Mountain Bike Action’s September 2008 issue features a review on the NoTubes ZTR Race series wheelset. This disc wheelet is under 12kg, with 23g for yellow spoke tape and valve stems. (12 kg without rim strips and valve stems.
Here are some comments from Stan Koziatek. This is how the lightest mountain bike wheels were built.
Round spokes are used by NoTubes to stabilize the rims laterally by 35% or more than bladed spokes. All NoTubes ZTR Race series wheelsets have round spokes. For a heavy rim weighing 397g, bladed spokes will work. However, if you’re building with lighter 283g rims, you need to get the most stability from the spokes and hubs.
Bladed spokes have a low spoke count and high tension. To be able to pull harder and lighter pulling spokes, the rim must weigh more. The rim should not be heavier to improve performance. It is the second most important part of a wheel, after the tire weight. Use a lighter rim to stabilize the wheel and improve its stability with a hub design and higher spoke counts.
