Yeah I'm super interested in how those ride.

 Previously, I had a Bird Aeris 145 / 160 with DVO Topaz shock and WeAreOne Agent rims on Newmen hubs with thin steel spokes. It's difficult to point to any one thing that's made this bike better, as so much is different, but I never quite got on with the previous bike, while this one is the best I've ever ridden by a wide margin. It's incredible. Maybe some of that is the spokes ... maybe not. For whatever reason, it's incredible.

Spokes have some sort of coating, which is wearing off in places after a year and allowing the spokes to get a bit dirty and slightly fuzzy in places. Other than that, not a single issue with the spokes.

Hubs seem to be fine. End caps needed tightening a couple of times. Found metal slivers in the ratchet on a couple occasions, which I think are from the tips of the ramped surfaces, not the sliding splines. It's wise to clean and lube the hubs frequently; thankfully, it's quick and easy to do so. The new DT 180 hubs are so close in weight that Extralite is no longer a clear choice for super light hubs.

I forget the exact weight. It's not much over 1300 g with 36 mm (internal) rims. Significantly lighter than my road bike's wheels, which are climber's wheels with a recommended 175 lb weight limit!

 @R-M-R: Nice! Sounds great, thanks for the info. My current wheelset has Onyx hubs, (which I love, but they’re just so damn heavy) so I will be saving a substantial amount of weight there. And I am looking forward to the ride with Berd spokes.

 @Twenty6ers4life: The value of reducing unsprung mass is often overlooked, but it makes a real difference.

 @R-M-R: Absolutely! I used to run skinner tires and rims years ago for weight savings, which I could really feel on the climbs and accelerating. But after feeling the benefits of wide rims and tires, (2.8’s Minion DHRII’s on 26 x 40i rims) I can’t go back. But now, I’ll have the best of both with these wheels, light and big/wide.

 @Twenty6ers4life: Similar story here. I've always liked wide tires, but kept the weight down with crazy light casings, like Continental's 2.4" Supersonic series tires (more like 2.2", at best). They were great when they were holding air, which never lasted long. I'm currently on true 2.6" and loving it. Also loving the 29" wheels and recommend them, though you'd have to change your username!

The next step for tires may be a similar casing size with a much broader tread to work with super wide rims. This should give us the traction benefits of huge tires with better lateral stability.

 @R-M-R: Yep, loving my 2.8’s on 40i rims. I’m a little vertically challenged, so I’ll probably stick to 26+, which are actually 27.5 in diameter with the 2.8’s. Back to back runs between 2.4’s and my 2.8’s were a night and day difference. I can monster truck over virtually anything at speed with the 2.8’s and traction is endless. Small braking bumps and trail chatter disappear too.

 @Twenty6ers4life: Makes sense. I love 2.8" tires most of the time, but they get weird sometimes, with too much undamped rebound and lateral deflection. Traction is amazing, as you said, and small impacts vanish. This is why I'm thinking we could put a current 2.8" or 3" tread on a 2.5" or 2.6" casing, mount it on a maybe 50 mm rim, and create a 2.8" with a touch less height and a lot more lateral stability.

Most of the benefits from larger wheels come from the front wheel. If you ever want to check out what all the hype is about, try to find a mixer.

 @R-M-R: Yeah, setup can be a little tricky at first. Too much air pressure and you can end up getting a little too much rebound and deflection. But once you get the right pressure for your weight and riding style they’re awesome. I run 14-15 psi up front and 18-19 in the rear. That seems low, but with so much volume, they don’t feel that low. And with the right rim width, lateral support is pretty good. With the 2.8 Minions on 40i rims, I don’t really get tire roll or squirm even railing hero dirt at speed. Some brands are worse than others though. And because they conform to the trail so well, they actually roll pretty fast, (I often out coast my riding buddies who are on regular sized tires). Your idea sounds interesting creating a lower profile wide tire. The only drawback I see would be more trail feedback and less small bump compliance. Maybe a little more susceptible to rim strikes without higher pressures. I haven’t run a mixer or mullet MTB, but I have a motocross bike, (I used to race MX) so I’m a little familiar with a bigger wheel up front. I wouldn’t mind trying one out though. Your bike is a nice build BTW, heavy where it needs it, light everywhere else. That’s kind of like my build. I have a 2014 Uzzi, (Merican made) built up the same way. It’s under 30 lbs at the moment and with the new wheels, I’m guessing it’s going to be under 29. Not bad for a burly aluminum frame and 180mm travel F&R.

 @Twenty6ers4life: I get what you're saying, but that sweet spot didn't quite happen for me. Even with 45 mm (internal) rims, the best compromise for me was about 1 psi less than your pressure, which still resulted in occasional rebound quirks and occasional lateral collapse. Not bad, just not quite ideal.

It's strange that 2.6" on 36 mm rims should have less lateral collapse. A few psi more, tires with bead bumpers that add a touch of support ... I guess that's enough. Overall, we're on the same page. And yes, I've also noticed the reduced rolling resistance on rough terrain. The rougher the terrain, the wider the tire needed to hit minimum rolling resistance.

It's possible you'd lose some compliance with the "wider and lower" tire and rim design. Maybe not, though, as I could run lower pressures and/or larger tires than I would otherwise use, since lateral collapse would no longer be my limiting factor.

You're correct that I've tried to minimize the weight of my build on the wheels and maximize performance on the shock and fork. I have strong feelings about overall weight being trivial. A difference of 1 kg, for example, is roughly 1% of total weight, which is the upper limit of how much it could possibly slow you down. That assumes zero rolling resistance, zero air resistance, zero tire slip rate, zero drivetrain friction, etc. - and it's only on climbs. The difference in speed is closer to 0.6% - again, only on climbs. Many variables contribute more to our speed (or lack thereof!), yet receive less attention, probably because they're not as tangible.

 @R-M-R: Yep, unfortunately for me, I have lots of steep climbing to get to the DH and I’m an oldish man so I need all the help I can get. So wide range gearing and lighter weights definitely help me out. I get what your saying though.

 @Twenty6ers4life: Everything helps, of course, but some factors are a lot more significant than weight. For example, your choice of chain lube makes more of a difference on your climbing speed than a pound or two!

 @R-M-R: lol, I got that covered too, Moulten Speed Wax on rotating chains and ceramic bearings in everything, hubs, bb and derailleur pullies.

 @Twenty6ers4life: Well there you go. Maybe we'll get you on 29" wheels some day; until then, sounds like you have a pretty dialed set-up!