Is THIS The FUTURE? | BERD HAWK30 Carbon MTB Wheelset with PolyLight Spokes | FIRST RIDE & REVIEW

Now I'm not usually a skeptic when it comes to new bike parts but, these new Berd spokes that look like they were made out of my mom's yarn basket were just too strange even for me.
Fast forward a year or so and I see a fully assembled carbon wheel set with a lifetime warranty and claims of a smoother ride... now I'm interested.
I am no stranger to carbon wheels so these wheels are up against some stiff competition. Let's see how they stack up.
Filmed at Petrifying Springs mountain bike trails in kenosha, Wisconsin
CORRECTION! The price for my Berd Hawk 30's with Talon Hubs is $2,095 ... The price I quoted in the video is for i9 hubs.
The wheels: berdspokes.com/collections/be...
Huge thanks to Erin Brannon AKA Fruit punch and Christian for the help behind the camera.
Erin's Instagram: e.brannon_g...
POV footage: GoPro Hero 12 with Max Lens Mod
#mtb #review #cycling #carbon #mountainbike

[@TheDustyDutchman]

CORRECTION: I quoted the wrong price for my Berd Wheelset. My setup is $2,095 with the Talon hubs, NOT $2,295

[@lonestranger]

@10:36 It's worth mentioning that all of the rims with the HAWK30, HAWK 30X, & HAWK27 are manufactured by We Are One in Kamloops, BC. Available hubs are either from Berd, Industry Nine of Asheville, NC or Onyx of St. Augusta, MN. Of course the warranty of these wheelsets is provided by Berd regardless, but it's nice to know where the components are manufactured and by what companies.

[@TheDustyDutchman]

Absolutely. Thanks for pointing that out 👍

[@kayakutah]

My set is about 4 years old. I've never had to true them, but it is an easy process. They supplied me with a tool for use in truing with the wheelset. You could buy a couple of extra spokes, if you're worried. Berd recommends "tightening" them up after a while, but I haven't found that to be needed. They remain a great wheelset.

[@TheDustyDutchman]

That’s great to hear! I bought extra spokes and the tool right away just in case as well.

[@50whatnomadtravelnursemtb5]

For a hardtail this wheelset is perfect, your suspension should do all those things instead of a wheel. The zip rim is interesting because it flexs and lets it grab the trail.

[@TheDustyDutchman]

Good point. My experience is that these wheels smooth out a lot of the micro chatter you get on certain trails, the kind that mechanical suspension just can’t react to fast enough.

[@TrailSage]

Love the opening JT. I've been seeing these spokes more and more and was curious about trying them. Sounds like these would be ideal on a hardtail too.

[@TheDustyDutchman]

Thanks! I laughed a lot editing it lol. These would be perfect on a hardtail. Anything that helps reduce the “hard” in hardtail is a good idea IMO. 👍👍

[@jenniferg2488]

Clever content!! Super interesting, as always! 👏🏼

[@TheDustyDutchman]

Thank you! Tried to mix it up a bit on this one 👍

[@TheSpokelore]

Compelling reasoning behind a Berd wheel set. I did notice the Berd wheels were quieter on the trail than your other wheel set. Thanks, JT!

[@TheDustyDutchman]

Thanks brother! Yes, I didn’t expect them to be noticeably quieter either but it’s a nice benefit.

[@TheSpokelore]

Honestly, I thought they deadened trail noise, too. Not just mechanically quieter. 🤔

[@TheDustyDutchman]

If you get a chance to ride some def try them out. It’s super cool that they are in Minnesota too 🤌

[@tonyd3049]

"OH, God, that's the wrong line!" If I had a dime...😅

[@TheDustyDutchman]

Right!? 😂. Even on trails I ride all the time!

[@mudkayak6305]

As an older rider I really appreciate verticle compliance. Some say Alloy wheels offer more VC than does carbon. Not exactly sure about that but I wonder how berd spokes would feel/perform laced to alloy wheels, Thoughts?

[@TheDustyDutchman]

Good question. I think the reason this particular set works so well is because the rim is specifically designed for a compliant spoke, hence the shallow rim depth to allow for flex. If they can do that with an alloy maybe that could work too? Idk. I know in general alloy has a “memory” and can only flex so many times before it becomes “work hardened” and then can become brittle. But I bet there is some new fancy stuff that could work. 🤷‍♂️

[@mtbboy1993]

I'm curious about these spokes long term, but sounds like it's made of a robust material. Onyx has hubs for rope spokes. If you like puns: I spoke too soon. This is going to cause some tension. Good thing nobody roped you into this. But clearly you can't do this with no strings attached. Looks like you were on a roll.

[@TheDustyDutchman]

I love a good pun! 😂😂 nice work. I’m also curious about the long term strength of these spokes. Time will tell

[@TheMediocreMountainBiker]

$2300 is a lot of cheddar, even in Wisconsin. That being said, I think “buy once, cry once” applies here. 🤑

[@TheDustyDutchman]

lol that’s a great way to look at it!

[@TheDustyDutchman]

actually I messed up, my setup with the Talon Hubs is "only" $2,095 👌

[@troyesch6203]

I’m getting the Berd TR30 27.5” for my pivot trail 429. But why is the warranty not as good on these?

[@TheDustyDutchman]

Nice! Those will be really nice 👍. Not sure about the warranty on those, you might wanna email berd.

[@deanl1108]

You must be rich then.

[@troyesch6203]

@@deanl1108 nope. Not even close. I just make bad financial decisions. 😂 I ended up with we are one hoops because they have a lifetime warranty, and onyx hubs and Berd spokes

[@deanl1108]

Absolutely shocking price. You can buy a full new mtb for the price of them wheels.

[@TheDustyDutchman]

Yep that’s true.

[@fatride]

The intro was fun and thanks for the info

[@TheDustyDutchman]

Glad you liked it, it’s truly my pleasure 👍👍