Spank Spike Race 28

Spank Spike Race 28

Watch
Learn
VeloNews
CyclingTips
Gaia GPS
Trailforks
Outside+

Pinkbike.com

Log in
Register New User

Login

Fantasy

DH
Enduro

Home
Travel
Photo
Video
BuySell
Product
Forum

Places

TRAILFORKS
Overview
Bike Shops
Bike Clubs
Bike Guides
Shuttle Services
Trail Associations

PBShop

by Mike Kazimer
Follow Following

[Updated] Review: Intend's Rocksteady Magic Cranks Let You Shift While Coasting

67018 views

MUST WATCH: Pure Mayhem in Brage Vestavik's Sound of Speed

57513 views

Video: Hitting An Elk While Riding at High Speed

56692 views

Atherton Bikes Launch AM.130 and AM.130.X

53413 views

Win It Wednesday: Enter to Win a RockShox Pike Ultimate

45696 views

Review: Galfer Shark Disc Rotors

38839 views

Review: Wolf Tooth Components Resolve Dropper Post

36885 views

Score Time
Who Faved

Finally, a wheelset review on a workhorse set of wheels that people can actually afford!

Yeah, not some carbon 2000 dollar thing that I wouldn't buy just cause I think it would suck to get a flat spot on. I wonder what happens to a carbon wheel that would normally flat spot a medal rim. I'd like to know

I'm thinking about getting these wheels to save just shy of 300 grams from my Azonic Outlaws. I'm kind of a freak about color coding my bike, which is stupid but necessary for some. I'm stoked there's a wheel out there now that is an upgrade and available in Ano red.

Thank you spank! I love your products. Been rocking the 777 bars for about 2 seasons now and loving em.

It is nice to see a "common man's" review component wise. I think this is a wheel set that a lot of DJ riders wouldn't mind tossing on their hard tail... at least, that's my plan (once I get a new DJ, since mine got stolen... bastards...)

Just a bunch of random comments/notes, so don't get pissy if you can't read, just ignore: Finally a real review on a real, no BS/marketing product. I've been saving up for some rims/28race wheelset..they definitely need WAY MORE attention for the durability, performance, and quality of their stuff. All I hear is great things. It's pretty hard to believe for the amount of gram's they're, how durable + solid they are. Can't forget, they look sexy as well with all their color combos/etc. What I heard from one of their employees + to point things out: 2,000g's is decent but it's also super easy to use a lighter hub to get the weight significantly down. Spoon hubs are very solid but obviously weigh a bit more. Also, we all know Flow/Flow EX's are super light, but they're definitely not super durable rims. Versus Flow EX (or older Flow's), I heard these 28Races will outlast them many many times over but with only about a 10g increase in weight per rim, personally that's almost hard to believe with only 10g+. Also, from what I heard (one of the Spank guys doing internal testing) that the 28Race rim did surpass the ultimate yield strength of a FR600 rim (and many others) but -100g in weight which is once again crazy, hopefully it's true... Obviously no real test has come out, but then again, everyone i've met says they're super solid and durable over the many other popular rims.

They use a metal called Dynamal which has the favorable properties of 6K alloy (ductility/not as brittle, good fatigue wear, ease of use, etc) but the strength/fatigue values are increased and resemble closely to the ultimate yield strengths of 7K Alloy. Also, they say they work-harden or some extra process is done afterwards to increase general durability/strength more. Random note: Santa Cruz bikes uses 6069 alloy which resembles very closely to the values of Dynamal alloy..so it's very plausible and not full marketing BS like some other companies do so often... If you can't afford the 28races or want a tad bit more width, Spank makes an AM line called "Subrosa 30" EVO (newer version), which is 520g's (20g's+ over 28race) per rim and tested/raced by some WC people before 28race fully came out and handles DH easily and holds up well. To read more on that, google it, you'll see a guy who rode Whistler (I believe) and tested out the Subrosa EVO's and abused them quite well, but they held up great. Price difference (depending), can be $20-$30 per rim. So not bad for only 20g's extra and 2mm of width.

