Building with these flexible spokes just got easier!

[@tracymcmanus550]

For those thinking it’s sneaky and not cool that Evan runs his ads with the video I have to disagree. I rather enjoy the fact that I can continue to watch the video while the ad runs vs taking time out from the video to have watch an ad. Keep it up Evan

[@EvansMTBSaga]

I agree. I love it. I watched the video during the premiere with everyone and was just watching the build on the left side the whole time and I think those build lapses were some of the best in the video

[@4ndyr0g3r50n]

100% agree, I wish other channels did that.

[@M_santana26]

Ads where?

[@jasonmalthaner9037]

well i also dislike the fact he doesnt outright disclose its an ad,

[@G-C-G]

@@jasonmalthaner9037 He said that it was the video's sponsor at 7:27

[@carlosfallas2169]

Evan is the voice of resiliency and perseverance. Every video I see, there are hella hiccups with parts not fitting, or stuff breaking, yet he always finds a way to get stuff working. That’s so relatable and amazing, im proud of the growth in this channel

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Thanks Carlos! Why can't bike work ever go smoothly?! 🤣 Just today I had to bike hack a way to remove cranks on my new Hardtail

[@LaurentiusTriarius]

The resting part, I have no patience for this stuff, Geez But on the other hand I'd be too cheap to pay someone to build that. Very cool work 😎 you deserve all the goodness.

[@mikayla_collie]

i like how you did the ad read while continuing to show the building process. to be honest, when a youtube starts an ad read i normally skip until the video starts again. but this way, i actually continued to watch and didn't skip the ad, because the actual video was also playing. its a great idea in my opinion!!

[@david.vandergoes]

I have wheels with Berd spokes. I got them in 2019 and have really abused them. They are still going strong. Light Bicycle XC925, Extralite HyperBoost, Berd Spokes, Tubolight EVO SL inserts Wheels without tape or valves weigh ~1020 grams I have used them on a 2016 SC Hightower and Pivot Mach 4 SL. The wheels have survived 10+ days at Park City, a dozen local races, a few trips to Angel Fire bike park, and been my every day every ride wheels since I got them. I have replaced the hub bearings once and asked my LBS to check the spoke tension. That’s it. Zero issues. Berd spokes just work. Lighter and stronger. Have fun on those wheels!

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Wow you were an early adopter! You should email or DM them and tell them about your experience. They're super passionate about their products and would love to hear your testimony

[@Ropetable]

been building many wheels with berd spokes. dont loosen them when you are on day 3 with 15 on the park tool device. The steel threads can snap if you go to like 20 on the park tool meter but the spokes will stretch a bit more over the first few months. its no problem as they will loosen equally, but it helps if you are really at 15-16 on the high tension side on day 4. better a bit over than under to guarantee you dont have to retighten in the future. Best spokes there are to be honest, just amazing

[@EvansMTBSaga]

I think a lot more bikes will have them in the future. Thanks for the recommendation. Should I go back and retighten to 15 again? Or just leave them at 12 on the high tension side

[@Ropetable]

@@EvansMTBSaga Oh you actually loosened them all the way back to 12? well since berd spokes are fine to ride even with a tension as low as 6, no reason to worry about it. With lower tension it will have noticeably more side to side flex, which can be good and bad depending on your ride. If i were you i would just remeasure them after like 2 months and retension them to like a 14. When the tire is inflated the pressure lowers the effective tension even more. Just keep an eye on the tension and check out the side to side flex by pushing or pulling the wheel towards the fork with both thumbs. i love building with berd spokes because any error can be fixed super easy without the need to remove other spokes. so far i have used straightpull hubs which also need no modification. Why did you have to remove the spokes to redo one that got loose? wouldnt it have been enough to just redo the two spokes that were on that one hook?

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Man idk why I couldn't pull that last spoke in after the hook fell off. I unscrewed the spokes next to it and it still wouldn't budge. Pulling it that hard was hurting my hands a bunch and I was sweating big time after trying for 15 min haha. I don't consider myself to have girly hands either. I'm glad you commented with some great advice on retensioning. Getting comments like this are the best part about making these videos

[@Ropetable]

@@EvansMTBSaga a right i see. a good trick to get one spoke like that in is to just tighten the 4 spokes next to the one you are trying to get in, that will pull the wheel in a few mm, basically creating an oval and that will allow you to screw in that last spoke more easily. also when it comes to pulling a spoke in, it helps to put it onto a soft object (cardboard, etc that wont damage the rim) so you can push down the rim, while pulling the spoke, with an additional english wrench underneath the spoke holding tool to get more leverage. I have built wheels where it was effortless to get the spokes all in an i have struggled and fucked up my hands like you. It all comes down to the perfect spoke length and the lacing order. A second person can help you screw while you push down the rim and pull on the spoke as a last resort. Im betting just tightening the ones next to it would have done the trick though.

