Do You Need Carbon Fibre Wheels For Mountain Biking? | Carbon Vs Alloy Wheels Explained

[@bryanrosensteel3331]

Rotational mass makes more of a difference with MTBs than road bikes. Flywheels store kinetic energy, but also act a bit like a gyroscope. This resists acceleration and changes in orientation. MTB trails often require quick changes in speed and direction, so the weight difference would be noticable...so lighter wheels would feel more nimble and lively.

[@sendbreakmend]

Exactly. Surely a heavier flywheel is harder to lean over in the corners. But I suppose at the same time it helps keep your forward momentum through the rough stuff.

[@LawrenceMacMacster]

Tires are heavy too, just shave them 😂

[@TimH123]

So, the scientist made a correct point about storing kinetic energy, and this will keep you rolling a bit longer if you let it, and resist yaw of the wheel more due to gyroscopic torque, but this is only useful if you want to maintain the same speed and indeed direction. That might be the case in some branches of the sport, but I’m changing speed and direction quite a lot, so a lightweight rim is going to be good for me.

[@edrcozonoking]

...and I would argue that even on a climb you are constantly accelerating and decelerating on every pedal stroke. It's been shown that not even the pros have a perfectly "circular" pedal stroke.

[@sssxxxttt]

@@edrcozonoking Finally somebody points this out. They should put an accelerometer on the periphery of a wheel and do a climb to see how much it varies. Heavier wheel less variation but more weight to carry. Then put a mathematician to integrate the power expended on the variation in rotational velocity.

[@Jacob99174]

@@sssxxxttt yes!

[@matthiasmay1977]

They where talking about road bikes and the trade off between aerodynamics and weight. Turns out that in most cases it is worth to have a heavier wheel with better aerodynamics. For MTB it is a different story. Imho a good way to save some weight are alloy wheels for tubulars.

[@davelloyd8454]

And the bit about braking. We brake, we go round the corner and then we accelerate again... Momentum is not conserved unless you can rail that corner without touching the brakes.

[@ryankennard6626]

One thing I didn’t hear mentioned is how rider size plays into the equation. Larger, taller, and heavier riders might prefer a “stiffer” wheel to reduce flex under hard turning and big hits. I am 6’4” (193cm) and 210lb (15 stone). When cornering hard and hitting bumps, I flex the same wheels way more than smaller, lighter rider. On a larger, longer bike, even good alloy wheels may flex enough to feel like a rolling sidewall in a hard turn. When I change to a wheelset others have described as “too stiff,” it felt planted and perfect for me, without all of the harshness they felt.

[@dzidmail]

I did the math to convert the moment of inertia to a mass equivalent and it came up as saving in inertia (for acceleration) is only 12% of a mass saving. E.g. you remove a 200g tube by going tubless, it will feel as if you removed 224g from the frame (when accelerating). Also, fun fact - it doesn't matter whether it is 26" or 29". It is still 12% equivalent of the mass. The reason is that even though the mass is positioned further, the wheel rotates and accelerates slower.

[@14erGuy]

Interesting comparison. I always had aluminum wheels on my bikes until I bought a Yeti SB6c from a former racer. That bike came with Enve 6/30 rims on it and I was excited. At first. After 3 seasons I hate them. I am averaging over $100 per summer in maintenance and repairs. Just replacing a broken spoke on these wheels is an exorbitant cost ($90 for ONE spoke replacement!) and very difficult due to their internal nipple design. My local bike shop hates them and they sell Enve! I use to break spokes occasionally on my aluminum wheels and I usually did the replacement myself, relatively cheap and easy. When my Enve carbon wheels are running well, I do like them and notice the difference in the feel of the bike, but not enough to justify the exorbitant cost both to buy a set and for the annual maintenance they're costing me. I'm not a sponsored rider, never will be, and I work a regular job. I just don't feel these carbon wheels are practical for me at all. I'll be converting back to aluminum wheels and either sell the Enve's to some poor unsuspecting soul, or save them for when I sell the bike. As for the "lifetime warranty", I call B.S. The warranty applies only to the original buyer and I've yet to find anyone riding a high end mtn bike that keeps that bike for more than 3-5 years and as soon as you sell those "lifetime warranty" wheels, the "lifetime" is over. To me, that says a lot about how reliable their product is. They know almost nobody will keep those wheels for more than 5 years, so they're off the hook. So far, I have not found an exception to this con of a warranty limitation. Just my 2 cents.