The weight is misleading. The hubs are quite heavy as already noted, which means the reciprocating weight is similar to an 1800g wheelset. I have used several sets of spank rims, and they are great- the most durable aluminum rims I have used.

I have used this wheelset for a while now and they haven't required ANY maintenance. The spokes are still nice and tight and the rims are still true. These really are a do all wheelset.

*Edit*, some individual rim weights w/ average prices, just in case if anyone was wondering. They didn't include weight of individual rims: Spank 28Race Rim = 500g // $80.00~$92.00 (28Race Wheelsets go for ~$380.00 (Amazon) - $450.00 (PB Buy/Sell) w/ Hope Pro II Evo Hubs F/R.150mm = 1870-1890g Spank Subrosa EVO = 520g // $60.00-$75.00 Stan's Flow EX = 490g // $90.00 DT Swiss FR600 = 600g // ~$100.00 Supra D (Azonic Outlaw?) = 588g // ~$82.00 Supra BH (Azonic Outlaw?) = 612g // ~$50.00 Mavic 729 = 675g // ~$100.00 Enve DH Rim = 475g // ~$999.00 Of course the rims above have different widths, so each to their own..but it's just apparent by comparing price-to-weight ratio, durability, and practicality of 28Races, no other rim is really on Spank's level.

Wtb frequency: 40$ on promotive, 80 regular, 475 grams a rim. I ride a lot of rocks with these bad boys and they've held up great

got mine at sea otter and laced em myself the next day. threw em on my dirt jumper and they rock. strong light and super stiff

I've had these wheels and no the rim isn't any stronger than the next companies, I'm not the hardest of riders in fact I'm pretty easy on wheels but after 3 runs down fort william using 30psi plus I managed to split the pinned joint(I thought we'd stopped using those in favour of welded joints for heavy duty applications) on the rear and put approximately 6-8 dents in the rims some of which were quite large. I then changed to my deemax ultimates (basically a lightweight ex823) rode the rest of the weekend and they're still as good as before with zero dents. Also the spank spikes don't have steel eyelets which will eventually lead to cracking around the spoke holes. Fort william is known for being hard on wheels but the damage that occurred was ridiculous compared to other stuff I've used many more times on the same track. Also I'd like to say that they are a nice wheelset but not as durable as they could be, I could live with the dents it's just the pinned joint I can't get past.

I had Spank 35 EVO rims and for the most part before, I ran Mavic 729. The Mavics are a hard alloy and have double steel eyelets. They are durable but when they dent they crack and the eyelets don't stop the cracking either. All my 729s cracked at the dents and spoke holes eventually (1 year) but were still a great rim. Still ride them with cracks though. The Spank 35 rims are softer alloy. They did dent but because of the OooBah profile they stay nice and round. They never cracked from the spoke holes either. Really liked the wide 35mm rim.

ive thrown my bike up into the air about 15 ft and watched it come down on the wheel and there is zero evidence of any impact. i beat the crap out of wheels but i havent had to touch these. only ones id compare them to are the bombshell fatdaddys which weigh a ton. thats the only difference

26" wheels Yeaaaaaa. ....... 3 pawl drive booooooooooo.

haha dont worry man i dont do it anymore. but its is my bike.......

Last point...really! On the topic of hubs, Novatech, Spank, and the rest of the industry...wow I'm amazed at how well educated the market is today. Spank is not (YET) a hub maker. We make rims, handlebars, stems, and other accessories well, but it takes years and years of research, development, and testing to launch a successful and innovative hub design the first time. We are deep in this process and soon will have something REALLY exciting to offer the world. For now though, in the first few years of our factory wheel program, we work with a couple of the industries top hub makers. The Spike Wheel is no secret, we work with Novatec on that hub. Its a modification of an existing platform, where we used some upgrades to internal axle shafts, bearings, and weight optimization machining, and tweeked spacing a bit...to make a special version for Spike (and Spoon) wheels. The beauty of it is we get a hub that was proven right up to the world cup for several years already, a partner that is willing to work with us to improve it, and a system that can be repaired with standard parts anywhere in the world. Where weight is concerned, no...they are not the lightest on the market...but that was never the intention here. Our goal from the beginning on this wheelset (and it was ambitious), was to offer everyone a World Cup level wheelset at a price they could really afford. We set a target of sub 2000g, and a price cap of 500$ retail...and after a lot of hard work, we hit it.

if you work with novatec, make a race 28/oozy 30 with the new novatec factor hubs (or at least the rear one .... 6 pawls, bigger bearings)...

