I've been super impressed with my carbon NOBL TR37's laced to i9 101's. 101's are not as slick as the Hydra's, but 4 degree engagement is still very good, they are much cheaper and I've had 0 issues with 101's on a couple different wheelsets over a couple thousand miles of riding. About 1800g for them taped and with valves is not super light, but not tanks either and at $1300 is a solid deal for a solid carbon wheelset. Tire install is super easy on the TR37's, even DD DHR II took barely a twist of the wrist to seat and sealed easily with a standard floor pump.
I ride 27.5” WeAre One Unions laced to Hydras. I can’t say enough great things about them. After destroying Race Face ARC30s over and over again at Mountain Creek I just sucked it up. They take the punishment and remain true with consistent spoke tension. Believe the hype!
@@asquare9316 the Hydra isn’t nearly as loud as the Torch. My hub has a distinct sound but not really what I would consider loud. More like a high pitched buzz. I was actually surprised (and relieved) when I put them on as I was debating between Hydras and Project 321. You can find me on Upper/Lower Dominion and Salvation any Saturday. Listen for that buzz…
I have the cheaper (350 hubbed, same rims) Rovals on my Spur. You guys are completely right about the vertical compliance. My previous experience with carbon wheels was an ultra stiff set of Giant branded hoops which put me off and sent me back to alu. These Rovals are exceptionally smooth and comfy for the long technical XC / light trail rides which I do. 1+ recommended.
Great video! I've always struggled with the cost/benefit aspect of carbon wheels. I've also had great luck with my workhorse alloy sets and I'm not too hard on wheels anyway. That said, I just pulled the trigger on a set of Light Bicycle wheels. I'm hoping that I'll ride them and be able to say "Oh, now I see what the fuss is all about with carbon wheels."
@@melloman999 I ended up getting the AM928 wheels with I9 1/1 hubs. They've been perfect and I ride everything from all-day epics to flow/jump trails. The value seems insane.
Awesome vid! Factors I look at in order of priority: 1. That they look cool (Eg I like how with Nobl you can customize on order) 2. Warranty - has to be lifetime (is a proxy of durability) 3. Weight - if it’s as much as alloy, the price hit isn’t worth it 4. Rim width
@@TheLoamWolf to be honest I don’t think I have the ability to tell the difference. Ride characteristics, at least to me, seem like more of a function of suspension set up. I have two bikes with alloy rims and one with carbon - what I notice is how much air is in the suspension and what the compression/rebound are set to. And likewise when trying out friends bikes with all sorts of variety… it’s never occurred me how the wheels feel. They all feel like regular wheels. :)
@@slick-riq depends on the weight of the rider +bike (Ex. e-bike), spoke tension, type of trail, and overall rider acuity. I’m a heavier guy and also ride an e-bike. Spoke count from say 28 to 32 really changed my riding. I increased the tension of my rear spokes on my 170/170 e-bike and that really made the difference. From really sloppy rear lateral movement, to composed accuracy when cornering at DH speeds, my aluminum rims get it done on Arc30 DH rims with Sapim race double butted spokes with brass nipples. The front is a little less rigid, to keep control, but also 32 spoke. I have Reserve 30’s on my Enduro rig and swapped them to the e-bike to try. I found that the e-bike became one-dimensional in terms of point and shoot. Stuck with the Arc30 HD rims. For the enduro rig, opposite story. The enduro rig was too sloppy all around. The carbon hoops really cleaned it up. When you’re riding gnar that can be treacherous, and pushing boundaries, you notice the small chatter and compound cadence during the ride. I ride my shocks very progressive, not too soft, so critical braking and cornering really defined where my setup with wheel characteristics impacted my rides tremendously. On moderate single track rides, it would be harder to define where the stress and loading could be impacted with more or less lateral and vertical response characteristics other than tire pressure. IMHO…
I have a pair of We are One Faction wheels (27mm internal width and 32 spoke build) which I built with Onyx hubs. The build was a replacement to my original Raceface ARC27 aluminum set which came of my 2018 Hightower. I find the We are One Faction to have an engaging and precise feel and at 6 foot and 200 lbs, I find them to have a nice balance of stiffness and compliance. I've tried the Reserves 30 and found them to be too stiff. I think when comparing Aluminum vs Carbon in my experience both have their attributes, and I enjoyed both sets, but weight of rider I believe has a lot to do on how a particular wheel feels. Keep the good content coming.