[@garyboyle695]

Excellent point about life time warranty.

[@superawesomefuntimego]

I've run both Carbon and Alloy. Some carbon rims are stronger, stiffer and/or more compliant than others, same as alloy. If you have no budget limits, a good carbon wheelset is pretty slick as long as it has a good hub/spoke combo. But compared to some of the cheaper carbon wheelsets which usually go a bit cheap on the hub/spokes so you get crap engagement and heavy spokes, you can go hand built alloy and get a better hub and spokes for much less $$, still plenty stiff/responsive and sometimes similar or better weight. My most recent build used Spank 29" 350 rims, cx ray spokes and Bitex hubs (which are quite good btw) for $550. My other set with i9 1/1's, cx ray's and 29" Arc 30's is 1770g taped/stems for $150 more (which is a hair lighter than the advertised weight for the 29" i9 carbon wheelset with 1/1 hubs and 1/2 the price) .

[@michaelpayne8337]

Excellent points made. The pre-built wheel thing is over 20yrs old now. Carbon or aluminum. Does not matter the wheel systems; like Mavic, Zipp, Campy etc. they’re all built in such a way to be light and overly stiff. The ride often sucks compared to a 32h 3x wheel with butted spokes. In our shop we see these 28 & 24h wheels in Carbon or stiff aluminum with 2x patterns (strength wise no better than radial, which is the weakest) with spokes yanked out of nipples where the threads begin due to braking forces. In short, the wheel are too stiff and unforgiving for they’re own good.

[@spuddo123]

The whole flywheel argument was a bit confusing, so I'll sum it up here: Heavier Wheels: -More energy to get going -More energy lost while braking -More gyroscopic effect (harder to turn, more stable in a straight line) -Carries more momentum/kinetic energy Lighter Wheels: -Less energy to get going -Less energy lost while braking -Less Gyroscopic effect (easier to turn, less stable in a straight line) -Carries less momentum/kinetic energy

[@shwndh]

I think the benefit of carbon wheels are the weight savings when going to wider rim width and stiffness. If you take an alloy rim and make it 36mm wide, they start getting heavy if they’re really tough too. Carbon wheels make it possible to make a competitive weight wheel in 30mm ID for even XC use. Alloy set would be close to 2000 grams while the carbon set can be a light as 1400 grams in a 30mm width 29er wheel. This became more important when we all switched to 29ers

[@bobtraweek3087]

Did I NEED carbon frame, wheels and bars on my new Pivot? Nope. Did I WANT them? Heck yes. The ride is fantastic. Am I any faster on Strava? not really, but with I9 Hydra hubs its sure sounds like I am. Couldn't care less about inertia and gyroscopic energy blah blah blah. Bike handles great and i am lovin the ride. All that matters.

[@sumikomei]

The number of times Neil accidentally said "carbon" instead of "alloy" in this video, I feel that on so many levels lol I do that all the time, it can be really hard to keep the terms distinctly separate when you're deep in the middle of explaining something. Also I'm extremely interested in that alloy wheel set he has on his bike, I might get those for mine actually. The radial compliance with lateral stiffness just sounds like a dream honestly.

[@markbrown9803]

Came here to find this, thought I was going mad. It’s the kind of video that calls for onscreen bullet points.

[@rickywoods3101]

Idk about mtb but in race cars "unsprung weight" makes a ton of a difference! Running steel wheels compared to part magnesium part carbon wheels is an insane difference in performance

[@tonykasunic1]

I would put more emphasis on getting a high engagement hub and the right tire combination than a carbon vs alloy rim as I found that has more of an impact on my riding.

[@edrcozonoking]

on a hardtail CX maybe but on a full sus too many engagement points mean a lot of pedal kickback.