[@Ferrari255GTO]

@@Ropetable damn dude, you're a walking wikipedia for theese spokes.

[@em2jeff]

i love how you show your mistakes in these videos. it makes it so much more relatable and I get less upset with myself now when i make a mistake because i know i'm not alone.

[@GokkunGuru]

I love these kind of videos showcasing high end products vs performance. But most viewers aren’t rich, so this wheelset is probably more costly than their bikes. But keep this up cuz these are the type of videos I love. You, LoveMTB, and Hardtail Party are my fav channels. High end 4 life!

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Thanks man! I've wanted to do testing like this from very early on, even my second video on the Axum was about segment times being improved by upgrades

[@Ferrari255GTO]

To replace all my spokes would cost me about 100 bucks less than i paid for my demo 8, so it's not happening soon

[@mrmagoo.3678]

I do love watching a bit of 'crank candy' though, I usually have to wait to buy 'em used, but still...nice to day dream a bit lol.

[@wngimageanddesign9546]

I'm a classic master wheel builder, I built my first wheel as a kid in the 70s....and these spokes look very interesting. I may have to try them. But the need for specific hub flanges can be a problem. Hmmm. Very nice informative video.

[@EvansMTBSaga]

They can work with traditional hubs but the spoke holes have to be rounded over and polished with their specialty tools

[@andreaTRY2FLY]

Dude, your channel has grown so much since I started watching you and I'm all up for it. Just do what you do and great thing will come

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Thanks Andrea!

[@Ferrari255GTO]

@@EvansMTBSaga it's well deserved when the content is very clearly honest and well done.

[@RyanStanis]

Just FYI, the calipers on your truing stand will not always be centered, thusly dishing a wheel to the calipers can produce inaccuracies. That's the point of the dishing gauge. The upright arms of the truing stand can also move separate amounts if their bolts loosen up over the time. Hell, even the bolts and springs holding the calipers on to the center arm of the truing stand can move at different rates depending on spring tension and bolt tightness. A dishing gauge is definitely a worthwhile investment if you're going to be building wheels!

[@thomaslowry7813]

+1. Agreed! Always go by the dish tool, not the truing stand. Have never found a wheel to be properly dished coming out of the stand.

[@claudej8805]

@@thomaslowry7813 But, if you just turn the wheel left/right you can either confirm or correct the setting, no ?

[@anastasiospattakos6650]

​@@thomaslowry7813 That's why many custom made wheels are slightly off center, even from major sites like bike discount...

[@jakeelliotmarshall]

@@claudej8805you just blew them out the water mate, just shows that people will buy anything that’s pitched to them. It’s like someone pitching me to buy a tool to check if my engineers square is true at work! No you just use it back to back and you then tell if it’s correct. Same with a dishing tool, just flip the wheel.

[@timparker533]

@@claudej8805Yes, I only true one side spokes at a time and continuously flip the wheel around on my truing stand. Always centered perfectly. 👍

[@mattdickey2454]

Awesome video! I've had orange vesper hubs for 3 years. Moved them from another bike to the new bike a year ago. No issues, no maintenance, and still have original bearings. Side note original wheel build was 1x11, so I had to buy a mocrospline freehub that I bought from Onyx for what I thought was a great price!

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Ano Orange is the way to go haha. What did the free hub run you?

[@mattdickey2454]

@@EvansMTBSaga 70, and 20 for dust cap.

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Wow that's cheap! I found a Chris king wheelset once with microspline. I looked into the new driver body and it was like $250 or something insane haha

[@mattdickey2454]

@@EvansMTBSaga yeah. I just checked the invoice...

[@letour32rr]

The reason for the dishing tool is sometimes those Park Tool stands come out of adjustment as it pertains to the dish. It happened to all the Park stands at the shop I worked at and the adjusters had all since stripped. The dishing tool was necessary then.

[@mtbboy1993]

But there is an alignment tool, but tended to be out of stock here in Norway. Will see if I will buy one from a international shop, or if it sin stock here. But I am not sure if I use the other tool you mentioned.

[@juliangarrett6373]

I agree. 20 years as a bicycle mechanic and always checked the dish with the blue dish tool because the truing stands can come out of adjustment

[@trumanpurdy9495]

Not only can the truing stand be out of alignment, hubs can have defects or issues like slightly bent axles or a slightly dented end caps that skew the reading in the stand. Best not to trust the dishing reading of any truing stand.

