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Spank wheels
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flag ProChargedZ28
Posted: Apr 26, 2016 at 18:10 Quote
Now that Spank-inds is part of the manufactures section here in the forums, I'd like to kick things off by talking about their wheelsets.
That rock wasn t soft. At least my Spank wheels came out OK Wheels that can take a beating and saftey The Gravity Cartel.
When I was building my Mojo HD 26'er in early 2014, I had a hard time finding what wheelsets I wanted to go with.
To build something you can truly call unique and badass you have to start from nothing
I wanted something wallet friendly, light and strong and I had never ridden Easton Havens so I picked up a set in aluminum and gave them a shot.
photo
After being on the bike for about 2 months, I blew out a spoke and bent another at the same time on rear wheel while railing a berm on some local trails.
snapped a spoke at the threads. Easton Havens mounted on a mojo HD. Have fun trying to get replacements.
I can't really blame the wheels too much as I may have ridden them past their capabilities. I called Easton for two replacement spokes and nipples and they told me they no longer had spokes for the Havens in 26" and would not provide me with any help finding a replacement. At that point I knew that I needed to rethink my choice of wheels for the byke and how I was riding it. I needed to stay in a budget as I had no sponsors and I just blew a bunch of $$$ building the Mojo from the frame up.

I did a lot of searches and Spank-inds kept coming up for the "Baller-on-a-Budget" complete wheelset. Most of the reviews I found where editor reviews but nothing solid as far as user reviews. I do rely a lot on editors reviews but sometimes the masses can provide the various issues that can come up with long term reviews.

I was able to get a set of Spank Spike Race 28 Enduro in 26" at a price I was willing to pay from a LBS.
photo
Those wheels stayed on the bike until the day I sold it almost a year later. I ran'em tubeless the whole time using Gorilla Tape and Stan's or Orange Seal. During my time on those wheels, I did a fair amount of tire changes and never had any issues setting them up with my choice of tires.

When I first started riding them I noticed immediately how much stiffer they were than the previous Havens I was running. The rear hub did leave something to be desired in the engagement department but not once did I have to adjust the tension in the spokes or true the wheels. I rode those wheels on many of the local AM trails and they saw a season's worth of riding at Winter Park.

Since I sold my Mojo, I'm now on a 650b '15 Enduro Expert and I quickly swapped out the Roval's for a set of Oozy 295's Bead Bite once I noticed that my spoke tension was off and both wheels where out of true enough to need tuning.
photo
I did not weigh the wheels side by side because I don't care about weight I can't feel but I did ride both wheelsets in the same day on the same trail. Once again I noticed that the Spank's where much stiffer (same tires and PSI) and I could not tell any change to the weight of the byke. I have been tearing up the local trails on this set (including Captain Morgan's for those in Colo Springs who may know it. Check one of my vids) and have had no issues yet. Yes tubeless. I have been on the Oozy's for just around a month now and zero issues from either the hubs, spoke tension or rims.

Well I'm going to stop here and allow others to add their input in while I go test out a set of Race 28's on my Demo
The Spank formation is complete

Cheer's and hopefully this thread helps inform others if they are considering Spank wheels as their next set.
flag cwoodside4
FL
Posted: May 19, 2016 at 18:44 Quote
ProChargedZ28 wrote:
Now that Spank-inds is part of the manufactures section here in the forums, I'd like to kick things off by talking about their wheelsets.
That rock wasn t soft. At least my Spank wheels came out OK Wheels that can take a beating and saftey The Gravity Cartel.
When I was building my Mojo HD 26'er in early 2014, I had a hard time finding what wheelsets I wanted to go with.
To build something you can truly call unique and badass you have to start from nothing
I wanted something wallet friendly, light and strong and I had never ridden Easton Havens so I picked up a set in aluminum and gave them a shot.
photo
After being on the bike for about 2 months, I blew out a spoke and bent another at the same time on rear wheel while railing a berm on some local trails.
snapped a spoke at the threads. Easton Havens mounted on a mojo HD. Have fun trying to get replacements.
I can't really blame the wheels too much as I may have ridden them past their capabilities. I called Easton for two replacement spokes and nipples and they told me they no longer had spokes for the Havens in 26" and would not provide me with any help finding a replacement. At that point I knew that I needed to rethink my choice of wheels for the byke and how I was riding it. I needed to stay in a budget as I had no sponsors and I just blew a bunch of $$$ building the Mojo from the frame up.