[@therybes]

Spank hex have 3.5 degrees of engagement. Ive got a set on my bike and i love em. No hesitation at all between pedal strokes

[@mtbboy1993]

Project 321 offers several engagement options but the fastest is 1.1 deg, Industry Nine Hydra has 3 deg, Nukeproof Horizon V2 has 3.52 deg, Spank Hex has 3.5 deg, Chris King has 5 deg engagement, Dtswiss has 6.2 deg with 54t ratchet, Hope Pro 4 has 8.2 deg with 44 tooth, I don't have all of the numbers on top of my head, so had to look up some of it. There are also Onyx hubs which have a sprag clutch, so people say it's soft in stand engagement, Box Components has aquired Stealth Hubs, they too have a sprag clutch.

[@tonykasunic1]

@@edrcozonoking this has not been my experience on a fuel ex 9.8 (horst link) or a ripmo AF (dw link), no pedal kickback issues on either full suspension linkage design. Maybe let everyone know what full suspension setup or bike with high engagement hubs you've experienced pedal kickback on?

[@tonykasunic1]

@@therybes awesome, on my ripmo AF I'm rocking the line elite 30 carbon rims with the bontrager rapid drive 108 hubs (which is just a rebranded dt swiss product anyways), way better than the Ibis rebranded i-9 aluminum rims and 3 pawl hubs it came with stock.

[@The_RC_Dude]

What about on hardtail? What if you wanted the best of both worlds, you could have a front carbon rim (for more reactive steering and braking), and an aluminum rear rim (for more flex and shock absorption, as well as being able to repair the back wheel when/if it bends/breaks)?

[@jeromep4148]

I have 3 sets of 29” carbon wheels - all budget wheels from China. One set on a Hardtail xc , one set on a full sus xc bike and a set on my trail bike. That all have worked quite well for me.

[@Pillokun]

Lighter wheels are faster or rather easier to change direction, super noticable when riding motorcycles and for sure noticable on bicycles as well and ofcourse lighter when going uphill.

[@H_Oscarsson]

Didn't the science guy in this video just destroy the myth that "lighter wheels are faster"? Kinetic energy and all that...

[@nk-dw2hm]

@@H_Oscarsson lighter wheels are easier to accelerate, the whole point was that they maintain momentum better. So the guy you're responding was accurate since he was talking about acceleration and changing direction

[@ridedirtymtb9938]

I went from a magic mary 27.5x2.6 (1236g) and Hans damf (1071g) rear to maxxis rekons 27.5x2.6 front and rear (830g each) and the bike became more playful and nimble . Less grip but more fun

[@graved1gger]

I switched rear rim from alloy to carbon first, then I switched the front too. After going carbon front and rear it was the first time I came back from the mountains without dings. Weight savings almost minimal, 35-40 grams per rim, though carbon rims are bit wider. Could've go lighter but the main reasons to go for carbon was to get rid of the dings without installing cushcore pro and the ease of repairing if something goes wrong (but that isn't the case for everyone).

[@hf5642]

Has anyone noticed how often (approximately a few hundred) times Neil’s sensitive microphone picks up his “inhale” after every sentence. It’s amazing. Watch this video a few times and you will agree. Still love you Neil.

[@davidhenriksen4368]

Ive ridden alloy rims since the mid 90's. 2 years ago when i went to Santa cruz Reserve rims, my bike life changed for the better. There is no comparison. SC Reserve for life.

[@youtubeaccount9058]

What I am hearing - never try them unless I want to be a lot poorer

[@David-rb3tk]

I also started ridding DT Swiss carbon rims 2 years Ago. Couldn't agree more. They have made a very noticeable difference too my riding. And no, they don't make you poorer.

[@teddysnaps4786]

this is snake oil because of the new spank endorsement. Just reference Henry quiny that moved to Pink bike because he didn't' want to push products he didn't' believe in. With that said, I love GMBM and love them to death but you have to recognize the difference between an advertisement and and review.

