Looking for a mullet wheelset

[p3eps]

I've just ordered a new '23 Levo SL frameset - with the intention of stealing all the parts off my '19 Levo SL.
Since the '23 Levo SL comes as a mullet, I feel I should try it out as a mullet. My '19 model is a 29'er, and the only original part (other than the frame) are the Roval carbon wheels.

I'm looking for recommendations for a wheelset - in the UK!
I'd like something carbon, strong and lightweight... mainly for aggressive trail riding, and the occasional run down the downhill runs...

I've had Roval wheels on my last few bikes, and have always found them to be decent enough... however since I'm actually buying a set, I'm open to suggestions. The real issue seems to be buying a 'set' or unmatched wheels doesn't seem to be an option for most brands.
I've always fancied ENVE as I have ENVE bars and stem... but I think they may well be out of my price range. Ideally I'd like something under £2000, and preferably under the £1500 mark.
Although Roval don't sell mixed pairs, I believe my LBS can order them as singles.

Suggestions (and preferably links to where I can get in the UK!) would be appreciated. I have a couple of weeks until the frame is here (estimated 20th May), so have a little bit of time. I can always run it as a 29'er too if I had to wait for something.

TIA

 

[Bomble]

Blue Flow Wheels - Carbon wheelsets hand-built in Nottingham

ebike enduro trail xc carbon mountain bike wheels uk

www.blueflowwheels.com

I’ve had a pair of these for nearly 2 years now, not a single issue and still running perfectly true.
I ride in the Peak District, Lakes etc, have the line choice of a shopping trolley and regularly hit stuff that would easily dent an alloy rim.
Can’t recommend them enough and the guy is really good to deal with.

 

[p3eps]

Blue Flow Wheels - Carbon wheelsets hand-built in Nottingham

ebike enduro trail xc carbon mountain bike wheels uk

www.blueflowwheels.com

I’ve had a pair of these for nearly 2 years now, not a single issue and still running perfectly true.
I ride in the Peak District, Lakes etc, have the line choice of a shopping trolley and regularly hit stuff that would easily dent an alloy rim.
Can’t recommend them enough and the guy is really good to deal with.

Thanks... did you go for the EMTB ones or the All Mountain?

 

[Bomble]

Mine were these can’t remember what they are actually classed as.

29er BF37/31 rims with stealth grey decals.
Silver Hope hubs, 12x148 boost rear with MicroSpline freehub body, 15x110 front with torque caps
Sapim CX Ray spokes with silver nipples

 

[RustyIron]

I'm looking for recommendations for a wheelset - in the UK!
I'd like something carbon, strong and lightweight..

Although some of the big dogs are knocking out really nice aluminum hoops, I'm like you and just want to stick with carbon. I haven't ridden everything that's out there, but there is one criterion that I will not compromise: the rims must be guaranteed forever, and the hubs need a guarantee that's measured in years. There are enough top tier manufacturers offering great warranties, so there's no need for the consumer to settle for less.

I'm running Reserve 30 hoops on DT Swiss 350 hubs. It looks like similar sets are available stateside from about 1700USD. Whatever deals you find locally, on whatever brands, just make sure it comes with a great warranty.

 

[RAG]

Slightly off topic but…. have you had the colour of the frameset confirmed, I’m assuming it’s satin black/carbon but I can only find pictures online of it in silver?

 

[p3eps]

Slightly off topic but…. have you had the colour of the frameset confirmed, I’m assuming it’s satin black/carbon but I can only find pictures online of it in silver?

I'm just trying to find that now. There were a couple of stores had the silver pics up for a starts... but they'e all been removed and have 'image coming soon'. The computer in the store said it was Satin Carbon / Brushed Black Chrome Foil... which I'm guessing is the black one.
Disappointing if that's the case, as I really like the silver! I have a black SL as things stand, and would have liked something different - be it the white one or the silver.

 

[p3eps]

Although some of the big dogs are knocking out really nice aluminum hoops, I'm like you and just want to stick with carbon. I haven't ridden everything that's out there, but there is one criterion that I will not compromise: the rims must be guaranteed forever, and the hubs need a guarantee that's measured in years. There are enough top tier manufacturers offering great warranties, so there's no need for the consumer to settle for less.

I'm running Reserve 30 hoops on DT Swiss 350 hubs. It looks like similar sets are available stateside from about 1700USD. Whatever deals you find locally, on whatever brands, just make sure it comes with a great warranty.

Absolutely - the warranty is very important... but so is the weight!

