Mitas X-Road CX Tyres

We have been rolling around on Mitas mountain bike tyres over the last couple of years. Their Scylla XC tyre has been the choice of many XC racers, we found the fast square blocks providing predicable performance and a low rolling resistance. The Scylla fitted neatly our need for a marathon/XC tyre. When we wanted something with a little more grip for our front tyre with Gravity Enduro in mind, we stepped up to the Mitas’s Kratos. The Kratos is a surprisingly fast rolling tyre but with wide aggressive knobs for plenty of grip, the Kratos have track us through the wildest trails thrown at us.

Mitas Kratos

This brings us to our latest review and not necessarily a change of pace either, the Mitas X-Road. You might think it blasphemy mentioning anything road related, but the X-Road is part of Mitas’s CX range. It comes with similar features of their top mountain bike treads; Tubeless Supra 127tpi casing and CRX race compound rubber.

Our first introduction to Tubeless CX tyres

We have been using CX tyres for a number of years both for CX racing and our on-road riding. CX tyres give us a super light but grippy tyre, one that spins up quickly on just about all surfaces. Given a few extra pumps of air, the CX tyres improved our average speed through lowered our rolling resistance and their light-weight was noticed on the climbs, particularly over our previous choices of commuting/training tyre (PRs in Strava, woohoo!).

Endless dirt roads over summer

With a current trend to include more dirt-based adventure rides, and a physical move to a more a hostile riding environment we were more than excited to wrap the Mitas X-Road around our wheels. Planned rides included plenty of dirt roads and fire-trails, some trail exploring of our new location, bunch rides with the roadies and maybe even a race.

Close-up of the almost familiar tread patten

The X-Road tyre tread reminds us of a fairly traditional XC mountain bike tyre pattern. The center blocks are small and closely spaced, providing a fast tread for road and dirt conditions. As your roll over to the edge the tread opens up and gets slightly more bold, this gives grip for cornering and loose situations no matter dry or wet. The tyres are suitably light too; we weighed them in at 350g, for their 33C casing. With a standard splash of sealant the tyres quickly inflated and held firm. The wheels were then placed on our test rig, a steel framed hard-tail mountain bike.

70kms offroad for Buffalo Gelato 

Out on the road the X-Road sat pretty comfortably between a smooth tread and a light XC tyre, giving off just a slight hum as the closely spaced tread rolled across the bitumen. While the tyres are stamped for pressures up to 85psi, we only nudged them to 60psi due to the mountain bike rims they were shoeing. We found that 60psi gave us the suppleness needed for the rough country roads we were testing on, but still kept us fast enough for a bunch.

The dirt roads and fire-trails is where the X-Road excels, the tread pattern offered plenty of grip and rolled effortlessly over the mixture of terrain. For these multi-hour adventures we dropped the pressure down a tad and found the tyres responded well, we were thinking less about being careful where we were riding and were able to enjoy the ride more. We then set about with some all-out exploration, finding running trails and sheep tracks, with plenty of rocks and cacti. It was a blast to bomb downhill on a narrow trail into the unknown, finding the our limits amongst the loose shale. Exploring our new backyard, lookouts, tracks and scenery. To be fair we did hike-a-bike back out of a few sections, but that was more about the gearing choice than anything else.

Local XC race on the X-Roads, guess who won Elites?

It has been summer and CX racing isn’t in full swing, so instead we took our X-Road tyres to a XC race. The local clubby event was only 45 minutes long and the trails included some rough rock-garden features. Even still, the club called it their “Fast and Furious” loop, smooth is fast yeah? Tyres were set at 40 and 45psi , front and rear respectively. These were tough testing conditions, a dry and dusty trail that mixed hard-pack, sandy dust, loose-over-hard and rocks. When pushed the tyres provided predictable drift especially as it moved to sandy conditions. They were also durable enough to allow for multiple close calls between the rocks and rims, with some “yes-I-did-feel-that” moments. We did have to slow down a little to pick our way more neatly through the rock-garden, but with such light tyres we accelerated out of corners faster and held a higher speed on the straights. In our experience the X-Road would be highly suitable for any Australian CX course.