[@veers0r]

How do you go from energy stored in a rotating wheel isn't lost to rotational mass makes no difference? The gyroscopic effect is still there. The suspension still needs to damp the rotational mass. The brakes still need to soak up the energy and you generally won't get back the time you lost while spinning them up either. On the positive side, the additional momentum is also still there to plow over obstacles. Sure if accelerate once and then stay at a certain speed forever the in the same direction it doesn't matter, but that just really doesn't hold for mountain biking. Are those differences often overrated on a bicycle probably but arguing that they are zero seems silly to me.

[@gogomtb1]

Nice coverage, Neil! 🤙🏽 I gues, like so often, it's a case of "it depends" 😅 It surely comes down to personal preference, budget and all the variables like terrain & conditions, tire size, width & pressure, rider's weight and abilities + line choices asoasf aka etc 😉

[@LuisManuelHdez]

I prefer carbon. Nothing beats the stiffness and engagement of a nice carbon wheel on some great hubs and spokes . Hydra I9 , CK, Onyx all awesome!

[@videopimp]

For me, riding whistler daily, carbon is the best option. I’ve not picked up a single piece of damage on them and if I did, Raceface would send me a new one. Whereas I’ve lost count of alloy rims I’ve replaced for customers this season. They are cheaper in the long run if your riding hard, how’s that for a curve ball!

[@richardclark9425]

When discussing weight of gear, I always convert it to ounces of water in a glass. If it’s less than a mouthful i don’t get very worked up about it.

[@CosgroveNotts]

Too right

[@edrcozonoking]

OK, but many mouthfuls make a gallon.

[@HerwardHoyer]

Is a mouthful a lot? Depends, if it's Worcestershire sauce, then yes.

[@vtecmossy]

Yeah spank are up there with chaos super strong reliable defo one of my 1st choice rims

[@Simte]

Alloy wheels are great in my opinion, if you ride gnarly trails you want not to be spending lots of money in case of potential accidents.

[@glowerpower]

Most carbon wheel manufacturers offer no-fault, lifetime warranties. Both of my wheel sets have them :)

[@bigglasi4496]

And not to forget: there might be limitations for the weight of the whole System ( Bike, and Rider including clothing and stuff ) on Carbon Rims...so check that box as well before you order your new set of Wheels 👍

[@APOCLAG]

I tried both for a long time, Carbon is better but more expensive. Enduro riders go for aloy rims for the same reasons that they use AXS GX instead of AXS XX1, BUDGET.

[@kidShibuya]

People can also taste the difference is steak if they are told its more expensive... This is why actual tests are double or triple blind.

[@MrSatchelpack]

If I did a triple blind test for steak, the result will always be the same. "Thanks for dinner."

[@123moof]

Lighter might be better, but put it into perspective. A pound on the rims is worth a pound in your beer belly on the climbs, 2 lbs when accelerating or braking. Many of us have far more marginal gains from working our beer guts rather than buying bling rims.

[@XCRiders]

So if you pedal your bike carbon If you just coasting or bombing downhill aluminum

[@vladislavkhobot]

I know a guy whose ENVE carbon rims melted because he mounted his bike on the back of his car and I guess the carbon couldn’t handle the temperature from exhaust flow. Is that a common thing? Does carbon have a very low melting point?

[@markopopovic4956]

Epoxy resin that hold fibers together was activated by exhaust temp...and that gases are fair bit hot.Try to grab tail pipe with bare hand after a long drive..it's furnace hot.

[@charlesb7831]

I still run my 2013 Mavic crossmax St 29er rims , love them. They made a huge difference when I put them on rhe bile and never looked back. Incredibly strong too. I haven't seen the need to go carbon rims. I have Renthal Carbon light bars and that about it for carbon for me lol. I just have an old 2013 Giant XTC 29er with Rockshox SIDs. Bike works fantastic still lol

[@beefybiking-mountainbiking2364]

Hey I have ridden both, and I always prefer carbon with cushcore XC now. Best combo IMO, and I race Cat 2 XC

[@jeremyemilio9378]

Are there no titanium wheels?

