Bike wheels are almost always the best upgrade. I did dt350 hubs w the 52t ratchet, 28h and raceface arc 30mm internal ALU rims. They were an excellent HT upgrade. Holding out for carbon hoops and Berd for my full suss.
I went with RF Turbine R 30 on my Norco Torrent with the RF Vault hubs... I still like running a more 'aggressive' front tire, so I use Butcher T9s at 2.6 and a Hans Dampf 2.35 on the rear (closer to 2.5) I think ALU offers weight, strength and compliance... Many racers still stick with Alu even though there are so many Carbon offerings
No better combination of performance, durability, reliability, repairability and value than 350s. They're bombproof, and yeah, gotta go with the 54t upgrade!
Hey Jared. I know people love to clown on Chinese made goods, but they are starting to produce some incredible MTB components. Their carbon fiber wheels are excellent. I have a set of "Pub" brand carbon fiber wheels from The House clearance that were $460. Yes the hub is mediocre engagement, but they work fantastic. I absolutely punished them on Black Mountain Trail #127 in Pisgah on a short travel (130/125) bike and they held up beautifully. And you can go even cheaper with ~$400 EliteWheels carbon which I've also heard amazing things about.
Heck yeah! If you can find a cheap wheel that works that good I’m stoked for you. I do wonder about quality control though and warranty if something goes wrong. But for that price 🤷🏼♂️ sounds like a tempting option
I think the Pub hub was just a rebranded Novatec if my memory serves me right. If you want some quality at a very reasonable price get some Light Bicycle wheels with Bitex hubs.
The difference between carbon and alloy rims is like the difference between shaving with a new razor vs shaving with not even an old one, but a blade you've already used a few times. Both get the job done, but the new razor is just a bit smoother and feels better on your face. The HS2 rotors are great. SRAM advertised only a 7% difference in stopping power, but it's surprisingly noticable and they done bend as easily as the Centerline rotors.
I will say that these Enduro alloy wheels perform so much better than the stock alloy wheels. Night and day difference. I would love to compare high-end alloy wheels, like the ones I have, with a similar spec’d carbon wheel.
$2000 for alloy wheels is the definition of insanity. IMHO want to upgrade alloy wheels, get a set of DT Swiss EX 1700s for half that and toss the 54t upgrade in the hub. Reserve carbon 30HDs are $1760 with a hydra hub with a lifetime warranty and are very nearly the best wheels money can buy.
I agree, the EX 1700 is a great value wheel 🤙 but I don't think his new wheels where 2000, he said everything (wheels, cassette, rotors and tyres) came out to 2000 $, so the wheels would be more like 1400... also, where do you get de Reserves for that price? Here in Switzerland they're 2199 Franks which is more like 2400 $ 😵
"Insanity" is a bit harsh. The DT's you mention will be a fantastic choice, not to mention cheaper. But the i9 is lighter, better looking and the sound 👌🏻 The Reserve wheel is lighter, but not everyone wants a carbon rim. It's kinda like comparing a Tesla to a Ferrari to a Maserati though. Difficult, but it depends what you're after / can afford.
Those are really nice upgrades but no surprise with the weight difference. It’s not wrong for Bontreger TLR sealant, that’s my favorite. Wheel weight is a big deal but less aggressive tires on loose technical trails are sketchy, especially on chucks and steep descents. But like you said 4lbs is definitely noticeable and personally I really prefer lighter bikes, so it’s a balance between being able blast through the trail. 468ft is a short descent and people that are pedaling around 10 mile trails with only 1000ft total elevation, lighter is definitely more appropriate.
Nice comparison good information for some people who think wheels are wheels. Heavy wheels are great though for winter riding and staying fit. When you switch out for your lighter wheels in summer you feel like super man.
I've got a love/hate relationship on the Garbaruk cassettes. Ive used 3 for a combined 7k miles without issue. Then I've had 3 that had a broken tooth, big cracks through bottom cogs and another that never shifted right in the middle of the cassette. It was annoying to get warrantied (they did) but at the end of the day it was worth it. Still, when they wear out, I'll go back to Shimano, the HG+ cassette makes shifting objectively better and smoother.
Nice. Love your content. Would like to see you just ride some trails though because you where ripping after those upgrades. Definitely would like to know more about that cassette also.
I used to post more riding videos, but people never seemed to watch them. Thanks for the feedback. I’ll definitely do a Garbaruk review video after I put a few more miles on it 👍
I’m going with Reserve 30 SL carbon wheels w/DT Swiss 350, 28h, and Garbaruk cassette on my custom Tallboy build. Probably will run Maxxis Forekasters f&r which are way lighter than my DHR II’s. Can’t wait to feel how this bike rides. Should come in at around 28lbs with an XL frame.
