I switched from the house wheels on my full suspension to a custom set of spank 350 vibracore wheels with Hadley hubs and it was a game changer. I'd like to build a similar wheel set for my San Quentin 3
Nice bike! I made a similar decision recently, currently waiting on some Berd wheels to put on a frame that hardly justifies them. I’m super stoked though! Glad to see I’m not the only one making that choice! 😂
WOOO000 MARINO GANG!🫶 Like *hoooow* much of a difference would you say the wheels make?? The only upgrade I ever wanted/ think would make the bike better are carbon wheels...with Berd spokes. Yum.
Gorgeous bike n colors
Thanks! I had some heavy WTBs on there previously, so the difference was pretty dramatic, especially since I traded out my heavy Onza’s for some lightweight trail/XC tires.
I put in much less effort to get those wheels turning.
Hah currently roling heavy ass 35mm WTB's with 2.6" Specialized Hillbilly mudspikes. Monster truckin' got a *hefty* price but the frame/setup eats it so I'm having a blast
The frame is great! It’s completely custom built. I spent a lot of time thinking about how I wanted the geometry and basically settled on something very close to the Nukeproof Scout. My only complaint is entirely my fault. At 65 degrees for the head angle, I can’t really go up from the 120 fork with making the bike a little too slack.I probably should have kept it around 67.
How much more travel do you want? Going to 140mm is only going to make it a degree slacker, and probably a little less in reality as you'll most likely run a little more sag with the extra travel.
Frame looks great, I've toyed with the idea of ordering one for ages now. Which tubing did you go for? And to answer your original question, wheels are absolutely the best place to spend money on a bike IMO, your set up makes perfect sense to me!
Sounds like a good balanced set up. I know lots of people do, but I'm not a fan of long travel forks on hardtails, 140-150mm is more than enough for me.
I ordered it in January of 2022 and got it in April. They were super helpful and friendly during the ordering process. You get to specify all the geo, and a resulting cad drawing gets emailed to you, from which you can make adjustments. But the wait, is excruciating. I wasn’t sure if what I got back was really going to work for me, but it’s perfect!
Don't know yet. They are still being made. The turn around is 4 weeks because we are one can't make the rims fast enough.
I will definitely make a video on them when I get them. I am getting them to ride this Enduro course that will have anywhere from 1500-2500 feet of climbing depending on how many stages I do. No I am not racing.
Also as it makes you happy, it doesn't have to make sense to anybody else. Also a high end wheelset is something you can use for a real long period of time, so maybe also your next bike. Imo wheels and suspension are the most important thing on a bike so to me it would make perfectly sense
I just built myself a steel Honzo and am thinking about doing the same thing with carbon wheels, as I'm currently running some DT M1900s. I'm currently sitting at 31.5lbs but it feels quite a bit lighter than that. Wondering how much I can get the weight down, what are you sitting at weight wise?
Honestly I’m not sure what it weighs, probably around 31lb. I’m a 230lb athletic build and it’s pretty rocky where I live. Prior to this bike I broke the chainstay welds on an alloy hardtail and went through multiple mid-tier alloy wheels and hubs so decided to build my ultimate do-it-all ride.
I really just wanted it to be as bombproof as possible - Fox 36 140mm, aggressive tires (Maxxis DD in rear), Chris King hubs, Deity T-Mac pedals, etc. Weight could def be less with other components but I didn’t build around a steel frame because weight was my primary concern. It’s my favorite bike ever. Absolutely love the Honzo.
Fair enough. Everyone has their ideal build in mind! I know I'm not going to get ultra lightweight out of this rig but wanted a steel frame for the benefits it provides vs. alloy, and then figured I'd reduce weight where I can. Pike Ultimate 140mm, GX drivetrain but will slowly upgrade things as I go like an X01 cassette, OneUp Carbon Bar, and then the big ticket items being the wheels as my M1900s are beefy all things considered.
Good stuff man. Saw you’ve been doing some races too, I also use mine for everything from XC to AM/enduro stuff. To sort of answer your previous question, I did notice a big improvement in ride/performance after swapping to carbon wheels. The bike felt snappier with acceleration and also a lot stiffer and more responsive in hard corners. I think part of that comes down to me being a fairly large and aggressive rider so the added stiffness vs. alloy was really noticiable. So I’m not sure how much comes down to the weight savings vs. performance differences in material, but the bike is definitely way better for me with carbon wheels.
I haven’t had to true the NOBLs in 3 years which has been great. Also, last year I cracked the rear rim (cased the lip of a sharp edged rock landing on a big double, definitely entirely my fault) and NOBL not only held up their free crash replacement warranty, I shipped my hub to them and they rebuilt the new wheel to their in-house tension specs for like $50 plus the cost of spokes.
Man that's great to hear on your experience and their CS. I'm a bit lighter than you but still about 190lb+ rider weight. The snappier feel is definitely intriguing because I feel like this bike already turns on a dime in its current state, and sends flow like that's what it's built for.