Toowoomba MTB Club trails

Finally we toured some of the Northern NSW and South East QLD mountain bike trails. Sometimes doing a roadie bunch ride, then rolling straight into some mountain biking after. We did find the limits of the X-Road amongst the rocks and Black Diamond trails, however, aggressive XC trails aren’t what the X-Road are built for. The X-Road are neatly placed as a CX tyre, and rightly so. We did love the super-light tubeless features, we fear not catheads and cactus of our new hostile riding environment. And there’s still a bucket load of tread remaining, attesting to their quality and durability after 4 months of solid summer riding. We are looking forward to more adventures in the coming months on our X-Roads.

Muc for Lube

For us Muc-Off have been the brand providing some great bike cleaning products, our bikes receive a regular dose of Muc-Off Bike Cleaner which keeps them clean till our next ride. What was a little less known to us was that the Muc-Off products go further than just cleaners, they follow a whole of bike clean, protect, lube philosophy.  

We grabbed their Dry PTFE Chain Lube and are going to pit it against one of our favourite dry lubes, Squirt, see how it holds up.

This is what Muc-Off have to say about their product, Dry PTFE Chain Lube is formulated to hold up to the extreme pressures that are applied to modern drive chains. This highly versatile, dry weather chain lube has superior penetrative qualities that ensure every part of the chain link is completely lubricated. Our advanced ‘Dry Formula’ creates a clean, durable and protective chain wax layer that inhibits rust development and chain link corrosion. The added PTFE creates exceptionally low surface friction to provide incredible drive chain efficiency without attracting contaminants. 

We initially reviewed Squirt Dry Lube as follows;

Squirt - Long Lasting Dry Lube, August 2010.

This is a waxed based dry lube I have been using for many months now. It claims to be biodegradable solvent free and a heap of other things most lubes claim. What I know is that it works well in all the dry, and limited wet conditions I have ridden in. Being waxed based helps the chain to not gather dirt and this aids as the chain becomes more simple to clean. Bottom line I like using Squirt as it lasts for hours and the chain stays cleaner, the other bonus is that the cap does not leak like a lot of other lubes and my tool box is now oil free.

2010 JetBlack 12hr

We look forward to seeing how the Muc-Off Dry Chain Lube goes.

Specialized Women’s Cascades – XC MTB Shoes

Words by Belinda Althaus.

Slippers, super-light, rigid, and down-right cool looking.  This is my take on the Specialized Cascades. 

I’ve used them in a few endurance races now and they’re incredibly light weight for a mountain bike shoe and with a carbon sole are incredibly stiff - increased power transfer, done!  These bad boys are only 40gms heavier per shoe compared to the S Works XC shoe and have a carbon sole stiffness index of 11.0 compared to 13.0 of the S Works model.  The other bonus is they are primarily black, which when it comes to mountain biking always goes down well when weather can unpredictable. The shoes come with the main boa dial plus two Velcro straps.  Extra grip lugs are also provided and as with all Specialized products replacements for most working components are available in the case of misfortune. 

Whether you’re a weekend trailblazer, recreational racer, out to set PB’s or podium these Cascades will win you over in comfort, stiffness and looks and most of all make you feel faster.

#Berrymountaincycles #SpecializedAustralia #WomensCascadeXC

Ground Effect Frosty Boy

We grab the jacket, it is soft and fleecy, it keeps us warm through the coldest rides. Since the morning temperatures dropped below 10 degrees and all through winter we have been donning my Frosty Boy, we throw it over a simple base layer and we’re ready for the early starts.

With a windfoil front, shoulders and arms it is so, so toasty. It is well cut, has a high collar and a Ground Effect generous tail to cover your back when in a cycling position. Integrated reflective piping helps keep us more visible in low light conditions.

We did however try to layer-up one very cold morning and the Frosty Boy over the top was just too much once we were warmed up. In saying that we have seen Frosty Boys as the jacket of choice for Tour Divide riders, it is defiantly suited to those more extreme cold conditions possible and at just over 300g it is nice and light. It fitted neatly next to our First Aid kit in our backpack for our epic rides.

Finally it did rain in Sydney and we were out in it with our Frosty Boy on, surprisingly it held off the moisture for our short trip and dried quickly when hung between rides. The ¾ zip is good to let a little cool air in or to get the jacket off with a helmet still on.

The Frost Boy is another great bit of kit from Ground Effect, it has cut through the cold air virtually every day this winter, our arm warmers have been long forgotten.

