I’ve mostly given up on wolftooth for garbaruk
1 Like
Has anyone noted an actual difference in speed with the switch from heavy stock alloy wheels to light carbon wheels? Considering some upgrades to my 21 Norco Revolver FS 2 (same spec as 23 model 2023 Revolver FS 2 100 | Norco ) except I’ve changed to Ray/Ralph tire combo and added a dropper.
Considering switching to 165mm cranks with a 30T chainring as I find I spend a lot of time in the upper half of the cassette when on single track.
Thinking about getting a 2nd wheelset so I can have one wheelset with XC race tires and one set with DC tires like Rekons or Syerras. Wondering if its worthwhile to get a carbon wheelset compared to something like Hunt Trail Wide HUNT Trail Wide MTB 29 Wheelset – Hunt Bike Wheels International
I’m ~59kg, I’ve heard the reduction of flex in carbon wheels is really beneficial for heavier riders.
I wouldn’t buy a second set of wheels if they aren’t gonna be carbon, or it’s not worth it at all.
I’d get the roval control wheels @ $1350 and 1450g they’re one of the best value xc carbon wheelsets out there. 2 year crash warranty. 275lb rider limit. 30mm id.
3 Likes
Probably depends on the wheels…
Had the heavy stock wheels on the entry level epic evo. Swapped out the wheels and the NX cassette (for XO mechanical) and completely transformed the bike. The wheels knocked off more than 2 pounds by themselves. In that case it was a big difference.
Reducing weight at the wheel is suuper noticeable imho. I had a 2.2“ 550g tire on my front wheel and swapped for a Schwalbe Marathon (900g?). The steering, the handling and the overall feel of the bike immediately changed. I‘d say yes, it’s reallly worth it if you’re coming from a heavy 2kg box section wheelset to something in the range of 14-1500g. At you‘re weight I‘d be looking at 11-1200g wheelsets from Nextie or the likes.
1 Like
I did a casual weight comparo of rear wheel + tire combos I have for my Scalpel HT.
Sorry wasn’t thinking grams when I did the weights…
1- SLX Hub, standard DT spokes, pretty run of the mill alloy DT rim (iw 30mm) with Schwalbe Hurricane tire 2.35" and a butyl tube was 6.25 lbs
2- Shimano XT wheel (prebuilt) alloy rim iw 30mm with WTB Nano 2.1" setup tubeless 5.2 lbs.
3- Cannondale Hollowgram (DT Swiss carbon rim iw 27mm) with Schwalbe Thunder Burt 2.1 tubeless 4.2 lbs.
The first one on the list are 100% daily training wheels and it’s so much fun to put the hollograms on 
I’m a week in my sales Evo pro now, and with my setup - essentially changing Ground Controls to Barzo/Mezcal tubeless and adding pedals its 11.5kg according to my Amazon suitcase weighing device. Whilst not bad and other than removing the dropper I’d be interesting to know how people are getting it lighter, as its dripping in carbon already.
Having said that I’m not going to be paying what it takes for the wheel & dropper upgrades for the sale of 200g or so so perhaps its a moot point.
anyone tried using a xxl esi grips, cut them and split the two parts to fit the brake clap to extend the grips towards the stem for climbing? I’m thinking of doing this but would like to hear feedback if anyone tried this before
I got a xx1 quarq 8 bolt. Can i swap chainrings and use that for xxsl tranmission?
1 Like
Haven’t tried but can’t think of why not. Did you get the 107 bcd? Wolf tooth and sram make t-type compatible chainrings for that quarq but not sure they go down in size enough for mtb
Its the mtb quarq 104 bcd. I think id need these rings to be transmission compatible
1 Like
The dropstop-b is t-type compatible, I’ve used them on my gravel nullet setup. 2mm offset should work just fine I guess
Was on some crest mk4, but got the carbon itch, and since my usual go to stans isnt selling any carbon xc wheels right now, decided to pull the trigger on some roval controls since the value on them is so great. Got them for $1080 brand new with a coupon code.
Also switched up the oneup 35mm bar to a enve m5 flat bar and spent the extra for a trek kovee pro stem so I could run their blender Garmin mount. That thing is sleek!
Bike should be in it’s final form now. It’s also running a 4iii left side power arm. Excited for race season to start.
3 Likes
I see you have the Aspen on the rear with the Rekon Race on the front. Do you feel the Aspen is a better rear tire than the Rekon Race. Interesting that BRR tests the Rekon Race 2.4 as faster than the Aspen 2.4.
1 Like
Rr has better grip as a front tire than the Aspen is the reason I ran them that way
1 Like
I got the Evo comp on super sale and I think it was around 28 pounds stock. Swapped my Fox 34 120 step cast fork, swapped xx1 axs cassette + rear der + shifter, added my rotor inpower crankset, and the largest weight savings was my old Stan’s Valor carbon wheels. I plan to swap the dropper soon to the Fox sl, get rid of the brakes for Sram Level Ultimate, and eventually dial in the bars/stem. That should get it under 25.
2 Likes
+1. Did the same with mine. Put on Roval Wheels, swapped tires and shaved off 2 pounds on just the front wheel alone.
1 Like
This seemed to be the combo at the Pisgah Stage Race this year as well, and the conditions were wet and muddy.
Hump
1 Like
I raced the Epic Evo (7) Pro for the first time yesterday, sorry if this has been done to death but what a bike. After setup rides on my local trails - the same setup I used in the race - I felt it was perhaps a bit too “soft” and I veered into Trail bike rather than Race bike, but with power on the pedals and at race pace it felt firm, fast through singletrack and more control up front with the F34 that the F32SC on my 2018 Spark. A clever bike, because once done and riding through the event field again it was " soft".
Setup was Fox DPS & F34 Factory in Medium mode with both black compression dials in the middle. Not sure of this would equate to the “magic middle” on the Epic 8.
Climbing was laborious and felt like an anchor, but I suspect thats me and my health related power issues rather than the bike. I don’t even think I want to bother trying the High chip position TBH.
1 Like
in my n=1 I found the fox float dps to feel plusher with better small bump compliance than the SID Luxe that you’d find on an Epic 8, but I find the bike that I currently have a SID Luxe on to feels way more efficient on the climbs. There’s other variables in my case besides just the shock, but my gut feel is that you aren’t going to come particularly close to replicating the ‘magic middle’ tune that the Epic 8 has on the SID with a Float DPS.
Extrapolating, if you look across the industry you’ll often find bikes differentiating between their more XC race oriented models and their downcountry / evo style models with RS on the former and Fox on the latter. Maybe it’s all marketing? but it reinforces my perception that RS is firmer and more efficient and Fox is generally plusher but less efficient on the climbs.
1 Like