Review: WTB's New CZR i30 Carbon Wheels
WTB launched their CZR rims late last season, but at the time there weren't any pre-built wheel sets to go with them. That's not a big deal if you're a wheelbuilding wizard, or have a trustworthy mechanic at a local shop to turn to, but not all riders have the skills or patience to go that route. That's why WTB now offers the CZR i30 wheels, which use those distinctive-looking carbon rims laced up to WTB's Frequency hubs with 28 double-butted spokes and brass nipples.
The 29” wheels are aimed at trail and enduro riding, and according to WTB, they were designed with a focus on strength rather than achieving a specific weight target, although the 1884 gram figure on the scale is fairly typical for carbon wheels in this category.
The 29” wheels are aimed at trail and enduro riding, and according to WTB, they were designed with a focus on strength rather than achieving a specific weight target, although the 1884 gram figure on the scale is fairly typical for carbon wheels in this category.
CZR i30 Details
• Intended use: trail / enduro
• 29" only
• Carbon rims, asymmetric design
• 30mm internal rim width
• 28 spokes, brass nipples
• WTB Frequency hubs, 5-degrees between engagement points
• Weight: 1884g; front: 871g / rear: 1013g
• MSRP: $1,600 USD
• www.wtb.com
• Intended use: trail / enduro
• 29" only
• Carbon rims, asymmetric design
• 30mm internal rim width
• 28 spokes, brass nipples
• WTB Frequency hubs, 5-degrees between engagement points
• Weight: 1884g; front: 871g / rear: 1013g
• MSRP: $1,600 USD
• www.wtb.com
The front wheel is priced at $749.95, and the rear goes for $849.95, with either a SRAM XD or Shimano Microspline driver body.
WTB covers the wheels with their 'Ride With Confidence Guarantee', which says that if the wheels break during a ride then they'll replace them for free. The terms are a little different if you run them over, or forget they're on your roof when you hit up the Wendy's drive-through. In those cases, WTB offers the rim replacement for 50% off of MSRP.
The spoke holes are reinforced with extra carbon.
Details
As the name implies, the CZR i30 rims have a 30mm internal width, and use a hookless bead. The spoke holes are reinforced with a raised, diamond shaped section of extra carbon to help ensure the spokes don't pull through during hard impacts. The spoke holes are offset, in order to allow for more even spoke tension between the drive and non-drive side spokes.
The wheels come with an extra strip of nylon situated underneath the rim strip that's meant to keep the tape from pushing into the spoke holes, and to keep the air inside your tire even if a spoke breaks and starts attacking the rim tape.
The Frequency hubs use six pawls that are offset into two groups of three, which is how the 36 teeth in the hub shell are able to deliver 5-degrees between engagement points. The wheels ship with heavy duty pawl springs installed that create a relatively loud ratcheting noise while coasting. For fans of quieter hubs, WTB offers a lighter spring kit that reduces the decibel level.
The 36 teeth in the hub shell create 5-degrees of crank rotation before the hub engages.
The Frequency hubs use six pawls set in a two-phase design.
Performance
These days, it's pretty rare for a set of wheels to cause any problems when installing tubeless tires, and that held true with the CZR's. I've had a few different tire setups on these wheels and in all instances the tires settled into place and inflated without a fuss.
Out on the trail, the CZRs felt precise and snappy, the traits that helped carbon wheels gain traction in the first place, while remaining comfortable enough to use on long, rough trails without worrying about getting early-onset arthritis.
I would place the CZR wheels on the stiffer side of the spectrum, at least compared to Zipp's 3Zero Moto wheels or Enve's AM, but they were never uncomfortable or difficult to handle. They feel closer to 'traditional' carbon wheels versus the more compliant options that have been hitting the market, but they're not unduly harsh or jarring in chunky terrain. As far as hub engagement goes, the 5-degrees between engagement points was quick enough for my tastes, and I didn't encounter any unwanted popping noises or skipping from the freehub.
