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650b x 40mm carbon fiber DERBY RIMS Grand Opening

291K views 1K replies 222 participants last post by  ChiefWFB 
#1 ·
Hi Friends,

Thank you all for providing so much technical trail bike knowledge. I've learned so much and met so many great people over my 15 years participating in the MTBR forums.

Now it's my turn to give back and serve the trail bike community, with what I know many including me have long been asking for.

I'm introducing here the first WIDE carbon-fiber rims for mountain bikes, 650b x 40mm and 29 x35mm.

See Home for details, and a limited sale price for the first 10 rim sets.

I want you to ride them first.

I could go on and on what a game changer these rims make in optimizing 2.1 and larger tire performance for stability, grip, and handling, with DH/FR durability and XC weight.

BTW, I've posted an MTBR classified ad. And updated my signature as per the forum policies.
 
#20 ·
Wow. I feel so good hearing so many positive vibrations!

Other than my day job, and a short 2 hour ride before dark tonight, since announcing the Grand Opening till now I've been non-stop replying to emails from derbyrims.com and filling orders.

The first day was great! the 650b is outselling 29'r by 250% !

They appear to be hookless. Is that correct?
Yes these are "Hookless":
With tubeless ready bead seat design, tightly centering the tire around a rim, the upper bead hook is useless, even when using tubes, and weakens a rim, especially carbon rims. The clincher side hooks were useful when rims had no bead seats for centering the tire around rims as they aired up. Have a look at the Specialized Roval carbon rims, they have returned to having no side bead hooks. This is really an older rim design, the side hooks or "clincher" bead hooks, first became used in the early '70s when high pressure inner tubed road tires had trouble centering on the rim when airing up to 65+ psi and would blow off the rim sooner or later. Centering a tire is not a problem now with the tire centering TR inner bead seats now common. And my rim side walls rise 6mm above the bead seat, slightly more than most aluminum rims also keeping loosely beaded tires on the rims when aired up. There rims can easily take 80psi.

Also, notice the Bead locks:
Notice my rims have a bead seat locking "lump" or ridge next to the deep channel around both bead seats. Much like UST bead seat design, this keeps a tubeless bead from sliding inward into the channel and burping while hard cornering. Also the bead locks keep the bead on the bead seat when the tire goes flat, so the flat tire can protect the rim from rock damage while rolling to a stop after flatting.

Really cool looking rims. Are they made in the USA?
Designed here in the USA, and assembled here (well the sticker is applied), and they are shipped from here, all by me : ) There's no way I could afford to produce them in the USA. No other CF rims except ENVE are made here, and rumor is they are getting some rims made in China soon. ....If any consolation, I'm not sourcing rims outside of this world... yet!

The rims look pretty nice. May I ask where they are made?
I'm sorry, it is confidential.

Good luck with your venture. Personally, I am looking for something in similar widths that have a UST bead profile. I reserve the right to change my mind but I would be a late adopter.
The problem with strict UST design is sharp hooks require cutting the fibers or using only resin with would crack easily. My opinion and it is well demonstrated that the side hooks are useless when there is a platform or flat bead seat centering the tire's bead. I did design the seat to have bead locking "lumps" around each bead seat next to the channel, somewhat like UST's seat hooks preventing bead squirm and burping during hard cornering. I'm over 200 lbs and 6'1". I've landed many time some moderate drops to near flat without burps with my rims, where the same landing would sometimes burp the same tire with rims I previously rode without bead locks and where only ghetto (split and trimmed inner tube) rim strips prevented burps previously for me. And the rim wall is 1mm diameter taller than many rims for holding loosely beaded tires on safely.

doismellbacon and flyinmike said:
Congrats and good luck Derby... I appreciate all your contributions to the community here....especially for leading the way with all your early 650b Mojo tinkering.

Questions:
What's the internal width on the 650b rim?

How does that play with a tire on the narrower end of the all conditions spectrum, like a Neo Moto 2.1, Racing Ralph 2.25, or CrossMark 2.1? Is it all good, or are the wide rims better suited to the nuevo-massive breed of tires like Hans Dampfs, Trail Kings, etc.?
Thanks dois' and flyin" !

