It’s been a long wait for a range of SRAM branded mountain bike wheels, but at the Fisher Expo this week (Fisher Outdoor handle SRAM in the UK) the first fruits of their labour was revealed.

You see, in 2007 the component manufacturer bought Zipp, a company specialising in road cycling carbon fibre wheelsets. It wasn’t long before this obivious acquisition of knowledge, experience and technical know how was put into a range of SRAM labelled wheels for roadies, but for us mountain bikers, well we were lift waiting.

Looks like the wait was worth it. SRAM’s new mountain bike wheels, tagged Rise, are aimed at cross country and trail riders, with an emphasis on
Weight is impressive, and right on the money. The Rise 60, in 26in guises, weighs in at a 1,330g. Weight rises to 1,420g if you opt for the 29in version. Weight is still good for the more affordable 40 however, at 1,710g and 1,840g for the 26in and 29in hoops respectively.lightness. There are initially two price points; the carbon Rise 60 and aluminium Rise 40, with each available for 26in and 29in applications.

SRAM haven’t been driven solely by the pursuit for light weight however. The Rise 60 gets a special freehub designed to offer incredibly quick engagement, with virtually no delay in you stamping on the pedals and the transmission converting that energy into propelling you forwards. Three pawls in the freehub, each with three teeth, gives nine points on contact, which gives them such good pickup. They only sound great too. The Rise 40 hubs make do with a more conventional design freehub.

The 24 aero bladed straight pull spokes (front and rear) are laced into the off-set flanges. The rims are 26mm deep and the hubs can be swapped between different wheel axle configurations at the front and back with a choice of available end caps. Interestingly, the front wheel we were shown featured a wider side plate specifically designed to increase the surface contact area when used with a RockShox fork, increasing lateral stiffness by a notable amount.

Prices for the wheels are as follows:

– RISE 60 26in £1,550

– RISE 60 29in £1,625

– RISE 40 26in £420

– RISE 40 29in £440

www.sram.com | www.fisheroutdoor.co.uk

SRAM Rise Photo Gallery