Hi Spank, Your Wheelsets look and sound like a good deal from what I've read about them so far.. They seem ok in price compared to most mtb wheelsets... I know you make 24" rims aswell as 26"... So really what I wanted know was, do you or are you gona do as set of 24" mtb wheels?? Possibly =Front 15 or a 9-10mm axle hub, and with the back as a 135mm cassete hub but with 24" rims instead of the usual 26" rims?? Those Evo wheels with the strait pull spoke hubs would be even better but if not just other one's?????? Thankyou if you can help!! Sash

Hey Guys! Mike from Spank Ind. here...we might be able to give a few replies to questions, and shed some light on a few issues. First regarding eyelets, it was a fundamental part of our design philosophy from the beginning that Spank rims would not use soft malleable eyelets on our rims. After all, if its possible to make something stronger with 2 parts instead of 34, well thats a no brainer, (if it works). We have all had terrible experiences with eyelets cracking, deforming, pulling out, or coming loose and rattling around, basically making a perfectly good rim a piece of junk. For sure, in the beginning (10 years back now) Spank had its troubles...but the opening of our exclusive in-house rim development and production facility, the employment of the relatively new Dynamal alloy and the evolution of our "360 Degree Orbital Nipple Seat" in the patented Oohbah profile, meant that for the past 5 years or so we have been able to exceed spoke pull through tests with eyelets, on the same rims without eyelets! That brings me to point 2...Spank rims are designed, developed, and manufactured in house. In fact due to the success of the new EVO rim line, we have been approached by so many brands hoping to improve their wheel programs, and we actually now make many of the top brands in the world's top of the line alloy rims. So Wakaba...ironically very funny...but check your facts and you might be surprised!

Great to see this wheel set getting the attention it deserves. I've had the same set on my DH bike for 8 months and I haven't had to touch them for any tuning. Besides a few scratches they have been holding up very well. I can't remember the last time I had a pinch flat and I'm consistently getting asked about the style and performance.

I've been challenged to see if I can break these rims on purpose while riding. Might try it out to see if any flaws exist...haven't been able to find any yet. A few of my riding buddies have switched over in the past few months and everyone is stoked.

Joints. Spank has spent the last decade testing joint technologies from past, present, and future. What we learned was there is no perfect joint for every application. So, now when we design a new rim, we choose between one of three joint technologies used in our rim facility and product line. If we are aiming for ultimate light weight (like our Vomax Rim) we use a flash weld. If we are aiming for ultimate strength to weight ratio, we turn to a pressure fit/bonded sleeve (like Spike, Subrosa, Oozy, Stiffy). And if we need something that is crazy strong but also economic and can accept a little added weight, we use a pinned joint (like Tweet and Spoon rims). Its a common misconception that welds mean strong joints. In fact on just about any multipart assembly using welding, the weld is the weakest link in the chain. Think about broken frames you've seen...almost always at the weld.

Yo mike, put those blue race 28s I got from at Sea Otter on a yellow TR 450 and they are lookin pretty fly. Good to see you on here shedding light!

How come this review cannot be found on the PB home page? I came across it via a Japanese cycling blog. Any ideas Mike Kazimer? Are those spoon hubs by Novatec?? It would be nice to know if Novatec adapters would fit them...

A lot of times the reviewers (such as Levy or Kazimer) post their final drafts of their reviews on their personal blog but it's not posted on the homepage immediately.

Thanks for the clarification! Does anyone know if they are Novatec generic hubs?

The hubs are their own. I don't know if they would be compatible with the Novatec bits and bobs, however the adaptors are fairly easy to get hold of, they will send them direct if you're struggling. I know the 135mm come with a QR and a 135mm x 12mm and the 150mm hubs are just the normal 150mm hub. The 142mm or 157mm standards would require an adaptor bought separately. I can vouch that after about 18months of abuse on my All Mountain bike (that I raced DH) they are still running totally issue free. Bought a DH rig 6/7months ago and bought a set for that as well, learning to whip with them (a lot of sideways landings) and they have still been fit and forget.

