Dreaming of an aggressive 29er for the North Shore and PNW

/\That Michelin Wild Racer Enduro on Remy's bike looks like an interesting tire.

Ah I see NSMB reviewed it.
http://nsmb.com/michelin-wild-racer-enduro-rear-tire-review/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYVDkp_CxL8

Currently owning a regular Scott Genius (2015 720, not the LT or 27.5+)' I'm not a big fan of Scott's single pivot rear suspension. I'm pretty sure the shock on this "Frankenbike" has some kind of custom tune to make up for the linkage shortcomings and he still needs the lockout to get it to pedal properly.

Speaking of "Frankenbikes" I'd love to find a nice light but strong frame with at least 160 mm of rear wheel travel that would lend itself to a 27.5" rear and 29" front tire / fork combo. With reasonable geometry I think this combo would be killer on the NS. The rollover capability of a 29er combined with the tire clearance / travel and wheel strength/stiffness of a 27.5" rear. Also some claim this tire size combination allows quicker turns and having the front axle sit higher than the rear provides greater resistance to going OTB when you are 'plowing' through steep, rough terrain. I know Foes and Liteville have bikes / frames that use this concept. The Foes Mixer Trail and Enduro are especially interesting but unfortunately the bikes are kind of heavy. I'm not sure if that is due to the aluminum frame or component selection.

…….

Actually, after reading some of the reviews on the Foes Mixer Enduro, it sounds like the perfect bike for me, although it would likely be in the 32 lbs range. As a bonus they sell frame only options at slightly less ridiculous prices than some of the other options we've been talking about. The frame does look like a bit of a dinosaur though, but I've always been a function over form guy anyway. Definitely one to add to the possibilities list.

Derbys are reasonably priced. The Nobls look really nice too. At the time Derbys were around US$379 each which didn't feel so outrageous.

Derby, Nox, Nobl are all rebranded LB hoops.

at $200ea, the LB's are looking really good. huh.

100% improvement, instantly noticeable. My E29's Roval wheelset was super light and I quickly turned them into octagons. I replaced them with Flows (not the new MK3s, whatever came before) and these were a big improvement but still flexed alot when you really pushed them. When the Derbys went on I crashed a few times when I'd dig in my front wheel, expecting them to twist and flex like my alloy rims. In a way they upped my game because I had to learn to drive them really hard, really deliberately. My cornering is so much better now.

Derbys are reasonably priced. The Nobls look really nice too. At the time Derbys were around US$379 each which didn't feel so outrageous. Two years later they are still going strong. Definitely worth it. If you're over 200lbs on a 29er on the Shore I'd say they are pretty key to making the big wheels work.

Thanks for the info. Will probably by a set of Light Bicycle carbon rims after the winter - more in my price range than the rest of the carbon rims out there.

Do you ride your E29 in the bike park too (with the carbon rims)? I got rid of my DH bike so my E29 will get some bike park use now… wondering if carbon rims in the bike park is a bad idea. I am a pretty tame rider though so it should probably be fine.

Derby, Nox, Nobl are all rebranded LB hoops.

Are the Nobl's rebranded? The rims Nobl uses aren't available on the LB site. Nobl has a slight lip indent, and it looks like the widths are different. Wouldn't be surprised if they came out of the same factory though.

Personally, I'd rather purchase from Nobl. Small price to pay to support a local company and to have actual riders building your wheels.

at $200ea, the LB's are looking really good. huh.

Careful with the actual landed cost on those.

I recently almost ordered a LB rim, as I have one on the front that's been excellent.

After exchange, shipping and Paypal fees, it was up around $350 to my door. Too much for my blood. I put on a WTB i29 Asym instead.

Personally, I'd rather purchase from Nobl. Small price to pay to support a local company and to have actual riders building your wheels.

This. Not to mention their CS is amazing. Sure I could have saved a couple hundred $ by going via LB but totally worth it to have someone local(ish) to deal with was a bug selling point.

This. Not to mention their CS is amazing. Sure I could have saved a couple hundred $ by going via LB but totally worth it to have someone local(ish) to deal with was a bug selling point.

Good point - if I am spending good $$ on new wheels its nice to know that the vendor is just down the street to offer support if necessary, rather than over seas. Now to convince my wife that I should be spending that kind of money on new wheels…

I would shy away from carbon hoops in the rear. I went through 3 of them. The aluminum options are so good right now. Even if you get warrantee, it's going to cost of you tonnes to rebuild the wheel.

I would shy away from carbon hoops in the rear. I went through 3 of them. The aluminum options are so good right now. Even if you get warrantee, it's going to cost of you tonnes to rebuild the wheel.

Is carbon up front and aluminum in the rear the way to go? That would be a lot easier on the wallet…

Is carbon up front and aluminum in the rear the way to go? That would be a lot easier on the wallet…

That's I'm doing… no issues with carbon up front for a couple of years now. Look at Stans Flow MK3 or DT Swiss 471 for rear rim.

Are the Nobl's rebranded? The rims Nobl uses aren't available on the LB site. Nobl has a slight lip indent, and it looks like the widths are different. Wouldn't be surprised if they came out of the same factory though.

Personally, I'd rather purchase from Nobl. Small price to pay to support a local company and to have actual riders building your wheels.

Hi Hepcat,

We've been around for about 4 years now. During the first year and a bit, we re-sold rims from a multitude of different companies as we wanted to gain experience with the management at various factories before investing in our own molds and process. These did not have a NOBL logo on them. We've been to about a dozen factories in China and Taiwan and did our due diligence before proceeding with anyone. In 2014, we released our first rim (38mm wide asymmetrical 27.5", with thick hookless lips etc). That mold has been rebuilt twice with design tweaks as things progressed. We release new tech as soon as we can; we don't wait for a big press release like most companies.

Today we own 7 different molds and no one else has access to these. They are 100% NOBL's. Our manufacturing process is unique to NOBL as well, something we take pride in. We spend 4-500 hours each year at the factory working on our product/process hands-on

NOBL is a products company, not a marketing company rebranding someone else's rims.

Hi Hepcat…

Haha, you guys are awesome thanks for the response. Well, there you go!

I was the guy who was asking about custom lime green I9 hubs last month, but then had to back out when I remembered I was poor.

One of these days…