Lightest ALLOY 29er MTB wheelset ever?

[nick_the_wheelbuilder]

Does anyone know what the lightest alloy 29er wheelset for mountain biking is?

I'm busy with a very special wheelbuild (details once I have photos) and it's going to be very light for an alloy set.

Carbon-light, in fact.

Any info on any really light all-alloy MTB wheelsets (that don't cost more than a carbon set)?

Spoiler alert: the set I'm building uses Stan's Crest Mk4 rims....

[RobertWhitehead]

American Classic is lighter than Stans . 

[Me rida my bicycle]

Yes the American classic race 29ers with light spokes where around 1300g built for/by a LBS owner years ago. I used to love AC wheels but they where soft so no low pressure, as with anything you can't have it all. 

[michaelbiker]

Not sure if these are the lightest but they come in under 1400g

https://bikeonline.it/en/ruote-29/1732-drc-3xl-wide-29er-carbon-ti-x-hub-mtb-sp-wheelset-from-1395g-2000000000000.html#/182-nipple_colour-black/192-number_of_spokes-28_ant_28_post/131-front_hub_standard-qr9_quick_release/133-rear_hub_standard-qr_135mm_quick_release/168-hub_colour-black/457-rear_wheel_dish-standard/562-spoke_type-alpina_blade_superlite/37-compatibility-shimano_sram_mtb_10_11s

[babse]

16 minutes ago, Me rida my bicycle said:

Yes the American classic race 29ers with light spokes where around 1300g built for/by a LBS owner years ago. I used to love AC wheels but they where soft so no low pressure, as with anything you can't have it all. 

Took me 3 AMC rims to realise this🙃 

[Prince Albert Cycles]

In about 2013 I bought a set of Stan’s Race Gold for my Cannondale Flash carbon .

They were just over 1300g and is still running albeit with a spoke and nipple rebuild and bearing replacement after 40,000 km. I weigh 80 kg.

[nick_the_wheelbuilder]

Oh, forgot to mention. 
 

Also BOOST. 

[RobertWhitehead]

16 hours ago, nick_the_wheelbuilder said:

Oh, forgot to mention. 
 

Also BOOST. 

Not to come across like a box Nick but you mentioned that you're busy with a wheel build, therefore the BOOST part sits with the hubs and doesn't matter .

[nick_the_wheelbuilder]

1 hour ago, RobertWhitehead said:

Not to come across like a box Nick but you mentioned that you're busy with a wheel build, therefore the BOOST part sits with the hubs and doesn't matter .

Well boost hubs are wider and theoretically heavier. 
 

In the past, stuff was often lighter. 

Narrower rims, QR hubs. 
 

So much focus is now on carbon parts, so it’s interesting to see what is possible with affordable alloy stuff. 

[nick_the_wheelbuilder]

Ok, so admittedly this wheelset I've been working on may not be close to lightest alloy wheelset ever, but it came out nicely.

Stan's Crest Mk4 rims laced to H-Works straightpull BOOST hubs with 54t star-ratchet freehub mechanism and xD driver.

Pillar PSR Xtra1420 bladed spokes and black brass Sapim Securelock DSN nipples.

1470g before tape and valves.

This wheelset is squarely in carbon territory, at about R10k less money.

I'd love to know what you think! 

[Hilton.]

Very nice!

How do you find the durability with the Crest Mk4's ?

[nick_the_wheelbuilder]

3 minutes ago, Hilton. said:

Very nice!

How do you find the durability with the Crest Mk4's ?

Really good for such a light rim.

Obviously they're not meant for big jumps and really heavy riders, but for average riders wanting a light wheelset for marathon-type riding and gravel, they're superb.

[Me rida my bicycle]

1 hour ago, nick_the_wheelbuilder said:

Ok, so admittedly this wheelset I've been working on may not be close to lightest alloy wheelset ever, but it came out nicely.

Stan's Crest Mk4 rims laced to H-Works straightpull BOOST hubs with 54t star-ratchet freehub mechanism and xD driver.

Pillar PSR Xtra1420 bladed spokes and black brass Sapim Securelock DSN nipples.

1470g before tape and valves.

This wheelset is squarely in carbon territory, at about R10k less money.

I'd love to know what you think! 

Looks good. What would the price be +- and I take it it could be done the same way with Arch or Flow rim's for the more rounded riders? 

[nick_the_wheelbuilder]

2 minutes ago, Me rida my bicycle said:

Looks good. What would the price be +- and I take it it could be done the same way with Arch or Flow rim's for the more rounded riders? 

Yes 100%.

About R14 900, built, taped, valved and delivered nationwide.

[David Marshall]

I once had a customer bring me parts to build the lightest alloy wheelset around.  I can't for the life of me remember the rim brand but it was German and they had built very light 26" rims. Unfortunately they didn't transition to 29" well.  It was the only time that I've had a wheel pretzel while building (at around 80 kgf).  Needless to say they didn't last well. After that I threw out the workshop scale and all the aluminium nipples.

Talking of light I see that Light Bicycle have built a carbon wheelset (road) at  718g. Disc and tubular.

Rim is 180g 

[nick_the_wheelbuilder]

1 hour ago, David Marshall said:

I once had a customer bring me parts to build the lightest alloy wheelset around.  I can't for the life of me remember the rim brand but it was German and they had built very light 26" rims. Unfortunately they didn't transition to 29" well.  It was the only time that I've had a wheel pretzel while building (at around 80 kgf).  Needless to say they didn't last well. After that I threw out the workshop scale and all the aluminium nipples.

Talking of light I see that Light Bicycle have built a carbon wheelset (road) at  718g. Disc and tubular.

Rim is 180g 

I had a rim pretzel once - a first-gen WTB KOM i21.
If I turned the nipples more than half a turn each, it went all wonky. Took me about 4 hours to tension and true.

There's light and then there's stupid.
I'm convinced that once you go too light the wheels become so fragile that they're really impractical.