[@claudej8805]

But, if you just turn the wheel left/right you can either confirm or correct the setting, no ? I did my wheels without truing stand, on the bike, checking by turning the wheel

[@aserta]

This kinda gives "lacing your wheels" a new meaning. :))

[@boblatkey7160]

I absolutely love my onyx Vesper hubs and I have a super long hill that I have been coasting down for 30 years. Once I built my own wheels with onyx Vesper hubs I went for a long coast and I swear I noticed the difference. It's so fun to ride wheels that you have built up yourself, it's a great feeling of pride.

[@Jacob99174]

Dude this is such a cool story! Thanks for sharing all the details, and hilarious text bubbles Lol

[@MY1PATH]

Wheel building gets easier the more you do it, the learning curve gets quicker after a time or two. Good job tackling flex spokes on your first wheel build, you can handle anything else now.

[@dksob81]

The dishing tool is necessary for the most part. The truing stand is self centering, but there are adjustments that set the positioning of the legs on the truing stand, if those come loose or the legs go hit it can make it so that one leg is out/in further than the other (it could be 1/8" off & you wouldn't be able to tell with your eyes) but that would make the rim off center with the hub.

[@yupp9393]

Yeah and truing stands have to be calibrated for dish and they rarely are. A

[@jonathanshaw6784]

I just turn the wheel round and aim for half the difference.

[@APOCMTB]

I've been riding on my BERD spokes for little over a year now and they are an absolute game changer for me!! Hope you like them!!

[@f.kieranfinney457]

In what way are they a game changer?

[@APOCMTB]

@f.kieranfinney457 I've noticed vibration dampening, rotational mass on acceleration is also noticeable.

[@geemy9675]

@@APOCMTB how lighter are they compared to spokes though? video says 0g 😐 also rotational inertia (moment of inertia) is mostly what on the outer part of the wheel, tire, rim, plus tube/sealant/insert whatever you are using. moment of inertia goes with radius SQUARED so weigh distributed along a spoke has about 1/3 the inertia as same weight on the rim. adding an average 125g of sealant is like adding 375g of spokes weight... adding a 150g tire insert is like adding another 450g of spokes of course I'm talking about rotational inertia, not unsprung weight . unsprung weight is just weight, doesnt depend on the position on the wheel

[@REVMuscleCars]

So- with a heavier duty rim and adding Cushcore, and a likely heavier hub (I run vespers and they are heavier than most others), the Berd spokes compensates for all the additional weight, while adding strength and durability to the package. That IS a value. I would have liked to have seen the weight breakdown of each of these components to see how they compared.

[@antoniom.andersen6704]

I'm stoked for you that you got all the sponsors on board. About that "useless" tool (called an umbrella here in Denmark), it's really nice to have when you build rear wheels that have internal gears but with a disc and not having staggered nipple holes or no disc on an external gear hub where it's important to have the rim centered between the seat stays, winging it isn't always an option 🙂. Love your channel and again congrats on the new wheels.

[@emrobi1962]

I've been running Onyx hubs since 2018 and love them! I find the "sprague flex" to be easier on my knees than click-and-pawl style hubs. Instant "soft" engagement.

[@RoughRiderz]

As a mechanic that laces wheels often the most carbon rims I have had to replace are Noble carbon rims.

[@coolaid4203]

If you want to dive deeper into the scientific method, you should do multiple runs and average out your data from run to run. Then calculate the standard deviation to see if it's a persevered improvement or an actual improvement over the long run. Also keep up the amazing work you have accomplished, seeing you grow from 3,000 subscribers to over 75,000 subscribers is amazing!!

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Oh man I love the feedback. I have a new bike I'm ready to test and that sounds amazing. Gonna be a ton of riding hahahh

[@Sir_TwiggusRandomannequin]

Love how you just casually set your spensisve fancy schmancy new wheels on a barbed wire fence

[@mikebradley4245]

that is what real work feel like on a working man's hands

[@carson54444]

I chose the xc Cush core for my carbon rims too, just in the rear. I also went with a maxxis dhr double down because I’m 220lbs and need the extra protection. I definitely recommend CC to rough riders or if you have carbon rims

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Yeah I really like the feeling when you compress the cush core. I didn't want to spend that much on Cushcore in the beginning but I see they're down to $120 for the set and I think they last for a long time

[@andrewf1826]

Your comments about marriage got yourself another sub. Good work, keep those kids striving for the future!

