Forge+Bond Shift EM 30 Wheels Review

Forge+Bond rolled out a few new products this spring, notably their Shift wheel line, and then, a few months later, 27.5” rear wheels for both their Shift and premium lines. That later release really spoke to me, I’m all about more affordable carbon wheels (especially those made in North America), and I’m pretty infatuated with the mixed-wheel experience. So I’ve spent the last three months riding a Shift EM 30 mixed wheelset on my REEB STEEZL , and then my Trek Slash. The short version? They deliver great ride quality and durability, at the right price.

If you want the details on pricing, weight, hubs, and more, check out my launch piece , and then in this long-term review, we’ll be focusing on performance, longevity, and a few comparisons

In a Nutshell: Forge+Bond Shift EM 30 Wheels

• Made in America Carbon 27.5” Wheels
• Outer Width: 38 mm
• Inner Width: 30 mm
• Spoke Count: 32
• Weight: 892 g (front) 1,147 g (rear) 2039 g total
• MSRP: $1,250

Ride Quality

I mentioned in my initial review of Forge+Bond’s AM 30 wheels that they had a subtly “more damp” or “quieter” ride quality than other carbon wheels I’ve spent time on. It’s not a wild difference, but it’s there, and I dig it.

However, the EM 30 is a burlier wheel, built for burlier bikes. And while I think it probably is doing similar things underneath me, there’s a lot more suspension travel and thicker tire casings muddying the equation. I’m significantly less aware of subtle differences in wheel ride quality on a 170 mm bike with DoubleDown tires than I am on a 120 mm bike with EXO tires.

That said, I like how the EM 30 performs as part of the “big bike/big tires” package. It doesn’t feel too harsh or stiff, and the few occasions where I’ve fully bottomed the tire into the rim on hard rock compressions haven’t sounded or felt cracky, or pingy.

All that to say, I still really like how F+B’s wheels ride, and I quite like how they perform on the trail.

Durability and Weight

This is becoming a bit of a running theme in my carbon wheel reviews, so I’ll knock on wood before I write it: The last 5 or so years of riding have really cemented my belief that my riding style and mechanical sympathy situates me exactly at the intersection of carbon and aluminum wheels. I am really good at making aluminum wheels not round or straight. It’s a gift. I can quickly mess up cheap, stock wheels, or expensive aftermarket ones, consistently.

However, and this is where my knuckles are beating a nervous staccato on my wooden windowsill, I have a very good track record with carbon wheels. For me, they tend to stay round, in true, and generally happy. That’s been the case with the EM 30. No time-outs in the truing stand, no cracking, no broken spokes, nothing exciting. Just wheels doing the wheel stuff they’re supposed to do.

That’s nice, since the Shift’s aluminum spoke nipples don’t really lend themselves to repeated mangling in the truing stand.

These wheels are not light. There’s a set of folks (often visible online) who remain convinced that the point of carbon wheels is to be lighter than aluminum ones. I don’t quite agree though. To my durability point above, I’ll take an equivalent, or even slightly heavier carbon wheel, if I know that it’s going to stay wheel-shaped no matter what I throw at it, and that if it doesn’t, it will be replaced under warranty.

But even with that said, 2039 g for the set is not a low weight. It’s interesting to note that on my scale at least, the 27.5 g rear Shift wheel is almost 100 g heavier than the 29” Shift rear wheel. Intuitively, 27.5 wheels should be lighter than 29” wheels, given that they’re literally smaller, with less rim, and shorter spokes. My guess is that F+B really beefed up their 27.5” wheels, to make them as DH-friendly as possible. Regardless, these aint light, and if that’s a priority, look elsewhere.

Those Bitex Hubs Though

The big question mark behind F+B’s Shift wheel line is the house-branded Bitex hubs. Wheel builders I trust, tend to have ambivalent, or positive things to say about them, while internet forums have more mixed results. Personally, I’m not an engagement snob. Yes, DT Swiss’s 18 tooth ratchet rings do tend to leave me slipping pedals and kneeing my bars with their 20° of engagement, but anything better than that, and I’ll be just fine.

The Shift hubs use 27 teeth, and a six pawl 162 POE design to achieve 2.2° of free ratchet between engagement points. I find that combination completely inoffensive. I haven’t had any sort of popping, grinding, or other scary noises out of the hubs. They still spin smoothly and consistently, unlike the e13, I9 Torch, Novatech, and DT Swiss pawl hubs that I’ve accidentally roached in the past.

Parts Availability

Those Bitex hubs do present an interesting conundrum when it comes to small parts, and especially swapping driver bodies around. On one hand, they’re pretty ubiquitous, and it should be easy to order whatever driver body you need. On the other hand though, F+B doesn’t sell driver bodies separately on their site, and your local bike shop probably doesn’t have any in stock either, so you’re left playing a guessing game in terms of shipping time and compatibility if you want to shop around for a new driver body.

Forge+Bond should really consider stocking and selling driver bodies for this hub. If you’re going to print your name on the hub shell, it behooves you to carry the parts for that hub and make them easily accessible to customers.

Comparisons

It’s pretty dang cool that in 2024 there are several brands making their own carbon rims in North America. While every brand has its own value proposition and sustainability story, here are the raw numbers: $1400 gets you Enve’s AM 30 wheels , also made in Utah, with Industry Nine 1/1 hubs. For $1,499, you can purchase We Are One’s excellent Union wheels, with either 1/1s or DT Swiss 350 hubs. Finally, for $1,250, you can purchase these Forge+Bond Shift EM 30s. And yes, any wheel with I9 hubs will be more “built in North America” than any one without.

On paper, Forge+Bond and We Are One have more generous warranty policies than Enve. And Forge+Bond tells a pretty compelling sustainability story that we’re hoping to dive deeper into once the summer madness subsides. However, the Shift wheelset is a fair bit heavier than that Union option, depending on your choice of hubs.

Ultimately, I’m just happy that the options are so good right now. For a big-hitting enduro bike, like the Slash I’m running the Shifts on, I’d save the $249 from the WAO wheels, go with the Forge+Bond Shift EM 30, and spend the difference on fresh tires and sour candy for ride snacks, but there are plenty of other factors that could influence that decision.

For Now

Forge+Bond has set a compelling bar for affordable, made-in-North-America carbon wheels with their new Shift series. The mixed wheel set I’ve been on has been absolutely excellent, and I look forward to continuing to thrash them this summer.