[@shemshem9998]

2:05 well there is a mesurable diference, that is that it takes more energy from you pedaling in order to acheave the same speeds, but energy is not lost when pedaling with the same force because energy is preseved in the form of mass times velcity/ momentum. so force (the power you are putting into pedaling) devided by mass/weight = accelration. so if you pedal as hard for a light wheel as you do for a heavy wheel it will take more time to get to the same speed. but you will end up with the same amount of energy int he wheels (in the form of momentum, which is equal to speed times mass) in the end when you are going at a constant speed it does not matter, but it matter when in accelration. this also counts in cornering and decelerating, because changing directions is also a form accelration, it is just acceleration in a differnt direction than what you are going in (and decelerating is acceleration in the negatice direction, in physcics its all called accelerating). its also counts for suspension, lighter wheels make suspension work better, this is becouse when you are hitting a bump the wheel is accelerating up and down, and as i said the lighter the better.

[@fcbotieno]

Mech Eng?

[@kl3vr]

You missed the point when quoting the scientist. slower acceleration and braking from having more rotating mass will affect your overall speed. the scientist is just saying "watts" arent lost until you apply the brake.

[@marcalvarez4890]

Exactly. kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZoKnn4ihisaEnM0 kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqKVl42wdtqGbNk Id rather have light wheels (and light everything including me) when mountain biking, and i ride carbon wheels.... But if you aren't accelerating, weight doesnt matter. (Accelerating in any direction) Unfortunately, or fortunately...the fun in mountain biking is all about acceleration...either forward, backward, right left, or up down.

[@poxcr]

Exactly! The key point is that energy is not lost unless you apply the brakes, which in mountain biking happens all the time. Acceleration followed by braking, and then accelerating again is the perfect context in which a lighter rotational mass is beneficial.

[@marcalvarez4890]

@@poxcr Yeah, ironic that its road riders that are so weight obsessed, when it doesnt really matter to them...and mountain bikers tend to not care about a couple extra kilos...except XC guys, which i am. 24 pound full suspension bike, 142 pound rider. Amen and Hallelujah!

[@TheChillBison]

A heavier top (like the toy) will spin longer than a lighter one all else being equal, so a heavier wheel would spin longer, but you're not just coasting straight very often on an MTB, so the benefits there are negligible. It takes more energy to speed up a heavier wheel, more braking force to slow it down, and since a heavier wheel resists change in motion more, it's slightly more difficult to lean over for turns. All that said, I still believe that the weight savings are a pretty small improvement gain when compared to the total weight of the system. Where I think the benefit really lies would be with something like the Zipp wheels where compliance is built in for the direction you want it, and also stiff in the direction you want. That's pretty cool, and may not be insignificant. For most casual riders like me, I could say the performance gains are justified, but as I don't race, and most of my rides aren't flat-out, really it's just "they're cool and I want carbon rims." That said, I love my Stans Flow MK3s. I would love to try out some 3Zero Motos, but probably wouldn't spend the dough on them. I'd rather build up a hardtail for that price (and then put Moto3s on that! Hah!)

[@Justin-Walsh]

"Need" was never really in question. It's all about balancing your 'wants'

[@johnno6334]

Can you have alloy on the back and carbon on the front??

[@rajm1976]

My new DT Swiss XM481 wheelset is 1850g per pair including DT Swiss 350 hubs and the cost my 531 euros (571imported to UK). Not sure carbon is worth it 114g difference.

[@LammersQuarter]

Bringing a (heavy) flywheel up to speed takes more effort than a lighter one (and that energy indeed gets stored). That’s where the difference in feel comes from. So the less constant your pedaling the more one is confronted with this phenomenon of having to thread mud before shit starts to spin. Doing bikepark runs with an uplift all day? Forget this whole discussion and buy yourself a set of decent allow wheels!

[@lincolngill7551]

There are always pros and cons. Unsprung weight is important as well as acceleration and deceleration and track feel.

[@chrisridesbicycles]

My bike build is a good bit north of 8k (Euros) and even on that spending 700 Euros on a rim was never an option. I have good experience with Race Face alloy rims and they are reasonably light, too.

[@MehYam2112]

+1 for RaceFace. For $250-350 USD they're a great value, and you won't feel as bad if you eventually trash one.

