Advice - MTB Carbon Wheelset

[nick_the_wheelbuilder]

28 minutes ago, Phillippe Coetzee said:

What is everyones opinion on Nextie carbon rims ?

https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/mountain-bike-rims/662562/nextie-rims-brand-new I see these are available.

Nextie are super. Like really superb.
The quality of fit and finish is perfect and very consistent.
Variations in published weight is +/- 15g normally.

 (I'm the nominated SA representative / distributor for the brand)

The model in the link you shared is 420 per rim - heavy, but strong for enduro-type riding.

They have super-light options for marathon / XC coming in at 280g for a 30mm inner width version.
And everything in between - see nextie.com

Their quality control and warranty, although only 3 years, is great and they give outstanding service.

When I order from them, the rims arrive in 4-5 weeks and cost between R7000 - 8000 per rim, depending on the model.

Custom graphics are also available, or you can choose standard graphics, or no graphics.

[nick_the_wheelbuilder]

8 minutes ago, Madone69 said:

I think your info is incorrect as per Csixx website below. Maybe you pushing for the South products 🤔 

 

 

Nope, their rims come from China - I know this to be a fact as Alex from cSixx told me in person.

Would I push for South versus a Chinese product at the same price? Yes I would.

CSixx rims are great, don't get me wrong, but handmade rims from Cape Town would be my pick for the money.

Edited August 16, 2023 by nick_the_wheelbuilder

[Madone69]

1 minute ago, nick_the_wheelbuilder said:

Nope, their rims come from China - I know this to be a fact as Alex from cSixx told me in person.

Ok....i hope the advertising commision is not on thehub then.....in any case is a Chinese made product a bad thing?

[nick_the_wheelbuilder]

2 minutes ago, Madone69 said:

Ok....i hope the advertising commision is not on thehub then.....in any case is a Chinese made product a bad thing?

The quality of many carbon products from China these days is incredible - remember that most big brand carbon parts are made there anyways.

Like I've said for Nextie: super quality, very responsive service and a great product at a very affordable price compared to bigger brands.

[Phillippe Coetzee]

20 minutes ago, nick_the_wheelbuilder said:

Nextie are super. Like really superb.
The quality of fit and finish is perfect and very consistent.
Variations in published weight is +/- 15g normally.

 (I'm the nominated SA representative / distributor for the brand)

The model in the link you shared is 420 per rim - heavy, but strong for enduro-type riding.

They have super-light options for marathon / XC coming in at 280g for a 30mm inner width version.
And everything in between - see nextie.com

Their quality control and warranty, although only 3 years, is great and they give outstanding service.

When I order from them, the rims arrive in 4-5 weeks and cost between R7000 - 8000 per rim, depending on the model.

Custom graphics are also available, or you can choose standard graphics, or no graphics.

Thank you for the info, maybe a dumb question but is it really worth it spending 10-15k extra on a carbon set over a alloy set ? Whats the benefits ?

 

one thing that bothered me a bit is the 3 year warranty 🙃

Edited August 16, 2023 by Phillippe Coetzee

[Dexter-morgan]

8 minutes ago, Phillippe Coetzee said:

Thank you for the info, maybe a dumb question but is it really worth it spending 10-15k extra on a carbon set over a alloy set ? Whats the benefits ?

 

one thing that bothered me a bit is the 3 year warranty 🙃

Would be my question as well, 200g per wheel?

[Phillippe Coetzee]

8 minutes ago, Dexter-morgan said:

Would be my question as well, 200g per wheel?

From what I have read online, carbon wheels are stiffer etc, but was wondering what a professional would say since they work with them 😋 never owned a carbon set before, so quite curious to know the difference 🙏🏼

[AkwA]

I’ve been running carbon wheels on my enduro bike for a while now, can feel the weight a bit, imagining you’d be able to feel it more on an xc bike

Does defo feel a little stiffer

I used to warp my alloy rims all the time, like every few weeks, haven’t had a single issue on the carbons

 

[nick_the_wheelbuilder]

There's a definite benefit with carbon rims vs. alloy.

Same strength, lower weight.
Also, carbon rims don't go out of true like alloy. Metal bends and stays bent.

Carbon bounces back or breaks.

For me the main selling point is the weight saving, which influences handling and acceleration.

Like for like, a 30mm inner width alloy rim weighs 450g+, while there are now 30mm inner width carbon rims available at 280g per rim. Imagine saving 170g per wheel, 340g per set, just by changing your rims - going from a 1900g+ wheelset to a 1560g set.

You feel that difference for sure.

With regards to "stiffness", I'd be surprised if you could tell the difference between a well-built alloy set compared to a well-built carbon set.

Rim shape also influences "compliance".

Deeper section rims are "stiffer" or more rigid than very shallow rims.
Spank, for instance, has honed in on shallow rims for better radial compliance, which helps directional tracking through rocky terrain.

