haven't found any that are lighter rims.
Not just rim weight, a set of good quality alloy rims on nice light hubs like 240's will be lighter than budget carbon rims on 350's or Hopes and be better sealed to boot
Compare the weights of DT XM 1501's with the Santa Cruz reserves on 350's for instance.
Also, stated rim weights for budget carbon rims can be wildly optimistic compared to what they actually come in at. Ive had friends spec wheels online that have come in over 100 grams heavier in the real world.
I dont do carbon wheels (not after last time!) but between 6th element and santa cruz there's not much difference in the warranty and a while lot of difference in the price.
Graham at 6th element has been building my alloy wheels for ages though and they've all been very, very well built. Probably helps that they're FR570s though, so will probably survive a nuclear holocaust
Not just rim weight, a set of good quality alloy rims on nice light hubs like 240’s will be lighter than budget carbon rims on 350’s or Hopes and be better sealed to boot
This is true, though weight saving in the rim is considerably more noticeable than the hub. But yes that's my current thinking, either go with the carbon build on hope hub, or something like a KOM i29 on 240s.