Review: Spank 359 Downhill Wheels - Alloy Wheels Turned up to 11

In fact, in my experience, the only way to guarantee imminent wheel failure is to wax lyrical about how reliable they are on a podcast and then wait for wheel failure to strike at the most inopportune times.


However, when weight isn't so much of an priority you can build them both strong and heavy. Unburdened by the restriction of gram hunting, I've enjoyed great success with carbon wheels on downhill bikes. After testing the E13 wheels, and having a really positive experience, going to the alloy Spank models I wanted to not only compare ride quality but also longevity. Because, so far, a carbon wheel that has had no breakages or issues is quite a hard prospect to find fault with. That said, it isn't particularly difficult to find fault with the price tag that could be nearing $2,000 USD.


Much in the same way that carbon wheels were once novel, I think you could argue that Spank's approach is also novel and features some fresh takes. Firstly, these wheels feature Vibrocore. This is essentially a pressurized foam inside the rim. Why? Well, to reduce and deaden vibration. It might sound trivial, but Spank is all in on this tech. It works in a way similar to how you might try and reduce echo in a room by putting padding on the walls. Secondly, they have no interest in making carbon wheels. Thirdly, in the same way some notable bike brands from Taiwan also make frames for customer brands, Spank does the same for other wheel brands.

Claims, specs, and making rims for the great and the good are one thing, but let's look at these wheels in particular.

Design & Specs

At the heart of these wheels are the 102T, 6-pawl 3.5-degree Engagement Hex rear hub. The engagement is fast, and the hubs sing out in a characterful ring. They're less of a dull clack and are more of a high-pitched clicking. When going to more teeth on a ratchet, it can be the case that these teeth have to become shallower by their design. This can then mean that there is a risk of slipping or intermittent drive. To get around this, the freehub uses 6 independent pawls with 3 steps per pawl. This means there are 18 engagement points per click, and this should safeguard against any slipping.

The hubs, front and rear, are J-bend. That, coupled with alloy rims probably says something about these wheel's intentions and the core mountain bikers these are being aimed at. The hubs can go between 150 or 157 mm spacing and the endcaps to change between were supplied.


The wheels have an easy-to-interpret rating system. This rating puts in simple terms what the wheels are able to withstand. According to Spank these wheels will work well for a rider of any weight under heavy impacts. In fact, kudos to Spank for a well-sorted website and copy. I know it seems small, but all the information is clear and concise. In recent years, mountain bike websites have started to feel like you have front-row tickets to a David Copperfield light show. The simple clarity of the Spank website was something of a tonic when looking up tech specs.

The wheels on test were 32 hole rims, with triple-butted spokes and brass nipples. Should you choose, these wheels are available without the Vibrocore foam for $20 less. Spank puts a lot of the details you would want or need on the hubs or rims, such as something like ERD. However, I wouldn't be opposed to them marking flange diameter too while they're at it.


Test Setup

These wheels have been used over the peak months of summer riding in Whistler Bike Park. While it hasn't been wet, it's certainly been dry, dusty, and rough. The wheels have been mounted to Specialized's Cannibal tires in 2.4", or my favorite, the 2.4" Maxxis DHR2. The 29er Cannibal tire weighs 1397 grams. It's well-damped and incredibly supportive. My experience with the tire is that it can feel wooden at higher pressures but when getting down to 25 psi and lower it really comes alive. I run the same pressures in both front and rear. When on the Maxxis tires, I would run 26 psi front and rear in the 2.4" width downhill casing. I do tend to find the Maxxis sidewall slightly less supportive for all-out ability at withstanding compressions, but I also find it a slightly more malleable and better tracking casing at lower speeds. Both are good but, much like the compression damping in your suspension, more damping is better at high speed and less can feel like it offers more grip at lower ones.

These wheels were tested on a Santa Cruz V10. I love this bike. During testing, the difference in feeling when doing back-to-back testing with the E13 carbon wheels on the same tires was stark (during back-to-back I used the DHR2). I tried to experiment to see if I could show this with a BYB Telemetry kit but sadly I couldn't extract anything conclusive. I was hoping to see a difference in axle speed on high-speed chatter but it was just too difficult to replicate, as well as control line choice and pressures to within tolerance.

The bikes came pre-taped with valves installed. Tire installation was a breeze.


On the Trail

These wheels offer a muted and controlled ride. Ultimately, they're not that stiff but it wouldn't be right to call them flexy either. I would say they're very middle of the road in this regard. They are noticeably less stiff than the E13 wheels and lack that sharp, precise feeling that a carbon rim can give, but so too do they forgo that bite-back you can get with a stiff wheel.

While I did notice the flex, I wouldn't say it was light-years ahead in terms of radial flex or comfort through the big chunder. If mountain biking was just taking straight-on hits that only require radial flex then I think the carbon wheels do a great job. The difference is when the wheels have to manage both direct and twisting forces at the same time. These wheels handle torsional load very well and have a great amount of flex for keeping momentum when taking off camber hits, like when you are at risk of getting pushed off line or coping with harsh braking bumps and setting up for a turn

Is the Vibrocore a silver bullet in terms of comfort? Truthfully I can't discern that. They do offer comfort and I would say that these are more comfortable than the LG1 Race wheels in some instances, but it's not universal - and on square edges when the bike is lined up on its y-axis, any benefit is negligible or non-existent. Plus, all the gains in comfort are bought and paid for with what's given away in steering precision, compared to a stiffer carbon rim.

What this wheelset excels at is granting the rider less deflection through choppy terrain. Does that come with less precision? Yes, especially in high-load turns that want to chew you up and spit you out. But if you're a rider who likes fast, techy trails and loves getting yourself into trouble on rough trails, and then getting yourself back out of it again, it's probably a worthwhile trade-off. The 359s are not so razor-sharp as some stiffer wheels, and in the right situation that's not a bad thing.


Durability

These wheels have been great at taking a beating. There have been square hits, side-glancing hits, front-and-rear-all-at-once hits, and both wheels still spin true. I did have to retension the rear once, but when I did so the bike was still very much rideable. With a tire fitted at 25 psi, the spokes had a deflection reading of around 15, as opposed to the 20-25 that it should read. (I tend to measure spoke flex with tires installed at pressure as the compressing force of the inflated tire can change spoke tension quite significantly). It was an easy-to-remedy problem though and I think in keeping with my expectations of a downhill wheel.

When driving the bike into compressions through the apex of catches on Whistler downhill, one of my favorite test tracks, the front has felt like it has hit nothing but pure rock. The ability of this alloy wheel to shrug off this style of hits, the type that in my experience usually ends up with a dented or buckled rim, is very impressive.

The hubs sometimes squeal, which is annoying. Quickly pulling them apart remedies it though.

---

---

Pinkbike's Take

Posted In:
Reviews and Tech Reviews Wheels Spank Industries Vibrocore