Chinertown
Chinese Carbon Road Bikes => Cyclocross Frames, Wheels & Components => Topic started by: Sander2177 on August 19, 2025, 11:58:25 AM
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Hi all,
I’m trying to get a sense of interest around wheels built with Berd spokes. From what I can see, there aren’t really any OEMs offering them for gravel, MTB, or even road (apart from Farsports $1899usd)
Based on rough calculations — complete gravel wheelset could land in the $750–$999 USD range, depending on build/spec.
Would you be interested in a set of wheels at that price with Berd spokes? Do you see this as a worthwhile upgrade compared to traditional spokes?
Just trying to gauge if there’s real demand out there before exploring further.
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hmm I don't really see the need, for myself at least. There are those goosynn wheels/spokes that use similar spokes to berd, I think they're similarly expensive though.
One of my concerns is their lateral floppiness which is used as a selling point for off road biking, but I'm not sure it would play nice with the simultaneous trend of maxing out your tire clearance as much as possible.
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In short, using polymer type spokes:
Advantages:
- weight saving
- added comfort
Disadvantages:
- higher cost
- less aerodynamic
- less stiff to the point they can be a nightmare during cornering and accelerating
I've ridden a couple of rides with some of those wheels and I didn't like it. I'm not sure what would be your main motivation of using them, but there are better solutions depending on your objective. i.e. carbon spokes for weight saving, lower height rims for weight and comfort, larger tires for comfort....
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In short, using polymer type spokes:
Advantages:
- weight saving
- added comfort
Disadvantages:
- higher cost
- less aerodynamic
- less stiff to the point they can be a nightmare during cornering and accelerating
I've ridden a couple of rides with some of those wheels and I didn't like it. I'm not sure what would be your main motivation of using them, but there are better solutions depending on your objective. i.e. carbon spokes for weight saving, lower height rims for weight and comfort, larger tires for comfort....
Thanks just gauging the consensus.
Thing is like most thing in the cycling world it’s about trends as well as tech and at the moment there seems to be a rise in the use of Berd spokes first in MTB now gravel and also creeping into road.
Thing is a steel spoke gravel wheel $500-700 and carbon is $600-800 from an OEM.
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Probably not. Every gravel cyclist I ride with just wants wider tires.
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Probably not. Every gravel cyclist I ride with just wants wider tires.
Stick some drop bars on a MTB then 😂
Wider how wide now we taking?
So rim widths
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Hi all,
I’m trying to get a sense of interest around wheels built with Berd spokes. From what I can see, there aren’t really any OEMs offering them for gravel, MTB, or even road (apart from Farsports $1899usd)
Based on rough calculations — complete gravel wheelset could land in the $750–$999 USD range, depending on build/spec.
Would you be interested in a set of wheels at that price with Berd spokes? Do you see this as a worthwhile upgrade compared to traditional spokes?
Just trying to gauge if there’s real demand out there before exploring further.
Tell me where to send the money! Hworks hubs and light XC rims for MTB use
-
In short, using polymer type spokes:
Advantages:
- weight saving
- added comfort
Disadvantages:
- higher cost
- less aerodynamic
- less stiff to the point they can be a nightmare during cornering and accelerating
I've ridden a couple of rides with some of those wheels and I didn't like it. I'm not sure what would be your main motivation of using them, but there are better solutions depending on your objective. i.e. carbon spokes for weight saving, lower height rims for weight and comfort, larger tires for comfort....
Both Peadcok and PFP road bets spoked wheels to Olympic titles
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Stick some drop bars on a MTB then 😂
Wider how wide now we taking?
So rim widths
I think the gravel scene in the US is more concerned about where to get beer after a gravel ride! ;D
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Both Peadcok and PFP road bets spoked wheels to Olympic titles
Those are both sub 60kg, sponsored cyclists ....
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May be attractive to really heavy people on gravel bikes and for touring bikes: extra comfort, and weight/stiffness/aero matters much less.
I feel that the serious touring crowd isn't likely to be a large market wanting to spend top dollar on such stuff, but dentists who go touring once and feel compelled to spend fortunes in the process may be good targets. Narrow market though.
;D ;D always the Joker Serge you crack me up ;D ;D
Zen got back to me with a price— the wheels would be around $1,261 USD.
What I didn’t realise is that Berd recommends a tension check after the first 100–220 miles, which adds a layer of hassle.
Around $200 USD of that total is just for shipping the wheels back for inspection, and then shipping them out again.
Also worth noting: the spokes are the most expensive part of the build. So while $1,061 USD for the wheels themselves is reasonable, you'd still need to find a local wheelbuilder to do the tension check if you want to avoid the shipping costs.
I was genuinely interested at first, but now… not so much 😅. It’s a bit too much hassle, especially considering steel and carbon spokes can achieve similar weights and are much more straightforward.
That said, the price might still appeal to the dentist crowd looking to save a few bucks while keeping things boutique!
There still seems to be a trend emerging for these wheels regardless so will keep an eye.
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I am not a dentist but personally I can’t say I enjoy the chatter of riding my gravel on 40c tires compared to the relative smoothness of the MTB. Having some more compliance/vibration dampening from the wheels would be nice.
If the market demand grow, price will come down as competition arrives
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Those are both sub 60kg, sponsored cyclists ....
It is still a marginal gains game, I don’t think they would ride on that if there was any significant drop in overall efficiency.
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It is still a marginal gains game, I don’t think they would ride on that if there was any significant drop in overall efficiency.
Sure, for them in MTB XCO the main priority is lightweight. The choice over comfort, aerodynamics, durability is easily made for them since they don't care about those. Concerning stiffness, they don't need to take care of (re-)tensioning, adjusting or after-service care of their wheels. Besides that, if the gain was there (even marginal), more riders would have moved to polymer spokes.
For any average Joe and as a general advice, don't copy the pro's. MVDP won the world champs gravel with 3.5bar in his 42mm tires, I don't recommend copying him either.
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I'd be very interested in a set as they appear to have definite advantages with minimal downsides other than the hassle of building them. I've not seen any complaints from people riding them about lateral stiffness. The only downside for me is the only local place that I know had experience building with them is shutting down but one of their dealers is close to my parents so not too much hassle.
I'm surprised at quoted prices as getting them built even on Berds hub is more than double the usual wheel building cost in the UK, requires practice, and wouldn't fit well in to a factory work flow.
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I've owned a couple of sets for off-road use since 2018/2019. They ride nicely off-road. Agree with jfcb that they feel awkward on the road.
Mine requires YEARLY re-tensioning or the performance feels off. They are great if you have a mechanic to support you and you are an XC racer.
I've told myself they are worth it to me as someone who can easily do the tensioning, but honestly, they are a PITA to own.