Ever wanted to ride wheels with STRING spokes..?
No, of course, you haven’t. But Berd Spokes made them and I’m exceedingly excited to build them.
I mean, if you’re not trying new, weird and wonderful things then what’s the point of even building wheels?
Berd Polylight Spokes
The spokes in question are the much-talked-about Berd Polylight Spokes, made out of super high-tech UHMPWE material.
That’s pronounced “oopmhway”, by the way.
Why string (UHMPWE) you ask? Berd claim some pretty impressive stats, saying that they’re the “lightest, strongest, and most durable spokes ever invented”.
First up, they’re super lightweight and you can save up to 200g per wheelset. Berd also claims that their spokes have 12 times the strength-to-weight ratio of steel and can float on water.
Berd also say their spokes are better performing under impacts and distributing energy in a way that causes lower stress on rims, spokes and hubs than conventional spokes.
“But what about fatigue performance?” you ask? According to Berd, their spokes are excellent at extending the life of your components – in fact when their test wheel was subjected to 250NM of torque at 30 mph and a power of 1000w, the wheel only saw 25Nm of torque. That’s pretty impressive!
How about the old stick-in-the-spokes test?
Yep, Berd actually did it with some fancy lab equipment and found that metal spokes failed where theirs kept riding. The video explains this one best.
Good Vibrations
Aside from those MASSIVE weight savings though, what really sets the Berd spokes apart is their vibration-damping ability.
This brings a smoother ride vs metal spokes and allows for better handling on the rough stuff. Berd Polylight spokes are massively resistant to impact and fatigue, meaning they’ll last longer and provide more consistent performance over time.
Are they more of a faff to build with than J-bend and straight-pull spokes? Yes and no. They’re actually compatible with all of your ‘normal’ hubs so are super-versatile and don’t need a change of hub or full commitment move to try them out. That said, they take a lot longer to build with using a ‘normal’ hub compared to Berd’s own UHMPWE-specific Talon Hub or the new Onyx Vesper Hook Flange hub.
This leads us nicely onto (drum roll please)…
…The New Berd Talon Hub
To answer your “string spokes take ages to build with” prayers, Berd has also released a brand new Talon Hub, made 100% for the Berd Polylight Spokes.
Need to know about the Berd Talon:
- 156g front, 306 rear
- Black, Black, Black or Black!
- 36t, dual-sprung ratchet mechanism
- Available in 54T freehub (coming soon)
- Made specifically for Berd Polylight spokes
- Approximately 50% quicker to build with Polylight spokes than J-Bend or Straight Pull hubs.
The issue with Polylight spokes is that they take a long time to build onto ‘standard’ J-Bend or Straight Pull Hubs, pushing labour costs up.
The new Talon Hub is made specifically for Polylight spokes, making for quicker build and freeing up a part of your budget on these very high end hubs that’ll build into a kick-ass set of wheels.
Get In Touch
And that’s everything you need to know about Berd Polylight Spokes and the new Berd Talon Hub.
If you’re looking to buy a Berd Talon wheelset with Berd Polylight Spokes prices start at approximately £1250 the pair on – for example – a 56 spoke count DT Swiss XM481 as featured on my MTB Bomber.
I also offer full custom builds with Berd Spokes, so you can get the perfect setup for your specific needs, from hubs, rims, nipple colours and more JUST FOR YOU! A rough guide price is the cost of your hubs and rims, £250 labor per pair, and £8.50 per spoke (including requisite nipples).
Ready to give your wheels some UHMPWE? Get in touch here.
