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Carbon wheels
Just doing a bit of show-and-tell as I thought people might be interested in a lower-cost option than Enve and the other name brands.
I had these built up by Adrian Band at Belrose Bicycles from parts I supplied. Very pleased with the build quality.
Rims:
Light Bicycles bead-hookless 27mm wide tubeless carbon XC, UD matte finish 28H
Hubs:
Hope Pro II Evo 28H 40 engagement points rear 142x12
Lefty 28H front
Spokes and Nipples:
Sapim CX-Ray and Sapim Polyax black brass 14mm, laced 2-cross.
Total wheel weight excluding discs, cassette, rim tape and valves was 1445g.
First impressions are the wheels are very stiff and solid-feeling. Hard to say more after only one ride. I'll update after more use.
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What's the total cost to build them Hawkeye ?
Could have gone cheaper ~$950 landed by getting LB to do the build but they use alloy nipples.
When discussing what to buy, AB refused to do the work with alloy nips, citing issues with carbon-to-alloy corrosion. Some argue it's a non-issue but I've heard enough accounts of Enve and other name brand carbon mtb wheels having such issues that he didn't have to twist my arm to persuade me. I was prepared to wear the 50g penalty for some longevity. One theory goes the ammonia in the sealant does not help.
Could be done cheaper with non-bladed double-butted spokes. The CX-Rays were USD2.95 each from bikehubstore.com, about a third of local retail prices. I went with them on a weight/strength basis. Supposed to be the best out there.
BHS have some nice chinese hubs that would have saved ~60g out of the back, and possibly saved me $100 as well, but I'm satisfied with the Hope Pro II. Very smooth, not too loud and the 40-point engagement is really nice.
I just got a set of Roval Traverse SL Fatties and they are sweeeeeet! Check out Flow
http://flowmountainbike.com/tests/flows-first-bi...
No rim tape in my ones, went with the plug system that they have introduced for each spoke hole. This system is 60grams lighter than if you installed the rim tape. Rim tape comes as a spare!
I'd want frame, fork and wheelset for $2000.
Maybe I'm just a tight arse.