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Mercury Wheels hits the trail with carbon, alloy mountain bike wheels, plus wide cyclocross tubulars

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Mercury has expanded beyond their road bike origins to include two new mountain bike wheelsets, with two models each offering two widths depending on the intended use. They’re both running the brand’s own rim designs on their own hubs, and they’re all handbuilt in Ogden, UT.

They’ve also updated the road graphics and added a new deep, wide carbon tubular for cyclocross…

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The top of the range for mountain bikes is the X1. They come in two different widths, a lightweight XC (24mm, 18mm internal) and a bigger Enduro (32mm, 26mm internal), both available in 27.5″ and 29er. Depths are 21mm and 24mm, respectively.

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The carbon rims are hookless clinchers, a design that eliminates the machining process typically used to create a bead hook. That process also tears the fibers, which potentially degrades the integrity of the rim at a point vulnerable to impacts, particularly on a mountain bike wheel. Retail is $2,199 per set for any of the sizes. Claimed weights are:

  • 27.5″ XC – 1525g
  • 27.5″ Enduro – 1540g
  • 29er XC – 1580g
  • 29er Enduro – 1641g

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Hubs can go 12mm or 15mm thru axles up front, and 12×142 in the rear, and both can be set up with standard QR dropouts, too. These are the same hubs they’re using for their gravel and cyclocross builds, too, but those get lower spoke count drillings. That means any of those wheelsets can fit anything from trail and enduro mountain bikes to road, ‘cross and gravel…which gives you a good crossover wheelset to be used as a backup, race day or whatever simply by swapping end caps on the front and axles on the rear. You can even sub in a Campy freehub body!

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The X3 is the alloy set of mountain bike wheels, which founder Chris Mogridge says are actually selling really well to gravel and ‘cross riders.

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The alloy rims do have a bead hook. The XC rims share the same widths and height as the carbon X1 rims. The Enduro spreads out a bit to 35mm wide, 29mm inside, depth is 27mm. Weights are:

  • 27.5″ XC – 1530g
  • 27.5″ Enduro – 1820g
  • 29er XC – 1660g
  • 29er Enduro – 1895g

Retail is $799 for any size option. All MTB weights listed are with 15mm front, 12×142 rear thru axles.

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Their road line up gets new outline graphics on the S-series wheels, in contrast to the block white logos shown on the M5 in the foreground. They also get a subdued matte carbon finish.

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Otherwise, their existing road wheels carry over unchanged, including the $699 all ’rounder alloy S1, available disc or rim brake builds.

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For the past 18 months, they’ve been testing a new full carbon tubular under Smart Stop team and, more recently, Adam Myerson on the cyclocross circuit. The result is the M38, a new carbon tubular that measures a fat 24mm wide and 38mm deep and hit the scales at a claimed 1370g for rim brakes, and about 1410g for the disc brake version.

The wheelset comes in at a claimed 1370g and retails for $1,999 with Sapim CX-Ray spokes.

MercuryCycling.com

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12 Comments
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Ck
Ck
8 years ago

Any word on an XD driver for their wheels? Kind of a big deal in the MTB world these days.

M
M
8 years ago

CK
Do you self a favour and run a Shimano cassette, much much better shifting

Adventurebybike.be
8 years ago

All 200% china stuff with custom decals

LeoMTB
LeoMTB
8 years ago

Those are Novatec D711sb hubs re-branded.

Steve
8 years ago

The only company with a machined bead hook on a carbon rim is Reynolds. Zipp, Easton, Campy, all mold the hook, no machining.

B
B
8 years ago

Looks like American Classic hubs. Formula rims.

Kernel Flickitov
Kernel Flickitov
8 years ago

Re: Adventurebybike.be, Not everyone can afford $3k ENVE/Chris King wheels, so therefore 60%-70% of the bike industry is made in China-Taiwan. So what?

RoDe
RoDe
8 years ago

Re: Kernel Flickitov, well I do feel they are overpriced at $2199. For me to import those wheels to the Netherlands it would be roughly €2600, which is roughly $2900 USD. So for roughly € €200 more I know I can get Enve rims with Hope hubs and Sapim Spokes. Or for €1000 less I can get Derby Rims also China made with I9 hubs. Choices choices.

Anthony
Anthony
8 years ago

What ^ said. Way overpriced for those. You can get WTB carbon rims on Chris king hubs and keep $500 in your pocket.

Kernel Flickitov
Kernel Flickitov
8 years ago

Re: RoDe Mercury Wheels are by-in-large made for the US market, so of course they wouldn’t be cost effective for Euroland. So where I’m standing the X1 is still a solid grand cheaper than any ENVE M series wheel set.

Re: Anthony, the WTB Ci24 rims are made in Asia as well. There are comparable Asian made rims available from a host of suppliers that are half the price and come with more hole count options than just 32h.

My original post countering Adventurebybike.be’s absurd comment still stands. He should reconsider linking to his lame website if his idea of promoting it is to berate people for the kind of gear they ride.

Joey
Joey
8 years ago

I think it’s great as there at least a company that will work with you through warranty issues (if any) and can present a functional product to the market. As an example look at zipp hubs and there issues of “play” in bearings up to this year… Years in the market can never count towards notches in the belt of advancement in cycling. Just look at trek (that was a slam).

Ben
Ben
8 years ago

The new MTB wheels are proprietary Mercury designs.

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