Bike Build Story: Part Three, the wheels. As in Part One already explained, we try to build a bike "Made in Europe". This task is relatively easy with the wheels. There are a few companies that manufacture hubs and sometimes also rims or spokes in European countries. We chose a Tune Endurorider wheelset for three good reasons.
Reason 1: The Tune Endurorider fit perfectly to the intended use of the bike. The German enduro champion Franzi Meyer and the multiple 4Cross world champion Michael Prokop trust the parts. So the name Endurorider says it all.
Reason 2: The Tune Enduro riders fit perfectly with the Made in EU motto. The Ryde rims come from the Netherlands, Sapim spokes and nipples from Belgium and the hubs from Tune from the Black Forest.
Reason 3: The Tune Enduroriders are fairly new and feature some interesting technical solutions. The dimensions of the bearings correspond to standard bearings, but there are some differences in detail that should affect durability, for example. The choice of spokes is based on long experience in wheel building and the rims are not symmetrical.
The key data – price, weight and models
The enduro riders are available in 29 inch and 27,5 inch. According to Tune, the weight is 1829 grams or 1751 grams. We can confirm that, according to our scales it was only two grams more. The price is exactly 800€ - if the standard axis dimensions 15×100 and 12×142 are desired. Boost hubs have an additional charge of 94€. When it comes to the freewheel, you can choose between Shimano and XD Driver. A replacement freewheel costs €76, so you can also convert it.
The Tune Endurorider rim - asymmetrical and tubeless compatible
The rim corresponds to the Ryde Edge M30 OS. According to the manufacturer, it should also be suitable for bike parks and allows a rider weight of 120 kilos. The 30 corresponds to the inner width (measured at 29,8mm), OS stands for the asymmetry. The advantage of the asymmetrical design is that the spoke angles on the right and left side are more similar and the spoke tension is more even. This means that the impeller can be expected to last longer.
Anyone who has ever trued a wheel knows that the tension on the freewheel side is higher than on the opposite side. This is due to the direction in which the spoke pulls. It should keep the rim at the right distance from the center of the axle and at the same time the rim should be above the center of the hub. The closer the rim is to the center of the hub, the more force is needed to counteract the spokes on the other, flatter spoked side.
The Tune Endurorider spoke – double butted
Spokes and nipples are from Sapim in Belgium. Tune chooses the nipples, as well as the rim stickers, to match the color of the hubs. Double butted spokes are used. This means that the spoke has a different measurement at both ends than in the middle. More material is required at the ends where it is in the hub or where the thread is located. The forces that occur are transmitted here. With the Sapim D-Light spokes, the spoke measures 1,65mm in the middle and 2mm at the ends. The thick sections are kept as short as possible. The lower the mass, the more comfortable the wheel is when braking and accelerating.
The Tune Endurorider hub - center of the wheel
Marcus Klausmann drove to various titles in the German Downhill Championship with the King and Kong hubs from Breisgau. So they are always good for enduro use. In our own production, two machines with turret heads for the tools let aluminum chips fly, this is how hub bodies, axles, end caps are made... In the Tune hubs, bearings with standard dimensions are mainly used. So that you can get a replacement at the other end of the world.
Only one bearing does not comply with the norm, it sits under the pawls in the freewheel. A lot more balls come into the bearing here, so it should be able to withstand more forces and last longer. Thought has even been given to the standard bearings: The degree of grease filling has been increased from 30% to 50%. This means that less dirt or moisture can penetrate. The storage play is also optimized for use, you don't just use any shelf.
Installing the Tune Endurorider
We put different tires on the rims and they all fit well. There were no problems with the hose. However, Continental Baron Projekt tubeless didn't work very well, they just didn't want to get tight. A mixed picture emerged at Schwalbe: the Magic Mary at the front held air and was stable, the Rock Razor at the rear seemed to lose air through the carcass. Here we had to take a lot of tubeless milk, then it was fine.
The cassette was easy to install, but was quite tight when it was removed. The individual sprockets of the Box Components cassette left clear marks in the aluminum of the freewheel, the material was compressed here. We have since switched to an XD driver anyway, and both a Sram cassette and an Ethirteen cassette fit perfectly here.
Replacing the freewheel is relatively easy, but the hub needs to be adjusted for lateral play. That's how it's done:
To this day, the Tune Endurorider wheels do their job without incident. You can find out whether it stays that way in the final test of the Orange Stage 6 and the end of our Bike Build Story.