First Look: Forge+Bond's New Thermoplastic Wheels

Core to the philosophy behind the thermoplastic construction technique is the environmental responsibility they tout. With a process that essentially eliminates waste, and a post-life recycling program, F&B is aiming to keep the embodied energy and material in a closed loop. While the recycling concept is quite compelling, it currently only allows for them to make smaller ancillary items, like these tire levers, which you can purchase on their site for $50 USD.

CSS and F&B are working on further projects with the recyclability of the material, but the relative lack of manufacturing waste is an accolade worth focusing on in the meantime. Where traditional epoxy-matrix carbon parts generate quite a bit of waste, the FusionFiber process minimizes the amount of offcuts or byproducts.


Like any good composite manufacturer, Forge+Bond have put in a lot of time fine-tuning the layup of their rims, with a focus on durability and performance in addition to the vibration-damping characteristics inherent to the thermoplastic construction. This is the area in which F&B hopes to improve upon former FusionFiber wheels, as the durability of prior designs was a bit lacking relative to similar-weight epoxy carbon alternatives.


While the novel material is a large part of the reduced environmental impact of the FusionFiber technology, the manufacturing chain and efficiency of production are a big part of what set these rims apart. CSS developed this graphic to help explain the differences between traditional carbon processes and their method, and bias-aside I think it does a good job of arguing for the latter.




Riding the Forge+Bond 30 EM Wheels

Unless they are extremely light, extremely stiff, or very low quality, it's pretty rare that a set of wheels makes a drastic difference to the immediate ride-feel of your bike. That remains the case with these thermoplastic hoops from Forge+Bond, but don't read that as a bad thing. I've been riding these wheels quite a bit over the past few weeks, and though the general takeaway is quite neutral, there are some aspects worth noting.

Compared to the other FusionFiber wheels I've spent time on (Evil's Loopholes and Revel Wheels), the Forge+Bond 30 EMs seem to be a little less damped across chattery terrain. That's likely due to the beefier construction to better hold up to the rigors of enduro racing and generally heavier riding, as the other two options have developed a bit of a reputation for poor durability. The other upside to that heavier construction is that the F&B wheels hold up better in hard corners and sideways compressions when you're really pushing through the bike.

The closest ride-feel proxy I can think of are the new We Are One Convergence wheels, which feature very similar build specs, but a very different rim design philosophy. (Stay tuned for more thoughts on the Convergence wheels soon). Both are composed in off-camber chunkier terrain, but precise when you want to push the bike in specific compressions, making for a very nicely performing wheelset. Ultimately, I think the wheelbuilding details like cross pattern, spoke tension, spoke count, etc. make a as big a difference as minute changes in the carbon layup of a rim, so the best thing you can do is take care of the wheels you have and make sure they're rolling true before smashing them into another rock.


Though I haven't had the F&B wheelset long enough to give them a through thrashing and long-term durability test, they've held up very well to my use thus far. I've ridden them in and around Bellingham, as well as up on the North Shore, and even in some of the latter's nastier terrain they haven't gotten out of shape or lost any tension. The high speed g-heavy turns in Bellingham tend to de-tension wheels pretty quickly, but the thermoplastic hoops are still holding on tight to their fancy hubs. We're looking forward to testing these wheels in faster and rougher terrain to see how they shape up in the long term.

I'll save most of this for a different platform, but I'd love to see more high-end wheelsets speccing hubs other than the I9 Hydras. While the Hydras do provide the highest engagement of any pawl-driven hub out there, I've had my fair share of durability issues with them over the years. Luckily, they're easy to work on, and the team there is helpful with any issues that may arise. My main bias is towards quieter, simpler hubs like the old-model DT Swiss options, where reliability and simplicity makes them simply fade into the background.

Finally, a word on price. These are some of the more expensive aftermarket wheels we've seen recently, coming in a few hundred dollars over other domestically-manufactured options. Again, the closest comparison here is We Are One, whose Convergence wheelset costs around $1,800 USD. I think the choice here comes down to what you value, as the price reflects a bit more than just a high quality and effective pair of wheels. With their Utah-based manufacturing and zero-waste process, Forge+Bond presents a compelling case for being one of the more environmentally conscious options out there. I say this pretty often, but in the end the most eco-conscious thing you can do is buy nothing - though these are a pretty solid second option.

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To wrap things up, here's the Forge+Bond brand launch video, featuring some heavy djent tunes.

Riders include a few of the F&B athletes, such as: Jill Kintner, Mitch Ropelato, TJ Eisenhart, Sydney Nielson, Iago Garay, Andrew Dahleim, and Truman Glasgow.

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