nick_the_wheelbuilder

I'm obviously nit-picking, but on the Spez site, the Epic Evo has wider rims, but the same low-end hubs and spokes. The wheels are probably heavier than the wheels on the Chisel because they're wider. Carbon frame, heavier wheels. The Epic Evo Comp has better spokes and rims, but costs substantially more now. Only when you look at the Epic Pro or S-Works do you get carbon wheels, but then you're paying R165k+ for the bike.

Yes and no. People love options. It's a fact that most OEM's compromise heavily when it comes to the wheels they spec on their bikes, so they can hit a price point. The new Chisel is a great example of this. Specifying cheap Shimano hubs, laced with plain-gauge spokes to average rims leaves a lot of performance potential on the table. Also true is that upgrading a new bike isn't something many people will do - but some will. Is it worth spending 1/3 of the cost of a new bike on new, better wheels? Some will argue that this is a great investment, especially if you can keep the wheels and transfer to whatever bike you buy next. Kind of like buying an already quick car and spending money on a performance chip for the ECU - guys do it all the time, not because it makes sense, but because people are enthusiasts. We don't spend the same on mountain bikes as we do on 2nd hand cars because we NEED to, it's because we want to, right? Pro's who win races don't buy bikes, it's us wannabe racers who spend our hard-earned cash on luxuries like dual-sus Specialized bikes. If a lighter set of wheels makes you happier when you ride, that's cool. If you're happy to ride a stock bike, that's awesome too

One could easily save some weight on a Chisel by swapping the wheels out, and make a good bike great. Based on the website I'm guesstimating the stock wheels will weigh +/- 2000g for the set. Keep the stock wheels as spares (or sell them) and throw on a 1300g set of carbon wheels for R25k or a 1650g set of alloy ones for R15-16k. If it were me I'd build a set of wheels with DT Swiss 350 or H-Works straight pull hubs, Stan's Arch Mk4 rims and light 2.0 - 1.5 - 2.0mm spokes.

Only R20k saving... and as good, if not better in every way...

With pleasure

I'd just like to share some pics of the last set of wheels I built. Here are the specs: 29er BOOST Nextie Vista Alpha asym carbon rims (30mm inner width / 280g per rim) DT Swiss 350 straight-pull hubs Pillar PSR Xtra1420 bladed spokes with black brass DSN nipples Total wheelset weight: 1300g with rim tape Price as built and delivered: R27 995.00 The cool thing about these wheels is they compare well to the pro-level Bontrager Kovee RSL wheels (only 100g heavier) but cost a whopping R22 500 less. I am incredibly privileged to be able to build wheels like these. Thanks to everyone who's supported me to date.

Lyne hubs are superb for the price. "Big" name brands have become a lot more pricy over the past few years. The budget friendly hubs I'd recommend are: Lyne Cure Rapide If you insist on big international brands like Hope, DT Swiss, or i9, expect to pay significantly more. Don't skimp on rims and spokes and nipples though - these are often the deciding factors when it comes to overall, long-term wheel durability.

I've built loads of wheels with Nextie rims and rebuilt a lot of ENVE wheels. The level of quality and finishing on the Nextie rims is better than all of the Enve wheels I've worked on... As good as anything I've ever worked on.

Ceramic bearings are snake oil and offer no benefit over decent quality steel bearings, at all. Don't waste your money. Rather buy better quality hubs

Obviously I'm going to chime in and remind you that you can have a custom wheelset built with your choice of rims, hubs and spokes. For example, I can build a wheelset with Hope RS4 hubs, Nextie rims and bladed Pillar spokes, for around R24k, delivered nationwide.

I ship wheels all the time, as you can imagine. Get a wheel box from your bike shop, or a couple empty boxes from your local supermarket. Make the box as small as possible, so that the wheels fit snuggly. Remove tyres - this makes the box 10cm shorter (and cheaper). I normally pay between R250 and R280 with The Courier Guy, for nationwide economy shipping. Take your box with wheel inside to your local Courier Guy depot or kiosk and you can pay cash for the shipment. Happy to answer any other questions you have.

I only know of one Wheelbuilder, William’s Bike Shop in Somerset West. If you don’t come right you can courier the stuff to me.

Just finished a nice carbon gravel wheelset with Hope Pro5 hubs and South Industries GX rims. Hope you like 'em.

To the OP... WhatsApp me the details and as many pics as possible and I can give you a sensible way forward. I wouldn't recommend rebuilding the Mk3 wheels as they WILL crack at the spoke holes. Most cost effective solution is riding the front wheel as-is if it's ok, and building a new rear wheel. I have some budget-friendly options. Get me on 0.8.3.4.5.2.8.7.1.6

My friends at Spank gave me a set of rims and hubs to build up, and this was the result: Spank 359 Vibrocore rims on their Hex Drive hubs with double butted Pillar spokes and green anodised nipples. There's no freehub installed because the buyer of these wheels will specify which type they need. Let me know what you think!

Yup. Prices and costs have escalated substantially, unfortunately. Shipping a pair of rims from Nextie to me costs $140 via FedEX. I can’t rely on the post office.

Those are great value for money. For me to build something equivalent you’re looking at around R20k-ish. Best is for me to send you a few options with itemized quotes so you can pick the best possible hub and rim combination for your money.

