01
28 SPOKES
Going light doesn’t mean recklessly cutting weight. We kept these wheels 28h for reliable performance and optimal ride feel.
NOBL Ethos SL180 Wheelset
The Lightest Wheel We've Ever Made
The purpose-built ultralight race wheel designed to exploit every meaningful gram.
993
grams
wheelset weight
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02
993 Grams
Claims the title for the lightest production XC wheelset built with a 30mm internal width and a full 28 spokes per wheel.
03
20.5mm Depth
2mm deeper than the Ethos XC rim for efficient power transfer.
Ride Feel
Ultralight Perfection
993g is ridiculously light, but lightweight alone wasn’t enough. With a 30mm internal width and a full 28 spoke count front and rear, it avoids the concessions other ultralight race wheels make. Every detail serves speed. Revised carbon layups utilize T800 and T1000 layers to trim weight, and the rim profile is engineered specifically for the industry-leading hubs and spokes it's built with. The result is the world's lightest 30mm internal-width production XC wheelset.
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Rim Profile
The Engineering
Built For Race Day
Built for racers who measure performance in grams and seconds, Ethos SL is the lightest NOBL rim ever, at a slender 270g. To achieve this, we developed an ultra-light layup design crafted from high tensile strength and supremely light Toray T800 and T1000 carbon layers. This is built into a 20.5mm-deep rim profile to ensure power transfer and stability that racers will appreciate when the pace is full gas. Available in 29” with a full 28 spoke count.
weight
270
grams
Inner Width
30
mm
depth
20.5
mm
bead thickness upper | lower
2.9 | 2.4
mm
hole count
28
h
erd
595
mm front & rear
Build Spec · NOBL Ethos SL180 Wheelset
993 grams
Rims
Ethos SL 270g (28h, 29”)
Hubs
DT Swiss 180 with ceramic bearings
Hub Spacing
Boost
Brake Type
Centerlock
Freehubs
XD, MS, & HG
Spokes
Berd PolyLight Dyneema
Nipples
Sapim Alloy Black Secure Lock
Decals
White, Chrome Silver, Chrome Gold, & Black
Valves
NOBL Tubeless Valves (Upgrades to Peaty’s Valves available)
nobl tech
wheel features
Ultralight Layup +
Designing a 270g mountain rim with a 30mm internal width, capable of building into a sub-1000g wheelset, is no small task. Delivering true race-day performance, precise handling, and efficient power transfer at that weight makes it exponentially more challenging.
The Ethos SL rim achieves this through an aggressively optimized ultralight layup, utilizing layers of T800 and T1000 carbon fibre, which have a significantly higher tensile strength-to-weight ratio than T700. These high-modulus materials, manufactured by Toray, allow us to reduce weight while providing leading impact resistance for the ultralight category. Compared to our XC rim platform, the SL adds 2mm of depth to prioritize power transfer. Berd spokes complete the system, reducing rotational weight while enhancing vibration damping and traction.
Wide & Reinforced Rim Bead +
Ethos rims feature wider, flared rim beads that increase the contact surface area at the outer diameter of the rim. This broader interface helps distribute impact forces across a larger area rather than concentrating load at a single point, improving overall impact resistance and durability.
Taking it a step further, the wide, flared bead is reinforced with a flexible material specifically developed to improve resistance to off-axis, one-sided impacts. On the trail, impacts are rarely evenly distributed across both rim beads; one-sided strikes are far more common.
Concave Profile +
The Ethos lineup introduces a concave profile developed to optimize torsional stiffness. This profile allowed us to reduce rim depth to improve compliance and fine-tune support, particularly when paired with BERD spokes.
Flatline Valves +
The Ethos series features a raised, flattened valve platform designed specifically for secure valve stem installation. This precise fit keeps the valve firmly in place, reducing movement and minimizing the risk of air leaks, keeping your tire pressure consistent.
Optimized Tubeless Fit +
For the best overall tubeless experience, the bead seat width and height, along with the drop channel diameter, are precisely engineered. Most riders will be able to install a tubeless-ready tire without the use of levers and inflate the tire fully without the use of a powerful air compressor.
Raw Finish +
All NOBL rims leave our high-end steel molds with a natural, raw finish without the need for post-production sanding and finishing. Without this abrasion, the carbon fibres remain fully intact and encapsulated in resin, preserving their structural integrity. Producing a paintless carbon rim is more demanding, but the result is a rim that’s not only cleaner in appearance, but inherently stronger.
DT Swiss 180 Hubs
Exceptionally light and reliable at just 283g for a set, and engineered in Switzerland, these hubs feature ceramic bearings and a 36 or 54-tooth ratchet system for reliable engagement and efficient power transfer. Designed for ultralight performance with a proven track record of reliability, DT180 hubs are the perfect match for the sub-1000g Ethos SL180 wheelset.
berd polylight spokes
Made from Dyneema®, Berd spokes offer an industry-leading strength-to-weight ratio—up to 12 times stronger than steel by weight—while weighing less than half of traditional steel spokes. Their fiber construction naturally absorbs high-frequency vibrations, reducing trail feedback and improving traction while delivering a smooth, controlled ride feel that remains efficient under pedalling forces.