Getting Ready for 12hrs Solo

For WEMBO (24hrs Solo) last year we had a couple of bikes setup nice. In particular this week it is all about our hardtail, the On One Inbred. We have been on this bike for over a year now and it runs so well over a variety of terrain.

The WEMBO On One looked like,

• Conti rubber - X-King on front with Race King on the back. We have had mixed experiences with Conti tyres, their UST versions were great and the Protection models good but unfortunately the sidewall and sidewall to bead areas of the base race models just couldn't stand the test of time.
• Wheelset by Curve Cycling. It was a shame we couldn't hold onto these beauties. 
• X-Fusion Slide forks. Still going strong.
• ODI Ruffian grips. Showing all the k's they have done.
• Gearing, a classic 3x9 SRAM XO.

Very soon it is the JetBlack 12hr at James Estate and time well due for an On One spruce up.
First it was the ODI grips, after all the k's and weather they have been through, the lock on had rusted up. Removal meant, torque sheering one attaching bolt and the other having the head drilled off.

In place of the ODI grips are a set of silicon foam grips as tested and highly rated on our other bike.

The Contis are off and in their place tubeless ready Racing Ralphs by Schwalbe. Which so far have been very reliable on our other bike.

In keeping with the fat carbon rim idea from Curve Cycling we recycled an old set of DT Swiss 240s custom built within their own fat carbon hoops.

Last of all, we ditched the 9 speed XO derailleur for a 10 speed type 2 clutch mech. Our engineering department took just 30 minutes to convert the type 2 mech to 9 speed and have it workshop tested.
We won't call  it pretty, but amazingly after 100km of on trail testing, faultless. The clutch roller bearing works a treat too!

On the trail near you soon.

Xeccon First Look

Received this nice looking lighting package from MTB Revolution during the week. But before we put it through the ringer we gave it to the work experience kid to see what the first impressions would be. Turns out we may have to employ this kid, great report Steve.

For my second ever night ride on single track, I managed to get my hands on a Xeccon Spiker 1211 helmet light and a Sogun 1100 handle bar light to play with for a couple of days. Marketed as a set on MTB Revolution’s website as ‘Xeccon D2D Lite - Performance Racing’ at a comfortable $169 it seemed like a pretty reasonable set up for a casual single-track novice like me. First impressions are that the lights and batteries are well made – small, but solid.

The straps for the helmet mounting system were a bit awkward, although it would depend on each different kind of helmet as to what would work best. I played around a bit and some of my choices allowed the light to flop around. I did manage to mount the battery on my lid as well, but it does add a bit of extra weight and is quite a task to do. Running the cable through the helmet would have prevented most of the cable flap that annoyed me on the first night ride, and it’s definitely better with the extra weight in a pocket or backpack than up top.

Sogun’s handle bar clamp system is good – although it does not open up very far to get onto the the bars and I did need a handle bar packer. (The packer would not have been an issue on my road bike’s handle bar, or most modern tapered bars). With both lights the neoprene battery pouches lacked sufficient Velcro and length to easily secure the batteries to anything but the smallest diameter tubes. My Trek 4300D has a largish, oval cross-section down tube and while not particularly massive the Sogun’s battery pouch barely made the distance. With cables on the top tube and a Garmin on the head stem, there was not much option. Even without adding length to the straps, a bit more Velcro would have made all the difference.

As for light output – I was pretty impressed. You could almost get away with low beam, but the brighter levels were really good. I had no problem seeing where I needed to go, wether it was on my own or in the middle of a bunch. The Spiker was everything I needed it to be – except for some rapid flashing for a second or so at random times. With a better mounting system it could be close to perfect. The Sogun did a good job too, but its light is not a much of a flood as I would like. If I was going to buy  my own set, I would probably fork out the extra coin for the Spiker 1210 – not so much for the extra light, but it looks like it would be more of a flood light. For a commuter and sometimes-single track light the Sogun is excellent value, but I don’t think it would suit a serious XC racer. 

Fly6 Review

There has been heaps of chatter about the Fly6 over the last few months and we were keen to check one out. So when a friend received his production model we were upfront and asked to put it through its paces.

With small, light HD video cameras becoming more popular and cheaper, we are increasingly recording our rides. The Fly6 offers features including; HD 720 looping video recording, Nanotechnology water resistance all in a neat tail-light and that is just the start of it. But basically the Fly6 is a rear light for your bicycle with an integrated video camera.