At 97kg I would opt for a set with more than 20/24 spokes front and rear. I would suggest 24/28 at least. A custom-built set is easily available in that configuration.

If I had to make a recommendation for R17k I would say use your existing hubs and get new carbon rims and light bladed spokes. Add R5-8k for a good set of hubs. The much lower weight of carbon rims makes a huge difference in ride feel. I’ll comment on the Lyne set once I have seen the specs.

I'd love to sell someone a new 27'5" rear wheel, but if you're looking for more agility, install a dropper seatpost and use it often!

Very cool engineering in that design but... do current and traditional hub designs cause such a nightmare headache that we need to re-invent the wheel? Not for 99% of us. And GBP825 / R17 000 for a set of hubs? That's in DT Swiss 180 territory. Or Chris King. A niche product for a niche target customer. Once you bring a proprietary design into the cycling industry you either need a bottomless bank account or a logo like SRAM to make it work in the long term.

Is there a route map available? The one on the website only shows 2 shorter segments.

Just finished up some disc-brake road wheels. 1375g set with 40mm deep rims. Tubeless-ready. Almost makes me want to buy a road bike!

Yes it's a pity Stan's don't have any carbon rims at the moment. That said, their alloy options in the Mk4 range are superb. Their Crest Mk4 has a 25mm inner width and weighs only 399g per rim, placing them squarely in carbon territory, for far less money. Pair the crests with a light set of straightpull hubs and bladed spokes and you have a 1450g XC wheelset for under R15k.

Reviving this thread a little, since there are plenty of options and many people may want some info. I'll leave some links to 29" carbon MTB rims available through dealers/wheel builders and / or direct. This info is RIMS ONLY and doesn't apply to complete wheelsets. Pricing is accurate at time of writing this - Jan 2024. Pricing may change at any time. South African brands: South Industries. (via dealer or wheel builder) Lifetime warranty & crash replacement, manufactured in SA. XCR29 - 310g per rim / 28mm inner width / R10 995 per rim XC29 - 370g per rim / 29mm inner width / R8995 per rim END29 - 515g / 31mm inner width / R8995 per rim DH29 - 575g / 31mm inner width / R8995 per rim Lyne Components. (direct or via a dealer / wheel builder) South African brand, rims made abroad. 5 year warranty, 2 year crash replacement. AMP Carbon - 450g per rim / 30.5mm inner width / R6100 per rim cSixx. (direct or via dealer or wheel builder) South African brand, rims manufactured abroad. Lifetime warranty, 2-year crash replacement. XCO 9-series - 325 g / 27mm inner width / R9650 per rim XCM 9-series - 355g / 30mm inner / R9650 XCM 6-series - 480g / 30mm inner / R7995 END 9-series - 445g / 30mm inner / R9650 DHE e-series - 495g / 30mm / R9650 Concept Speed. (Available direct or via a dealer or wheel builder) SA brand, made abroad 30mm inner / 450g / R7599 / no warranty info on their website. Dark Horse Wheels. SA brand, rims made abroad. Available direct. 30mm inner / 400g / R5995 per rim. 2-year warranty. International brands: Pricing listed here is either directly from their website excl shipping and any shipping taxes or when buying from me, which includes shipping / import tax etc. Nextie. Made in China, on special order only. Available direct or via myself as an officially listed distributor. Pricing listed is when purchased via me. 3-year warranty and crash replacement on all models. Vista Alpha - (XC) 280g / 30mm inner / R7850 per rim (asym spoke bed) Vista Omega - (XC / trail) 285g / 29mm inner / R7850 per rim (asym spoke bed) UM32 - XC / Trail / 27mm inner / 320g / R7100 per rim (symmetrical) UM35 - XC / Trail / 30mm inner / 325g / 355g (AM) option. / R7100 per rim (symmetrical) XM36 - AM/Enduro / 30mm inner / 420g / R7100 per rim UML34 - XC / Trail / 28mm inner / 310g / Asym / R7100 per rim XMA35 - XC / Trail / 30mm inner / 325g / Asym / R7100 per rim XML35 - AM/Enduro / 29mm inner / 360g (AM) / 430g (END) / R7100 per rim XML38 - AM/Enduro / 32mm inner / 415g (AM) / 445g (END) / R7100 per rim XD39 - DH / 30mm inner / 550g / R7100 per rim AM35 - Trail / Enduro / 29mm inner / 450g / 480g / R6250 per rim Light Bicycle (available direct) Recon Pro XC930 - 30mm inner / 270g +/-15g / 5 year warranty / $289 per rim excl shipping + taxes (Approx R7800-8000 once shipping and taxes added) Recon Pro EN932 - 32mm inner / 500g / pricing same as the rim above. Recon RM29C07 - 30mm inner / 420g per rim / $180 per rim Approx R6000 once shipped and imported. Bontrager / Roval etc don't sell rims separately as far as I can ascertain. The only ENVE rim available in SA via the agents is the M525 (25mm inner) and is approx R20k for a single rim. Reserve also doesn't sell rims in the aftermarket. Disclaimer: I may have left out some brands or options, so please feel free to ask or mention some, and I'll add the info to this post.