Posted on May 18, 2022 by Jessie-May Morgan

Atomik Carbon has introduced a line of US-made hand-built carbon wheelsets for mountain biking and gravel riding with new FusionFiber rims said to offer improved vibration damping over traditional carbon fiber rims, while also being fully recyclable. The Atomik FM30 for mountain features a 30mm internal rim width, while the FG23 for gravel gets a 23mm internal rim width; both are offered in a range of complete wheelsets but rims can also be purchased alone, with pricing starting at $650 USD for the rim only.

Atomik’s use of FusionFiber technology is the big news here. It is a relatively new way of manufacturing carbon fiber components that is carried out by CSS Composites in Southern Utah. It refers to an advanced thermal process where long-chain polymers are used in place of epoxies and resins to suspend the fibers. Atomik tells us this allows the fibers to flex on a microscopic level and radially dissipate impacts in a way other carbon wheels cannot, providing 50% better vibration damping and up to 300% more impact resistance.

Atomik are by no means the first to latch onto the technology; Revel Bikes’ RW30 wheelsets use FusionFiber carbon (so do their tire levers), as do Evil Bikes’ Loopholes. What’s interesting here is that Atomik’s complete FusionFiber wheelsets come in quite a bit cheaper than what’s already out there on the market. Here’s more.

Atomik say they build to a precise tolerance of .05 millimeters of lateral run-out

Atomik Carbon’s new offerings for trail and all-mountain riding come in the form of the FM30 FusionFiber rim and wheelsets. While the brand’s wheel nomenclature has previously referred to the rim’s external width, it now refers to the rim’s internal width. So, this one has an internal width of 30mm, with a ~36mm external width. 

All Atomik rims and wheels ship pre-taped with valve stems and are tubeless ready, also backed by Atomik’s limited lifetime warranty.

The depth differs between the 27.5″ wheel and the 29″ wheel; deeper on the former at 27mm and shallower on the latter at 23mm. The rim bed sees a downward slope out toward the rim wall, an intentional feature designed to lock the tire bead in position, helping it stay there even when the tire loses pressure. Both diameters are available in 28-hole and 32-hole options.

The FM30 rim can be purchased alone at $650 USD. Meanwhile, three pricing options are available for complete wheelsets, starting at $1,798.99 with an Industry 9 1/1 hubset. That compares to Revel’s RW30 FusionFiber mountain bike wheels with the same hubset which retail at the slightly higher price of $1975 USD. Unsurprisingly, rim weights are very similar; Atomik’s FM30 weighs a claimed 475g (+/- 15g) in 29″, while the equivalent RW30 rim weighs a claimed 480g. Atomik Carbon are yet to provide us with information on complete wheelset weights.

The next tier up is the Signature FM30 wheelset; that one retails at $1,998.99, with the FusionFiber rims laced to Industry Nine’s Hydra hubset with a 0.52° engagement angle (690 POE).

Top of the line is the Atomik BERD Ultimate FM30 wheelset with the i9 Hydra Hub, laced up with BERD spokes; this is presumably the lightest option, using what are often referred to as “the world’s lightest spokes”, made from a braided polymer that results in a super light spoke with high strength and excellent vibration damping. Every component of that wheelset is made in the US with the exception of the spoke nipples. 

In its traditional carbon lineup (non-FusionFiber), Atomik is replacing the AM35 (28mm ID) with the all-new AM32 (32mm ID), an asymmetrical rim designed for all-mountain and enduro bikes available in both 27.5″ and 29″ configurations.

We asked Atomik Carbon what the maximum weight limit for their new FusionFiber wheelsets is; we will update you here when they get back to us.

The FG23 FusionFiber rim for gravel riding has, you guessed it, a 23mm internal width and a 29.5mm outer. It has a depth of 24mm. Available in 700c only, the FG23 has 28 holes and weighs a claimed 400g.

A rim alone will set you back $650 USD. Complete wheelset pricing starts at $1,848.99 with Industry 9 1/1 hubs. Dig deeper into your pockets for the i9 Torch Road hubset option which retails at $1,998.99 USD, or part with $2,498.99 USD for the top of the range Atomik BERD Ultimate FG23 wheelset with i9 Torch Road hubs.

Jessie-May Morgan is the UK & Ireland Tech Editor of Bikerumor. She has been writing about Mountain Bike Riding and Racing, and all the technology that comes along with it for 3 years. Prior to that, she was an Intern at the Mountain Bike Center of Scotland, and a Mountain Bike Coach and Leader in the Tweed Valley, and prior to that, a Biological Research Scientist at the University of Edinburgh. Based in Innerleithen, Scotland, Jessie-May can regularly be seen riding the Tweed Valley’s Enduro and Downhill Tracks, often with a race plate tied to the handlebar.

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Why not mention wheelset total weight?

Because no one wants to spend close to $2k on a 1600g carbon wheelset.

Atomik builds wheels to based on custom specs so there are too many variables with different hubs and spokes to list weights in a BR press release.

They’re light, they’re strong, they ride incredible, and they will outlast any carbon wheelset you put up against them. I’ve had the best carbon hoops out there and they’re fragile compared to fusion fiber! Buy them and you won’t be sorry!

no matter what I buy I’m sorry.

Yeah, because FG23 doesn’t sound anything like ENVE’s G23 which has been on the market a hell of a lot longer.

Ordered a set of gravel wheels with King hubs and BERD spokes. 🙂

What I don’t understand is why Atomik and CCS just do not say that these are thermoplastic composite rims, instead of thermoset composite rims. Why obfuscate and mystify this? This is a good and evolving technology that offers several advantages.

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