@Half Biked! I am sticking with a Minion DHF in front and DHR2 out back, both in 2.3. My 2018 Hightower doesn't have a lot of clearance in the back, and I do a lot of pedaling so 2.3s do the job.
After 30 years of riding, my Reserve 30s are the best upgrade I have ever put onto a bike. IMHO carbon wheels are the way to go. Match that with a no questions asked warrenty and this will probly be my last set of wheels.
I've got the Roval SL wheels, I've always ridden Roval wheels, just because I have had such good luck with them, but thanx for confirming my choice, the lightness sold me, the way I can pick up speed, handle, and the ride, amaze me.. thanx again...
I replaced my m630 cracked enve with the evil loopholes. I did not expect such a big difference in feel, the loopholes muted the high-med vibrations and my wrist pain almost gone. I dont know if I can go back to a traditional carbon wheel.
For me it is important for a wheelset to be able to handle a heavy rider (280lbs) riding heavy and not always smooth. Reliability, some flex (I ride in AZ) to assist in traction and price are important to me. I currently run enduro alloy wheels (spank 359 laced with hydras) and I just deal with the weight penalty.
We don't have any weight restrictions on our Enduro/DH rims and we've got a few bigger, hard chargers on the staff side of things. Where in AZ are you located?
@WeAreOne Composites I'm in the phoenix valley. I ride Hawes and South Mountain several times a week and venture out to Sedona when I can. That is awesome there is no weight limit! Us big guys definitely appreciate the love. I would love to try your wheels sometime.
Hey Drew, I love the term "Shralping burms" I've been using that word for that same description on ripping on my surfboard, and never heard anyone else use that word, cool to hear it from you. by the way, Todd loves the new Rail,
Thanks. **Next wheel vid* : Reliability comes in first and second. Handling comes in third. and Price comes in four. Yes, rotating weight is important, and that is part of the handling aspect. Hits are getting bigger and bigger. Missed landing happen. Rocks. Harsh edges. Correct tire choice takes the edge off all other factors.
Zipp moto3 on the front. You get loads of grip, but they are not strong enough for the rear. Santa Cruz Reserve for the rear. Pretty strong and very good warranty service with loads of dealers, at least here in the UK. I knocked 14 seconds off my previous PB first run on the Zipps. Unfortunately the rear rim only lasted 2 months before cracking. Warranty was good from Zipo though.
I have a pair of Reserve 30 when I got a SC Megatower. When I rode the for the first time I was very impressed about the stiffness and how they’re precise. For sure I’ll keep these wheelset for a long time, I’m love with them
Just looking at the price they are not worth it, they give how much performance gain, 10% Maybe, while costing 2-10x as much, unless you rely on them when racing, there is no point, most are even less fun to ride, so why would you want to get them? As for specific choices, without riding any of them, the only one I'd ever consider is the Zipp 3.0 moto, cause it's the only one on the market at this point, that actually takes advantage of the different properties of this material.
Warranty turn around time should be considered when purchasing. Zipp replaced my moto wheel for free but it took 6 weeks. A friend had Ibis replace his wheel turn around was 10 days and for Santa Cruz I've heard 2 days. This was just this past fall. Also for the Zipp moto wheels you can buy the Tyrewiz TPM stems which shows your exact tire pressure on your phone, bike computer or there's an LED on them that flashes different colors to verify pressure.
Thanks for this awesome video. I'm considering swapping my set of alum wheels to carbon ones soon and this video is gonna help picking those wheels. When you talk weight and price are you talking set of two or just one wheel?
I dig your videos! However, with such a big hiccup in testing the WAO wheel; I feel like the right move at this point is redo this video with the update included. WAO didn't deserve the bad review and this video doesn't do them justice.
Good video. I would be curious what you thought of the new WeAreOne Triads. They are the successors to the Unions and are supposed be more compliant. WeAreOne has a great warranty that includes crash protection, which is one of the most important aspects to buying carbon rims for me. Rims are too expensive to have to worry about. So much so that it will change how you ride.