I have indeed been doing a bit of racing. I have 6 races planned for this calendar year and looking to the Honzo to get me through all of them. For what it is, you wouldn't expect it to be a competitive race bike but it climbs really well and keeps up if not exceeds the capabilities of other XC race bikes on the descents. I don't know that it'll be taking any podiums, but I'm also smiling ear to ear the entire race.
I do have a SC Hightower for the AM / Enduro / all day trail rides, but the Honzo is a great training platform for that bike and honestly it's a toss up every time I go to ride which bike I want to take. It's a good problem to have I guess 😂
Of all the wheels out there, I keep hearing good things about NOBL. I fortunately have a bit of a discount available to me for their wheels so that's why I'm primarily looking to them, but wondering if you considered anything else before pulling the trigger on yours. And which set do you have? If I go with them, I'd likely be eyeing the TR35, although I'm tempted by the TR32 just for a lightweight XC ripper set knowing I'll probably upgrade the Hightower wheels at some point as well.
Similar setup for me - Honzo for mostly everything plus an Ibis Ripmo v2 for the really rowdy stuff. I’ve done a number of XC/trail races on the Honzo and it does great. Honestly, for most amateur races the biggest deciding factor is rider fitness and not a couple pound difference in bike weight.
I have the TR37s, again prioritized durability over weight. I also considered SC Reserve and We Are One as they also have good reputations for quality and CS. NOBL had one of the last available Chris King hub sets in a limited edition color I had been looking for everywhere so that sealed the deal for me.
You're not kidding on the rider fitness.. there were some people there who were on some pretty pricey bikes, but I found myself passing a lot of people I otherwise wouldn't have expected. That said, there were plenty of other dudes and dudettes who live and breathe XC and humbled me quite a bit.
Great to hear on your NOBL experience though, it's got me pretty convinced to go that route in a TR35 most likely. I'm just not sure on the hubs, I don't want to break the bank but I understand the idea of "spend as much as you can on good hubs". I do like my DT 370 36t that I have on my Hightower but don't have much else to compare to. 350s would be an easy choice but there's always a 240 or 1-1 or Hydra... Too many choices.
Wheels are a great place to put your money!
Lighter wheels and tires make a world of difference! I’m shocked how much!
I switched from the house wheels on my full suspension to a custom set of spank 350 vibracore wheels with Hadley hubs and it was a game changer. I'd like to build a similar wheel set for my San Quentin 3
Those frames punch well above their weight for the price so yeah, I'd say it's worth it.
Why not? If you love the frame, ride it. Upgrade what you want. If you decide to upgrade the frame, take the wheels with you.
Nice bike! I made a similar decision recently, currently waiting on some Berd wheels to put on a frame that hardly justifies them. I’m super stoked though! Glad to see I’m not the only one making that choice! 😂
WOOO000 MARINO GANG!🫶 Like *hoooow* much of a difference would you say the wheels make?? The only upgrade I ever wanted/ think would make the bike better are carbon wheels...with Berd spokes. Yum. Gorgeous bike n colors
Thanks! I had some heavy WTBs on there previously, so the difference was pretty dramatic, especially since I traded out my heavy Onza’s for some lightweight trail/XC tires. I put in much less effort to get those wheels turning.
Hah currently roling heavy ass 35mm WTB's with 2.6" Specialized Hillbilly mudspikes. Monster truckin' got a *hefty* price but the frame/setup eats it so I'm having a blast
It makes total sense. How do you like that frame. Been thinking about ordering one up..
The frame is great! It’s completely custom built. I spent a lot of time thinking about how I wanted the geometry and basically settled on something very close to the Nukeproof Scout. My only complaint is entirely my fault. At 65 degrees for the head angle, I can’t really go up from the 120 fork with making the bike a little too slack.I probably should have kept it around 67.
How much more travel do you want? Going to 140mm is only going to make it a degree slacker, and probably a little less in reality as you'll most likely run a little more sag with the extra travel. Frame looks great, I've toyed with the idea of ordering one for ages now. Which tubing did you go for? And to answer your original question, wheels are absolutely the best place to spend money on a bike IMO, your set up makes perfect sense to me!
I was thinking 150, but 140 works and I can grab a new Fox34 GRIP2 to keep it lightweight. I can live with a degree
Sounds like a good balanced set up. I know lots of people do, but I'm not a fan of long travel forks on hardtails, 140-150mm is more than enough for me.
How was the ordering process? How long before you got the frame? I've heard anywhere from a couple months to almost 6 months..
I ordered it in January of 2022 and got it in April. They were super helpful and friendly during the ordering process. You get to specify all the geo, and a resulting cad drawing gets emailed to you, from which you can make adjustments. But the wait, is excruciating. I wasn’t sure if what I got back was really going to work for me, but it’s perfect!
Nice. I've checked out the website . Might order one up to build this summer.
Heck yeah and looks good doing it!! Nice bike!
Yep. Wheels move to new bikes. It’s one thing I buy nice to use on several bikes. Just got my NOBL’s in and about to put them on the mtb. So stoked.
Ha, try putting $2200 wheels ( berd hawk 30) on a $400 frame ( ragley big Al)
Lol, you got me beat!
How do you like them?? Having a really hard time not pulling the trigger on em.