Yes they are...after a fashion... Joytech is the parent company. Novatec is the offspring "higher end" division, they themselves have an even higher end lineup which was mentioned in the Novatec factory tour a few months ago. Joytech/Novatec manufacturers hubs under various labels for other brands, of which Spank is one of them (Transition is another)..

^^^ This. Joyteck/Novatec make most of the hubs on the market nowadays. I have interchanged parts from NS, Octane One, Transition, Superstar Components, and Novatec. They are identical (if from the same line) other than the lazer etching.

Spankflavored Novatec hubs. Rims most likely Novatec too, maybe Sun. Three pawl is lower middle product. Min Novatec branded are running strong for 4 years. My SunRingle branded Novatecs same.
At the moment their engineering and manufacturing is almost faultless. Hubs are sealed well and last, spokes and nipples stay true, rims are strong.

The rims are clearly Fratelli Industries.

Cool, couldn`t place them anywhere, thanks.

I have these too.. amazed at how well mine held tension. My experience is that they are a "buy and forget" wheelset. Light and strong.

gah, hate the random colored spokes in peoples wheels. wish that ugly fad would die off already.

call me old fashioned, but there is nothing better for wheels than some black spokes with some black or ano'd nipples. looks superrr clean IMO

Been blasting on these, we're on my trek scratch and when I sailed off a drop and broke the frame the wheels were still fine. Did blast a rock at hyper speed at Downieville of all places on the current tr450,wich left a small dent. Still sweet wheels, the sparkles in the paint look tight in the sunlight but still not over flashy. Good wheels!

I debated over these wheels and the Azonic Outlaws for a long time. I ended up with the Outlaws, but always wish I had gone with the Spank wheels. I still might buy a set for my every day riding and turn the Outlaws into my park and muddy condition wheels.

The hubs on Outlaws are nearly identical to these anyway, the joys of Joytech! UK users, if you need spares Superstar Tech hub spares are compatible with Outlaws and these Spanks, I've fit Superstar parts to both.

My first thought was... what?? Another wheel size??WTF!

Is what the future generations will be saying about 26" wheels.

Fun fact: In Germany they call 29ers '28"'. I had a bit of a panic when my Conti tubes turned up with the wrong number on the box, until I noticed the ISO622 part...

Been running Subrosa rims on hope hubs for 5yrs and no issues, you can't beat spank

What kind of riding do you do, honestly? I'm interested in getting Subrosa EVO's too and seen a few reviews where people DH them regularly without major issues except for small retensioning spokes after intial bed-in.

Mainly anything heading down and a bit of street, not the most super smooth either. They have taken a beating for sure and apart from a few dings on the rim edge are still as strong as the day i got them, been tured twice in 5yrs thats it.

I have subrosas EVOS's on my covert that were also used on my scratch and my brothers orange five before that so a good few years and and they have completed the mega avalanche 4 times the rear finally gave up in peru after a big case. I run them on hope hubs for all my riding and love them that's why I ordered a new for the rear as they were so much stronger and reliable than my stans flow.

I've been running these wheels for almost a year now and have had 0 issues! Nice to see a good review of them on PB as there were no reviews at all when I first bought them. The price alone sold me on these wheels as I needed a replacement wheelset immediately and couldn't afford big buck wheels at the time. No regrets going with these wheels, they are still as solid today as they were when I first got them. I am a heavier rider at 220lbs geared up on an AM rig. These wheels have taken all the abuse I could possibly throw at them as well as some intentional rock hits just to see if I could get these wheels to cry, nothing!

I've had these on my DH bike for about 5 months now and they're awesome, nay ad to be trued once dude a particularly harsh casing (my bad). The rim weight means they spin up nice and fast and they dont flex even under my heavy load

An
Porno Redhead Interracial Deepthroat
Real Teen Brother And Sister Fuck
Multiple Handjob

Spank Spike Race 28

Report Page