I did a lot of searches and Spank-inds kept coming up for the "Baller-on-a-Budget" complete wheelset. Most of the reviews I found where editor reviews but nothing solid as far as user reviews. I do rely a lot on editors reviews but sometimes the masses can provide the various issues that can come up with long term reviews.

I was able to get a set of Spank Spike Race 28 Enduro in 26" at a price I was willing to pay from a LBS.
photo
Those wheels stayed on the bike until the day I sold it almost a year later. I ran'em tubeless the whole time using Gorilla Tape and Stan's or Orange Seal. During my time on those wheels, I did a fair amount of tire changes and never had any issues setting them up with my choice of tires.

When I first started riding them I noticed immediately how much stiffer they were than the previous Havens I was running. The rear hub did leave something to be desired in the engagement department but not once did I have to adjust the tension in the spokes or true the wheels. I rode those wheels on many of the local AM trails and they saw a season's worth of riding at Winter Park.

Since I sold my Mojo, I'm now on a 650b '15 Enduro Expert and I quickly swapped out the Roval's for a set of Oozy 295's Bead Bite once I noticed that my spoke tension was off and both wheels where out of true enough to need tuning.
photo
I did not weigh the wheels side by side because I don't care about weight I can't feel but I did ride both wheelsets in the same day on the same trail. Once again I noticed that the Spank's where much stiffer (same tires and PSI) and I could not tell any change to the weight of the byke. I have been tearing up the local trails on this set (including Captain Morgan's for those in Colo Springs who may know it. Check one of my vids) and have had no issues yet. Yes tubeless. I have been on the Oozy's for just around a month now and zero issues from either the hubs, spoke tension or rims.

Well I'm going to stop here and allow others to add their input in while I go test out a set of Race 28's on my Demo
The Spank formation is complete

Cheer's and hopefully this thread helps inform others if they are considering Spank wheels as their next set.

I run spank spike wheelset on my demo and love them! They are super stiff and haven't had any issues since the day I got them (except minor trying every once in a blue moon but that's to be expected!) All round great wheelset!
flag arnie86
O+ FL
Posted: Jun 9, 2016 at 17:28 Quote
Loving my Oozy wheels. I was super pissed however that the fit between my WTB tires and the rim is unfeasibly tight. 2 sets of worn out hands and a few tire levers later me and my friend called it quits. Has anyone else had a problem with mounting WTB tires on spank oobah profiles? I daren't force them on otherwise I will have to cut them off of the sidewall shreds. The WTBs fit just fine by hand on my old inferno 27s. I bought a Conti Mtn King for the rear that mounted fine on the Oozy's (although refuses to stay inflated tubeless for long between rides) and a Maxxis HR Exo that I can put on just fine (but the sidewall has recently deformed after 4 rides).
flag ProChargedZ28
Posted: Jun 9, 2016 at 22:19 Quote
arnie86 wrote:
Loving my Oozy wheels. I was super pissed however that the fit between my WTB tires and the rim is unfeasibly tight. 2 sets of worn out hands and a few tire levers later me and my friend called it quits. Has anyone else had a problem with mounting WTB tires on spank oobah profiles? I daren't force them on otherwise I will have to cut them off of the sidewall shreds. The WTBs fit just fine by hand on my old inferno 27s. I bought a Conti Mtn King for the rear that mounted fine on the Oozy's (although refuses to stay inflated tubeless for long between rides) and a Maxxis HR Exo that I can put on just fine (but the sidewall has recently deformed after 4 rides).

I can only comment on the Oozy 295 with bead bite and race 28's, both in 650B.
Butcher's 2.5 Dh, slaughter 2.5 and maxxis high roller II 2.3 in evo casings go on the race 28's easy.
On the Oozy's Ive had a butcher 2.3 in control, slaughter 2.5 in dh and they where easy to install. a 2.3 high roller II was a bit of a pain but nothing I couldnt handle trail side.

I have been riding my rims hard to see if they would fail and I have yet to see any issues with side walls or any tire issues. I am running tubeless on all my setups.

Oh, I had enduro race 28's in 26". Maxxis DHF ST in 2.5 and 2.3, they were a pain in the ass to install. I had zero issues with running tubeless on those.