What about the Nobl TR37 compared whit those on the video? I thought the We Are One and the Nobl was compliant wheels but now I'm not so sure and I'm just about to decidí what to buy in the next few days.
Don't let what this guy says be your only guide. I run WR1's Union wheels 32h laced w/ CX-Rays to Chris Kings and unrideable is DEFINITELY NOT the term I would ever use describing these wheels. Granted i have a bias becuz were talking about wheels i own but I switched from a set of E13 TRS+ 28h aluminum wheels to the Unions and what i noticed was much better precision in picking thru lines, ability to snap out of corners with more speed and the durability/ holds spoke tension for much longer periods were all positives for me. Any kind of compliance issues involving transferring forces to rider hands and arms i believe can absolutely be mitigated with a lightweight insert such as a Rimpact or Tannus. Hope some can agree with this statement
Thanks for your input Jonathan! And we totally agree. All advice and reviews should be taken with consideration, and we typically try our best to preface our reviews with rider weight, riding style and terrain as wel as what we like out of a ride experience and who may or may not benefit from the component or bike being reviewed. That said, WR1 wheels are extremely stiff vertically and we have ridden lots of wheels carbon and aluminum that we’d rather have, but we’re sure there are plenty of people out there who enjoy them and we’re glad they do!
Dude, the We Are Ones are dope. I ride one of the gnarliest bike parks in the country as far as rocky tech goes (Mountain Creek) and don’t find them to be unrideable at all. Granted, I’m also running CushCore XC fr/rr. They track super precise and corner like you’re on rails. Not to mention I’ve abused the shit out of them through Jersey rock gnar with zero issues. There’s a reason Industry Nine partnered up with them for their rims.
I have we are ones union and a tr41, I prefer the we are ones. Tr41 stiff af, plus we are ones ate not subject to import tax sinc eits made in north america compared to nobl.
Weight, rim width, durability, and ride quality are the main factors I would consider. Price…well…we are talking carbon hoops and it also depends on the hubs/spoke selection. Additionally, how do the latest models from ENVE stack up in this comparison??
Do you guys still stand by the WAO wheels being one of the stiffest wheels you've ever tested after finding out that the Norco Bike had suspension issues?
No Crank Brother's Synthesis? The E11 set I put on my SB130 has been bombproof and the "tune" is very well balanced between compliance stiffness. CC no carry these?
Great vid. I know mixing wheel brands is frowned upon but it would nice to see the zip up front for compliance with a regular carbon rim in the back. I wonder how it would affect the ankle compliance experience and if it would be a better set up for park.
Carbon wheels are awesome (had a set of Derby carbon wheels with syntace hubs) but it is worth buying them new just so you have the warranty with them for peace of mind, although for me personally I am running the dtswiss ex511 rims and loving them just as I am a heavier rider and I find I tend to ding rims way too much and don't want to risk cracking a carbon rim with no warranty
Any other recommendations on wheels for emtb riding, except Zipp? Also, I would like to see a aluminum wheel roundup, for both mtb and emtb! And finally, I think 32 spoke wheels stand better as far as strength is concerned and are more forgiving to heavier riders! Cheers! Can’t wait for your emtb shootout!!!
what do you think of the Bontrager Line elite current wheelset? I recently bought a set for my SLash 8. I think same weight as my standard alloy bendy wheels, but loads stronger in the tight and fast corners to really load them up, and havent noticed much more harshness on hits yet.
IMHO, one of the best options on the market. The warranty on them is amazing and Trek customer service is very strong. I'm a fan of the TLR system for tubeless too. I guess it's clear - I'm a fan.
the zipps are $700 for JUST the rim. weareones are $475. thats a massive difference. If you're in the industry, you can get weareones for less than $300. Zipp isn't even allowing discounts right now and that, to me, says a lot about inventory. Sram(they own zipp) usually is great with that kind of stuff but if youre looking for a wheel and money isn't a concern, then obviously you can make whatever choice you want but no matter how much money you have, $700 for a rim is simply way too much. 99% of aluminum wheels are less than $180 and then putting a hub and spokes in that set up will double or even triple the price for some
Personally this answered a fair deal of questions I had on carbon vs aluminum. Really can’t see why I’d go carbon given the nominal weight differences for many of them. I’m in Phoenix and would like to know what’s generally recommended for my kind of terrain (fast, lots of pedaling, and chunky)
They use a lot more carbon material than they used to, so they're a lot tougher to break, and that's why a lot of them come with a lifetime warranty. They're not gonna save you a ton of weight, so that's not really why people get them anymore. If you're denting alloy rims and find yourself having to replace them every 1-2 years, then it makes sense to go carbon. The added stiffness and durability make them a great choice, but if your alloy rims are holding up, I'd just keep them. I live in PA, but head to Hawes went Sedona a few times a year. I went through 2 alloy rims (DT XM 1700s) in 6 months, so ended up getting Reserve 31 DH with 350 hubs and I love them.
