#Carbon-wheels

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FORGE+BOND Introduces $1,250 American-Made Carbon MTB Wheelsets

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FORGE+BOND Introduces $1,250 American-Made Carbon MTB Wheelsets

This may be the most promising step forward yet in the potential of U.S.-made thermoplastic-style carbon components. We’ve talked a lot about FUSIONFIBER, the carbon rim material used on wheels from Revel and Chris King. And when the engineering team behind FUSIONFIBER launched their own brand, FORGE+BOND, it was positioned essentially as the tip of the spear. It’s who would be exploring what’s possible with this unique material and process. And not surprisingly, their debut wheels were aimed at the high-end carbon wheel market, including models laced U.S.-made hubs from Industry Nine starting at $1,900. But pricing in the carbon wheel game has gotten extremely competitive, so FORGE+BOND has now introduced the much more affordable Shift series to their wheel lineup, offering wheels with U.S.-made FUSIONFIBER rims for $1,250.

I Am Not SPOX: A Spinergy MXX 30 Wheel Review

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I Am Not SPOX: A Spinergy MXX 30 Wheel Review

After the bike industry woke up from its fever dream of futuristic mag wheels, Spinergy held on for one more go with their fiber-spoked SPOX lineup. Unfortunately, those first-generation SPOX would join the rest of those early carbon wheels to be remembered as educational, innovative, but ultimately failed experiments. But a lot has changed since then. Fiber technology has made huge leaps, and it’s now possible to weave a spoke that is stronger and lighter than steel. Berd spokes have been twisting our expectations for the past year, but Travis Engel was more curious about what Spinergy has learned in the past decades. Their MXX 30 mountain bike wheels, laced with their unique PBO spokes, make some bold claims. Travis spent a couple months on them to see if they delivered.

Forge + Bond Adds 25 XC and 30 AM Carbon Wheel Models and Lowers Prices

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Forge + Bond Adds 25 XC and 30 AM Carbon Wheel Models and Lowers Prices

We covered Forge + Bond’s house-brand, U.S.-made, recyclable “Fusion-Fiber” carbon wheels when the brand launched back in April. Today marks the first update to their lineup; the new cross-country 25 XC, and the lightweight all-mountain 30 AM, which Travis Engel will be putting through its long-term paces on his personal and test bikes over the coming year. But there are also new builds, and new price points. The exact details of today’s news serve as a bit of a status report on this disruptive new tech, and how today’s volatile market is reacting to it.

ISO Lifelong Wheelset: Three Seasons on NOBL’s TR37 Carbon Wheels

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ISO Lifelong Wheelset: Three Seasons on NOBL’s TR37 Carbon Wheels

After almost a year jumping, riding, and—occasionally—bashing NOBL’s TR37 carbon mountain wheelset, Colt Fetters thinks he might just have found the one workhorse enduro wheel to rule them all. The TR37s tip in on the lighter side of the scales, and feature a 32-spoke construction and NOBL’s signature sinewave design. Read on for Colt’s full rundown on these wheels and thoughts on why carbon wheels should get more credit for their durability.

First Rides, Hot Takes – The New U.S.-Made FusionFiber Wheels from FORGE+BOND

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First Rides, Hot Takes – The New U.S.-Made FusionFiber Wheels from FORGE+BOND

Today, yet another brand is releasing thermoplastic carbon rims manufactured in Utah by CSS Composites. But unlike Revel or Chris King or Evil who launched house-branded CSS-made rims in 2020 and 2021, respectively, FORGE+BOND is actually a new division of CSS itself. This product launch represents the next step in the development of CSS’ fully recyclable FusionFiber™ material and manufacturing process. Travis Engel spent some time with the founders riding bikes and taking notes, and he has things to say.