Some of the Features

The Fly6 is a POV camera, the HD 720 resolution and 130 degree wide angle lens works well for general daylight usage, capturing suitable details in most situations. The looping video feature ensures the Micro SD card is being updated with the latest footage. A single two-second hold of the on/off button turns the unit on; the camera begins taking footage straight away.

Nanotechnology surface science has been applied to the Fly6 but you’ll probably just have to take their word for it. Essentially nanotech is applied at molecular level and in this case the internal and external surfaces have been treated with hydrophobic film, so that it repels water. In testing we rode on wet surfaces and through misty conditions with minimal adverse effects.

The majority of the face of the Fly6 resembles a rear light with plenty of LEDs outputting an acceptable claimed 15 Lumens. Don’t look directly at the Fly6 when it is on though as it is blinding at short range. You can cycle through the two flashing options and four dimming settings using one of the two simple buttons. When turning the product on it defaults to an undimmed light setting, which we used most of the time, cycling it through to the minimum setting, just the circling LEDs around the camera, if others were riding close.

We found the Fly6 had a user-friendly setup and USB recharging. We added it to all our rides and why not, it was simple to fit and so easy to operate. Just set and forget, of course if you want some of the footage copy it off the card before your next ride. And the incident protection function is designed to turn the Fly6 off after an hour, saving the your footage.

Initially we stumbled with the .AVI files the footage is saved as, but we new this might be a problem after reading the nifty little instruction booklet. Then the camera struggled both low light and high contrast conditions, often when a taillight becomes an absolute a necessity. And at night, it isn’t effective as a camera and the LEDs flare significantly in the image. But many cameras find these conditions difficult. 

We can see the Fly6 as part of any club, shop or social bunch ride leaders essential equipment. We can also see it used by those who train or commute regularly on road, or for those looking to capture any action behind them without the bulkiness of other POV cameras.

Realistically the Fly6 does everything that it claims, and does it all with negligible fuss. It is a smart looking package that is easy to operate, producing decent quality footage and to what we think is a reasonable price bracket. Simply put, the Fly6 is your buddy who is always looking out for you.

Product Review - Specialized Fast Trak Control Tyres

Words by: Belinda Althaus

Nothing can get up your nose than an unresponsive tyre, or one that feels like it wants to run away from you.  Most importantly for me when I’m riding or racing is to feel in control, to know that my tyre is contacting the ground with maximum traction but minimal rolling resistance.  The trails I ride are fast, fairly compact and therefore I want a tyre that has a relative all-over tread pattern. 

Specialized Fast Trak tyres provide just that with two smaller knobs down the middle, along with 2 moderate knobs each side along the outer edges. The direction of the knobs also plays an integral part to providing better traction when needed, with a more direct 90 degree wall on the braking side and a sloping wall on the rear to allow smooth rolling, and little resistance.  The slightly larger side knobs provide substantial traction on smooth hard packed surfaces but are also ready to step up to the plate when trails turn a little loose or sandy.  

These tyres are great competitive XC tyres which are built and designed for the fast-paced rider.  They come 2Bliss ready (tubeless compatible), in various tyre widths and if your weight conscious, the S-Works Fast Trak is available for 60g less.  Key differences between the two is a lighter tyre, however this is a trade off with a lighter rubber and therefore less puncture resistance.  How do I run them you ask?  S-Works Fast Trak on the front, less weight where it’s not as subjected to the brunts of the rear, and Fast Trak Control on the rear where we want all the protection. 

Putting the tyres to the test. Photo: CrummyMTB

Keep in mind, Specialized offers a 90-day replacement guarantee on all their tyres.  If you’re not happy with the tyre, you can return it no questions asked.

WSMTB 4hr

After the Ay-Up Dusk till Dawn I was keen to follow up with a shorter event and continue to include some night riding. WSMTB’s final round of their Summer Series would fit well to the brief, 4hrs of twilight racing at Yellomundee.

A fast start saw me slip through the pack and Big Dog, as a spectator, had me under pressure to clear the climb out of Max’s Bridge. Don’t be the first to falter! A lap later I found my comfortable pace, easing back on the jets and keeping team mate Phil Welsh company.

Josh leads me on the initial sections of the first lap. Photo: Cuttsnake

Phil’s race report describes our race neatly.