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Heck yeah Andrew! I appreciate it and I love being married with kids, way better than single haha

[@justinschetrompf2703]

Thanks for the video. My brother and I were in B'ville last Fall. We rode the first run you did. Sweet edit. As for the wheel build, those were amazing. I've been a full on bike nerd since starting in BMX In 1980. The material science that's made alternative spokes is super rad. I'd love to learn how to build wheels. Our local wheel guru was gonna teach me but he moved on from the shop. Thanks!

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Thanks Justin! If you visit again shoot me a message. As for wheel building, a good way to start is truing you own wheel with the bike flipped upside down. You can use tape or zip ties as calipers. I hope you try it soon!

[@jerryspeedbumps512]

I did my first wheelset for my HT a few years back. I had to restart a couple of times. My fingers were killing me too! It was, however, super satisfying! The wheelset was a massive upgrade but I've been dreaming of doing basically what you're doing. Those spokes are super cool! If they can get on with new colors that'd be awesome too!

[@Ferrari255GTO]

You can just buy the white ones and use clothing dies to change their colour, though i have no clue if there is any way in that it could affect the spokes, so don't take my word for it and check on forums or with the seller/provider

[@clipblocks]

They are like shoe laces but more expensive!

[@willfranklin9244]

I love these longer form videos not only getting to see you build up these wheels but also seeing you give them a proper ride keep up the great work!😀😀

[@nxyzn0]

Really well put together video Evan. You can certainly tell when someone has worked hard on everything that goes into these ❤

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Thanks nxyzn!!

[@DarthVader3DS]

I find it kind of hilarious that you put bright stickers of the noble logo over the dark noble logo, when you previously would paint off tire logos🤣 (I guess you have to since they were "free")

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Yeah that was the thing, if a company isn't contributing, then I don't want the logo on there to advertise for them. I may delete the Specialized tire logos, but the rims have 3 different brands' stickers on them 🤣

[@tylerm.7737]

Wow remember when I 1st made my first set of wheels with butted spoke in the late 80's (Greg Lemond era) and had to redo it too in the back because i forgot about dishing for freewheel. So Cool!! funny thing i use that same Dyneema material for spokes for my recurve bow strings!! keep it up!! One other thing I do with bow string is leave it on bow for a week to get stretch out too!

[@keirfarnum6811]

I watched a video of a guy getting wheels built for Cape Epic with a Master wheel builder, and instead of putting the wheel on the floor and pushing on the rim and circling it around to make sure the spokes are set and the wheel is flexed to ensure that the spokes seat fully in the hubs, he used a computer controlled press that had a ring that pressed down on the spokes to do the same thing. Apparently it uses far more pressure than a person can exert. It ensures that less truing is necessary in the future. And yes, the spokes were Berds.

[@WorldRallyFamily]

This is an amazing format my bro. The time-lapse with the ad on the side is genius. Serving your customers and your sponsors at the same time. Good work bro keep it up

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Appreciate it!

[@Benini916]

Hi, Evan. I've been a subscriber of yours since you were just starting. I'm glad you already have 140k of followers. I hope your channel grow more.

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Thanks Sherwin!

[@kshysztof9649]

Tightening the rotor bolts in the correct pattern. I like to see that !

[@aetherwove1486]

This video was super fresh! I haven't rode in years and it's a crazy story big the kids and Is car broke down and my daughter is encouraging me to just switch us over to ebikes so we just ordered new bikes today. Nothing too fancy and we still need motors but we're all excited. I stumbled across your channel and am loving what you do. These wheels are insane! So cool to see how passionate you are about MTBs. Def looking forwards to more content. Feels like we can learn a lot from tuning in so just wanna say props and thanks for the inspiration...

[@cedarabbot7263]

11:31 the guy that built my wheel before I got my bike could’ve used one of those… lol

[@CactusJackSlade]

Onyx hubs are the bomb.... instant engagement, silent and smooooth. I only have one bike not yet on Onyx hubs..... now to try the new spokes!

[@hardmtnbiker]

I’m currently waiting on my wheel set from Berd. I sent my hubs and rims and had them built up by Berd. I can’t wait to try them out. I had Hadley hubs and new Race Face rims. I definitely would choose new ONYX hubs if I needed new ones. I have them on my SS and love ‘em. Internal width rims less than 30mm are lame or just for light weight XC races, or gravel bikers. As for tires and CushCore, I use wider in the front and wider 29plus CC on my 29x2.6” tires on i35mm rims.

