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(Cheap) Chinese Carbon Rims?

2M views 9K replies 1K participants last post by  chomxxo 
#1 ·
I've seen multiple discussions of carbon 29er frames, but no such discussion of 29er rims. Current domestic carbon rims are more expensive than one of these frames. Anybody found carbon 29er clincher rims cheap?
 
#7,884 · (Edited)
Enve use the 10mm inverted nipples from Sapim, with the claimed weight of 0.75g to 0.77g.
Sapim also have a shorter version of this nipples with a length of 8.5mm, don't recall the claimed weight but they should be even lighter.

The nipples don't always fail before being pulled through the rim, in this same thread, a couple of pages back, is a example of this.
 
#7,888 ·
Enve use the 10mm inverted nipples from Sapim, with the claimed weight of 0.75g to 0.77g.
Sapim also have a shorter version of this nipples with a length of 8.5mm, don't recall the claimed weight but they should be even lighter.
Thanks for the info. So then it sounds like most of the published weights are victims of a rounding error, since they are listed at 1g. The figures you provided suggest that they have gotten close to cutting the brass vs. aluminum weight penalty in half, which sure makes it pretty tough to justify the iffy reliability of aluminum. Having said that, the Envy nips are internal so they require removing tire and strip to true, so it is a bit of a give and take still. Plus I still think it is playing fast and loose with the facts for them to claim they match aluminum weight.
 
#7,887 ·
Hey guys, considering I have a Trek X-CAL 6 29er with the AT-650 rims, how inexpensively could I build a proper set of carbon wheels for it? I've been told that I shouldn't use my DC20/22 hubs, or factory spokes, for the new wheel-set. I don't need top of the line, but there's lots of wheels out there that are superior to the AT-650
 
#7,889 · (Edited)
Sapim also have the 12mm version of the same nipple, and those have the claimed/verified weight of 1g per nipple, I'm guessing people are referring to those.

The reason I choose "no internal spoke holes" and not "internal inverted nipples" was precisely to get away from using tape, if there was a way of combining the two, that would ne nice :D.

They are probably speaking of the inverted aluminum nipples they used before, they are a lot beefier than the brass ones, and longer too, so i'm guessing the weigth would be closer to the 0.75g of the shorter brass version they are using now.
 
#7,897 ·
Looking to upgrade my arch ex's on my niner jet9 rdo. Was fully set on getting the crest to help in weight. After looking and reading I definitely don't need those problems in my life. So on to Carbon it looks to help drop weight. Light bicycle seems to be the easiest site to play on. Unfortunately I don't know what the hell I need to order. I have 15ta on the front and 12/142 on the rear. I'm not wanting to break the bank. I mostly ride xc, but time to time I get aggressive thanks to strava. There are a decent amount of roots and a few logs on the local trails and that will be the more technical stuff I ride. I'm curious how the lower end hubs they offer are. I would love to keep the weight below 1625grams or less preferably. Can anyone recommend the best setup for me. I know it's hard to say without knowing my trails and riding abilities. I'm 155lbs. And ride 2-3 times a week. Also take care of my stuff. what kinda build time is it on getting the wheels. If anyone knows of a better place to order from let me know. Also the bike is a 11 speed
 
#7,898 ·
You're part way there. It's really best to build your own wheelset. And a carbon rim actually makes it nearly impos..well very difficult to screw up. Because it starts off stiff and true. ~30mm id is the minimum I would build.
I'd recommend Dt 350 J spoke hubs with the 36t star ratchet upgrade. Sapim laser spokes from Dans Comp with the free brass nipples. You'll need a Parks Tension Gauge and a 4-sided spoke wrench. Permatex Anti-Seize.
Wheels
CB has a 35/30mm rim at $145 + ship. Or a 35/29 Asym rim about $175 + ship that's a little lighter with 0.5mm thicker beads.
 
#7,899 ·
25mm ID 30mm OD is fine for XC and good for weight savings. No reason to go super-wide unless you need fatter tires and many people don't. 30mm is still wider than most aluminum rims intended for the same kind of riding from just a few years ago. 35mm rims are nice though too, wouldn't be a bad idea and would be far better than Stans noodles.
 