@@topspot4834 Really appreciate your thoughts! I've been looking at the WeAreOne Convergence, but since my alu Rovals are working fine then there's no need to rush.
One benefit I hear about carbon rims is that you don’t need to true them as often as aluminum rims. I can’t really weigh in on that personally aside from the fact that I’ve done about a dozen rides on my Race Face carbon rims on very rocky trails and they are still true.
I have a Pivot Switchblade with Super Boost in the rear. I use it more for trail riding, not tough enduro riding that the bike can handle. Looking for a compliant wheel that is lightweight. My DT Swiss 1900 wheels are just too heavy and the hubs have very low engagement. Any ideas? Sorry, but cost is a factor too!
Yeah worried about durability and price, had two different carbon wheels on the front and rear and about ever 4-6 months the carbon wheels would break, and cause me to walkout. They would be warranty every time (4x) but still a pain. Even tried inserts and still broke. Went back to aluminum and haven’t had an issue for over a year half. I have friends that have never had an issue though 🤷🏼♂️, do miss the feel of those carbon.
Hi Loam Wolf - I have an ask. For some reason there are almost no reviews on RU-vid about the NOBL TR37s and they're more about the specs vs. the experience/pros/cons. However they seem like a high quality offering, reasonably priced, notably light, and all the vert stiff w/compliance qualities you'd want in a wheel... I'm baffled why they don't show up in wheel review lists. Would love your analysis on this wheel!
We actually have a set of Custom Nobl wheels on one of our bikes right now (can't confirm the model at the moment). We'll work on making a video review on them as soon as we get enough miles under them.
No carbon wheels are not "worth it." But neither is having 3 bikes for different types of riding. Point being it won't make you faster but you still may enjoy having more toys.
Hi Loam Wolf, I know this video is super old but, if you see this message please let me know what you think about Ibis S35 wheels and where they rank in this line up. Anyone else please chime in as well. I've got a new Nomad that I want carbon wheels for. Thank you! 😎🤙🏼
You'll want to avoid mounting anything valuable very closely, or right behind exhaust. Even with an alloy wheel, if it's close enough you'll burn the rubber or cause that tire to warp, or possibly damage frame.
I don't think the wheel set weight data you submitted in this video is real for the zipp 3Zero moto! The weight given by you is 1030 grams for the set which I don't think is the real weight. if that were the case, I would have bought them a long time ago.
I love my ENVE eBike wheels ...they work great on 2.5 to 2.8 tire width...I run 2.6" on my 35mm internal width rim...little pricy @ $3K/set with Chris King hubs....but are gorgeous to look at and ride!
what I don't like about carbon is that at some point it is going to brake, I want something that, if I'm not stupid and brake it in a dumb way, I want it to last ages and carbon does not do that
Never going back to aluminum. Carbon is much more durable and doesn't dent. If the carbon fails and cracks, then you get a free rim with the lifetime warranty most brands now offer. Dent your aluminum rim and good luck seating that tire... Sure, carbon is a bit costly but you pretty much get a set of rims for life with the warranty. Also if you ride long distances the vibration dampening of carbon will lead to less fatigue.
Not sure if we have the TR37's but we do have a pair of Nobl's on one of our bikes right now for review. We just haven't spent enough time on them to share our feedback at the moment.
Carbon are good for XC and Road racing for all mountain, enduro and downhill nah Carbon is so stiff and breaking resistance is so low it will crack really fast these manufacturer will cheat on reinforcing it with alluminum alloy then top it off with Carbon then call it carbon wheels. They are good on frames but not on Wheels in my opinion