[@JS-up8ff]

Nice video, I was also looking at 30mm carbon rims and polymer spokes but I eventually settled on: Berg 30mm ID carbon rims, Extralite hubs and Sapim CX-Ray spokes. The whole set came in at 1069 grams. This combined with Schwalbe Hans Dampf 2.6 and Nobby Nic 2.4 rides superb. Fast, lightweight yet still capable of some good trail riding.

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Wow that's a light wheelset!

[@bigbird2451]

I used to make sailboat rigging out of this stuff up to 18mm in diameter. We used to pre stretch it with an auto motive winch until it exploded one day. Then hydraulic cylinders after. The first failure point on those will probably be near the hub where the loops cross. The outer ones will likely break first.

[@Soviet_Elmo]

Awesome wheelset and cool to see that you aren't afraid of getting your hands dirty :D By the way, I recently had the same problem as you in summer, when you tried changing the bottom bracket of the Canyon. Thats because the Spectral (125), just like my Slash, has a 55mm chainline as opposed to standard 52mm for boost. Shimano does this on their current group set with the x120 cranks. For a standard SRAM crank you need a 0mm offset chainring. Those are made by third party suppliers and there are some old ones from SRAM (X Sync 1), which were originally for short BB30 spindles. The spacer setup then is: No spacer under the bottom bracket cups (if they are the same height as the standard SRAM ones which they should be I think), 0mm on the non drive side, 4.5mm on the drive side. Hope this helps!

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Oh yeah that bottom bracket thing was a mess! I eventually got it figured out on the following Livestream haha. I forgot exactly what spacers I settled on, but I know one spacer was only 0.8 and the other 4.5 haha

[@christeschke9844]

Love that you kept in the forgetting to do the drive side first :) I usually build with drive side first on rear wheel. (The drive side faces more tensions. So if you tension drive side first , then use non drive to get correct alignment , the wheel will be super strong)

[@ProDMiner]

as a new mtb but been in extreme sports for 25 years now, these blow my ever living mind. Gets me thinking what they would do on bmx. Zgerber rides them, he said they are really good in a comment about these spokes.

[@4091740]

NICE, you got the tire text/labeling lined up with the valve stem this time! WIN!

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Haha I was thinking it could've been lined up better, but I'll probably black out the logos eventually

[@junjunmulleda5467]

Nice work! I built my wheel set with WeAreOne Converts, i9 Hydra hubs and Berd spokes. They are bomb proof, stupid light and hold speed so well. Nice build.

[@JAY-fq7sb]

Hey 30 seconds if in a race is an eternity could mean the difference in who use to come in last or who now comes in first. That is a huge gain in performance! That on top of training a rider could dominate a competition. Awesome!😉👍

[@cashallen1931]

Dishing gauge is for if the truing stand isn’t properly calibrated. If the stand wasn’t centered it can cause it to be out of alignment.

[@joebikes]

Great comment on “putting in the work to get some really nice stuff” Totally agree man! The reward is greater when you put the effort in. Great video 🤠

[@Eric_Tennant]

🖖

[@michaelguerrera1463]

Super scary bro. Im 53, dad of 3, husband, business owner. I recently broke my clavicle on my weekly 35 mile road bike run with my group. (I now know their not just my road buds but their also true friends!) Anyhow it was a good crash & burn at 22 mph. Too many good deets but I recently got back into MTN trail riding on a hard tail Roscoe 9 after a friend talked me into it. Never thought id mountain bike again after doing it in my 20's. But im looking fwd to healing m 6 more weeks of after surgery tgen I can start riding again. Just love being on a bike! Thanks for sharing your story and thought for sure Orange would have you covered. Being British and a bike company I thought they were solid like that. Mostly glad you recovered, healed up but i get the rebuild of the mind game thing!

[@owenissimo]

I got a pair of tr37 from Black Friday sale with i9 hubs and I have been loving them! Just over my stock wheels I have been able to go longer distances and faster! And it also made jumping a whole lot easier! Definitely worth the upgrade if you’re thinking about i.

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Oh rad! How much did you get them for? Wheel upgrades are the best

[@owenissimo]

@@EvansMTBSaga I was able to get them for $1300

[@PattyB-wx1ub]

Had two pairs of oynx hubs the original pair and the newer model. Love them amazing engagement and 100% silent

[@anvilsvs]

Do NOT wear a ring when doing mechanical or electrical work unless you really want to lose a finger!

[@dimimtb]

Those were my dream wheels LOL but no way I can afford the cost. Just too expensive for a rider who can only hit the trails 2 or 3 times a week during the summer. Great video dude.