The graphics are nice and low-key - there aren't any garish logos to be seen.
Both wheels are still spinning true, and they've been smashed and bashed down plenty of rough trails. I did have one pinch flat that came from smacking a very sharp rock that was (im)perfectly placed in the middle of a big G-out, although I think it fair to chock that one up to a tire casing issue rather than the rim design.
Conditions have ranged from dry to drier, so I can't really comment on how the hub will hold up to a few months of splashing through hub deep pedals – I'll update this review if any issues arise. The hub internals looked decent when I pulled it apart for photos, although a little more grease wouldn't hurt – something to consider if you live in an extra-wet zone.
How Do They Compare?
The above chart lays out a handful of options that fall into the same category as the CZR i30 wheels. The CZR's price tag makes them the most expensive non-North American made wheelset on the list - the Zipp and Enve wheels are made in the United States, and the We Are Ones are made in British Columbia. That doesn't affect the ride quality in the slightest, but there are riders out there who prefer to buy semi-local when possible. I've spent time on every set of wheels on that chart, so which one would I choose? It would really depend on what my top priorities were.
If I was hunting for the most comfortable wheels, price be damned, the Zipp 3Zero Motos are the way to go. The Enves are another compelling option - I'm a big fan of their on-trail feel. They're not as compliant as the Zipps, but they still do a great job of muting trail vibrations, and they're lighter too.
Riders who prefer a more traditional carbon wheel feel, those who want a stiffer, more snappy ride, will find that in the Bontrager and WTB wheelsets. Those Bontrager wheels offer a very good price to weight ratio in this category. The We Are One wheels fall into this category too, and their price can be dropped down by going with Industry Nine's 1/1 hubs instead of the super-fast engaging Hydras.
Pros
+ Solid, snappy ride feel
+ J-bend spokes, brass nipples
+ Subtle graphics and unique rim shape
Cons
- Middle of the road price, weight
Pinkbike's Take
 | The new CZR i30 wheels are extra regular, and I mean that in the best way possible. I'd much rather have durable rims with J-bend spokes and a straightforward hub design rather than something that's full of proprietary, hard to find parts. I'm a big fan of the subtle graphics, too; I want wheels that simply work, day after day, without announcing themselves to the world. The price isn't totally out of the ordinary, but I do wish it was a little lower, if only to set these hoops apart from their made-in-North America competitors. |
Author Info:
Must Read This Week
Bonus: Dressing will also lube your drivetrain.
1. Death
2. Taxes
3. At least one person in the comments section of a carbon wheel review on Pinkbike will say they can get 511s laced to 350s for $500.
Exactly. The price of carbon pays for itself very quickly.
I 100% cannot keep an AL wheel under me for an entire season. I have 4 MTB's and they all have carbon wheels.
I really don't get how are they getting these prices and those weights.
I don't know about these particular brands but there is definitely a number of bike companies buying stuff from alibaba and selling it with their own logo with a big markup. youtu.be/-bb7eCgLbLI
$700 is the new $500!- Federal Reserve
So that's already more than the 500$ price point.
But yes, a solid build for that kind of money anyways.
www.wtb.com/collections/enduro-gravity-rims/products/czr-i30
Wheel Size Inner Width *Weight Spoke Holes / Offset ERD Tubeless Tape Width Rim Size Designation Max Rider Weight Part Number
29" 30mm 472g 28-hole / 5mm 589 35mm 30-622 300 lbs W020-0607
29" 30mm 484g 32-hole / 5mm 589 35mm 30-622 300 lbs W020-0608
I've gone back down to a lighter rim (with light CXray spokes), EXO+ tires and Tannus Tubeless Armour inserts. The light yet robust inserts work so well for me it's allowed me to run a lighter rim and tire carcass. Going from DoubleDown and a more beefy rim, let me drop around 360 grams or just over 3/4 of a pound. When you drop that from big spinning 29" wheels... you definitely feel it!