"The... green and black jersey, belonged to Michael Crummy, and catching and passing my rival from last week, was to prove a far more difficult proposition. For the next eight laps, we were to exchange the leading position frequently. Crummy is a far superior descender and this would, therefore, require me to expend surplus energy on the flatter sections and the climbs. The friendly battle meant the first three hours were to pass almost unnoticed."

Phil is nowhere to be seen. Photo: Cuttsnake

It was a great evening of racing and the Yellomundee course was bedding-in nicely, after the recent rain had washed sand through many of the corners. Good to see a heap of competitive racing and plenty of prizes by the sponsors for those that excelled in their catagories. Thanks the RFS for the post race nutrition and WSMTB for putting on another smooth event.

Ay-Up Dusk till Dawn with Video

When someone said it had been five years since the last Ay-Up Dusk till Dawn I was surprised. I soon realised that particular event could have been my last Dusk till Dawn too. It seems like this format of racing is under utilised.
Having previewed the Tamworth course last year I was keen to visit again. The mixture of flowing corners, rocks and pinch climbs had me intrigued. To top it off the Ay-Up Dusk till Dawn was offing 100% single-track and all-night riding.

Like many parts of NSW for that weekend it was forecast rain but still that heat we had been putting up  with was going to stick around. If it did rain it would make this track even more interesting, I fitted all-round tyres and crossed my fingers. For this event I was teaming up with Sean Bekkers in the hope that pairs would offer us more chance to socialise, enjoying the event from a different perspective.
We kicked off the race against a quality field of both teams and solo riders, going for a single lap strategy to begin with. Just a couple of laps in and it was dark and any mistakes could be costly. Sean punctured on the first lap of our double laps sending me out to do a first double and giving him a time to sort out tyres.

The team keeping tabs on us and our close competitors was a team of three, all three very good cyclists in their own right. It looked like the competition between us would continue all night. It was great to be able to watch the other battles from the sideline during the night, as Sean punched out his laps, especially between the leading solo riders.
After six hours of racing the tight sections and pinch climbs began taking their toll and the team of three  were getting faster and faster, finding their groove as the night went on. With eleven kilometres of trail there was plenty of space between riders and during that post midnight period it seemed quite often like you were the only one out there. A special time to be out on the trail.

In the final hours we had a comfortable lead in our pairs category, the team of three challenging us all night finally caught us and made a good time gap. The leading team remained the same for the whole 12hrs, these guys were on fire and untouchable from the word go. A massive effort by all the solo riders on what was a fantastic but tough course.
A great event on a trail I hope to visit more often, hot food, drinks, cool showers, endless trackside camping, all just outside of Tamworth town centre. Thanks to Ay-Up and Sean Bekkers for the support and fantastic lights. Got to love getting back into night racing!

Product Review - Lezyne Trigger Speed Drive Co2 Inflator - Belinda Althaus

I have had this little piece of kit for a few months now, but up till this point I haven’t had a chance to use it in a race scenario where time is crucial.  I have my MTB tyres set up as tubeless and although I always take one spare tube on a race, I prefer not o have to use it.  During the recent Ginja Ninja 250 MTB race in Orange , I found my front wheel was falling from underneath me and steering was becoming difficult and unco-ordinated, not to mention the wet and muddy track which wasn’t helping.  I pulled over and decided to test out the tubeless capabilities and the Lezyne Trigger Speed Drive ; I was trying to avoid putting in a tube in these conditions….
With a quick screw in of the canister onto the inflator, the inflator slides straight onto the valve with no other attachment required.  From here the adaptor is compressed and the tyres are quickly inflated.  This whole process took about a minute. Absolutely brilliant, particularly combined with the tubeless tyres.  In addition the Inflator takes both threaded Lezyne and specialized canisters of both 16g and 25g for road/mtb tyres, and I could imagine other brands to.  This particular model services presta valves only, however other models are available which are compatible with schrader valves.  If time is crucial to you, these are a must for your back pocket.  Lightweight and small, these little beauties won’t break the budget.  http://www.lezyne.com details the other products available in the range, as well as spare parts.

Kempsey Golf Course Trail Re-visit

Now that Kempsey township has been bypassed by the Highway the trail is 3km from the southern turn-off for Kempsey. These trails are regularly used by the local MTB community, KMORC the local club and in June some of these trails will feature in the Flow Rollercoaster All-Mountain Series.

Jacks Ridge Trail Re-visited

One place that rocks!