 

[Stoneilove]

I've just ordered a new '23 Levo SL frameset - with the intention of stealing all the parts off my '19 Levo SL.
Since the '23 Levo SL comes as a mullet, I feel I should try it out as a mullet. My '19 model is a 29'er, and the only original part (other than the frame) are the Roval carbon wheels.

I'm looking for recommendations for a wheelset - in the UK!
I'd like something carbon, strong and lightweight... mainly for aggressive trail riding, and the occasional run down the downhill runs...

I've had Roval wheels on my last few bikes, and have always found them to be decent enough... however since I'm actually buying a set, I'm open to suggestions. The real issue seems to be buying a 'set' or unmatched wheels doesn't seem to be an option for most brands.
I've always fancied ENVE as I have ENVE bars and stem... but I think they may well be out of my price range. Ideally I'd like something under £2000, and preferably under the £1500 mark.
Although Roval don't sell mixed pairs, I believe my LBS can order them as singles.

Suggestions (and preferably links to where I can get in the UK!) would be appreciated. I have a couple of weeks until the frame is here (estimated 20th May), so have a little bit of time. I can always run it as a 29'er too if I had to wait for something.

TIA

Sixth Element, crash replacement cover for life which can even be transfered if you ever sell the bike on.
Ive owned some decent wheel sets the most recent being Santa Cruz and for me my current Sixth Element Ebike specific ride even better. £1600 inc Dt 350 with 54t upgrade, however you can choose from Hope, Hydra, Profile and Chris King.

 

[CarolinaCrawler]

My next wheelset will be Hunt's. Love the quality to value ratio of those wheels.

 

[Montana St Alum]

I've just ordered a new '23 Levo SL frameset - with the intention of stealing all the parts off my '19 Levo SL.
Since the '23 Levo SL comes as a mullet, I feel I should try it out as a mullet. My '19 model is a 29'er, and the only original part (other than the frame) are the Roval carbon wheels.

I'm looking for recommendations for a wheelset - in the UK!
I'd like something carbon, strong and lightweight... mainly for aggressive trail riding, and the occasional run down the downhill runs...

I've had Roval wheels on my last few bikes, and have always found them to be decent enough... however since I'm actually buying a set, I'm open to suggestions. The real issue seems to be buying a 'set' or unmatched wheels doesn't seem to be an option for most brands.
I've always fancied ENVE as I have ENVE bars and stem... but I think they may well be out of my price range. Ideally I'd like something under £2000, and preferably under the £1500 mark.
Although Roval don't sell mixed pairs, I believe my LBS can order them as singles.

Suggestions (and preferably links to where I can get in the UK!) would be appreciated. I have a couple of weeks until the frame is here (estimated 20th May), so have a little bit of time. I can always run it as a 29'er too if I had to wait for something.

TIA

I think I'd go inexpensive on a 27.5 rear wheel. Try it out and you may prefer 29. If you love it, you can sell a cheap rear wheel for less of a hit and then buy a great rear wheel, or keep it as a spare.

 

[p3eps]

My next wheelset will be Hunt's. Love the quality to value ratio of those wheels.

I looked at these last week. Great value, however at 1889g for the mullet set, they're actually significantly heavier than the Roval's that come with the bike (~1770g). Also approx 3 months to get them if you order now!

 

[p3eps]

I think I'd go inexpensive on a 27.5 rear wheel. Try it out and you may prefer 29. If you love it, you can sell a cheap rear wheel for less of a hit and then buy a great rear wheel, or keep it as a spare.

I'm actually thinking of doing the opposite and running my 29" rear for a while to see how I like that. My old Stumpy is a 27.5 fattie... so I could put a slightly narrower tyre on that and borrow the rear for a few test rides.

I'll be keeping the 29" set anyway... as I'd like a set of winter wheels with real grippy tyres for the wet days

 

[Montana St Alum]

I'm actually thinking of doing the opposite and running my 29" rear for a while to see how I like that. My old Stumpy is a 27.5 fattie... so I could put a slightly narrower tyre on that and borrow the rear for a few test rides.

I'll be keeping the 29" set anyway... as I'd like a set of winter wheels with real grippy tyres for the wet days

That sounds really reasonable. I thought you had already decided to try the 27.5 out back.
I'm looking hard at a mullet Giant, as it's great bang for the buck, but I'd as soon stick with a 29x29.

 

[Another One]

I think you should go with Enve although not a fan of Carbon Wheels on Ebikes but think that's more about me.

 

[Ou812]

I’d go with a set from Berd, not sure if there’s any UK shops selling them yet though. My second choice would be the new We Are One convergence with Chris King hubs now that they started making 6 bolt hubs again.

