German brand NEWMEN are already well on their way to establishing a cult-like following, largely thanks to their durable and affordable alloy enduro wheelset, the NEWMEN Evolution SL A.30. With the Advanced SL A.30 wheelset, NEWMEN aim to bring their no-nonsense approach to the carbon wheel market. Have they succeeded? Read on for our first impressions.
The NEWMEN Advanced SL A.30 wheels are the brands’ high-end carbon offering for hard-hitting enduro riders, and the Advanced SL A.30 wheelsets have been tested and used by NEWMEN’s Enduro World Series riders, the Cube Action Team.
Available in both 29” and 27.5” sizes, the NEWMEN Advanced SL A.30 uses the Boost 15x110mm/12x148mm standard, and will not be available in Super Boost Plus. The wheelset costs € 1,450 and weigh a claimed 1,610 g (29”), our set weighed in at 1616 g without tape or valves. The carbon 29” rim weighs just 460 g, lighter than most of its competition, such as ENVE’s M735 rim (600 g) and Santa Cruz’s Reserve carbon rim (490 g). It features 28 spoke holes, has an internal width of 30 mm and a depth of 20 mm.
The carbon rims are attached to NEWMEN’s latest generation of hubs, the NEWMEN FADE. Compared to their previous Evolution hubs, NEWMEN claim the most noticeable difference to be the newly designed and beefed up FADE driver – the new FADE hub uses three pawls, replacing the star ratchets used previously. NEWMEN claim this has allowed them to reduce the freewheel noise and increase reliability while maintaining the same durability of their previous design.
NEWMEN designed the FADE hub to have 36 engagement points, claiming that internal testing showed any higher engagement would reduce the durability of the hub and lead to increased pedal kick-back on full suspension bikes. If you want to learn more about pedal kickback, anti-squat and all the ‘voodoo’ of MTB suspension, we’ve created an extra article for you! The hubs are available with Microspline, XD and HG drivers and are rated for eMTB use too. The wheelset comes standard with a MilKit Tubeless Kit, as well as NEWMEN’s tubeless rim strip.
First ride review – the NEWMEN Advanced SL A.30 on the trail
Due to the current circumstances and restrictions, we were not able to ride the NEWMEN wheelset as hard and as vigorously as we would have liked. However, we were able to gather some first impressions.
To properly test carbon enduro wheels, we need to spend multiple sessions back-to-back testing them with reference wheels, and without shuttle support that is not currently possible. However, after our first ride we had nothing crazy to report – in a good way! Run at 20 / 24 psi (f/r) with a WTB Judge and Verdict combo, the Advanced SL A.30 wheels do not feel overly harsh and offer enough compliance. Build quality seems top-notch, and we were impressed with the perfectly even spoke tension after the test rides.
While the 36 points of engagement and 10° engagement angle offered by the FADE hub don’t make for the fastest pick-up (for reference a DT Swiss 350 is 6.6° Chris King 5º and P321 2.5°), they felt fast enough on the trail. Whether or not the 36-point hub helps with pedal kick-back will depend on the kinematics of your bike. One marmite factor is the lack of noise – these hubs are quiet! The standard straight-pull spokes are nice to see and make finding spares an easy job.
Conclusion
While we are still testing the long term durability and performance of the NEWMAN Advanced SL A.30 , on the first impression the NEWMEN Advanced SL A.30 are a good pair of carbon wheels. The weight and build quality is impressive, they look smart and the ride feel is positive. While at € 1,450 they are not cheap, these high-end carbon wheels are more affordable and lighter than their direct competition from Santa Cruz and many other brands.
More info on the NEWMEN website
Did you enjoy this article? If so, we would be stoked if you decide to support us with a monthly contribution. By becoming a supporter of ENDURO, you will help secure a sustainable future for high-quality mountain bike journalism. Click here to learn more.
Words: Photos: Finlay Anderson, Trev Worsey
