CrankBrothers rolls out revamped wheelsets

Updated Cobalt, Iodine and Opium wheels now available

The Cobalt 2 is available in all three wheel sizes and is intended for cross-country riding. The wheelset has a claimed weight of 1,710g (27.5in), an internal width of 21mm and retails for US$600/€600

Courtesy

Josh Patterson

Published: November 19, 2013 at 6:06 pm
The Cobalt 2 is available in all three wheel sizes and is intended for cross-country riding. The wheelset has a claimed weight of 1,710g (27.5in), an internal width of 21mm and retails for US$600/€600 - Courtesy
The Cobalt 3 is available in all three wheel sizes and is intended for cross-country riding. The wheelset has a claimed weight of 1,650g (27.5in), an internal width of 21mm and retails for US$900/€900 - Courtesy
The new rims do away with the internal I-beam support in favor of a more triangular rim shape - Courtesy
The rims are 1.7mm wider than the prior versions to better capture tire beads - Courtesy
All three wheelsets are 2mm wider than their previous versions - Courtesy
The Iodine 2 is available in 27.5in and 29in versions and is intended for trail and all-mountain riding. The wheelset has a claimed weight of 1,845g (27.5in) and is has a claimed weight of 1,710g (27.5in), an internal width of 23mm and retails for US$600/€600 - Courtesy
The Iodine 3 is available in 27.5in and 29in versions and is intended for trail and all-mountain riding. The wheelset has a claimed weight of 1,780g (27.5in), an internal width of 23mm and retails for US$900/€900 - Courtesy
The Opium is CrankBrothers downhill wheelset. It is only offered in a single version and only for 26in wheels. The Opium 3 has a claimed weight of 2,100g, an internal width of 26mm and retails for US$900/€900 - Courtesy

Component manufacturer CrankBrothers has redesigned its three wheel offerings, making them wider, stronger and more affordable.

In addition to these revisions, the company has also added 27.5in options to the cross-country Cobalt and the all-mountain Iodine wheelsets. The downhill Opium wheelset is still only offered in the 26in diameter, while the 26in Iodine is now a thing of the past.

All three wheelsets retain the paired spoke design of past iterations. The wheelsets have redesigned rim profiles intended to shave weight and improve tubeless compatibility. The vertical “I-beam” brace found in the prior generation of the Cobalt, Iodine and Opium rims has been removed in favor of a more triangular rim shape, which the company claims retains rim strength while shaving grams.

The new rims do away with the internal i-beam support in favor of a more triangular rim shape: the new rims do away with the internal i-beam support in favor of a more triangular rim shape - Courtesy

The new rims ditch the I-beam brace of previous designs

The new aluminum rim extrusions feature variable wall thicknesses, with additional material added to the bead hook area to guard against dents caused by rock strikes.

The bead hooks have been redesigned and the sidewalls shortened by 1.7mm to better capture tire beads.

#: - Courtesy

In addition to getting lower, the internal rim widths have increased by 2mm on each model to combat tire squirm at low pressure

The hubs have been updated with interchangeable axle kits (included with the wheelsets) that allowing them to be compatible with current axle configurations. An XD driver body is available aftermarket for those who wish to run a SRAM 1x11 drivetrain.

Click through the gallery at right for pricing and specifications.

The wheelsets are available now. For more information visit crankbrothers.com.

Josh Patterson

Contributor

Josh Patterson is a BikeRadar contributor and former technical editor. He has spent most of his career working in the cycling industry as an athlete, mechanic and journalist. He holds a master's degree in journalism and has more than 20 years of experience as a cyclist and 12 years of experience riding and writing for BikeRadar, Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly, Dirt Rag, RoadBikeReview and Outside Magazine. A native of the Flint Hills of Kansas, Josh was a pioneer in the gravel cycling movement, having raced the first Unbound 200 and many other gravel events around the globe. He considers himself a cycling generalist and enjoys road, gravel and mountain biking in equal measure. When not traveling for work, he can be found exploring the singletrack and lonely gravel roads that surround his home in Fort Collins, Colorado. In addition to his love of cycling, Josh is an enthusiastic supporter of brunch, voting rights and the right to repair movement.
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