In saying that... would I spend for carbon rims just to get that lighter weight?... No. I don't tend to damage rims (as long as I'm running a proper tire or insert), and there are fantastic alloy options at half (or less) the cost, at basically the same weight.
But I also do get and have a friend who absolutely destroys wheels. He used to go through 3 to 5 alloy rear rims a season. He went to carbon a couple years ago and has cracked one which was replaced quickly and easily as no cost. So he has saved money, headache and lots of time.
The only real benefit of carbon wheel it that they simply stay true no matter what.
Key example: the day after I installed cushcore I could ABSOLUTELY feel the difference while climbing/accelerating.
Yes, I understand that cushcore are heavy (260 gr/insert). Regardless, the rotational weight can easily be felt, even in only one wheel.
translate.google.com/translate?sl=pl&tl=en&u=uzurpator.com.pl/new_blog/documents/Mit_masy_rotowanej.html
Of course you need to have a lot of assumptions to calculate it. But to sum up: rotating mass stores ~2x the energy of non-rotating mass (this is an extreme oversimplification, but it kind of works for wheels with standard diameter, see the article). But, the rotating mass is a tiny % of total mass you need to accelerate (let's assume it is 85kg, 70kg rider + 15kg bike). So even if 100g on a wheel counts 2x, this gives you 400g of mass increase (you have 2 wheels) which is 0.5% of total mass ...
Honestly, I have installed cushcore and felt a difference. Or at least I think so. But as I said, feeleing the difference is a tricky thing and the perceived difference does not have to translate to real results. On the other hand you accelerate multiple times while riding a bike and this difference can acummulate over time. On the other other hand bike that is slower do accelerate is also slower do decelerate, which means it kind of rolls better over obstacles.
What I've noticed is that heavier rotational mass kinda deadens or slows the bike in acceleration to speed, reacceleration, climbing, steering/handling, and probably a little in braking as well (can't really remember, but I kinda do lol). These are things (not quite on braking) I observe easily now.
When I got my carbon HT last year, I was used to riding my heavier alu one that had nice wheels. I wasn't even aware of the weight of it's wheel/tyre assembly but what I noticed on climbs pushing really hard was that it felt like my power was getting sapped from what I was used to. Turns out the rear OE wheel assembly on my new carbon bike was 515g heavier, that's 1.13lbs just in the rear wheel! A lot of that was stupid NX cassette. Once I upgraded (dropped 426g which is significant) it felt pretty much in line with my other bike as far as putting power down and going.
The biggest difference I found was in my Genius 960 that came with 2.6" tyres and tubes. That rotational mass was extremely obvious. I measured the rear wheel assembly around 3200g LOL. My alu HT rear assembly is 2108g (11-36t XT), and 2197g for the carbon HT w/ 9-46 cassette.
With the OE setup unsprung mass felt heavy, it took a lot of effort to get going and reaccelerate, and handling/responsiveness sluggish. I dropped my XC wheelset/tyre combo and this bike woke the f*ck up! So much quicker to accelerate and so much more responsive in handling and turn in, it's so much better and way more playful.
For the two new bikes I've mainly just bought rear wheels as that's where a ton of the mass is, especially with NX/SX cassettes. You gotta ditch those and get an XD driver and get a lighter cassette as those damned things are like 700g! That's insane! I think this is one of the 1st major upgrades to be done on modern bikes that are equipped that way.
Recently I've been playing around via swapping out Front wheel only with Dissector 2.6 vs wheel with Rekon Race 2.2 on the Genius where there's quite a bit of mass difference (don't have that on hand atm). And there is a big difference between the two, but in a way I was not expecting... which was in steering/handling responsiveness with quicker turn in. Some of the height may also have a play in the quicker turn in.