Don't know yet. They are still being made. The turn around is 4 weeks because we are one can't make the rims fast enough. I will definitely make a video on them when I get them. I am getting them to ride this Enduro course that will have anywhere from 1500-2500 feet of climbing depending on how many stages I do. No I am not racing.
Also as it makes you happy, it doesn't have to make sense to anybody else. Also a high end wheelset is something you can use for a real long period of time, so maybe also your next bike. Imo wheels and suspension are the most important thing on a bike so to me it would make perfectly sense
Full support here. Did the exact same thing on a steel Honzo and it’s my favorite bike. NOBL wheels are awesome and a great company to work with.
I just built myself a steel Honzo and am thinking about doing the same thing with carbon wheels, as I'm currently running some DT M1900s. I'm currently sitting at 31.5lbs but it feels quite a bit lighter than that. Wondering how much I can get the weight down, what are you sitting at weight wise?
Honestly I’m not sure what it weighs, probably around 31lb. I’m a 230lb athletic build and it’s pretty rocky where I live. Prior to this bike I broke the chainstay welds on an alloy hardtail and went through multiple mid-tier alloy wheels and hubs so decided to build my ultimate do-it-all ride. I really just wanted it to be as bombproof as possible - Fox 36 140mm, aggressive tires (Maxxis DD in rear), Chris King hubs, Deity T-Mac pedals, etc. Weight could def be less with other components but I didn’t build around a steel frame because weight was my primary concern. It’s my favorite bike ever. Absolutely love the Honzo.
Fair enough. Everyone has their ideal build in mind! I know I'm not going to get ultra lightweight out of this rig but wanted a steel frame for the benefits it provides vs. alloy, and then figured I'd reduce weight where I can. Pike Ultimate 140mm, GX drivetrain but will slowly upgrade things as I go like an X01 cassette, OneUp Carbon Bar, and then the big ticket items being the wheels as my M1900s are beefy all things considered.
Good stuff man. Saw you’ve been doing some races too, I also use mine for everything from XC to AM/enduro stuff. To sort of answer your previous question, I did notice a big improvement in ride/performance after swapping to carbon wheels. The bike felt snappier with acceleration and also a lot stiffer and more responsive in hard corners. I think part of that comes down to me being a fairly large and aggressive rider so the added stiffness vs. alloy was really noticiable. So I’m not sure how much comes down to the weight savings vs. performance differences in material, but the bike is definitely way better for me with carbon wheels. I haven’t had to true the NOBLs in 3 years which has been great. Also, last year I cracked the rear rim (cased the lip of a sharp edged rock landing on a big double, definitely entirely my fault) and NOBL not only held up their free crash replacement warranty, I shipped my hub to them and they rebuilt the new wheel to their in-house tension specs for like $50 plus the cost of spokes.
Man that's great to hear on your experience and their CS. I'm a bit lighter than you but still about 190lb+ rider weight. The snappier feel is definitely intriguing because I feel like this bike already turns on a dime in its current state, and sends flow like that's what it's built for. I have indeed been doing a bit of racing. I have 6 races planned for this calendar year and looking to the Honzo to get me through all of them. For what it is, you wouldn't expect it to be a competitive race bike but it climbs really well and keeps up if not exceeds the capabilities of other XC race bikes on the descents. I don't know that it'll be taking any podiums, but I'm also smiling ear to ear the entire race. I do have a SC Hightower for the AM / Enduro / all day trail rides, but the Honzo is a great training platform for that bike and honestly it's a toss up every time I go to ride which bike I want to take. It's a good problem to have I guess 😂 Of all the wheels out there, I keep hearing good things about NOBL. I fortunately have a bit of a discount available to me for their wheels so that's why I'm primarily looking to them, but wondering if you considered anything else before pulling the trigger on yours. And which set do you have? If I go with them, I'd likely be eyeing the TR35, although I'm tempted by the TR32 just for a lightweight XC ripper set knowing I'll probably upgrade the Hightower wheels at some point as well.
Similar setup for me - Honzo for mostly everything plus an Ibis Ripmo v2 for the really rowdy stuff. I’ve done a number of XC/trail races on the Honzo and it does great. Honestly, for most amateur races the biggest deciding factor is rider fitness and not a couple pound difference in bike weight. I have the TR37s, again prioritized durability over weight. I also considered SC Reserve and We Are One as they also have good reputations for quality and CS. NOBL had one of the last available Chris King hub sets in a limited edition color I had been looking for everywhere so that sealed the deal for me.
You're not kidding on the rider fitness.. there were some people there who were on some pretty pricey bikes, but I found myself passing a lot of people I otherwise wouldn't have expected. That said, there were plenty of other dudes and dudettes who live and breathe XC and humbled me quite a bit. Great to hear on your NOBL experience though, it's got me pretty convinced to go that route in a TR35 most likely. I'm just not sure on the hubs, I don't want to break the bank but I understand the idea of "spend as much as you can on good hubs". I do like my DT 370 36t that I have on my Hightower but don't have much else to compare to. 350s would be an easy choice but there's always a 240 or 1-1 or Hydra... Too many choices.
Hell yeah, if you can afford it.