Curve’s new alloy Dirt Hoops are built to be reliable off-road bikepacking adventure wheels, able to light your way with dynamo power. And while several bikes we’ve seen rolling on these new wheels had drop bars, like those ultra-wide Walmer bars I reviewed, this is definitely not just another gravel wheelset. With big 30mm internal rims for 27.5″ or 29″ MTB tires, Dirt Hoops Alloy are totally mountain bike wheels, ready for your longest & toughest off-road adventures…
Curve Dirt Hoops Alloy wide MTB adventure bikepacking wheels
Curve follows up their popular carbon Dirt Hoops adventure biking MTB wheels with the more affordable, more capable Dirt Hoops Alloy wheelsets. Building on the same philosophy of modern wide mountain bike style wheels built for multi-day adventure riding in tough, technical terrain, these new wheels are ready for anything you can throw at them – from local singletrack to loaded backcountry touring.
Their limited edition GMX+ ti off-road bikepacking bike served as one of two main test mules for the new alloy wheels, racking up “1000’s of kilometres testing them in the Aussie Desert [back] in 2019” during their development.
The other being Curve’s DownRock ti trail hardtail mountain bike.
MTB adventure wheels – Tech details
The basic idea was to start with a wide & tubeless-ready alloy rim to handle big mountain bike tires, then build them on proven hubs to handle riding in harsh conditions. The Dirt Hoops Alloys start with a 30mm internal hooked tubeless rim that will work with pretty much any tires you want – optimized for 2.2-3″ tires. The rims are 35mm wide outside & 19mm deep, available in both 29″/700c & 27.5″/650b.
Curve laces the alloy rims up on Boost-spaced 6-bolt DT Swiss 350 hubs for their standard no-nonsense build, with the option to swap in an SP Dynamo PD-8X front hub dynamo for never-ending power on your adventures. Either way, Curve builds the wheels with Sapim Race spokes & brass nipples, settling on 28 spokes front & rear which they say has proven the best balance of performance & durability in their “real world testing from XC racing to off-road touring.”
Still Curve Dirt Hoops Alloy wheels are built for strength & reliability, not ultralight weight. A 27.5 wheelset is claimed to weigh 1990g, or 29ers at 2200g with the DT hubs. The SP dynamo hub option tacks an additional 230g on top of that for its unlimited power supply.
Curve Dirt Hoops Alloy – Pricing & availability
The new Dirt Hoops Alloy adventure MTB wheels sell for A$1179 (~$905/750€) with a regular DT front hub, or A$1229 (~$943/782€) with the SP Dynamo up front to electrify your lights & charge gadgets. Not officially listed on their site, Curve also will sell the alloy rim only to those looking for an even more custom build (27.5 at 465g, 29 at 569g).
Curve also sells similarly wide Dirt Hoops carbon wheelsets (no dynamo version there, though) that will save you up to 800g, but lighten your wallet by an extra A$1000 (~$780/650€), plus a carbon rim-only option, too.
All versions are available now, through global Curve dealer bike shops, or direct from Curve in Melbourne, Australia.
