Berd Hawk 27 Wheels - Lightweight Made Entirely In North America

Words by: Liam Woods

The Lightest Wheels Completely Made In North America?

A little over a year ago we made a video about some crazy light spokes that float on water, are not made of metal, and look like strings. You might have guessed, I'm talking about the Berd Spokes. Berd has now gone a step further with the help of We Are One Composites in Canada, who’ve now created their own carbon rim featuring a shallow 18mm depth making them the lowest profile 27mm internal double-wall rims ever made. With Industry Nine Hydra hubs, the new Berd Hawk27 wheels are entirely made in North America, combining the lightweight feel and smooth ride quality of the Berd Spokes, with the compliant and light carbon rim for an amazing vibration damping wheelset perfect for cross-country riding or light trail.

What’s New?

The big story here is the new rim. Berd’s engineers came up with a rim design that is all new and enlisted We Are One to create this work of rideable carbon art. This engineering masterpiece of a rim features an 18mm depth which makes it the shallowest double-wall rim on the market with a 27mm internal rim width. This unique design allows radial compliance with high lateral stiffness, (the new buzz words in the wheel category) but really, they do just that. In addition, there is also a wide 3.75mm rim lip to help prevent pinch flats. To top it all off, the rims feature the raw carbon finish that We Are One is also known for. The rims are truly a work of art and their craftsmanship is top-notch, which ultimately creates an amazing partnership and complete wheel between these three brands; Berd Wheels, We Are One Composites & Industry Nine.

Specs: 

• Wheelset Weight: 1,375 g (includes rim tape and valves)
• Internal Rim Width: 27 mm
• Rim Size: 29"
• Spoke Count: 28 (front & rear)
• Hub Model: Industry Nine Hydra
• Hub Spacing: 148 Boost or 157 Superboost Rear / 110 Front Boost
• Disc Brake Type: Centerlock
• Tire Compatibility: 2.1" - 2.7"
• Tubeless Ready: Black Berd rim tape and Stans No Tubes valves installed
• Maximum Tire Pressure: 45 psi
• Spoke Lengths: 290 mm (F Left), 292 mm (F Right and R Left), 286 mm (R Right)
• Warranty: Berd’s 5-year Limited Warranty

On Trail Performance:

Having ridden the previous generation of Berd’s complete wheelset, also 27mm internal, I had some high expectations on how the Hawk27s would ride with a newly designed rim. Immediately when pulling these out of the box, the entire shop gawked in awe. As I said before, the wheels are a piece of rideable carbon art. You also can't help but notice the feather-like weight on these wheels when first picking them up. 

Installing some Maxxis tires on the Hawk27 rims was no challenge, the tire went onto the rim with ease, and while inflating them I got some positive pops and had a fully seated tire at about 30-35 psi. With centerlock rotors and an xd driver, the rest of the installation was a piece of cake. 

Just like when riding the other Berd wheels, you immediately notice how fast the Hawk27 wheels spin up when you accelerate, which just makes you want to sprint and climb. I was also curious about how this rim would perform downhill with its design, and I had some pretty high expectations. The Hawk 27s have the perfect balance while riding; stiff and light to accelerate quickly and put down some power, but also with a bit of compliance to them due to the Berd spokes which help dampen vibrations. All of these factors make them feel extremely smooth and comfortable to ride. Having ridden them for a few weeks now, I've had zero issues with flats or any wobbles or loose spokes. 

Pro/Cons:

Pros:

• Extremely light
• Made in North America
• Vibration dampening
• Compliant ride feel

Cons:

• Specialty spokes
• Not cheap 

What's Worldwide's Takeaway?

What's Worldwide's Takeaway?

Berd wheels now offer the Hawk27 wheelset that is entirely made in North America with their Berd Spokes, rims made by We Are One, all laced to Industry Nine hubs. The new rims are made to be radially compliant and laterally stiff, with an internal with of 27mm, a depth of 18mm, and a rim lip of 3.75mm. Berd claims these are the lowest-profile double-wall rims on the market with a 27mm internal width. Weighing in at a feather-light 1,375g (including valves and rim tape), the Berd Hawk27 wheels are an amazing package of three great brands that have created rideable art with these wheels. We are looking forward to putting some long-term testing into them! 

This article was written / authored by Liam Woods. Liam has been in the bicycle industry for over 10 years as a racer, professional mechanic, service manager and as of late, media and content creator. Liam has ridden thousands of different bikes, ridden countless components, tested endless MTB apparel of all kinds and written reviews on it all. He's a key piece to the Worldwide Cyclery "All Things MTB" content creation puzzle. He also makes consistent appearances on the Worldwide Cyclery YouTube channel and Instagram.