 

[Montana St Alum]

I’d go with a set from Berd, not sure if there’s any UK shops selling them yet though. My second choice would be the new We Are One convergence with Chris King hubs now that they started making 6 bolt hubs again.

I really like my Berd wheelset on my mountain bike. Set up with carbon rims, they feel a lot like my i9 Trail 270 24H alloy set.

 

[FirstAscent]

I’m a huge fan of Industry Nine! I’ve had 5 sets. You can customize it to your hearts content and they are top quality. Whether you want 1 or 3 wheels, same or different sizes, whatever colors, they’ll do it.

I haven’t used their carbon rims yet but they are all around known for quality

 

[p3eps]

I think you should go with Enve although not a fan of Carbon Wheels on Ebikes but think that's more about me.

A set of ENVE's are looking at about £3000. They look lovely... but I'm not sure they're worth the price over some of the cheaper options.

 

[p3eps]

I’d go with a set from Berd, not sure if there’s any UK shops selling them yet though. My second choice would be the new We Are One convergence with Chris King hubs now that they started making 6 bolt hubs again.

I can't find anything on Berd, other than their spokes... which appear to be made of fabric?! Love the look of the white spokes, although I'm not sure how well white fabric spokes would last round here?! If I could find white steel ones, I think they'd look really cool on a black bike!
We Are One seem to be another US company that although I can get in the UK, the prices are silly.
The other thing is they're not that light at about 1900g for the 30mm Triads and i9 Hydras.

 

[p3eps]

I’m a huge fan of Industry Nine! I’ve had 5 sets. You can customize it to your hearts content and they are top quality. Whether you want 1 or 3 wheels, same or different sizes, whatever colors, they’ll do it.

I haven’t used their carbon rims yet but they are all around known for quality

If I could get i9 wheels over in the UK without having to have someone import them at an excess cost, then I'd probably go with them... however I'd be looking at about £2500 for a set. Not sure how the lifetime crash guarantee works with that either - do I have to send them to the US to have them rebuilt / replaced.

The Sixth Element ones recommended above come in at £2013 with i9 hubs, or £1670 with DT240 EXP... and are 1605g or 1527g for a 30mm wheelset with those.
DT350 is £1443 and 3g more than the i9 build at 1608g.

I guess my next question is are the i9 Hydras worth £570 more than the DT350's... or do I go with DT240EXP and save 80g?!

 

[Ou812]

I really like my Berd wheelset on my mountain bike. Set up with carbon rims, they feel a lot like my i9 Trail 270 24H alloy set.

My buddy in the US is a dealer for them, he runs them on all his bikes. I really want a set but I’ve not found any dealers here in the UK for them. I can get a set from him but shipping/import fees makes it not worth it.

Edit: I’ve found a UK dealer for Berd!

I can't find anything on Berd, other than their spokes... which appear to be made of fabric?! Love the look of the white spokes, although I'm not sure how well white fabric spokes would last round here?! If I could find white steel ones, I think they'd look really cool on a black bike!
We Are One seem to be another US company that although I can get in the UK, the prices are silly.
The other thing is they're not that light at about 1900g for the 30mm Triads and i9 Hydras.

The Hawk 30s with I9 hubs weigh 1394g, you can get black spokes too. I’ve found one guy that builds them in the UK, his start at £1250 using Berds Talon hubs.

RyanBuildsWheels - Handbuilt Bicycle Wheels

Obsessively Perfect Handbuilt Wheels for road, mountain, gravel, cyclocross and beyond. Browse the shop or get in touch your new custom bike wheels.

www.ryanbuildswheels.co.uk

 

[p3eps]

My buddy in the US is a dealer for them, he runs them on all his bikes. I really want a set but I’ve not found any dealers here in the UK for them. I can get a set from him but shipping/import fees makes it not worth it.

Edit: I’ve found a UK dealer for Berd!

The Hawk 30s with I9 hubs weigh 1394g, you can get black spokes too. I’ve found one guy that builds them in the UK, his start at £1250 using Berds Talon hubs.

RyanBuildsWheels - Handbuilt Bicycle Wheels

Obsessively Perfect Handbuilt Wheels for road, mountain, gravel, cyclocross and beyond. Browse the shop or get in touch your new custom bike wheels.

www.ryanbuildswheels.co.uk

Are they listed on his site? If so, I must be blind!! What's the cost of Hawk 30's with i9s? I really like the white spokes tbh!

 

[Ou812]

Are they listed on his site? If so, I must be blind!! What's the cost of Hawk 30's with i9s? I really like the white spokes tbh!