The rim walls by the beads are 3mm, thicker that any other, and Unidirectional fiber for maximum durability resiting chips and cracks. On the web site is a picture where I snake-bit my tubeless Noe-moto landing a jump on a sharp rock and the picture shows what casing the rim did. Although a substantial divot, like hit by an axe, no chipping, no crack, no rim repair was needed. I believe my rims are DH/FR durable. And they are coming in weighing mostly about 435 grams in the 650b x 40mm wide now.

And also reply to 88 rex:
2.1 tires are no problem, the casing is better optimized in performance as well as using larger width tires, with 2.1 tires and these wide rims the casing stiffens under the edges of the tread, lower pressures are enabled for increased traction and easier rolling over rocks. Under 2.0 width tires are really to minimize tire weight and minimize tread contact for lowering rolling resistance on pavement and smooth hard pack dirt surfaces. A narrow road width rim is better for such minimal tread contact goals, narrower rims reduces the tread contact patch by forcing to air up higher pressures for stability.

Measured a Racing Ralph 2.25 at 2.2" width on the Derby 29 x 35 rims. Running them at 18Front 19psi rear for a 180 lb rider. It is a different world of off road traction and bump compliance.

H
Endless thanks Hans. And more thanks for bringing Ibis back to a thriving life and raising the standard of quality for trail bikes today, without inflating the prices of your frames.

They look great, I want some and I don't even own a 27.5!
Hey ScottW, they also are available in 29'r x 35mm ! Coming in about 445 grams on average now.

Thanks everyone! .... I'll check back when I can come up for air again and relax here.
 
#6 ·
Good luck with your venture. Personally, I am looking for something in similar widths that have a UST bead profile. I reserve the right to change my mind but I would be a late adopter.
 
#7 ·
Hi Friends,

Thank you all for providing so much technical trail bike knowledge. I've learned so much and met so many great people over my 15 years participating in the MTBR forums.
You, sir, have been a great source of information for me, I built a few 650b bikes incld. a Mojo HD with your indirect help. I hope my order will give a little back. Best of luck!
 
#23 ·
StiHacha and Flyinmike, Thank you so much! You'll be amazed at the handling and stability improvements.

These rims deserve the best hubs you can afford. Spoke tension can be quite high, the spokes and hubs are the weaker "links" in wheels with these rims. Failure testing spoke pull force, demonstrated that spokes break first before they pull out or damage the rim. However, wheels can be too stiff. I've read that the top DH racers tune their spoke tension for different courses, I think because on their very heavy duty stiff framed bikes a some lateral flex helps traction while leaned over in turns and better directional control when pin-balling through rocks. These rims would allow DH racers lower tire pressures which may be a better way to control lateral flex.

Awesome! I was hoping something like this would come out at Interbike and can't believe no one else is doing a carbon rim like this. I personally think a wide rim is one of the best upgrades you can make to a bike but I was not willing to put up with the P35's weight. I also hope that rims like this will flatten out my Vee tires. The only real complaint I have about them is they look like a light bulb on Kirk's TL28 rims.

I hope you don't mind but this picture was taken from you website.

Those are stout rim walls and nipple bed. I pulled nipples thru 3 Zipp road rims so my wallet always like to look at that area. Stan's 355 rims with 700x25 tires were the best ever upgrade I ever did for my road bike and I hope rims like this will do the same with my mtn bikes.
Flip D, Yes, 3mm thick "hookless" rim walls, which is 0.5mm more than the thickest hooked rim walls, adding minimal weight but much durability from rock hits when flatting, and a wide surface to prevent most tire or tube snake-bit pinch flats. Although, I managed to pinch flat my tire landing a drop on a sharp rock with very low tubeless air pressure, making minimal damage to the rim with no rim repair needed. See the web site for a picture of this damage.

And read my reply just above on the spoke pull strength.

Pm'd you and have been trying to contact you by email with no results.
techfersure, please check you PM, I replied with an alternative.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Congrats and good luck Derby... I appreciate all your contributions to the community here....especially for leading the way with all your early 650b Mojo tinkering.

Questions:
What's the internal width on the 650b rim?

How does that play with a tire on the narrower end of the all conditions spectrum, like a Neo Moto 2.1, Racing Ralph 2.25, or CrossMark 2.1? Is it all good, or are the wide rims better suited to the nuevo-massive breed of tires like Hans Dampfs, Trail Kings, etc.?
 
