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PostPosted: Sat May 30, 2020 3:43 pm 
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avidtest wrote:
Am hoping to build up a new bike soon'ish. Two years later, are there any revised or new thoughts on wheelsets and hubs? We've got SC and Ibis with their own wheelsets on the market now. SC is on the hgher end of cost though.

Light Bicycle rims alone now are about $280 for their better "pro" series for rims only. Although a complete wheelset with DT350 or Hope Pro hubs is only $930, so that's not bad. Or less than $1500 for I9 Hydra or Onyx Vesper hubs (still reasonable I guess). Onyx seem interesting, but unsure about the silence. They don't show pricing for a set w/ CK hubs, or DT240S's but they do have a handy drop-down comparison table for a multitude of hubs on the Wheelbuilder page: https://www.lightbicycle.com/Hand-built-AM930-asymmetric-rim-profile-carbon-fiber-mtb-29er-wheels.html

A couple considerations: 29er; Micro Spline; 31mm internal diameter seems to be sweet spot (I expect to be on 2.5 or 2.6 tires). I also want "plenty" of engagement on the rear hub, however you define that.

Are there any standout options out there?


As I'm sure you know, there are a ton of options out there nowadays. I have a set of the Santa Cruz Reserve 37's and running 2.5 tires on my HD5, they are my favorite carbon wheelset I've owned. I've had Easton. NOBL, NOX (have some now), ENVE and We Are One with the Hydras). None of them were "bad" but the 2014/15 ENVE's were the harshest ride and the only ones I ever damaged...at Calavera of all places coming down the little hill on the East side of the dam. ENVE did not honor their warranty.

We Are One's seem to be the hot ticket at the moment. I only bought them because I got a deal at Pro Bike Supply. I didn't like the shiny finish but loved the Hydras. The wheels left with the sold Ripmo. The wheels retailed for $1600.

I've only ridden two bikes with Onyx. The people that have splurged for Onyx seem to love them and most say they'll never go back. Do NOT try them if your current hubs don't have great engagement because that instant engagement is NIIIICE!! However, they are speedy and heavier which goes against my old school MTB'r mentality. They have a new lighter Vesper model but I've read about problems.

I've been shopping myself and it looks like $1400-1500 is the standard price point for wheels with higher end hubs at the moment so all things being equal, I'd go with NOBL or NOX before Light Bicycle. I like NOBL's bling graphics (I usually avoid that stuff) so that's why I leaned that way. As I type this, I realized I haven't looked into Derby's. I'm waiting on a new Ripley frame from Pro Bike so will probably also see what they are willing to deal on when the time comes.

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PostPosted: Sat May 30, 2020 5:59 pm 
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Good feedback. Thank you. I'd started looking at the Onyx Vespers after deciding, "yes. yes, I could ride with a silent hub". Will have to research the potential issues with the Vespers though.

I did see the We are One's are indeed the hot shit right now (no idea if it's merited or not). Not gonna pay $2K for a built set though.

Interesting to hear you were able to detect the differences in the various wheelsets. I do see more data on that recently however, so it's a real thing. I guess you have to ride enough alternatives, as you obviously do.

BTW, any reason you'd go NOBL or NOX over LB (let's assume the cost is at least $250 less for the LB setup). Personally, I'd prefer to buy USA or a set from our Canadian buddies, vs., Chinese, up until the price differential becomes too great.

I've been running Nextie carbon 27.5 rims with Hadley Racing hubs for 4.5 years (and another set of Hadleys on the last bike). Really like the Hadley quality and support, but did not see a Micro Spline option yet, and I think the engagement could be a smidge better. Also, I did check Nextie's site, but I don't like the tall rim height that they still offer.

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PostPosted: Sat May 30, 2020 6:10 pm 
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avidtest wrote:
Good feedback. Thank you. I'd started looking at the Onyx Vespers after deciding, "yes. yes, I could ride with a silent hub". Will have to research the potential issues with the Vespers though.

I did see the We are One's are indeed the hot shit right now (no idea if it's merited or not). Not gonna pay $2K for a built set though.

Interesting to hear you were able to detect the differences in the various wheelsets. I do see more data on that recently however, so it's a real thing. I guess you have to ride enough alternatives, as you obviously do.

BTW, any reason you'd go NOBL or NOX over LB (let's assume the cost is at least $250 less for the LB setup). Personally, I'd prefer to buy USA or a set from our Canadian buddies, vs., Chinese, up until the price differential becomes too great.

I've been running Nextie carbon 27.5 rims with Hadley Racing hubs for 4.5 years (and another set of Hadleys on the last bike). Really like the Hadley quality and support, but did not see a Micro Spline option yet, and I think the engagement could be a smidge better. Also, I did check Nextie's site, but I don't like the tall rim height that they still offer.


Well, I did say all things being equal :mrgreen: I'm not sure at what point money point I'd go with LB vs the others but I'd say I would trust NOBL or NOX to back their lifetime warranty quicker, maybe easier than LB but I could be completely off. One of the guys in our group has bought nothing but LB for his last 4-5 bikes and has had ZERO issues. He does buy DT Swiss 240S though. As I mentioned, I do like NOBL's graphics to nowadays. I bought mine back when I got them shipped to my door with Hope Pro 4 hubs for $950. I thought they were fine until I tried those Onyx :domo:

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PostPosted: Sun May 31, 2020 8:03 am 
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I should have looked a little deeper at pricing at the start. The price differential between a set of LB's w/ Vespers vs. NOBL's w/ Vespers is fly shit in the pepper. Makes it a very easy choice to go with NOBL. And I'm going to double-check pricing for the WeR1's.

Well, it looks like I've narrowed it down to those two brands with Onyx hubs. Now I just need to find the frame in stock somewhere. Might be waiting a while for a new batch to become available.

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PostPosted: Sun May 31, 2020 10:08 am 
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I didn't even see an Onyx option on We Are Ones website. I know there are a few professional wheel builders that advertise on Pinkbike that can build whatever you want. One of them goes by the poster name dustyduke? but his company is Hubsessed http://www.hubsessedcycleworks.com I'd check with them. Also, it won't hurt to email mark@probikesupply.com and ask him if there's any deals to be had on wheels built up with Vespers.

It looks like you can get the newer "Premium" wheels from NOBL with Onyx Vespers for $1500 and the "Legacy" design (which is what I had) for $1400 straight from NOBL....and a free trucker hat too. :bang:

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