[@RedDaemon69420]

MTB requires constant acceleration on rough surfaces compared with road which is more constant speed on smoother roads. Constant acceleration means that heavier wheels are generally disadvantageous esp for technical climbing. Simple physics where acceleration with heavier mass requires more energy. Why overcomplicate it with flywheels? My alloys 28/26 internal width f/r are 1690g . Feels good XD .

[@leebridgwater]

Thanks Neil

[@frankschock9981]

DT Swiss alloy XM1700 wheelset at around 1900 grams is the best value imo

[@matthewkuhl79]

You can get immensely strong alloy rims for reasonable prices. Try that with composite.

[@andreano81]

Rotating mass increases inertia which slows change in rotating axis

[@lidarman2]

It feels different because of the gyro effect. There is a torque opposing the steering or leaning the bike.

[@RichardsWorld]

So, if you are only going downhill, a heavier wheel would be an advantage. If you aren't going to use the breaks much, not a big difference unless you need to sprint often.

[@dadbod4life]

I run spank oozy 395+ wheels with i9 hydra hubs, and love them. I don't envy carbon wheels.

[@christeschke9844]

I feel like most people who compare the alloy they had to the carbon one did not come from a high end alloy rim. They might as well compare the cheapest alliexpress carbon wheel :)

[@sanabibimtb]

Nice video dude as always! Very informative! Good stuff! Thank You from me and my Little Channel!❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@jimrutherford2773]

More vibration that travels through the bike into your bones will affect your fatigue on long rides, for example XC races or long days out on your local trails.

[@ThatWhisper]

I don’t know what to choose, the YT izzo core 3 with sram gx alloy rims and fox 34 float performance elite, Or the YT izzo core 4 with sram XO1 and carbon rims and Fox 34 factory. What do you guys think? the price difference is 1300$

[@markopopovic4956]

Go for core 3,and for the rest,buy more spare tires,riding gear and travel.

[@sirgilbert357]

The difference between the weights of the carbon and aluminum wheel sets I've seen does not justify the price difference. I have never had trouble with quick direction changes on alloy rims. And the extra rotational mass will help the wheel feel more stable. There is no "better" here, only personal preference.

[@rupedog]

Isn't it the case that most ews and dh racers use alloy rims? If that's right...kinda says a lot.... Reckon a set of top end (£700+) alloy rims are way ahead tbh... Maybe carbon on XC, where u can get marginally lighter carbon rims....

[@rupedog]

Most carbon mtb rims are not really any lighter than top end alloy.ones....many are heavier....stiffness is the differential... My alloy rims (29er, enduro rated) are 1765g the pair I believe...like the idea of carbons tuneability...but dont see any real gains for price hike...

[@drgnrydr11496]

Whats the max weight for the rider?

[@farbenfrohesgrau4056]

there really isn't a reason to use carbon on wheels and the frame, while it is lighter, Ii isn't necessarily stronger nor cheaper. this changes on things like bars because you can tune some compliance in carbon. for wheels, you do that by adjusting the spoke tension, and for the frame, it does very little when you can use a dropper seatpost.

[@franciswatson8793]

I don't know about the frame to me it really is the first thing on a bike that should be made of carbon the less weight and added stiffness makes more of a difference than you might think. Also as a side note it is different between each manufacturer and how they build there bikes, but sometimes the carbon versions of some bikes are actually stronger than the alloy version and less prone to fatigue over time.

[@farbenfrohesgrau4056]

@@franciswatson8793, you shatter a carbon frame, it is done for, you bend an alloy frame, and you can ride it home and bend it back.

[@farbenfrohesgrau4056]

and like@@RealMTBAddict replied, weight effects are not that bad, especially on the frame, and are just too expensive to be considered an "upgrade" when you could just upgrade your suspension for a greater effect.

[@reubenneate3492]

Having tried friends carbon wheels, I just don't like the way they feel. You really feel all the bumps and rattles a lot more

[@dillydean]

No one's gana talk about those glasses and the Jerry gap!!! Jesus mate 🤣🤣

[@McLambo]

Is that a skimask?

[@AndreasRavnestad]

Been staring at those Vittoria Mazza tires on this channel for years now, but I still can't buy them here in Norway. What's going on Vittoria?

