Review: Berd Hawk 30 Gold Wheels – Ultra-Light and Subtly Forgiving

By MTBSA contributor

Berd Spokes claim that they’ve built the “lightest published 30mm internal width cross-country mountain bike wheels from any major wheel manufacturer”, the Hawk 30 Gold. At just 1,064g they are World Cup race-ready, however, they have more than a very low weight.

Berd’s PolyLight spoke has a very impressive strength-to-weight ratio. The spoke material is made from Dyneema, an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)synthetic fibre, and is common in marine use for its hydrophobic properties. Berd claims that the unique spoke material improves ride quality by damping vibrations at the wheel.

Hawk 30 Gold Details

• Wheel size: 29"

• Carbon rims, 30mm internal width, 22mm depth, 596 mm ERD

• Intended use: XC/XCO

• 24 straight-pull spokes, 2-cross

• 70-point engagement hub

• Weight: 1,064 grams (verified, 478 g front / 586 g rear)

• Price: $2,395 USD

• Lifetime crash-replacement warranty

• berdspokes.com

Just as unique to the spoke material itself is how the spokes attach. On the hub side, the spoke is bonded to itself, creating an eye to loop around an unconventional hub flange. At the other end, a steel core is inserted and bonded into the spoke. To ease the truing process, the steel insert is keyed so that it can be turned against the standard-shaped nipple.

MTBSA's Take

| Berd's unique wheel construction methods give the carbon Hawk 30 Gold wheels a feel that's unlike anything I've tried before. They're more responsive than slim, alloy rims, but don't kick back with the sharp spike present in most carbon rims. If you're looking for a more comfortable yet high-performance XC wheelset, Berd has nailed it with the ultra-light Hawk 30 Gold wheels.— MTBSA contributor

DESIGN

The internal rim width is 30mm, which Berd says is suitable for tyres ranging from 2.1-2.7”. Berd doesn’t disclose which manufacturer builds the rims, but say that during testing their construction outperformed the current Hawk 30 rim in impact resistance.

For the hubs, Berd has partnered with Erase Components and chosen their Talon ESL hub. ESL stands for equal spoke length. A varying hook spoke flange width keeps offset to a minimum of 0-5mm, while making replacements quick and straightforward.

The freehub is machined from titanium to prevent the splines from getting munched under torque. Behind the 70-tooth ratchet are the commonly found 6902 and 6903 bearings in the hub shell.

PRICE AND WEIGHT

The carbon Hawk 30 Gold rim weighs just 270g on its own, while the hub set comes together at 333g. The rest of the very light pie consists of 24 PolyLight spokes (and nipples), making up the final 149g.

While I wouldn’t exactly call a $2,395 USD wheelset cheap, they do come with an attractive crash replacement program. They're also $600 less than the Roval option, the lightest wheels out there (they measure 28.5mm internally). The Hawk 30 Gold replaces Berd's current flagship wheelset, the XC25.

WARRANTY

Berd laces the Hawk 30 Gold wheels by hand in Hopkins, Minnesota, and offers a limited lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects on all of the wheel components. Due to the nature of this lightweight wheelset, though, there is a maximum system weight of 127kg (280 lb (127 kg)) and a maximum tyre pressure of 35 PSI. Considering most XC racers are running sub-20-PSI pressures these days, it’s unlikely most riders will reach that upper limit.

What happens in the case of a broken rim? Berd covers the replacement cost of the rim, but you’ll have to pay for the shipping costs, plus the labour to relace the rim, which is $60 per wheel.

COMPARISON

Roval Control World Cup: 998 grams / $3,000 USD / 2-year, no-questions-asked rim replacement

DT Swiss XRC 1200 Spline: 1,303 grams / $3,218 USD / discounted crash replacement

Enve M5 Pro: 1,325 grams / $2,300 USD / 3-year, no-questions-asked rim replacement

Reserve 28 XC SL w/DT 180 hubs: 1,337 grams / $2199 USD / lifetime, no-questions-asked rim replacement

Tune Nano XC: 1,240g / €2,300 EUR / discounted crash replacement

We Are One Whisp w/Industry Nine Solix hubs & alloy spokes: 1,368 grams / $2,199 USD / lifetime, no-questions-asked rim replacement

PERFORMANCE

What a list of materials: ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene spokes, carbon rims, titanium hub bits - this is not your ordinary wheelset, and neither are the ride characteristics. It could be a mix of the lightweight rim construction and the spokes, but the Hawk 30 Gold wheels are unlike anything I've ridden before. They're both sharp, yet forgiving. You can feel them flex and bend as you load up through corners - more than you'd expect from a carbon rim, but not so unnerving as to be an issue. Where slim alloy rims can resonate a dull thud over square-edge hits, the Hawk 30 Gold wheels have a milder reaction.

When it comes to power transfer, the Talon ESL rear hub has a strong, solid engagement. 70 points of engagement work out to 5.14 degrees of pick up. That's less, or quicker than a DT Swiss 350 hub with 6.66 degrees of movement.

What's most important for a wheelset of this category is the drag, or lack thereof. The Talon ESL's ratchet-style engagement rolls very efficiently, edging out the 350's performance by my observations. Surprisingly, the low drag of the ESL's ratchet emits an extremely loud roar when coasting. It borders on obnoxious, so if you like a quiet hub, this wheelset won't be for you.

I will state that I treated these wheels respectfully. They were pushed slightly by the capabilities of the 120mm-travel Forbidden Reya and came away unscathed. The spokes have survived a few brushes with branches, and the rims shook off the odd rock strike. As they stand now, the spokes need no tensioning since their unboxing. My only small complaint comes with the pieces provided: no spare spokes or valves are included (standard-length valves will fit). For $2,395, I'd like to see those spares included, especially considering it's unlikely you'll find those proprietary spokes in stock at most bike shops.

Update July 20: Berd stated that they do include the necessary spoke tool and valves with the purchase of its wheels.

Pros

+ Comfortable without being noodlely.

+ Decent value if you're in the market for an extremely light wheelset.

Cons

- Very loud hub ratchet.

- Wheelset doesn't include replacement proprietary spokes.

For South African readers

Overseas prices in this report are not confirmed South African retail prices. Check local availability, warranty support and the complete rand price with your retailer. No MTBSA test score has been assigned.