[@jackmast6983]

Awesome video Evan! This was really cool content and I just want to say that you seem like a natural at making videos. Your video quality is so great. I do miss the higher number of uploads though, but you've been doing great stuff

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Thanks Jack! The most I've ever done is one video a week, but this one was a bit dealed cuz the build time and that dang AC took me like 3 days to install

[@Ferrari255GTO]

@@EvansMTBSaga shoul've spent that money on the bike if you ask me XD

[@no-turn-left.]

I used a Spinergy Kevlar wheel 20 years ago and it's similar. It looks great. I used a Kevlar wheel and it looks great.

[@MrSponjaBob]

Awesome video. I envy those trail centers from Spain, I wish we had that bike culture here that you take such good care of over there. A cordial greeting from the other side of the pond, mate.

[@Todd66]

I’m a little scared of rope spokes, but I LOVE the concept and how they look. That shirt is badass!!! After watching the whole video…those wheels!!!! Great video Evan. Watching you build wheels is pretty cool. A skill I will develop.

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Thanks Todd! Wheel building is fun and very rewarding

[@Ferrari255GTO]

I get you, but personally i'm far more terrified of tryng to true my wheels than anything else, the last time i did i tightened slightly a loose spoke and it bent my rim. Watched plenty of tutorials and most of them talk about building, not truing them

[@Todd66]

@@Ferrari255GTO did you see the part where he heated up a poker to poke a hole for his valve stem? That heat gun and poker would destroy a spoke if it just nicked it… that is the kinda damage I fear. Although I do get nervous when it comes to truing also. I have a spoke gauge like he’s using in the video, but no stand yet. My plan is to get the equipment and start figuring it out this year. Building a wheel is the only thing I have left to figure out.

[@Ferrari255GTO]

@@Todd66 i mean, heat shouldn't be that bad of a problem, and if you're worried about your brake temps use better pads or larger rotors. I would be concerned about brake liquid though, spilling some drops could actually damage spokes by corroding the fibers i think

[@Todd66]

@@Ferrari255GTO valid point, chemicals are another concern. Don’t get me wrong, my concerns do not out weigh my perceived benefits of rope spokes. I’ve heard nothing but good with the exception of the lacing procedure. They look sick. I’ve seen wheels laced up with multi colors, black and white, red and blue. I really like how thick they look. Once you start getting white or light colored ones dirty, they stain and I can imagine they fade in sunlight. You can probably dye them, but should research the right way to do it so as to not compromise them. If I had someone local who could modify my hubs and lace up my current wheels, I would pay them in the blink of an eye.

[@NH-il6uc]

Nice video! I upgraded to carbon We Are One wheels on my Pivot Switchblade last season. I was shocked the difference it made. Another area I noticed was in how they track in rain ruts and motorcycle ruts. My old aluminum wheels got sucked to the bottom of the ruts, not the carbon hoops. Their stiffness helps the tires do their job (in my opinion).

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Oh yeah I feel like carbon wheels are so much more precise with line selection. Love it!

[@Mainbusfail]

I am such a simple idiot when it comes to what is involved with wheel spokes. I always thought the spokes pushed out on the wheel to provide strength. So when I saw the flex spokes, I was totally intrigued. Did not know how complicated bike wheels are until I saw this video. I learned something new today. Win Win.

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Glad you learned something! With regular spokes, they will cross in a way to provide lateral stability

[@DiverInSky]

I was considering berd spokes before, but after watching this I think I will let this idea to lay for a bit. This looks like so much faff!

[@dylan-5287]

Man those white berd spokes look so good. Dream wheels right there.

[@daviddawson4091]

Hey Evan nice segment, as usual. A question and a suggestion for you: Due to previous injuries, I've hand issues and I'm looking for all effective measures of reducing pain and fatigue when riding. How did you find the ride of these spokes? Were they noticeably more compliant over the chunder and big hits? Where would you say they've their most dampening effect; small, medium or large impacts? Perhaps a future segment for you to cover, reducing vibration and impacts felt through the handle bars? You could even rent/purchase a vibrometer and get all techy about it!

[@crikmtb5338]

I used to not really be a fan of your channel, I really do enjoy watching your videos now, you have grown a lot as a content creator

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Thanks Crik! Glad you stuck around

[@tom93r1]

Just a couple months ago I sent my Vesper rear hub to Onyx for repair/replacement and while that was away, was looking at these berd spokes. Now I wish I had more seriously considered the switch.

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Oh man what happened to the hub?

