Chair
Sit comfortably
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Ride Feel
Ultralight. Uncompromised. Unmatched.
993g is ridiculously light, but lightweight alone wasn’t enough. The SL180 is a purpose-built ultralight race wheel designed to exploit every meaningful gram. 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.
The Details
The lightest NOBL rim ever, at a slender 270g, rotational mass is kept to an absolute minimum. They feature 30mm internal front and rear widths, a 20.5mm depth, and an ultralight layup delivering optimal power transfer for a race-day wheelset. Available in 29” with a full 28 spoke count.
weight
270
g
Wheel Size
29
"
Inner Width
30
mm
depth
20.5
mm
bead thickness
2.9mm upper, 2.4mm lower
hole count
28
h
max tire pressure
40
PSI
erd
595
mm front & rear
Build Specs · NOBL Ethos SL180 Wheelset
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)
Common questions
Frequently asked.
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.
Optimized Torsional Flex +
Ethos rims are intentionally shallow for a more compliant ride feel. Reducing rim depth lowers overall torsional stiffness, allowing the wheel to absorb impacts while simultaneously introducing the right amount of lateral deflection, keeping you glued to your line, particularly on rough off-camber terrain. The result is a wheel that wants to go faster, providing precise tracking without feeling harsh.
Wide & Reinforced Rim Lips +
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.
To achieve an industry-leading strength-to-weight ratio. The bead is reinforced with a flexible material to increase impact resistance on off-axis impacts.
On the trail, impacts are rarely evenly distributed across both rim beads; one-sided strikes are far more common. Using our impact testing equipment in Bellingham, we can drop wheels at controlled angles to replicate asymmetric impact conditions. The wide, flared bead reinforced with a flexible material was developed specifically to improve resistance to off-axis, one-sided impacts.
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.
Multiple sidewall shapes were prototyped and evaluated through controlled lab testing and back-to-back ride assessments. While measured vertical and lateral stiffness showed minimal variance between profiles, field testing identified meaningful differences in torsional response and load transfer. The concave profile demonstrated the most balanced torsional behaviour and consistent ride characteristics, becoming the shape of the Ethos lineup.
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 +
NOBL Ethos Wheels feature a raised, flattened landing pad 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.
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.
hope pro 5 hubs
The Signature Series is powered by Hope Pro 5 hubs. Tried and tested, the Pro 5 offers an unbeatable performance to price ratio, with a strong track record of reliability and serviceability.
Faster Engagement: The rear hub features an offset 6-pawl freehub design, increasing engagement from 44 points (previous Pro 4 model) to 108 points (a quick 3.3° engagement), providing a faster, more responsive feel on the trail.
Reduced Drag: A new “zero drag” labyrinth seal and an improved ratchet and pawl system with updated springs greatly reduce friction and drag within the drive mechanism.
Improved Durability and Stiffness: The hub shell has a new profile designed to add stiffness
without increasing weight. A new axle design accommodates larger, sealed stainless steel cartridge bearings in a better arrangement to increase load capacity and longevity.
E-Bike Freehub: Featuring a steel freehub body and all six pawls engaging simultaneously to handle the higher torque loads associated with e-bikes. (54 points of engagement vs 108 with the alloy freehub)
Serviceability and Support: True to Hope’s reputation, the Pro 5 is fully serviceable and rebuildable using simple tools, with a commitment to spare parts availability for at least 10 years after production ends.
