Berd Spokes...oh my

[toast2266]

^^^ how much lotion have you had to rub on them?

[muted reborn]

I stumbled upon a big Circle jerk with this thread.

[bagtagley]

These are the most damaged spokes I could find on these wheels after two years of riding lots of loose steep garbage. UHMWPE is pretty tough stuff for the most part.

Cool, thanks! That’s not bad. Good to see that they continue to hold up with some damage.

[chaka]

Bump... two more years of abuse, how are the Berds holding up? I'm considering selling a kidney and taking the plunge for a light, strong, fast gravel set that I can also throw on my ss hardtail occasionally.

[MegaStoke]

Bump... two more years of abuse, how are the Berds holding up? I'm considering selling a kidney and taking the plunge for a light, strong, fast gravel set that I can also throw on my ss hardtail occasionally.

I’m still a fan. My first pair w Onyx Vesper Hubs and Crank Bros synthesis carbon rims is still going strong, with lots of aggressive miles on them, including DH shuttles, bike park days and even a handful of sessions at the old Rampage site. I did have a spoke get cut when my wheel ingested a big rock, but I suspect steel spokes would have broken under the same conditions.

Last year I also bought a second set of Berd wheels, this time their Hawk 30s with their hook flanged Talon hubs. Those have seen around 3000 miles of rugged mountainous trail use, including the very rocky Arizona Trail 800, and are still holding up well. I did have to replace one damaged but not fully cut spoke after the AZT, but otherwise they’ve been flawless, and really livened up the bike they’re on.

I do think they’re a bit more vulnerable to damage by rocks kicked up into the spokes than a standard spoke, but not significantly so. Otherwise, I’d rate them as durable, if not more than conventional steel spokes.

[xyz]

Bump... two more years of abuse, how are the Berds holding up? I'm considering selling a kidney and taking the plunge for a light, strong, fast gravel set that I can also throw on my ss hardtail occasionally.

Holding up fine. I still say berd spokes are the greatest upgrade I’ve ever made to a bike. The ride compliance is such a joy. I will never ride another spoke on an off road bike.

Get past the durability concerns. They are no more of risk than any other bike part.

[Roxtar]

Macky Franklin has run them on his big bikes without issues ever since they became sponsors.
New Mexico has two kinds of rocks; sharp and rough.
Granted, he is an incredibly smooth rider.

[Robik]

I was pretty happy with my WAO Convert/DT350 till I saw a pair of lightly used polished Onyx Vesper/Roval Control 240/Berd wheels. Today I went for a ride and they definitely feel much lighter and so quiet on the down. It's hard to isolate what contributed to my first impression since I swapped out Mezzer Pro for Mattoc Pro and previous Mara Pro to a new Mara Pro Piggyback. Overall, I'm stocked.

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[Dantheman]

Dead sexy!

[smmokan]

That mint Propain is such a sick bike!

[Robik]

That mint Propain is such a sick bike!

Dude, I followed your advice with this bike and so far have no regrets! Might replace AXS with some mechanical XX1 just to shave some weight.

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[xyz]

Berd spokes take double gold!

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/pla...olympic-glory/




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[wantriot]

^^^ how much lotion have you had to rub on them?

Would you go Onyx again in the future? Love the silent aspect but deciding if the weight is worth it...

[beaterdit]

For me it is and Im still on the Classics. Quite a bit heavier than the Vesper though Vespers are still pretty heavy.


The silence is sublime and the instant, soft engagement is a joy.


Got two sets and will never ride anything else if I can help it.

[plugboots]

Onyx for me, for now on as well.

[XtrPickels]

For those who have ridden Berd, maybe more those who have ridden and didn't like:
Is "Compliant" just another word for "flexy" or do they magically retain their lateral stiffness?

[smmokan]

I personally thought they had a good balance of stiffness and compliance... definitely a noticeable difference on my Epic EVO compared to the carbon Roval Controls. That said, I'm not sure if the cons of cost/durability/maintenance are worth the improved performance and weight reduction. If I found a good deal, I'd probably put them on my Epic EVO again but I wouldn't bother on a trail or enduro bike.

[XtrPickels]

Yeah Steve, I was thinking of fast tires and swapping between the Epic Evo and my Hardtail. Wouldn't be anywhere too gnarly. Your insight is perfect.