[@tom93r1]

@@EvansMTBSaga The sprag was slipping. I'm a big dude (6'6" and 240lbs") and the hub was a few years old on a bike I bought used. The previous owner was even bigger (280) and was a power house, I think the sprag just couldn't take it any more. Huge thanks to Onyx for replacing it free of charge even after I told them I wasn't original owner and offered to pay.

[@mentalfreeride1141]

Hey man so when using the tool to center the rim with the hub its super easy to see the small indifferences when using the tool vs not using it, its a lot harder to judge by eye. but dude awesome video I love the wheel builds keep it up man!

[@timeorspace]

I reluctantly upgraded to ‘fancy pants’ deep wall, offset drilled, E-bike rated carbon rims a few years ago for my only ride -a steel drop bar MTN touring bike. Carbon was a little more, but the cost difference was less than a third alum rim-which I could have bent during lace up. Carbon rims are nearly idiot proof for building a straight & round wheel. In my case the weight savings is debatable, but I do notice improved ride quality, even through my 29x3.0 tires. Deep walls seem to increase torsional, radial, stiffness & high elasticity make my carbon rims feel more predictable & return more energy. The offset spoke drilling makes it much more symmetrical, and makes me feel better about balance and durability…. The only drawback I notice is the deep rims catch a lot more wind.

[@scottflowers8601]

The 80’s style synthesized music makes this video

[@dperreno]

To check the dish on the truing stand, remove the wheel and reverse it to see if it lines up the same way between the indicators.

[@notmyfault29]

Science is hard. To get real accuracy you need a larger data set. Mabey running through the course ten times with each wheel set then repeat with different bikes.

[@mrupholsteryman]

I was looking for a budget friendly QUIET hub.... and ONYX appeals to the ears...but my wallet has IBS irritating budget syndrome... and thus....will wait for them to come down in price or for some other option comes along. I have seen these spokes on a trials bike and was curious on a trail environment how they would fare. Interesting hub for sure! Like the idea of the loop on hub as opposed to drilling out threads to soften edges.... I agree about saving the money on the dish tool. I used to true my wheels on the bike and just use a brake shoe for navigation of how much I needed to adjust. As far as the loops of cord coming off the hub flange...maybe something as simple as a piece of closed cell foam or a pencil grip or any kind of mechanical piece to hold the loops onto the hooks while the wheel is in different planes allowing gravity to work against you... Hope that last paragraph makes sense. My mind often goes to fixing and finding solutions...

[@EvansMTBSaga]

I'll sell you my set of gold ones if you're interested

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Great comments!

[@EvansMTBSaga]

oh and Hardtail party used tape over the hooks during lacing. Might be a good idea if I build with these again

[@mrupholsteryman]

@@EvansMTBSaga that would be cheaper (and easier) ... I didn't know with packaging and some oils from bearings and such whether painters tape would even stick...but yeah....even better!

[@hardmtnbiker]

Thanks for the review of the Berd Spoke wheels. I have ordered my second pair. The first were made with my Hadley hubs and new RaceFace ARC 35 rear and 40 front rims(yes really wide) I was amazed how completely different they rode. Now my second pair will be with the ONYX Vesper hook flange hubs. I can’t imagine trying to build them like you did. Anyway, my wheels are definitely not $3K because I went with DT Swiss XM481 rims. Personally I think the Swiss rims are better than many other i30 carbon rims and only a few grams more weight per rim and less weight than some carbon rims

[@Hugocarino3]

I would be scared to use those spokes they look to flexible 😂. great video.

[@mrhood3977]

30 seconds is a huge difference You just earned a new subscriber. Quick question about your rims, how many rides do you get out of the flex spokes and do you have to continually adjust them?

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Thanks for the sub! They say 3 months and I'll have to tension again, but I don't know if that's every three months (I highly doubt it because eventually it'd run out of thread)

[@AZRob.]

So excited to see this video! I love Onyx hubs, and have been researching Berd spokes. I've just been wondering how they will hold up long term, especially in AZ. Great job as always!

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Yeah lots of trail chatter in AZ haha

[@jrsfield]

they are holding up pretty good in my experience, just have to retention them after a few months. The pain is to build them with high end hubs. If you have standard components, berd spokes are more of an incremental update only IMHO, you could do similar with Alpina hyperlight for half price, though not for enduro.

[@AZRob.]

@@jrsfield For 800 bucks, I'm not concerned about how they are in a couple of months, I want to know that they will still be good for a several years.

