$140 carbon rims

there's a couple threads on rm [HTML_REMOVED] mbr; sounds like there's been an ongoing evolution. i get the impression they might be a viable product, depending on which rim spec you use (i.e., 'dh' layup for aggressive trail). peruse:

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/f19/anyone-running-%24178-chinese-carbon-rims-dh-yet-light-bicycle-com-249959/index12/

http://forums.mtbr.com/wheels-tires/26in-chinese-carbon-all-mountain-rim-769498-56.html

a couple friends with newer versions have had good luck. one of them is a ripper and lays some serious energy into his wheels.

The front one of this pair is still in action, and get's bashed around pretty regularly. I think the other one of the pair was duff from the outset.

I bought a pair of these rims (26", "wider" model) when I was living in China and brought them back here with me. The rear did a very strange thing where bonding between the layers of carbon failed. The rim was still round, and rideable (somewhat), but had the most incredible amount of sideways flex to it. You could grab the rim and bend the wheel into interesting shapes and it would ping back round again. When I unlaced the wheel I could almost twist the rim into a figure-eight with my hands. The real killer was that where the layers had come apart at the sidewall it would chew through the tire, leaving a catastrophic rip just above the bead. I binned it in the end and rebuilt the wheel with a Flow (same ERD).

I wasn't too unhappy given they are very light, wide, and very cheap (in China at least). The rear survived a month-long roadtrip of big rides most days, followed by coming back to Vancouver and bashing seven bells out of it on the Shore for a few months. The front is still going, despite some heavy use… and heavy crashes.

I would say they're worth considering for less-abusive riding. One thing I have found is that the bead of many tires is ridiculously tight on the bead seats. Tires go on fine, but are a real challenge to seat straight. Some tires just wouldn't seat properly at all. This seems to be less of a problem running tubeless with Stan's Spunk compared with tubes.

Here's how they looked first built, next to some nice vegetables.

Big version here.

a couple friends with newer versions have had good luck.

I think that's what it comes down to round here - a bit of bad luck and your fancy new wheels are toast, regardless of material…

I think the only fairly affordable Carbon wheel I'd consider trying would be the Derby Carbon rims.

I have had a number of these rims. I typically run 28psi front and 36-38psi rear when I remember to check it. Tubeless with stans and gorilla tape. 2.5 minions DHR2's 2ply on the DH bike and 2.3 minion DHR2's 1.5ply on the trail bike. I weigh 165lbs.

At the very start of this year I bought 2 of the wider 26 rims and asked for stronger and they came at 390g. I used them on my Nomad all year setup tubeless. Put on lots of vert on technical terrain. A few runs in the bike park here and there including garbo zone. Lots of jumps and big hits. I probably rode it 130+ days this year. A few weeks ago the rear took a hit that is known to flat tires and dent rims. In fact the guy behind me did just that. It cracked my rim, but my tire didn't go down. I've ridden the bike a number of times since and the tire holds air and the crack has not changed and it's still true. I will keep riding it until it fails.

I put one of the same rims on the front of my V10 and rode it half the season before it cracked. It had taken a number of strikes where I knew I bottomed the rim before it took a fatal one. I rode it cracked for another few weeks before it lost pressure and then I rode it out of kicking horse race course half way down with a flat. It was well fucked after that (sidewalls cracking along the bead) but still round. They replaced this rim for shipping cost with the new DH rims.

So then I got 2 of the new DH profile rims that look like the enve profile at 460g. I put them on front and rear on my V10. On the 3rd day I was riding down Una Moss like I had a deathwish. Pedaled in and off the brakes. I don't think I've ever been that fast on a bike. Just as I thought to myself I should slow down before I smash my bike or myself, I hit a rock and bottomed the tires front and rear. The rear cracked, but no flats. Still held air no problem. Right behind me also going mach chicken was a friend that hit the same rock and flatted both ends and ruined his back wheel and required some pretty good trailside repairing (bending) to get it workable.

I continued to ride that cracked DH rim for the rest of the season. Including a big day on Mt7 and quite a few park days. It held pressure and stayed totally true and tensioned through all that and the weeks after that. Then I took it to some new jumps a few weeks ago with a couple of guys that had just built them. Both guys cased the 3rd jump on their first attempt a couple of weeks before and both destroyed their back wheels in the process. One of them was in multiple pieces and the other wasn't much better. So, as predicted I cased the 3rd jump and my tire exploded like a shotgun. I snapped 4 spokes and the existing crack was made larger. You could see where the impact was on the rim, and it was not damaged at all on the site of impact; only at the existing crack. I could have put the tire back on and ridden out if I was at the top of a mountain and had a spare spoke or two. This is when I was certain that the rim is tougher than anything else I've had.

The best part? I have not had a flat all year except when it went off like a shotgun on the fabled 3rd jump. I used to get tons. Like more than 20 a year, no shit. I used to spend more on tubes and CO2 in a year than the cost of one of these rims. Not to mention I used to replace alloy rims too, and they were never straight after the first week. These things are round until they are broken.

I will be ordering more of the DH rims for next season, and will replace the one on my Nomad with the DH version when it fails completely. I see no reason not to run the DH version when they are still only 460g and are definitely stronger and are wider.

It must be said again, there really is no comparison in feel. I really don't think I will ever go back to alloy. Even if I'm buying an extra couple of rims a year, it's worth it for the feel hands down.

sounds like light-bicycle is offering beefier rims and/or people are having better results with them. after years of riding overbuilt wheels i had a great year on a pair of pacenti tl28s which sold me on light and wide, but are sporting multiple dings. the rims seem similar to the pacenti's all around, but if they resist minor-damage better and provide improved handling, they might be worth the extra $

anyone use nipple washers on their carbon rims? Or on any rims?

like this but smaller

I just use normal brass nipples, no washers.

Light Bicycle 35mm wide hookless 650B rims….nothing unusual about the build. I'll report back after the summer, but they look like they'll work great. :dizzy:

FWIW - setup tubeless better than any rim I have tried so far including Stans…:shhh:

I just use normal brass nipples, no washers.

Another vote for brass nipples and no washers. I prefer DT black brass nips myself. I don't think they add as much as 30g per wheel over aluminum but you can't get the bring bring colours.

I'd actually be worried about using the washers unless you know that your carbon rim has a nice flat section inside of it for the washers to seat nicely.

Light Bicycle 35mm wide hookless 650B rims….nothing unusual about the build. I'll report back after the summer, but they look like they work great. :dizzy:

FWIW - setup tubeless better than any rim I have tried so far including Stans…:shhh:

Sick setup all-around Vikb! I wish Pivot made an XXL in that frame - so nice.

Sick setup all-around Vikb! I wish Pivot made an XXL in that frame - so nice.

Thanks. Yeah they run small. I'm 5'11" and could ride a XL with a 75mm stem.

Seems like offering an XXL would make sense.

I just picked up the wider 29er 35od rims…first real ride on them tomorrow…can't wait to see how they feel.