Atomik Carbon started with a focus on tubeless mountain bike wheels and now has recently expanded its product offerings to include road disc wheels. The young brand is based in Tampa, Florida, and it builds its wheels in a factory in Taiwan.
We previously looked at Atomik’s C38 road wheels and now a set of ultralight Atomik gravel wheels with Berd composite spokes has rolled in for review.
Reduced rotating weight and a more comfortable ride? That's the claim. Stay tuned to see if we can tell. Atomik's Ultimate Berd carbon tubeless wheels with Berd polyethylene spokes. © Cyclocross Magazine
Notable about our review set is Atomik's collaboration with Berd Spokes. We have seen other composite spokes such as Spox, PBO and Tracomp, and Berd is a new, woven option in town.
Our review Atomik Carbon Ultimate Gravel wheels are built using Berd’s PolyLight spokes, which claim a strength-to-weight ratio 12 times greater than steel spokes.
Berd spokes are pulled through the hub flange and secured with a rod, which acts as a stop. Atomik's Ultimate Berd carbon tubeless wheels with Berd polyethylene spokes. © Cyclocross Magazine
Any of Atomik’s wheels can be built with Berd Spokes, but our test set uses the XC33 rim, which has a claimed weight of 435g and is 26mm internally wide. It's a hookless rim with a wide bead shelf, and it comes pre-taped with valves.
Atomik's rim uses a hookless sidewall design, with a wide bead shelf. Atomik's Ultimate Berd carbon tubeless wheels with Berd polyethylene spokes. © Cyclocross Magazine
The Berd spokes connect the XC33 rim with Industry 9 Torch Centerlock hubs in a 28-hole configuration. Berd claims a wheelset with its spokes weighs about 100g less than its metal spoke equivalent.
Berd's polymer spokes claim 12 times the strength to weight ratio of steel spokes. Atomik's Ultimate Berd carbon tubeless wheels with Berd polyethylene spokes. © Cyclocross Magazine
Berd claims its spokes are the lightest on the market and advertises gravel and mountain wheelsets as low as 1,200g. That would put them in a competitive space with light wheels such as Roval’s Terra CLX EVO.
Our test set tipped the scales at 1394g with tape and valves. That’s a bit heavier than the list 1350g weight, but includes tape and valves, and is still quite light for a carbon disc wheelset and wider rim.
While weight savings is half of the Berd spoke story, the other half is the strength and ride comfort.
Atomik and Berd claim higher strength-to-weight ratios for the Berd spokes.
Berd spokes also boast vibration damping.
Atomik boasts superior spoke strength while also reducing the vibration transmitted by each spoke. We’ve seen such claims before, including by Spinergy with its PBO spokes that we found to be quite comfortable.
All Atomik rims carry a no questions asked lifetime warranty.
Stay tuned as we put the wheelset to the test. See Atomik’s full press release below the specs and photo gallery.
Atomik XC33 with Berd spokes and Industry Nine i9 Torch Hubs Wheelset Specs:
Price: $1,899 introductory price, $2199 in January 2020
Weight: 1,350g list, 1,394g actual with tape and valves (the 1,290 list weight on its site is wrong, Atomik clarified)
Rim Weights: 435g (claimed)
Rim Width: 25.8mm internal (actual), 26mm list, 33mm external
Rim Depth: 24mm
Spokes: Berd PolyLight, 28 F/R
Hub: Industry Nine Torch, Centerlock
Axles: Quick release, 12 and 15mm thru-axle
More Info: atomikcarbon.com
Atomik Ultimate Berd Gravel Wheels with XC33 Rim and I9 Torch Hubs Photo Gallery:
From a distance, the Atomik Ultimate Berd carbon tubeless wheels with Berd polyethylene spokes looks like a normal wheel. © Cyclocross Magazine