#7,901 ·
I also strongly disagree with that 25mm id statement even if your terrain is old school XC without a lot of rocks and roots. The sidewall support will let you corner faster and more safely putting you far faster on that terrain then you would be on narrower rims a few grams lighter.
And who wants to ride just that terrain anyway. Current XC has plenty of rock gardens and roots with some jumps and loose over hardpack cornering where traction is more important than a few grams when you're making performance trade-offs.

Superwide? not hardly...
40mm id is wide but Maxxis has WT versions of their tires designed specifically for that internal rim dimension. Schwalbe has 2.8 and 3.0 Nobby Nic and Rocket Ron 27.5+ tires designed by the manufacturer for 40mm id wheels. Those tires can work fine for many of the types of terrain out there from techy rocky with short fast up and downs to runs at higher speeds with bigger jumps. More tires are already available and this is just the beginning.
Maybe 50mm id could be very wide. But 25 is a waste if you're building today. I think I'll set my next bike up with a 9sp single to save weight if I can buy the parts.
 
#7,902 ·
I have the same bike you do and just replaced my stans Arch EX rims with LB 24/30 U shape rims. The weight savings were minimal (~25g per wheel), I built them up on the same WI MI6 hubs. The extra width is only slightly noticeable but the extra stiffness has made the biggest impression on me. I just built them up and only have ~200mi on them but just spent 2 days in Moab and they were great.

 
#7,903 ·
So basically you just got new rims, not a complete wheelset? Just curious because I thought I would save at least 100 grams going with the Carbon. LB responded to my email and this is what they said.
According to your details, we'd like to recommend the 30mm wide 29er wheelset as following specs.
-Rims: RM29C19, 30mm width, 395+/-15g, UD matte, 28H.
-Hubs: Black, DT Swiss 350 J-bend center lock. Is that front 15mm/ rear 12*142mm? With freehub Shimano or Sram?
-Spokes: Black, DT competition race spokes
-Nipples: Black, brass
Anyone see anything I should do different?

I had planned to go with the pillar spokes to save some weight but are the dt's worth the extra weight
 
#7,904 ·
I've had DT hubs on previous wheelsets with other bikes and never had a problem. The 350's are solid though the 240's are certainly nicer. From the reposts I've read I'd stay away from the novatec hubs. I've always had a good experience with the DT comp spokes and brass nips. I also run 32h on both my rims, but you can get away with 28h at your weight.
 
#7,908 ·
No but to get the best performance you do need to use a tire with a rounded profile and run it at a low psi of 4-5 below what you would run with narrow rims. The Bonty Team tires last and have a rounded profile. With a wide rim the added sidewall support and traction can let you go with a less aggressive tread pattern for faster rolling. I can use XR1 Team 2.2s at 15-16 psi front and 19-20 rear. Your weight and rim hit level would determine it.
Depending on your fork clearances a 35mm id front rim would allow you to experiment with a Panaracer Fat B Nimble 29 x 3.0(2.7" actual) Plus tire. It will work with a 30mm id also. Just maybe not as well. A Reba or SID has the space.
Fun stuff.
 
#7,910 ·
I know it's not overkill because I've been using that size for the past two seasons for aggressive trail riding using 2.2 rounded tires.
Enve is currently so far behind the curve on this but they don't have a ton of ordinary riders. Zero choices for the increasing Plus tire market of 2.8-3.5" wide tires.
 
#7,912 ·
#7,913 ·
Am about to order a Light Bicycle 35/30 rim myself for a new front wheel. 210 lbs cross country style rider on a fs bike in loose and rocky terrain and I avoid jumps and drops over about a foot. Would I be ok with their AM version w 28 spokes? With 32 spokes? DH version with 28 or 32 spokes?
 
#7,921 ·
I'm not professional wheel builder (in fact, I'm not even an amateur one) so I won't chime in on how durable they would be but for my last two wheel sets, i debated the same thing. I went with 32h both times for the simple fact that if I catch a stick and break a couple of spokes on a ride, there is a lot better chance of me riding home with 30 spokes rather than 26. But that is just my view, as I am sure 28h wheels would suit me just fine too. I figure it's a very minor weight penalty for a little insurance.
 
#7,926 ·
I just want to share my rim purchase from Yishun Bike, I ordered a pair of carbon 30/24 ID rims with 28 holes and 3mm offset spokebed in UD matte, rims advertised as 365 grams and they weighed in at 340 & 360 grams each, payment date was the 16th of March and they were delivered on the 30th, the comunication via email was quick and the sale was easy, so at this stage highly recommended.
 
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