I didn’t see the Hawk 30s on his site, just the hubs and spokes. I would message the guy and see what he has or can get. He seems to be one of the only Berd importers here so I’m sure he has them.

Another shop to check out is Evo cycles, they have a wheel builder and you can build custom sets. I built a custom mullet set of I9 305s with them and it was £1295.

 

[Montana St Alum]

My buddy in the US is a dealer for them, he runs them on all his bikes. I really want a set but I’ve not found any dealers here in the UK for them. I can get a set from him but shipping/import fees makes it not worth it.

Edit: I’ve found a UK dealer for Berd!

The Hawk 30s with I9 hubs weigh 1394g, you can get black spokes too. I’ve found one guy that builds them in the UK, his start at £1250 using Berds Talon hubs.

RyanBuildsWheels - Handbuilt Bicycle Wheels

Obsessively Perfect Handbuilt Wheels for road, mountain, gravel, cyclocross and beyond. Browse the shop or get in touch your new custom bike wheels.

www.ryanbuildswheels.co.uk

I have about 3000 miles of trail riding on mine in Utah (dry and dusty). I kept mine white, because they'll just get dirty anyway, but there are several color kits available. I do wonder as to color durability, as the spoke aren't absorbent. I don't even notice them, visually. Mine are i27, but I'd love to get the i30 (though I haven't found 3mm of inner rim width to be noticeable). I'm 160lbs and ride a lot in Moab, where you'd expect wheels to die horribly, and I run very low pressure without inserts, but haven't had a problem. Though there's a recommendation to tighten them after a specified period, I never have and don't feel like they need tightening. They're still nice and true. Mine have Hydra hubs.

 

[Ou812]

I have about 3000 miles of trail riding on mine in Utah (dry and dusty). I kept mine white, because they'll just get dirty anyway, but there are several color kits available. I don't even notice them, visually. Mine are i27, but I'd love to get the i30 (though I haven't found 3mm of inner rim width to be noticeable). I'm 160lbs and ride a lot in Moab, where you'd expect wheels to die horribly, and I run very low pressure without inserts, but haven't had a problem. Though there's a recommendation to tighten them after a specified period, I never have and don't feel like they need tightening. They're still nice and true. Mine have Hydra hubs.

My buddy swears by them, he runs them on everything from his gravel bikes all the way up to his e-bikes. I really want to try a set, I’m planning on making a trip back to the US this summer sometime so I may pick up a set from him and bring them back with me.

 

[p3eps]

I didn’t see the Hawk 30s on his site, just the hubs and spokes. I would message the guy and see what he has or can get. He seems to be one of the only Berd importers here so I’m sure he has them.

Another shop to check out is Evo cycles, they have a wheel builder and you can build custom sets. I built a custom mullet set of I9 305s with them and it was £1295.

I’ll have to try that out on a computer, as the wheel builder keeps messing up on my phone. Seems to revert to DT Swiss rims all the time.

I’ll send Ryan an email and see what they have.

My frame should be at the shop today, so I guess I’ll be running ‘29 for a bit first!

 

[thewanted]

I’ll send Ryan an email and see what they have.

I’m looking forward to hearing what he says as those Berd Hawk 30 wheels look fantastic.

I was eyeing up the We Are One Convergence wheels but couldn’t find them easily in the UK, which means they’ll be big money.

 

[p3eps]

I’m looking forward to hearing what he says as those Berd Hawk 30 wheels look fantastic.

I was eyeing up the We Are One Convergence wheels but couldn’t find them easily in the UK, which means they’ll be big money.

Turns out one of my local stores deal in We Are One wheels, and can do me a mullet set of Unions for £1630 or Convergence (Triad) for £1780. Both with i9 Hydra hubs. They use Halo spokes, which I'm not so sure about?

The Evo Cycles wheel builder has a bit of a glitch when you try and put in i9 wheels / hubs / spokes and add colour... but I spoke with them and I'd be looking at around £2600 for the customised set.

The best value, and potentially the lightest are Sixth Element rims, DT240EXP hubs and Sapim CX Ray spokes at £1670.

Will see what Ryan comes back with regarding the Berd wheels.

On the plus side, my frame is here a week early, so I'm going to collect that on my way home. I'll just use my 29" pair for building it for the moment until I make a decision!

 

[Plummet]

I'm looking to do the same for my Voima.

Have you seen the Envy foundation series.

Looks like they might be £1800 ish.

ENVE Foundation MTB

PRODUCT DETAILS The AM30 is ENVE’s flagship all-carbon mountain bike wheel for its new Foundation Collection line up. The US made wheelset pays tribute to ENVE’s roots and the all-mountain durable ENV

wheelsmith.co.uk