Trail Tested | Bike Fettish Built Novatech Wheel and Onza Ibex Tires

By Mike Sleeter/MyTwoWheelLife.com

Trail/All-Mountain riding has evolved and in 2020 and it’s all about finding the balance between lightweight, durable, and – most of all – affordable frames and components. A key part of your bike build is your wheel and tire combo. There are so many choices on the market that it can be overwhelming! Recently, we got our hands on a sweet set of wheels that paired Novatec Wheel 29er Demon rims, Factor hubs, and Onza Ibex tires, built by Josh Bruen at Bike Fettish. Bruen is a master wheel builder and having a wheel that’s precision built with the correct tension on the spokes assures a longer-lasting wheelset. The Factor Hubs are available separately as a pair or built up as a complete wheelset. The hubs alone cost $449, while a complete wheelset is $849.

Novate Demon 29er Rim Specs

30mm inner and 35mm outer

Aluminum rims with welded seams.

Front- 950g

Rear- 1090g

Set- 2040g

What we have learned with rims is that while wider is better, you don’t want to go so wide that you lose your tire profile. The width of this rim allows the Onza Ibex tire to not roll off the rim giving me more confidence when entering the turns. The rim doesn’t snap when applying power like a carbon rim but its comfort is better in braking bumps. The price doesn’t hurt the bank account either. We put the rim to the test, smashing through rock gardens and large jumps.

 Factor Hub

Novatec Factor hubs have been popular for a wide range of custom wheel builds. High engagement, great price point as well a variety of colors – what’s not to love? Hub engagement: The Factor hub not only looks great. It’s also has 2 sets of 6 pawls for 120 points of contact and 3 degrees engagement that allow your power to be transferred to the ground.

Spokes and Nipples

Sapim Race spokes in Silver, Black or half and half, double-butted 2.0-1.8-2.0 or 2.0 straight gauge J-Bend. HT Components double squared anodized aluminum nipples. Nipples are available in 11 different colors. We went with a traditional moto look and we feel personalizing your wheels is almost a lost tradition, so it’s pretty cool that Bike Fettish is bringing that back.

Onza Ibex 2.4 Tires

The IBEX (or Capricorn) is known for fast, smooth and safe locomotion in mountainous terrain, and the tire named after it is no different: Thanks to its wide-open tread, you do not need to compromise on either loose gravel or in wet conditions. No trail is too steep, no section too narrow and no root too slippery for this all-round tire. Recommended tire pressure is 27psi in the front 29psi in the rear.

The trail conditions were excellent on our test day with some loose DG and as well as some tacky loam in shadows, so we feel that we got some great feedback. The Onza tires are very gummy and rolled great. The tire profile is a great compromise for southern California soil. When leaning the bike into turns the transition was smooth and seamless. In the muddy sections, it would pack up a little but would clear out quickly. Overall roll speed was great when climbing and descending. We do recommend higher pressures then competitors’ tires. 

The Verdict

After putting several days on the wheel and tire combo, we are very happy with the setup. The wider wheel and higher engagement hub outperformed the wheel and tire combo that came on our 2020 Intense Carbine in both feel and performance. We will continue to put time and some races on the wheelset I the coming months so stay tuned for the long-term test.