These wheels feature many of FSA’s high-end design features but in a mid-range-for-carbon sub-£1k price.
- Brand: FSA
- Product: NS SC i30 29 Carbon MTB Wheelset
- Price: £999
- From: Windwave
- Tested by: James Vincent for 4 months
Pros
- Precise but not overly harsh
- Impressive price tag
- Not flashy
Cons
- Only two year warranty
- Straight pull spokes slightly harder and expensive to source
- Not flashy
Our rating
The catchily named FSA NS SCi30 wheels, are a lightweight carbon rimmed, trail bike ready wheelset from long established component marque FSA. Singletrack has already done a bit of a deep dive into them here, but for those who just want the ride verdict, read on…
The hookless rims are designed for tyres around 2.4” wide, with a pretty standard internal width of 30mm, but a slightly deeper 22mm profile. The FSA X-300 hubs feature cartridge bearings, decent weather sealing, and a tried and tested 4 pawl system with 32 points of engagement, while 28 lightweight, straight-pull bladed spokes keep the rims and hubs together.
It’s nice to see that FSA have used one spoke length for the front and one for the rear, making it easier to keep a good stock of spares. And praise the Lord, FSA have paired them with brass nipples! Thank you FSA, thank you. Call me old fashioned, but alloy nipples have no place on a mountain bike wheel. Brass nipples might be fractionally heavier, but they won’t corrode and seize up, thus making the wheel easier to true and maintain over its lifespan.
The wheels have an ASTM Category 4 rating, meaning they’re good for trail, lightweight eeb and enduro use, although I’d probably opt for something beefier if your idea of a good time is smashing out repeated laps on particularly rough terrain. Not that I’ve had a problem with these wheels, but if you damage a wheel it’s usually ride-ending.
Weight wise, these come in at 1593g for the pair, not a million miles away from the claimed 1499g. I measured them at 875g rear and 718g front, which included Peaty’s valves, rim tape and a little bit of tubeless sealant I didn’t clean off. A little heavier than a featherlight XC wheelset, but then the price and intended use reflects this. They’re on par with Hunt Proven carbon wheels, and considerably cheaper than equivalent Reserve, Enve or Raceface wheels. On the flipside, they only come with a two year warranty, which is a little lacking compared to others.
But enough of that, how do they actually ride? I must confess, I’ve ridden these wheels on less than 10 rides in the last few months. But, before you lynch me and complain that’s not nearly enough, I should probably point out that one of these rides was half of the Badger Divide (150km), while another was the Dales Divide 600km or so! Both fully laden with bikepacking kit. The other rides were local loops, taking in a variety of trails, from moorland bog fests, to fast rocky Lake District tech. Either way, we’re looking at around 1,000km of demanding riding on these wheels. And through all that, these wheels have been flawless.
Tyres went on easily and stayed inflated, they’re lightweight, accelerate quickly, and are just the right amount of stiff. Compared to something softer like a Roval Traverse SL (roughly the same weight but with a lower profile), the FSA NS SCi30 are stiffer without being overly harsh, which translates to a more direct and precise feel, especially at the front when pushed hard. The bearings are still running nice and smooth with no play, which is impressive given the shockingly grimy conditions they’ve been ridden through.
Overall
The only real drawbacks I’ve come across are mostly theoretical – the aforementioned two year warranty (on the short side) and the use of straight pull spokes. I’m not arguing against their ease of replacement vs traditional J-bend spokes should they break, but they’re inherently harder to get hold of and more expensive when you do find them. The only other thing I would say, is that they amaybe ren’t the sexiest of wheelset. There’s no anti kickback mechanism, no superquick engagement, and no fancy anodising – you get a choice of black or black. Having said that, most people will actually like this simplicity. Solid, dependable, not flashy, gets the job done without making too much of a song and dance about. Much like the wheels themselves.
Technical specification
- Full carbon 22mm depth clincher rim.
- 6 sealed cartridge bearings (2F + 4R).
- 1:1 direct pull spokes: 28F/28R.
- Artisan built, entirely by hand.
- 6 pawl aluminium for 12 speed (micro spline).
- Available in 29″.
- ISO 6 bolt rotor mount.
- Weight: 1,495g per pair (with alloy freehub).
