German carbon specialists Beast Components have unveiled their first truly ultralight cross-country mountain bike rims, the all-new featherlight XS30. At just 315g per 29er rim, they take advantage of an ultra-fine carbon prepreg material that allows Beast to carefully layup a more detailed construction that they say builds a wide featherweight rim that is vertically compliant for comfort & flat prevention, but extremely stiff laterally for control & durability.
Beast are building them up now into bulletproof, if not ultralight complete wheels…
Beast ultralight XS30 carbon rims
Beast developed the new lightweight XS30 mountain bike rims after getting their hands on the special super-fine ’35g carbon prepreg’ in a collaboration with Burmester audio systems in Berlin. With the uniquely high-quality material in hand, their engineers set out to build their most complex carbon mountain bike rim layup to date.
The result is said to be one of the lightest modern XC rims on the market, while achieving an ideal balance of weight vs. stability – all 100% made-in-Germany.
“But these specially manufactured rims are not only light, but also comfortable, stable, and stiff. Through increased vertical compliance, you benefit from ride comfort. But also the precise handling known from Beast rims remains, through an extremely high lateral stiffness. So it allows you to always ride the best line on the trail.“
XC Rim – Tech details
The XS30 is a shallow, 2mm offset asymmetric double-wall carbon rim, 20mm deep with a 30mm internal / 35.7mm external width. Available in glossy UD finish with contrast gray graphics, with a 29er weight claim of just 315g per rim. Even lighter 27.5″ rims will be available soon. The new XC rim uses Beast’s Solid Edge Design thick & continuous-fiber rounded-edge hookless-tubeless bead that promises exceptionally high puncture resistance.
Built for XC & marathon racers, the lightweight rims are manufactured in 28 & 32 hole drilling, but only available separately to a very select number of custom wheel builders. For everyone else, Beast sells their rims laced up into complete wheelsets.
Beast XS30 XC MTB wheels
Beast’s XS30 XC mountain bike wheels are available in two different builds, laced by hand in Dresden, Germany. For 2000€ you can get a set built on the latest DT Swiss 350 hubs with Star Ratchet internals, or for 2200€ you can upgrade to new DT 240 hubs with Ratchet EXP tech inside.
Complete Boost 29er wheelsets come in at 1420g (DT 350) or 1350g (DT 240) laced with J-bend Sapim CX-Ray bladed black spokes and external DT alloy nipples. XS30 wheelsets have a 115kg rider+bike system weight limit. Head to Beast’s website to find a dealer near you or an online retailer that can get the wheels, or a Premium Dealer who might even be able to custom build you a set.
