The next big upgrade...wheels and tires!
27.5x80mm Carbon wheels with 27.5X4" Vanhelgas.
I've been a big cheerleader for this tire size ever since I first tried it, but
even I was shocked, and I mean shocked at the difference it made. I guess I had put enough miles on the 26x4.8's that I really got used to them on this bike. And granted, I was going from one extreme to the other--the 4.8's with tubes on very heavy wheels, these tubeless on very light wheels--so one would expect it to make a significant difference.
But even I was shocked at the difference it made. It feels like a completely different bike. It feels like a "mountain bike" now, very light on its feet, quick, easy handling. The ride over bumps/small jumps is much better, it feels much faster.... This change was a bigger improvement to the overall feel of the bike than the fork upgrade was. Now the fork upgrade was pretty huge, but mainly noticeable over rough ground and higher speeds. This change is in effect in a big way all the time--even on smooth pavement.
The weight savings was substantial:
That also includes the weight difference of a GX cassette instead of an NX cassette, so the wheel/tire change alone is around 6 lbs. It may not sound like much, but with that weight all being unsprung and rotating mass, it has an outsized impact--it really makes the bike feel about 20 lbs lighter. The weight change + the tire size change is simply transformative. Given the 65 lbs I weighed the bike at before, you can see it is possible to get one of these bikes below 60 lbs.
For all those who think they don't like how Fatbikes feel/handle, etc, if you haven't tried one with this tire size on a light set of wheels, you don't know what you don't know. A huge step away from "fatbike handling," putting it much closer to "Plus bike" handling but with most of the "fatbike capabilities" intact--snow, sand, deep loose dirt, smooth ride dramatically reducing vibrations/"trail chatter," etc.
I originally wasn't going to do this right away as I think I spent around $1400 for the Nexties for my other fat bike...until I found these:
Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com
www.aliexpress.com
Cheap carbon 26" fatbike wheels have been around for a while from lots of brands including Ican, etc. But this is the first time I had seen "cheap" carbon wheels available in 27.5." I figured for $600 I was willing to take a chance on them. I can't recommend them 100% because I felt the packaging wasn't as good as it should have been, but other than that I have to say I'm pretty happy with what I got for the money.
They're double wall and rated for a rider weight of 330 lbs, so they should be quite durable. Obviously they come with Novatec hubs which I wouldn't expect to last forever under ebike use, so I'm already budgeting for an Onyx to replace the rear when the time comes, but they're probably better than the hubs that came with my stock wheels. Other than the hubs (I paid extra for Hydras on my Nexties for the other bike), I honestly can't tell any quality difference between these and the Nexties. They spin extremely true, the tire fits very tightly (should lessen the worry of burping out air/sealant at low pressures)....
They set up tubeless extremely easily:
Overall, to be up and running on carbon 27.5's for that price I have to say is a pretty good value. Obviously I haven't had them long enough to vouch for their durability, so take that FWIW.