That was my goal weight for this build. That's with a Fox 34 140mm fork and Fox DPS shock. That saves a lot of weight. The Maxxis Forekaster tires (29x2.4WT 3C/MAXX TERRA 3C/EXO/TR) come in at 945 gms each so I could drop a bit more wheel weight with XC oriented tires if I really wanted to. This bike is intended for "downcountry" use so I want a bit more tire grip.@@JaredHoff
Lighter wheels are one of the best upgrades you can do to a bike. Faster acceleration and saves energy over the course of a ride. It will transform your bike.
Magic Mary front and Hans in the rear is a great tire combo running on my hardtail.... Using the Specialized Butcher front and eliminator rear on my remedy enduro
I could say the same. Although in my experience I don't think too much about the wheelset 80 or 90% of the time I ride. I personally wouldn't spend more than 800 bucks on wheels because I think that they can be an underrated as well as overrated upgrade. But a good set of hoops, tires and discs can blow you away in terms of ride feel.
Now test a stock Polygon Colosus N8E against your time. It's the same suggested retail price as the N9 with those $2000 wheels. My bet is the N8E is A LOT fast and way more fun, since you'll get to do so much more riding per hour.
😬 I hope not. Although, I tend to stay pretty light on my wheels in chunky technical sections. I’ve experienced a few times when people are following my line and end up with a pinch flat. But now I just jinxed myself 🤦🏼♂️
Thanks man! I just found that rear tire on sale. Check it out below. It’s the Pirelli Scorpion Enduro R Tire, Prowall casing, 2.4” width. I like to run 2.4 rear amzn.to/3RtmQ3U
I run a faster rolling rear tire and a grippy front tire, which works good for the steep loose over hard packed and sometimes very rocky Oregon trails.
Did Bikes Online loan this bike to you free of charge to make these videos. Or did they did they just straight out give you it. Wondering cause im working on a partnership with them as well.
Bikes Online is amazing to work with. They loan me the bike, but always give me enough time to do solid reviews. They don’t tell me what to say. Just tell me to ride the bike, have fun and let people know what I think. I’m hoping I’ll be able to keep this N9 though. I’m kind of in love with it ❤️🤘
I need to ride it on a more technical black diamond trail to see, BUT it would have to make a difference. Reducing 4lbs of unsprung weight… that’s a lot.
Night and day difference! The Collosus N9 pedals a lot better uphill and even handles downhill trails better. Especially since I did the wheel upgrade.
😂 yeah, I could have stated that better. The one thing was the weight. The rotational weight of those wheels. Thanks for the feedback 👍 I’m always trying to improve
@@JaredHoffNo stress, it's the life of a content creator, there's no going back! I switched some OEM Race Face wheels with a set of Hunt Trail Wide v2 wheels and upgraded to a Shimano SLX cassette - I saved about 700g of rotational weight - the bike feels much nicer now! PS. Have you tried the new Continental tyres? I'm looking at Pirelli or Continental for my next set of tyres.
Weight means nothing unless you’re riding professionally so all the upgrades don’t make a difference or matter it’s just in your head that makes you feel better about your bike lmfaooo 😂😂😂😂
The $400 price tag is just what you’d pay if you bought the wheels. They’re the ones that came stock on this bike. Money is always a touchy subject. You definitely don’t need to spend this much, BUT it surely makes a difference.
My 29" wheelset weight 4593g or 10.26lbs, xt 8100 cassette dt 350 hubs, alloy spokes aluminium rims Maxxis agressor + Minion dhf but I'm cheating I'm currently using 25mm width rims to round those Maxxis for mud and snow 😂 Makes quite a hell of a difference i didn't realize...
so you compare a super low Budget Wheel set with heavy Inner Tubes and super Heavy 29/2.6 Tires to a almost Down Country Setup? Idk you also just could Swap the Tires (1.4kg per tire) to the Pirelli tires (990g per Tire) and make them Tubless (safe about 200-300g per inner tube) and only spend about 250$ for nearly the same Effect... (minus about 1.2-1,4kg). hmmm i am not sold^^ the I9 Wheels are Super nice but the most Weight comes from the Wheels and Cassette.
The wheels are i9 enduro wheel set and the tires are designed for aggressive trail to enduro riding so definitely not a down country setup… BUT I agree about swapping out the tires,,, actually I said that in the video 2:49 into the vid