[@sirfixalot]

I can’t believe nobody in MTB talks about un suspended mass. It would be great to make a video about the way the mass of the wheel effects the suspension tuning and efficiency.

[@JonnyNorthmore]

I'm sure Doddy has talked about it in a recent vid.

[@rupedog]

Spank not really a fair comparison as they are heavy for price as contain vibrocore...be interesting to see a more balanced like for like comparison

[@bartholomeusclever]

love you Neil !

[@27jezus]

what kinda sun shades you wearing mate?

[@gmbntech]

Hi! Neil is wearing the POC Devour sunglasses in this video!

[@Northstar-Media]

Just got back into cycling & realised quite quick that it is full of marketing BS & gatekeepers but one place where i would spend money is Good hubs & wheel in that order.

[@athishmarutharaj6001]

al in front and caron in rear

[@razorsharp9850]

Carbon 27.5 with 2.4 in the back, Alloy 29 with 2.5 in the front. Let's see how it rides.

[@D6onGPS]

Jack Moir just showed us why you run Alloy

[@OscarHernandez-xx2je]

Carbon is better IMO. weight is one thing but they’re also more durable. That is, until they’re not. Carbon any day of the week.

[@David-rb3tk]

"only" 500 grams difference. That's heaps when spinnin' 'round!

[@davelloyd8454]

And 24.x% ... If I could lose 24% of my body weight I'd fly up climbs!

[@MrWillAdams]

I couldn’t stop looking at those glasses 😂

[@stefromfortworth]

If you’re going to break something, it’s usually the wheels. So why would you pay £2000 for something you could smash to pieces? Carbon is largely not recycleable either… so fuck carbon.

[@calvinmoreira4017]

This bike was really easy to assemble kzbin.infoUgkxMesz3KOGEmwmvyKQfLfrRSUXLFzfVHZA and required very few adjustments out of the box. The wheels did not require any truing/adjustments. The frame had some small scratches, but nothing major.I did replace the seat though - the seat it came with was very uncomfortable. The tires need to be re-inflated every 4-5 days, but this appears to be quite common for the narrow 700x25 tires.Overall, in my opinion, this bike looks and rides like a much more expensive bike.

[@TheNik604]

No, I ride Mavic EX 729 ( alloy carbid) , 7 years already - I don't need else

[@snoopy10411]

Most of us are usually looking for best bang for buck, if the difference in performance is less than the difference in price then the answer is probably no. You certainly don't 'need' Carbon rims. Many of us have been mountain biking for many years when they weren't available. How did we cope back then? Did we have less fun? Might be a different story for someone racing at the highest level (and having a sponsor paying for the bike/parts) but for us who aren't and are realistically just pootling around a trail centre etc once a week or so, it's probably unnecessary unless you have deep pockets or you are poorer but frivolous with credit and don't have a life/other commitments.

[@Evertb1]

I am an XC rider (non competitive) and all things considered I can't think of any good reason to buy a wheel set with carbon rims. I am happy with my alloy wheels. Less costly and less chance on a sudden failure. Just four months ago I had to let go of a carbon frame because it developed a lot of tiny little cracks that were hardly visible but can be o so dangerous. Luckily it is replaced by Trek under warranty but I prefer alloy these days.

[@Jimbob-eu4gd]

Most people agree with you. the only place carbon is a must is in the competitive field apart from that there’s no need

[@edrcozonoking]

you said it yourself "non-competitive". Many of us do compete.

[@Evertb1]

@@edrcozonoking Well if you compete any advantage, real or imagined, can be of help. Even if it is only to make you feel good. On the other hand, I have seen some things with disintegrating carbon wheels that scared the sh...t out of me. That might be the reason I payed very close attention to my carbon frame and noted all that hairline cracks in my frame before it became a problem.

[@markdavis8430]

If danny Hart says alloy I'm sticking with alloy

[@edrcozonoking]

.....but all the other pros say carbon.

[@outofAlog]

@@edrcozonoking nobody in the comment section are pro anything

[@riffychuggs5780]

@@outofAlog he didn't say they were, he was sticking to the context of OP's comment.

[@Superteastain]

Can you buckle a carbon wheel?