I use G-tape for all my tubeless installs and found I had an easier time installing a tire if I only used one wrap of tape vs my normal two. on the Enduro race 28's
flag arnie86
O+ FL
Posted: Jun 9, 2016 at 22:26 Quote
yeah im on the 295's also. weird how one brand just doesnt work. kind of a pain to throw out a tire combo i like!
flag cwoodside4
FL
Posted: Jun 10, 2016 at 5:49 Quote
I run spank tweet 28's with Maxxis high rollers. They are crazy tight to try and get on and off
flag arnie86
O+ FL
Posted: Jun 10, 2016 at 8:37 Quote
glad its not just me finding this!
flag eicca
Posted: Jun 12, 2016 at 14:52 Quote
I'm thinking of getting the Trail 345s but if they're anywhere near as hard to mount tires on as my current Rovals I'm out. Granted I've only tried a Butcher DH and a Maxxis Ardent on my Rovals but the fact that even the Specialized tires about gave me an aneurysm trying to get them on Specialized rims makes me leery.
flag henkster
Posted: Jun 12, 2016 at 21:34 Quote
I've run Spank Spike EVO 35, Spike Race 28 last year, and have a Oozy Trail 295s on my trail bike and Oozy Trail 395+ on my downhill bike. I usually run Maxxis Ardent, Ikons, Minions, High Rollers, and have run a couple of different Conti's in the past and have never had a genuine issue mounting any of these tires on any of the rims. Had to use tire levers a couple of times to get the last 6 inches mounted, nothing that would worry me out on the trail.

The Oozy Trail 295 is definitely a snug fit with the Minion 3C/Exo/TR 2.5s, but I found that this seems to help with mounting/sealing them with a tubeless setup. No compressor needed and no leaking when inflated enough to pop on the bead. I'm not sure that you even need sealant with this combo to get an air tight seal. They pop on an off with some gentle persuasion with 2 tire levers.

The Oozy 395 are a little looser with the Minion 2.5 WTs (so I used the compressor on them to get them hooked up on the bead quickly, rather than a pump), and can be mounted by hand, without tire levers or breaking a sweat.

I'm surprised at the previous comments as I've never struggled mounting/removing. I do have a little bottle of the Schwalbe Easy Fit that came in a ProCore kit, and this really helps mount a tighter tire - maybe that's the secret? Wink
flag arnie86
O+ FL
Posted: Jun 12, 2016 at 23:04 Quote
agreed, i have had no problems with the high roller 2 or mtn king and can put those on by hand on the 295's. my wtb's would go just over three quarters of the way on and then the bead would be taught across the rim- no way are they going on!
flag ProChargedZ28
Posted: Jul 13, 2016 at 9:29 Quote
photo

So this was the hardest tire I ever had to mount. It was going on my Oozy 295's. I am finding that anyone who claims it is Spank rims to blame should look at the rubber they are buying. After I broke to very old tire levers, the tire was finally aired up. I went for a ride and by the time I was done the front was flat. Got home, removed the tire to replace the rim tape that was damaged do to my installation and reinstalled the tire. This time there were no issues at all putting the tire on. The tire just simply had to stretch. Re-installation was a breeze and tool free.
flag arnie86
O+ FL
Posted: Jul 13, 2016 at 9:34 Quote
i think the oobah profile doesn't help as the rim bed isn't very recessed, making it hard to get the bead over. that being said, it isn't too bad and once they are on, they are unlikely to come off!
flag ProChargedZ28
Posted: Jul 13, 2016 at 9:42 Quote
So hopefully the tire install in no longer a question here.

Now, into the durability of the rims.

Here is the damage report that my Oozy's 295's have collected over the past few months of park riding, rock garden smashing and hard trail riding.
The abuse Spank wheels can take
photo
photo
Spank and abuse
This last picture shows a dent caused by a 4 foot, flat landing right on to the square edge of a rock that was hiding in the shadows. It was a seriously hard hit causing bottom out of the fork and shock. The tire is still perfectly true, no loose spokes and hold air like a champ still. A few days after the dent happened, I cut my Butcher Control causing me to finish a whole run on a rear flat. That was no new damage and no, I did not walk the byke down. I will be posting a clip of that run soon.
flag dirtrider76
Posted: Sep 2, 2016 at 11:24 Quote
I have a race28 wheelset on my park bike(banshee rune) and a Trail295's laced to I9hub on my trail bike(Liteville 301) both have been great and both have actually been ridden at the bike park.
flag eicca
Posted: Sep 2, 2016 at 13:36 Quote
I mounted a pair of Minions on a Race28 set the other day. Easiest tubeless I've ever set up but they still had a good tight engagement with at the bead. Totally awesome wheels.

 


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