@ Perry Schebel: I have had ENVE DH, ENVE M70, Light Bicycle and NOBL wheels/ rims, and I am waiting for my set of We Are One Composite wheels at the moment. I would never go back to Aluminium unless I was given them for free. The design and quality of the carbon is important. I broke a Light Bicycle rim (sudden extreme compression whilst crossing a sharp object seems to be the undoing of carbon rims) and to their credit and email with photos and an explanation had a new rim and complete set of new spokes in the post within a week (which they needed to colour match the rim art work). The ENVE DH are still going after five years including over 400 Whistler Bike Park guiding days (so lots of mistakes, hours and wear and tear) and two different frames.
The ENVE M70 were too stiff (no lateral or vertical compliance at my riding speeds) and given the relatively strong US/ Canada dollar exchange at the time I sold them to someone who wanted them more than I did. I also disliked the internal nipple thing which requires a complete strip down to replace a broken spoke.
The NOBL TR38 wheels are amazing and I am spoilt by having a spragg clutch rear hub, but about the carbon, Dustin made sure that the profile was such that there was some lateral and vertical compliance built into them. They are way better than the ENVE M70 (less harsh due to the shallower rim profile as well as lay up) they replaced as well as giving my favourite tyres a better tread profile. They have survived two years of hard riding, including a Trans-Provence, with only some cosmetic scratches to show for it.
For my riding I really should have got the NOBL TR33, which would ride with a little more compliance at my weight and riding speeds, but I really liked the foot print that the TR38 gave the tyres so I went burlier than I should have for my riding style.
To help off set the stiffness of carbon, and take advantage of the strength increase and weight saving, I usually get my wheels built up with Sapim CX-Ray spokes. They have the best strength and fatigue life of any spoke so are worth the extra price in my opinion.
I am moving to We Are One Composites as I believe in supporting "Made in Canada" and these are hand made in Kamloops, plus I trust Dustin and I have seen how 'badly' they have been treated by some of his "way more talented and faster than me" development riders and they keep coming up shining. The Project 321 hubs are not made in Canada but they are hand made by our southern neighbours (USA) which is better than outsourcing everything to China in my opinion, plus they have the quiet pawl engagement option which I now prefer.
For the peace of mind of total reliability (rims, spokes and hubs) I don't feel that that a good carbon wheel set is that expensive when one considers that a DT Swiss wheel set will run close to $1000 and one will probably be replacing them annually.
If you are in Whistler you are welcome to give them a try.
July 13, 2017, 4:30 p.m. - Andrew Runciman
@ Perry Schebel: I have had ENVE DH, ENVE M70, Light Bicycle and NOBL wheels/ rims, and I am waiting for my set of We Are One Composite wheels at the moment. I would never go back to Aluminium unless I was given them for free. The design and quality of the carbon is important. I broke a Light Bicycle rim (sudden extreme compression whilst crossing a sharp object seems to be the undoing of carbon rims) and to their credit and email with photos and an explanation had a new rim and complete set of new spokes in the post within a week (which they needed to colour match the rim art work). The ENVE DH are still going after five years including over 400 Whistler Bike Park guiding days (so lots of mistakes, hours and wear and tear) and two different frames. The ENVE M70 were too stiff (no lateral or vertical compliance at my riding speeds) and given the relatively strong US/ Canada dollar exchange at the time I sold them to someone who wanted them more than I did. I also disliked the internal nipple thing which requires a complete strip down to replace a broken spoke. The NOBL TR38 wheels are amazing and I am spoilt by having a spragg clutch rear hub, but about the carbon, Dustin made sure that the profile was such that there was some lateral and vertical compliance built into them. They are way better than the ENVE M70 (less harsh due to the shallower rim profile as well as lay up) they replaced as well as giving my favourite tyres a better tread profile. They have survived two years of hard riding, including a Trans-Provence, with only some cosmetic scratches to show for it. For my riding I really should have got the NOBL TR33, which would ride with a little more compliance at my weight and riding speeds, but I really liked the foot print that the TR38 gave the tyres so I went burlier than I should have for my riding style. To help off set the stiffness of carbon, and take advantage of the strength increase and weight saving, I usually get my wheels built up with Sapim CX-Ray spokes. They have the best strength and fatigue life of any spoke so are worth the extra price in my opinion. I am moving to We Are One Composites as I believe in supporting "Made in Canada" and these are hand made in Kamloops, plus I trust Dustin and I have seen how 'badly' they have been treated by some of his "way more talented and faster than me" development riders and they keep coming up shining. The Project 321 hubs are not made in Canada but they are hand made by our southern neighbours (USA) which is better than outsourcing everything to China in my opinion, plus they have the quiet pawl engagement option which I now prefer. For the peace of mind of total reliability (rims, spokes and hubs) I don't feel that that a good carbon wheel set is that expensive when one considers that a DT Swiss wheel set will run close to $1000 and one will probably be replacing them annually. If you are in Whistler you are welcome to give them a try.