Mad Fiber Updates Hub Internals, Goes 11-Speed
Last summer, we saw an early version of Mad Fiber’s new one-piece driveside rear spoke. As in, the entire group of spokes is one piece. This eliminated the crossed spokes from the originals and reportedly did away with any creaking noises riders were hearing.
The news from Eurobike is that this design is finally in production, and they’ve swapped to an alloy freehub body and axle that’s Shimano 11-speed compatible. They’re no longer using White Industries hub internals. Full pic of the wheel below…
Comments
Are there unidirectional fibers sandwiched into the spoke lay-up somewhere? It looks like the spokes are all made of fibers running at 45 degrees to the spoke load (in tension).
Alex, according to their website:
“Mad Fiber spokes are five-ply carbon ribbons–what most people would describe as blades. The two outermost, visible layers are a 12k carbon weave; the inner plies are unidirectional, with the fibers oriented at nearly 0 degrees to carry the spoke tension. They are extremely overbuilt, capable of withstanding more than 40 times the load they’ll see in even the most extreme riding conditions.”
I have a set of these (finally) and love them. Super stiff, light, and somehow comfortable.
Have a set of tubulars. These wheels rock. Visually impressive and performance more so. Unbelievable. Traditional wheel design seem like model T’s in comparison
Agree, these wheels are great fun. I previously ran a set of 404/303 Alu braking track Zipp clinchers. In comparison the MFs (clinchers also) feel waaaay racier and livelier. They do twitch a bit in strong side-winds, but the effect is more disconcerting than actually dangerous. Another great bonus is the extremely smooth braking and nice modulation curve of their pads + wheel combo. They look great too and are a real conversation starter. If anyone knows where to get tubeless valve stems that fit, post the info here.
Has anyone ever seen a wind tunnel comparison of these? I’m curious how they compare to other industry competitors.
I have ridden about 400 miles on a set of the old MF design wheels with the old spoke layup and about 600+ miles on the new wheels ,the new design is silent the older ones were super loud under any kind of pressure
these wheels are just amazing climb n accelerate like northing else make a brilliant Woosh Woosh noise when you are carrying serious speed
the only downside having to answer questions from everybody who see them + not a fan of the graphics de-sticked mine as soon as I got them
Yeah they do make every other wheel look very old fashioned
as for tubless valve stems the MF ones work fine as do Bontrager 100mm ones
over n out from Cornwall UK
As for wind tunnel data, I’ve not seen any but I suspect given their cross section, their wide spokes, and that very tall, unusual rim nose that they’ll likely do very well in no wind or with a headwind. In cross winds, I suspect they’ll be sub-optimal at best.
@PSI Squared
Side wind isn’t really a factor for cyclists, most of the wind comes from +-15 degrees at 40km/h (according to some guy at some big stand at Eurobike last Saturday). And, subjectively, I don’t feel the headwind as much as I do notice the weight of my bikes when I switch between them. And I’m not just talking the wheels up because the guys from Mad Fibre gave me a free t-shirt.
@Ciclismo: Uhm, a wind at 15° is a crosswind by definition. Wind and specifically drag, have a much greater effect on your ride than the weight of your bike.
MadFiber please release a shallower model. Thanks.