A new set of wheels is one of the easiest ways to upgrade your fat bike. Not only is there a potential for a huge weight savings due to the massive size of the rims and hubs, but there’s also the tubeless question. A lot of stock fat bike rims still aren’t tubeless compatible. That makes upgrading your rolling stock even more enticing – lighter weight, better performance, all in one go? Yes, please.
Based in Austin, TX, Dirt Bicycle Components is one of the newer component brands out there, first forming in January of 2015. Since then, the company has focused on hand built fat bike wheels built around their 82mm wide carbon Thumper rims which are tubeless compatible. Available in a few build options, Dirt Bicycle Components also sells their hubs if you’re looking for another option…
You have three options when it comes to purchasing prebuilt Thumper wheels. Starting with their standard Fat Wheelset, this is their Thumper rim laced to their Dirt house hubs. You have a choice of hub options to fit almost every fat bike (except offset designs) and a few choices for nipple color and decal colors, though custom options are available. Priced at $1,449.99, they’re not the cheapest carbon fat wheels out there, but they’re definitely not the most expensive either.
Add another $400 to the mix and then you’ll cover the Thumper Industry Nine build which upgrades the hubs over the house hubs. Again offering multiple options for hub width, axle size, hub color, and decal color, it should be easy to find a set that will work for you.
The final option is to send in your own 32 hole hubs or wheelset and Dirt Bicycle Components will build you a set of Thumper wheels with your parts and their rim for $1,199.99.
All of the Thumper rims are designed with a double wall 82mm carbon profile that has a rounded internal profile to make tubeless set up a breeze. Manufactured in Taiwan, the rims are hand built in Austin and carry a two year warranty and a 270lb rider weight limit (and 3′ drop limit). Wheelset weights are listed as 135/170 hub – 2160g per set, 135/190 – 2235g, 150/170 – 2200g, and 150/190 – 2275g.
If you already have rims but need a new set of hubs, Dirt Components offers front and rears in multiple widths. Front hubs are available in 135 or 150mm shells with QR or TA end caps, while the rear are sold as 170 or 190mm with the same QR or TA end caps. Priced at $99.99 for the front and $159.99 for the rear, the pricing is pretty reasonable for fairly light hubs (198g/324g) with a four pawl freehub and Enduro bearins. Sold as 6-bolt only, Shimano and SRAM XD freehubs are also available.