I also noticed that I tend to ride faster and put down better times with lighter rotational setups. For one it's easier to go faster and this actually inspires your to push harder. There are times where you tend to notice that as well (less effort, more result), it's rewarding. The other part is the bike is more responsive in handling so that's also inspiring!
Gotta think of wheel/tyre assembly as a flywheel/gyroscope. The heavier they are the more resistive they are going to be to any input that changes their current state which is direction change, acceleration, and deceleration. It fights your every input and it's power is mass. The way to weaken it's power is to reduce the mass as much as possible.
And this is why I'm interested in carbon wheels, only if I can reduce z mass enough compared to alu which I also love.
www.pinkbike.com/photo/20328394
"What do you expect when you order chineseium Fastace knockoff hubs"? Well, this was after about 40 miles on the wheelset. And more importantly, I didn't order fastace hubs, I ordered Bitex hubs which are actually really good in my opinion. When I contacted this unnamed company, of which I've made multiple orders from, they said "Ya, sorry, with COVID there are supply issues so rather than wait 6 months we just shipped with the next best thing". When I asked why they didn't tell me that, they replied "ya sorry, we need to do better on communication". When asked if I would get a refund for the price difference (they charged more for Bitex than Fastace), and for any help/advice on getting the hub warrantied, I stopped getting replies.
I ended up replacing the rear hub with 350s and wrote it off as a loss.
1. Lighter- even more important if you run tire inserts like Tannus (everyone should be running inserts on any rim, in my opinion)
2. No dents! The last alumium wheelsets I had were both full of dents after 1 season.
3. No sideways flex! I HATE when aluminum rims flex like a sponge on g-out turns. 29ers make this worse.
4. Cost is about the same. If you're running inserts then durability is better because aluminum dents can prevent you from running tubless.
Affordable but not cheap. Also, necessity is the mother of invention. Like hamsandwich said when I moved to 29 I noticed lotsa disconcerting wheel flex and the additional speed meant more beat to piss rear wheels. With carbon I get better strength and stiffness than alu plus the many 530g alu rims out there weren’t cutting it. I’d need a 600g alu rim for durability and that’s mega noticeable in a negative way over a pair of sub 500g carbon ones at only $100 more than alu per rim. I could get by fine on an alu front but the benefits are noticeably more in the rear for me. Anyways if you’re not thrashing alu rims each season then there may be no case for you to switch. Or maybe you’re a lightweight or just don’t gnar as hard as the PB endurobros.
@WasatchEnduro: Aliexpress builds the Hoback 150. Could there be a more heartfelt recommendation?
A particularly interesting quote: "A product is only sustainable if it reuses its source material. Neither raw aluminum nor raw carbon does. I do not think one is any cleaner than the other (Rojo)...Currently, not even a quarter of the aluminum processed worldwide comes from recycling."
They don't seem to site their sources, so take it with a grain of salt. Interesting nonetheless.
Tell me what I’m missing by not spending $1600 for the same weight wheels.
How do you not understand what I'm saying? To many paint chips?
TLDR, Carbon is stronger than a lot of people think.
every time ive dented an aluminum rim, its left me on the side of the trail seeping air and sealant out, putting a tube in. and then half the time it doesnt even seat tubeless again despite bending it back into place.
For the informed carbon hoops are only 2x an alu hoop (tandell, nextie, light bicycle). I've stopped destroying wheels since going to carbon. Agree I've seen awesome take off prices on complete sets.
I too have cracked a carbon rim (Mad Max on the Neilson trail in VBN) and finished the remainder of my riding trip riding the rim, albeit more conservatively. They don't all just crack and implode on themselves catastrophically. I've seen others cracked as well, and typically a bad carbon failure looks a lot better than a completely buckled alloy rim.
Never mind, quick search reveals $569.95 rim... pass.
Problem is not everyone has woken up and there are still people buying them at this price. If they weren't they wouldnt making them and charging this for them.
Carbon is such a momental rip off for what it actually is.