Brendan had been having some significant issues with a factory wheelset. The wheels had been supplied with a lightweight Marathon style 29er, and had broken many spokes, and the rear had been rebuilt once under warranty. After continuing to break spokes, Brendan got in contact.
We determined that the factory spec spokes were simply too light, and the wheels likely to have been (initially) tensioned unevenly. The wheelset hubs were very light, and had proven reliable so far, so Brendan asked us to reuse them.
We had some straight pull Sapim spokes cut to custom lengths, and these were then laced into some new All-Mountain Carbon hoops that we were keen for him to try out. These have built up extremely stiff, and light hoops. With their width, they will hold the sidewalls of the tyre straighter, putting a larger patch of tread on the trail – for more pedalling and cornering traction.
