Recently when pondering the next upgrade to do to my mountain bike, I began to wonder how much mountain bike wheels weigh. After performing a bit of due diligence, here’s what I discovered.
So how much do
- Wheel size 27.5” or 29” – a 29” wheel has a bit more mass to it than a 27.5”, thereby making for a heavier wheel. For the sake of this discussion, we will not be talking much about 26” as this wheel size is rarely seen on modern mountain bikes.
- Intended application – wheels intended for a DH application are built much more sturdy and therefore heavier than say a wheel intended for the lightweight discipline of XC racing.
- Build material – most modern mountain bike wheels are either made of carbon or aluminum. Carbon tends to be a bit lighter than aluminum in most cases, however, there are a few manufacturers out there that are producing aluminum wheels that are dang close (100g-200g) to matching the weight savings of carbon
- Rim width – modern mountain bike rims can be had in a multitude of widths anywhere from 20mm internal width all the way up to the monster fat bike rims at sometimes over 100mm. For the ease of discussion, we will be talking mostly about rims in 30mm width range, as that seems to have become the happy medium and has become quite a popular width.
Many new mountain bikers might think that the lightest wheelset available is always the best choice when purchasing a new set of hoops. There is actually a lot to choosing the proper wheelset for your personal application and riding style.
Mt. Bike Wheel Weights
Though the size, build material and intended use are the biggest contributing factors to the weight of a wheel, the spokes, hub and to an even lesser degree the valve stem contribute as well.
- Spokes – spokes come in a variety of different gauges (diameter of the spoke), attachment hardware (nipples, etc.) and build material. In addition, the total number of spokes a wheel contains affects the overall weight of the set.
- Hubs – hubs, being one of the vital parts of a wheel, contribute to wheel weight as well, however, because the mass of the hub directly at the axis the wheel spins on, the weight of the hub has much less of an effect on performance than the rim or spokes as they are further away from the axis.
- Valve Stem – valve stems obviously add to the overall weight of a wheel, however, there really isn’t a significant difference in valve stem weights between different manufacturers to create a meaningful effect on performance
Here is a list of some of the most popular mountain bike wheels, including weight, spoke count, build material and size
27.5” Wheels (hub)
DISCIPLINE | LIGHTEST | HEAVIEST |
XC | 1310g – Enve M525 (DT Swiss) | 1820g – Raceface Aeffect |
Trail | 1419g – Enve M630 (DT Swiss) | 1820g – Raceface Aeffect |
Enduro | 1680g- Raceface Next R (Vault) | 1810g – Raceface Aefectt R (Trace) |
DH | 1950 – Raceface Atlas (Vault) | 2162g – Enve M910 (Chris King) |
29” Wheels (hub)
DISCIPLINE | LIGHTEST | HEAVIEST |
XC | 1350g – Enve M525 (DT Swiss) | 1900g – Raceface Aeffect |
Trail | 1522g – Enve M630 (DT Swiss) | 1900 – Raceface Aeffect |
Enduro | 1765g – I9 Trail S 29 (Torch) | 1930g – Raceface Aeffect R (Vault) |
DH | 2000g – I9 Grade 300 (Torch) | 2265g – Enve M910 (Chris King) |
Why you may not want the lightest wheel?
The lightest wheel is not necessarily always the greatest option. A heavier or more aggressive rider should choose a wheel that offers a bit more durability in trade for a small weight penalty. Destroying a wheel on the trail is ‘no fun’.
How does wheel weight affect performance?
The weight of your wheelset has a dramatic effect on the performance of your bike. Heavier wheels tend ‘spin up’ or accelerate a bit slower when compared to their lighter counterparts. Also, a lighter wheel has a tendency to feel more flickable and snappy.
Choose the right wheel for your application.
We shouldn’t necessarily just choose a wheel based upon it’s claimed application or discipline ie; XC, Trail, Enduro, DH. There are a number of factors that should be considered when choosing the best wheel for your application. Many riders find success when basing their wheelset purchasing decisions with these considerations in mind.
Rider Weight
- Particularly heavy riders put more demand on their wheelset than lighter riders
- Heavier riders have a tendency to break more wheels
- Heavier riders tend to induce more wheel flex, causing the bike to feel vague and unresponsive
- Lighter riders, many times, can get away with choosing a bit less durable wheel in order to get the weight benefits
- Lighter riders may notice it takes more effort for them to ‘spin up’ a heavier wheelset
Riding Style
- How do you ride?
- If you choose the chunky line, like to ‘pop off’ rocks, roots and stumps, or choose a drop over a roll in, you might consider going for the more durable wheel
- Do you choose the smooth line, avoid the chunder, or choose the path of least resistance; a lighter option might be a great idea
Trail Conditions
- What types of trails do you normally ride?
- Calm, smooth, flowy trails, with only small jumps or drops are much less demanding on a wheel set;
- Rocks, roots, drops and such create quite a load on a wheelset; you might want to choose a more durable wheel
How many spokes should my wheels have? Mountain bike wheels can come with varying numbers of spokes. Without getting into the very unique wheel configurations like Crank Brother’s “Twin Pair Spoke” design (which has only twelve spokes per wheel), most mountain bike wheels come with 24 – 36 spokes per wheel. It goes without saying that a wheel with more spokes will be heavier, but the wheel tend to be a bit more durable as well, supporting the weight of heavier riders with much less strain on the components. A wheel with a higher spoke count tends to be more rigid and less flexy as well.
Are there different types of spokes as well? Oh yes! Spokes come in all sorts of sizes most commonly referred to as gauge meaning the diameter of the spoke. Most wheels that have been pre-assembled don’t allow for different spoke choices, so without having the wheel re-laced, we’re stuck with what we get. If you are considering purchasing a custom built wheelset, your best to speak directly to your builder about what type of spoke to run. They will know what will work best for you based upon your particular application.
Are carbon wheels as strong as alloy wheels? Most wheel manufacturers claim their carbon wheels perform just as well, if not better than, alloy wheels during their in house strength tests and I’ve seen many YouTube videos demonstrating it.
Should I buy carbon rims? The average everyday mountain biker can do just fine with a good set of alloy wheels that will take much less damage from rock dings than a carbon set can. With the outrageous cost of some the carbon wheels that are available now, it can be hard to justify investing in a set in order to obtain only a marginal gain in performance over a good set of alloy wheels. Though prices on carbon wheels continues to drop every year as the cost of production falls.