[@Ferrari255GTO]

I was talking to my dad about theese spokes literally two days ago, i wish i could get a set because they really are a no brainer upgrade, both lighter and stronger, i don't know how much they cost but the material costs can't be that bad, i hope one day we make them the industry standar

[@Prodiod]

500$+ for 64 spokes. (Enough for most typical MTB wheel sets)

[@Ferrari255GTO]

@@Prodiod yeah, they seem like a ripoff after looking them up. They gotta have an insane amount of benefits because the materials cost nothing. You can buy a good set of rims for 150/200 bucks with whatever orientation you need (dh, xc, tb) and the spokes for a single rim cost more than a complete set of thoose, it's just ridiculous. I'm going to wait until china comes up with their own version of it that's only 7% worse and 1/10th of the price. My Bontrager Earls are 150 from what i've seen and they hold abuse really well

[@dadbod4life]

What a milestone!! WOW!! Seriously amazing, and i am enjoying the content!!

[@YIO777]

Durability is my concern. How do they stand up to scraping brush, thorns, burrs, and microscopic silt and clay particles in between the fibers that might eventually cause them to fail prematurely

[@gavmansworkshop5624]

Just had to pause because it occurred that busted spokes won't completely mess your wheel up if is happens. Great idea.

[@LaurentiusTriarius]

My first 29" carbon wheelset was about 1600g per set and they broke almost instantly, replacement broke too and another one... I've learned to be happy when they have more material 😂

[@ezoez7548]

You're getting me back into mountain biking. Time to spend money on my mountain bike that I stopped upgrading once I rant out of money 🤣🤣🤣, thinking of replacing the front suspension with a rigid fork since I don't do many trails. But, a front suspension always helps haha. Keep up the amazing videos bruhhh, your so frigging entertaining!!!!

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Thanks Ezoez! I hope I don't encourage you to be financially irresponsible with bike upgrades. Stay within your means for sure. Rigid fork sounds gnarly but I'm sure I'll get there eventually lol

[@CruzCoxon]

The Graphics Look Amazin!

[@rukinaa]

"being married is awesome" no thanks. Hard pass on that one brother

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Find the right one and it holds true

[@GerhardGeficky-jg4ok]

P.S. are you single? My gaydar is going off

[@TeroOhranen]

Really good content! I enjoy your stuff at least as much as Seth’s videos!

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Thanks Tero!

[@crunchysteve]

When you've got grey in your entire beard, you can call yourself "old" 🤣

[@EvansMTBSaga]

I have like 50 grey hairs in the beard now! Its accelerating!

[@crunchysteve]

@@EvansMTBSaga 😆

[@calrc123]

I just discovered your channel and I am loving it. Keep it up!!

[@dtolios]

Nice vid, tho I suspect the reason you are faster is the faster rolling (and lighter) tires for $120 front/rear, than the "not that light", still l33t wheelset...

[@EvansMTBSaga]

I was thinking maybe it was just the tires that were responsible for the time improvements. Maybe that's a test for another video haha

[@SprSonik13]

lighter, faster, rolling tires, are about the single best upgrade a rider can make as long as they give the traction needed. I’m looking at getting the Berd Hawk 30s (Onyx of course) and putting Vittoria Syerras on them. Would run that as my light wheel set for regular trail rides and keep my current wheelset (Enve M70, Onyx, Vittoria Mazzas) for more aggressive riding.

[@Kingtrollface259]

Interesting concept, be interesting to know how water affects them

[@Noneyobusiness851]

If you've never laced a wheel before make no mistake it is much harder than it looks

[@kersh8268]

First time watching your channel man..Got 2 sets. Xc and gravel. Love em and sweet review! Subscribed 🤙🏻

[@alexgt308]

7:10 first we need a girl🫠

[@f1rstclass366]

Try running Nitrogen instead of Air in tires. As Nitrogen is slightly lighter than Air. And will exhibit better performance.

[@Designwiser2]

Although nitrogen molecules are so small they leak through the tyre sidewalls so your pressure is always dropping. What are we talking about 2 grams weight saving per wheel perhaps?

[@BigPaco213]

your video game has gone up a lot man!!! I can really see all ur hard work paying off!!!

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Thanks dude! This video took a long time haha

[@anthonysgoated]

Those wheels look sick dude!. Nice upload I really love your content! Keep up the great work.

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Thanks Ant-Man!!

[@anthonysgoated]

@@EvansMTBSaga ya np. @Antman thats my dead yt channel, lol

[@hoff482]

Good video. I hope you do a long-term review. I am interested in the Berd wheels for my eMTB.

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Alright! I'm hoping to use these on my main bike for an extended period

[@chrisperrywv]

Those spikes are wild!

[@SternLX]

On the Dish check tool. Totally agree. Waste of money if you have a decent wheel truing stand and are a stickler for detail.