Tamworth MTB Park

Gloves off on Grips

We selected five grips we have used in the last few years to give you our thoughts on them, and ffter riding on them hard you to see how well they have lasted. As with many things in cycling, grips can be a very personal choice and they can change the way a bike feels.

ODI Ruffian Lock-on. With over 5,000km on these grips we have become quite familiar with their characteristics. In the dry these thin profile grips are comfortable with or without gloves but in the wet the Ruffians can become slippery when not wearing gloves. We found they suited rides up to four or so hours.

ODI Yeti Chunky Lock-on. Another grip we have spent plenty of time with, ride with these and it is like having your hands massaged throughout the ride. They offer a ton of grip with their raised Yeti lettering, brilliant in all conditions.

Serfas Silicon. These grips may look new but have already been through the torture test of a 24hr solo. Their chunkiness forms slightly to your hand and provides suitable shock absorption throughout a ride. We also found that they remain grippy in the wet and without gloves.

JetBlack Lock-on "Scott 24 Edition". We gave these grips a fair shot but after numerous rides and races they just didn't offer what we wanted. Having said that these lock-ons could be suitable for your trail or casual rides.

ESI Chunky. Originally we tested the ESI Races-edge grips but found their lightweight nature not suitable for the riding we were doing. Moving to the Chunky versions we found the grips very comfortable even during extended rides. While they may wear with use and can tear easily the ESI Chunkys are a popular choice as they are light and secure without to much of a fuss.

No need to be Envious

Our initial look at the wheels, here.

With just about all major players now producing carbon rims and these wheelsets now becoming more accessible you no longer have to re-mortgage your house and spend what you could buy a great bike with, to benefit from the carbon revolution. Looking more locally there are Australian based companies hand building carbon rimmed wheels and where the prices are even more affordable.

The old-school new age look, steel frame and carbon rims.

The Good Edition wheelset from Curve Cycling is their most affordable build but by no means are they a slouch, spinning up as fast and suffered as much punishment as we could throw at them. All signs pointed to a good build, as the wheels remained true during the test period, no flex or creaking associated with bedding-in.

The Curve branded hubs roll on smooth Japanese enduro bearings. It was noted during our testing period that the front hub is a little wider than other hubs ridden on this particular bike. During hard cornering the spokes would lightly touch the brake caliper. This could be easily fixed by shimming out the brake disc. No such trouble with the rear hub, the alloy freehub had a distinctive light ratchet sound, with positive engagement and didn’t show any excessive gouging from the cassette.

Underneath the carbon rim is a full size 2.2" tyre, fat rims

Lacing the hubs to the rim were the reliable DT Swiss Competition double-butted spokes, another sign of the solid nature of this build. Additionally available through Curve Cycling and supplied on this occasion was one of the best rim tapes we have ever used. They certainly have done their homework in this area, the rim tape was easy to apply and during the test period there was no air leakage.

How close is the caliper to the spokes, very close.            We placed the cir-clip around the other way so it wouldn't touch.

A full carbon fiber rim features a 30mm external and 23mm internal width, which should provide tyre sidewalls with plenty of support. Fitting some 2.2” racing rubber was easy enough, while the internal profile isn’t UST, it is happily tubeless-ready, the tyres snapped into place on the rim and held there even while ridden at low pressures. We found the rims helped to provide a wider footprint and increased grip and control through various conditions we rode. And after rock strewn rides the gloss clear coat covering black and white graphics still remained intact, more importantly not a wobble out of the rims.

The rims are the same across the Editions with these rims taking Curve’s Jesse Carlsson along the Tour Divide and into second place this year. This wheelset with its carbon rim defiantly provides more stiffness out at the rim and has pushed us towards being converts to the wide rim ideal. We imagine you will be cheering when your rolling on a set of these sharp wheels.

Curve branded hubs, competition spokes, a solid build.

They said: Suitable for XC, AM and all round trail slaying. These hand built Carbon fiber MTB wheels are configured to compliment most riding styles over varied terrain. They feature a super wide profile that allows the use of tyres up to 2.5”. The layup of this rim allows for a nice balance of high-impact strength, lightweight and stiffness, whilst still maintaining enough deflection for comfort during those long rides and marathon races. In other words, they are stiff (much stiffer than many popular light weight alloy rims), but not so stiff to the point where they feel harsh on the trail.