#12 ·
Congrats and good luck Derby... I appreciate all your contributions to the community here....especially for leading the way with all your early 650b Mojo tinkering.

Questions:
What's the internal width on the 650b rim?

How does that play with a tire on the narrower end of the all conditions spectrum, like a Neo Moto 2.1, Racing Ralph 2.25, or CrossMark 2.1? Is it all good, or are the wide rims better suited to the neuvo-massive breed of tires like Hans Dampfs, Trail Kings, etc.?
website shows the inside width as 34mm for the 650b rim

Ray, Same Congratulations..
And, same Question about your experience with different tires? :):)
 
#18 ·
Huge Congrats D!

Now it's my turn to give back and serve the trail bike community, with what I know many including me have long been asking for.

I'm introducing here the first WIDE carbon-fiber rims for mountain bikes, 650b x 40mm and 29 x35mm.
Fantastic. Can't wait to order a set... And more importantly, thanks for all that you've shared and how patient you've been on the forums over the years. I can say that you're one of the Good Ones.

It's really great to see someone pursue their vision and start a business based on it.

Huge props. :thumbsup:
 
#21 · (Edited)
Awesome! I was hoping something like this would come out at Interbike and can't believe no one else is doing a carbon rim like this. I personally think a wide rim is one of the best upgrades you can make to a bike but I was not willing to put up with the P35's weight. I also hope that rims like this will flatten out my Vee tires. The only real complaint I have about them is they look like a light bulb on Kirk's TL28 rims.

I hope you don't mind but this picture was taken from your website.

Finger Brown Skin White Pattern


Those are stout rim walls and nipple bed. I pulled nipples thru 3 Zipp road rims so my wallet always like to look at that area. Stan's 355 rims with 700x25 tires were the best ever upgrade I ever did for my road bike and I hope rims like this will do the same with my mtn bikes.
 
#224 ·
Awesome! I was hoping something like this would come out at Interbike and can't believe no one else is doing a carbon rim like this. I personally think a wide rim is one of the best upgrades you can make to a bike but I was not willing to put up with the P35's weight. I also hope that rims like this will flatten out my Vee tires. The only real complaint I have about them is they look like a light bulb on Kirk's TL28 rims.

I hope you don't mind but this picture was taken from your website.

View attachment 824854

Those are stout rim walls and nipple bed. I pulled nipples thru 3 Zipp road rims so my wallet always like to look at that area. Stan's 355 rims with 700x25 tires were the best ever upgrade I ever did for my road bike and I hope rims like this will do the same with my mtn bikes.
I think the 650 b * 40 rims weight should be 390 g + / - 10 g, UD carbon fiber is suitable for matte appearance, but it will increase the weight of about 10 g
 
#29 ·
I am sure D wants to keep the vendor 'confidential', not the country of origin. I get asked this all the time... Legally, I am pretty sure you have to be transparent about the country the item comes from, but there is no obligation to divulge the name of the factory making the product. Congrats Derby!
 
#31 ·
Yes, country of origin is all I'm asking--though I agree that we can assume China. I'm not trying to bust Derby's chops on this--I applaud anyone who tries to have a go at making a living in the bike biz. I just think this is something that one should be upfront about.
 
#33 ·
When I asked where the rims were made I was not asking a specific factory but just country of origin. Yes, most stuff seems to come out of China these days. Heck even my $2700 Mojo HD says made in China.

But he didn't say where these rims are made so it's all speculation. But I would still like to know. Many companies will say where their products are made on their "Home" or "About Us" page. Just saying is all...

I'd like to know. What kind of testing did you do with the rims? Any labs tests?
 
#34 ·
When I asked where the rims were made I was not asking a specific factory but just country of origin. Yes, most stuff seems to come out of China these days. Heck even my $2700 Mojo HD says made in China.

But he didn't say where these rims are made so it's all speculation. But I would still like to know. Many companies will say where their products are made on their "Home" or "About Us" page. Just saying is all...

I'd like to know. What kind of testing did you do with the rims? Any labs tests?
By law, there must be a decal stating where the product is made. It is against the law to remove this label. Maybe someone that bought a pair can chime in.....
 
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