Check this article: https://spank-ind.com/blogs/news/possibly-one-of-the-biggest-innovations-in-rime-engineering-in-recent-years

[nick_the_wheelbuilder]

36 minutes ago, Phillippe Coetzee said:

Thank you for the info, maybe a dumb question but is it really worth it spending 10-15k extra on a carbon set over a alloy set ? Whats the benefits ?

 

one thing that bothered me a bit is the 3 year warranty 🙃

The warranty is on manufacturing defects.

These will show quickly.

Even a lifetime warranty is meaningless if the rim doesn't break due to a quality issue, or does break due to a massive rider impact.

Damage from a square-edge impact is only covered by the crash replacement discount, not the warranty.

[Phillippe Coetzee]

12 minutes ago, nick_the_wheelbuilder said:

The warranty is on manufacturing defects.

These will show quickly.

Even a lifetime warranty is meaningless if the rim doesn't break due to a quality issue, or does break due to a massive rider impact.

Damage from a square-edge impact is only covered by the crash replacement discount, not the warranty.

Cool stuff, and whats the benefits of moving over to carbon wheels ? 

[lechatnoir]

26 minutes ago, AkwA said:

I’ve been running carbon wheels on my enduro bike for a while now, can feel the weight a bit, imagining you’d be able to feel it more on an xc bike

Does defo feel a little stiffer

I used to warp my alloy rims all the time, like every few weeks, haven’t had a single issue on the carbons

 

Ah, you need your car's exhaust for that.

[LazyTrailRider]

50 minutes ago, Phillippe Coetzee said:

but is it really worth it spending 10-15k extra on a carbon set over a alloy set ? Whats the benefits ?

For me, the most important factor is impact resistance.

Yes, I know a carbon rim will crack if you hit it REALLY hard, but that's the thing: you have to hit it REALLY hard.

I can't even count the number of dings I've put into alloy rims over the years, very often with a loss of tubeless seal and a walk home. I've ridden mostly carbon since 2015 and have NEVER cracked anything even with some pretty gnarly enduro riding. In comparison, I went back to an alloy set on a secondary bike earlier in the year and managed to ding the rear not once, but twice in 6 months at the same pressures.

I'm light at 69kg and ride very low pressure (16psi fr / 19psi rear) and I'm pretty smooth and slow, which definitely affects the equation, but even with that smoothness/slowness I still managed to ding alloy...

[cadenceblur]

I have been running carbon rims for 7 years with very few issues, barring maybe 2 spokes on the rear in that time and hardly any "out of true" issues that comes to mind.

When I fitted them I could immediately feel the stiffness and responsiveness. 

I am a big fella (used to be around 103kg - now 96kg)

They are on my Pyga Stage and have been put through quite a bit.

I have the Pyga Trail Wide rims that made way back then BTW

[dave303e]

With the weight advantage. Remember a bike has 3 types of weight.

1- Sprung weight, this is all the stuff above the suspension travel. It is usually the least impact on performance.

2- Unsprung weight, this is weight that moves with the suspension( fork lowers, rear triangles, brake calipers etc) This does have effect on the performance a bit more that unsprung because your suspension has to work against it so it does hamper the suspension a little. But it is still not the worst thing.

3- Rotating mass, this is fairly self explanatory and it is the worst type of weight. The inertia is the killer here and the further from the point of rotation the worse it is. So tyres and rims are the worst place to have weight. You can certainly feel the weight drop there. The wheels are easier to accelerate and brake, the bike turns easier and so on.

I didn't believe you could feel the stiffness but actually you can, especially in the rear and especially if your tyre pressure is up a little. So even through the flex in the fork neck and the flexing of the tyres you can feel it. Especially if you have come from light weight alloy rims.

[Phillippe Coetzee]

6 minutes ago, dave303e said:

With the weight advantage. Remember a bike has 3 types of weight.

1- Sprung weight, this is all the stuff above the suspension travel. It is usually the least impact on performance.

2- Unsprung weight, this is weight that moves with the suspension( fork lowers, rear triangles, brake calipers etc) This does have effect on the performance a bit more that unsprung because your suspension has to work against it so it does hamper the suspension a little. But it is still not the worst thing.

3- Rotating mass, this is fairly self explanatory and it is the worst type of weight. The inertia is the killer here and the further from the point of rotation the worse it is. So tyres and rims are the worst place to have weight. You can certainly feel the weight drop there. The wheels are easier to accelerate and brake, the bike turns easier and so on.

I didn't believe you could feel the stiffness but actually you can, especially in the rear and especially if your tyre pressure is up a little. So even through the flex in the fork neck and the flexing of the tyres you can feel it. Especially if you have come from light weight alloy rims.

I really did not know 400g on rotation can make such a big difference, obviously when you haven't felt or experienced it, its harder to understand but very interesting.