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A 920g MTB WHEELSET?? Light-Wolf builds insane 30mm internal width wheels w/ Berg & Extralite

Light-Wolf ultralight 920g XC mountain bike 30mm internal wheels
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920g, that’s how light can a modern mountain bike wheelset build go these days, it seems. German wheelbuilder Light-Wolf’s wanted to see how ultralight they could build some modern XC wheels, working with off-the-shelf serviceable components and a modern wide 30mm internal tubeless-ready carbon rim. Combining Belgian rims, Italian hubs, and some unique carbon+ti spokes Light-Wolf is pushing the limits of conventional wheel building…

Light-Wolf ultralight 920g, 30mm internal XC wheels

Light-Wolf ultralight 920g XC mountain bike wheels, 30mm internal wheelset
c. Light-Wolf

So our first questions were who are these for, and what kind of riding will they stand up to?

Berg rates their rim for riders up to 90kg/198lb and for cross-country & marathon riding. Light-Wolf is just a bit more conservative, simply saying they’re not really suitable for heavyweight riders or downcountry use.

Light-Wolf ultralight 920g XC mountain bike wheels, 920g actual weight

Also, they wouldn’t really recommend them for today’s much more technical World Cup XC tracks littered with gnarly rock gardens and meter-high drops. But really at this crazy-low weight, they’re pretty sure any potential buyers know what they are getting into.

Tech details

Light-Wolf ultralight 930g XC mountain bike wheels, 30mm internal Berg Ratheberg rim detail

The wheels are built around tubeless-ready 29er Berg Ratheberg carbon rims, dubbed the “World’s Lightest 30mm internal rim” at just 270g.

Light-Wolf ultralight 920g XC mountain bike wheels, Extralite HyperBoost3 hub

Light-Wolf laces the ultralight hoops to CNC-machined 7075 alloy Extralite Hyperboost3 hubs with standard steel bearings and an XD freehub body – hub weight claims of 74/148g, front/rear.

Light-Wolf ultralight 920g XC mountain bike wheels, carbon+titanium spoke head detail

Each wheel gets 28 carbon spokes that have been sourced from Asia, featuring titanium heads and spoke threads, laced with Sapim Polyax Double square 16mm alloy nipples. Light-Wolf says the spokes weigh just 2.3g a piece, yet still have similar stiffness to Sapim’s premium benchmark C-Ray spokes.

Light-Wolf ultralight 930g XC mountain bike wheels, 30mm internal asymmetric offset rims

Plus, they say that thanks to the rim’s offset profile, the wheels build up with a nicely balanced spoke tension profile that should mean solid durability – front 1000/919N & rear 918/1100N.

Light-Wolf ultralight MTB wheels – Pricing & availability?

Light-Wolf ultralight 920g XC mountain bike wheels, 30mm internal wheelset

Light-Wolf owner Felix Wolf tells us the 920g XC wheelset would retail for about 2500€, but… he won’t sell them to you just yet. Currently, they are still in the “study” phase and Light-Wolf doesn’t want to “make experiments on paying customers”. But beyond ride testing them through the winter in Germany, they’ll next go to independent evaluation on a wheel testing rig to “gain more confidence about long-term durability”. Only then will Felix build you a set so light.

Light-Wolf ultralight 920g XC mountain bike wheels, Extralite hub

With that said, Light-Wolf regularly build custom MTB wheels in the 1000-1200g range, and drop bar wheels that are only one or two hundred grams lighter. So, feel free to drop them a line if you want to satisfy your inner weight-weenie.

Light-Wolf ultralight 920g XC mountain bike wheels, 30mm internal Berg rim

What’s next for Light-Wolf? They tell us a sub-UCI-limit 6.5kg XC hardtail with these wheels, 2.2″ tires & a 1×11 drivetrain is in the works. Coming soon, just not to a UCI race start line…

Light-Wolf.de

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dirtbiker
dirtbiker
1 year ago

I have the wheelset (also Hyper3 + Ratheberg 270g) deviating with Pillar Racing Spoke Wing20 rainbow steel spokes and the same Sapim Polyax nipples and there the real weight is exactly 1,066g. (1.910€ from r2-bike.com)
Then the carbon spokes should be 2.43g / piece lighter? Think the weight is as always in the industry slightly lied, especially since there is also no picture on the scale 😉

Boehler
1 year ago
Reply to  dirtbiker

It’s always a good idea to read the article, not just the headline. Even with just scrolling through you could see the picture with the scale and maybe even read about the weight of the carbonspokes.

Jeff
Jeff
1 year ago

Could the Pi Rope spokes at 1.9g/spoke make this wheelset even lighter?

Felix - Light-Wolf
1 year ago
Reply to  Jeff

Nope, since the Pi-Rope spokes need special hubs that tend to be more heavy and they’re using a special Spoke-nipple, that adds some weight.Due to the special nippels you’ll need a special rim with larger holes.

dirtbiker
dirtbiker
1 year ago

Pi-Rope isn’t compatible with the rims and hubs.

dirtbiker
dirtbiker
1 year ago

I have the almost same wheelset (Hyper3 XD + Ratheberg 270) deviating me Pillar Wing20 rainbow steel spokes and also Sapim Polyax nipples. The real weight is 1,066g (1,920€ from r2-bike.com)

Shane
Shane
1 year ago

If they don’t support Pi Rope, one would assume Berg spokes would not work either?

Kika
Kika
1 year ago
Reply to  Shane

you mean BERD spokes, I gues

dirtbiker
dirtbiker
1 year ago

There are no BERG spokes. The Chinese carbon / titanium spokes used look in the pictures after standard spokes that fit all hubs / rims.

ZigaK
ZigaK
1 year ago

Does UCI mandate weight limit for XCO/XCM?
I didn’t think they do.

Dinger
Dinger
1 year ago
Reply to  ZigaK

I’m not sure how MTB is governed but road is whole bike weight only. Wheels must pass safety/durability tests.

Richard Anderson
Richard Anderson
1 year ago

Anyone know where you can get these spokes?

Each wheel gets 28 carbon spokes that have been sourced from Asia, featuring titanium heads and spoke threads, laced with Sapim Polyax Double square 16mm alloy nipples.

Scott
Scott
1 year ago

They are from a brand called Nextie.

Andy
Andy
1 year ago

We made this really light wheelset, but don’t use it for xc racing, that’s too aggressive. You wouldn’t want to encounter any obstacles that might break them

Strava Pajamas
Strava Pajamas
10 months ago

When your extralite Freehub body fails, at least your bike will be lighter for the walk home.

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