[@sendbreakmend]

I’m not sure you can. I’ve heard a few people say they’ve never had to true a carbon wheel. I guess they’d probably snap first 🤷‍♂️

[@gaza4543]

Tbh honest I really couldn’t tell the difference if both wheel where the same weight And I wasn’t shown the wheels first. And this is the thing especially in road cycling circles. Outside of of areo I think they generally go out of there way to make “budget” alloy wheels heavy, JRA have a map super light build at the 1360 gram mark the. None superlights 1400. Sure it’s not areo But aero really only starts makes a difference over 20mph. Before carbon where in reach of the masses and stans rims where a real thing you could easily build an MTB wheel at around the 1300gram mark and you still can! Carbon sure it can be lighter and can be stronger but as always there’s a compromise. But it’s generally not the case I’ll carry on buying the non fashion material and that’s just a capable. For the general joe. Buy better tyres cloths and lights and go ride.

[@pauldelarzac615]

Lighter = better. Mtb is a stop sprint kinda sport. So who cares about kinetic if you bleed it away at every corner. It just means you’ll have to put more energy into getting back up to Speed.

[@TheDiablosix6six]

I don't need carbon wheels but as they came with my bike, I'm not gonna change them until I have too. I would never pay the price for them, as they are 2, 3 or even 4times the price of alloy wheels!!

[@BigBanana55]

@@RealMTBAddict Airbus might disagree with you there 😉 But for a Mtb wheelset I agree, any dings with an alloy rim can easily be straightened out. When carbon cracks it's finished- even if Danny Macaskill proved with that Santa Cruz vid that carbon can indeed be stronger.

[@TheDiablosix6six]

@@RealMTBAddict I have a lift time warranty with them...how much that holds up if I do crack them is a different story though!!

[@TheDiablosix6six]

@@RealMTBAddict If I actually get them that quick I'd be delighted 👍 but I do have some alloy wheels on an older bike if need be!!

[@tristandesade8635]

I like the channel but sometimes you ask such a superfluous questions, that I ask myself: why am I still watching? Well I guess I really love MTB (regardless of the materials involved).😎

[@davegee124]

lighter wheels should be better as in unsprung weight so the suspension should work faster,altho in the grand scheme of all the parts it probably wont be noticeable in real world riding.

[@rupedog]

True...but most carbon rims are not actually lighter than high end alloy

[@tomquimby8669]

After seeing the crash on Sam Pilgrims channel I think if I had a choice I would chose Halo alloy rims. both he and Tom Cardy run them and they have not let them down

[@Jimbob-eu4gd]

And they are cheap

[@Jimbob-eu4gd]

@@RealMTBAddict not gonna use halo wheels for anything other than enduro or DJ so weight isn’t a huge factor

[@dwight6502]

Im just hear waiting for vibranium wheels...

[@JohnDir-xw3hf]

We need some new material for the rims for the difference 😁

[@Hindruin]

lets be honest, most people including me are riding carbon wheels for status and the "look" ... and a spare set of ex471+pro4 is always in the trunk.

[@David-rb3tk]

Not true. At least among the riders I know. You may ride with hundreds more and have a larger sample. But I doubt it.

[@Demiii333]

Can you try bmx wheels on a mtb maybe a 29er?

[@joostdeen9614]

Nice goggles 👌🏾😉

[@mhilde7744]

Less shop, more ride!

[@roha2317]

For me it's easy: can I afford carbon rims? No, so stick with alloy.

[@hannesnohl8627]

Newmens alloy wheels are even lighter than the carbon version, showed in this video.

[@edrcozonoking]

I have a set of Stan's Gold Alloys and yes they are lighter than most carbon wheels. But they are very delicate. My carbon wheels are more resilient as it will bounce off many hits and wont dent. I run lower pressures on my carbon wheels than my alloys. You should watch Danny McCaskill's video trying to destroy a good carbon rim.

[@hannesnohl8627]

@@edrcozonoking already watched it twice

[@garyboyle695]

Not a carbon fan, seen to many examples of catastrophic fails and the build quality and tolerances within the bike industry compared to other industries is a joke.