I think its going to take a combination of approaches to really come up with a good solution. Inserts like CushCore work too well to ignore their benefits and I think will always have a place, but rims and tires certainly have some catching up to do.
The outward sloping rim and bead profile of the newmen/syntace rims is an awesome start for rim durability. I've been running the Chromag BA30's for a year now and have been impressed, and although there are a few things I would change about them if I could, they are a favorite so far. They share a good amount of the outward facing bead wall of the Newmen and Syntace rims which has made them very resistant to deforming, while also having a larger radius to protect the tire from cuts.
I love the thicker and rounder bead wall profile, but I would like if it was hookless for more material and matched the angle of the outer rim. I'd also like rims to adopt an overlapping rubber/plastic strip like ENVE uses, as it would eliminate the rim strip, greatly increase the radius of the bead wall even more, and disperse impacts over a greater area further protecting both the tire and the rim. This could also potentially make tire changes easier, as there is no tape to mess up and would be more resistant to having a spoke poking through it in a really hard hit.
May 8, 2019, 12:44 p.m. - Metacomet
I think its going to take a combination of approaches to really come up with a good solution. Inserts like CushCore work too well to ignore their benefits and I think will always have a place, but rims and tires certainly have some catching up to do. The outward sloping rim and bead profile of the newmen/syntace rims is an awesome start for rim durability. I've been running the Chromag BA30's for a year now and have been impressed, and although there are a few things I would change about them if I could, they are a favorite so far. They share a good amount of the outward facing bead wall of the Newmen and Syntace rims which has made them very resistant to deforming, while also having a larger radius to protect the tire from cuts. I love the thicker and rounder bead wall profile, but I would like if it was hookless for more material and matched the angle of the outer rim. I'd also like rims to adopt an overlapping rubber/plastic strip like ENVE uses, as it would eliminate the rim strip, greatly increase the radius of the bead wall even more, and disperse impacts over a greater area further protecting both the tire and the rim. This could also potentially make tire changes easier, as there is no tape to mess up and would be more resistant to having a spoke poking through it in a really hard hit.