[big-ted]

What DH rims are people fond of these days? Following my previous thread trying to find an equivalent, my venerable Alex Supra-D has officially been discontinued.

Looking for something middle-of-the-road on the price-weight-strength triangle. Not interested in anything carbon as this is going on a DH bike that sees ~30 park days a year in conditions that have destroyed such things. Also not interested in Mavic as they are, in my experience, overpriced and either a) heavy (823, 729) or b) fragile (721). No interest in running tubeless on this bike as it's also proven itself too fragile.

Would like eyeletted. Must be 26".

Currently looking at Sun Inferno 31. Any other suggestions?

 

[djjohnr]

Transition has 26" rims on sale for $24-30 each. They're a bit heavy but very tough.

 

[slyfink]

Spank?

 

[HAB]

I obliterated a pair of Inferno 31s in about 10 minutes, and I'm usually not that hard on rims. I'd avoid those.

 

[big-ted]

Spank?

doesn't look like the spike (which I think is what I'd be looking at?) is eyeletted?

I obliterated a pair of Inferno 31s in about 10 minutes, and I'm usually not that hard on rims. I'd avoid those.

Bah. Good to know.

 

[frango]

Just order LB or Nextie, they will build whatever you want

 

[Dogboy]

I'm a fan of the Supra D too. If I was building new DH wheels I'd probably check these out - http://www.alexrims.com/product_detail.asp?sc=0&cat=22&pid=140

 

[slyfink]

doesn't look like the spike (which I think is what I'd be looking at?) is eyeletted?

correct. But they seem confident in their process, and philosophy towards eyelets. Also, anecdotal evidence in speaking to people with these rims, is that they are very durable. Lack of eyelets does not seem to be an issue...

from their website:

"Soft, malleable eyelets go against SPANK's Oohbah rim philosophy for several reasons. Eyelets normally rely on isolated points of contact with the nipple. This means specific "point-load" zones are created, which put immense pressure on small points, and can lead to deformation of the eyelets. Eyelets are usually pliable to allow this, but soft eyelets can eventually crack or pull through the rim itself! Another annoying problem with rims assembled from more than 30 separate parts, is eyelets can come loose as they deform, and rattle, buzz, or even cut short the life of a perfectly good hoop. The combination of SPANK's patented Oohbah profile, and our investment into precision machining of the spoke beds on our rims, results in what we call "Orbital Nipple Seats". By tightly matching the radius of the inside wall of the nipple seat to the inner radius of the hoop itself, then machining out the spoke holes at the perfect angles, SPANK has created nipple seats that allow 360° of contact between the nipple and the rim. This distributes the load from the spokes evenly, vastly reducing the chance of pulling a nipple through the rim or eyelet. So, if we can create rims with stronger nipple seats, lower weights, and just two parts instead of 34…a better question might be "Why are other companies still using eyelets?""

Stans and WTB also espouse this philosophy and it seems to also work for them?

 

[Muddy]

... Any other suggestions?

Why no MTX? Last forever.

 

[Udi]

I'm a fan of the Supra-D too, currently running a pair. Check eBay, you can still grab them most of the time.

 

[big-ted]

I'm a fan of the Supra-D too, currently running a pair. Check eBay, you can still grab them most of the time.

I had noticed that, but they're not cheap, especially when one factors in shipping to Canada...

 

[big-ted]

Why no MTX? Last forever.

Aren't the MTXs super heavy? I only ever see the MTX 33 which seems super heavy/burly. I've never seen the MTX31 on he website...

 

[norbar]

I know it may be hard to find but try to find 1st gen 823's. They are lighter than current model by 80 or 90g if I remember right. Still strong as hell.

Or just buy something cheap enough you can replace without much costs.

 

[Udi]

Get the MTX29. I've run them for a few hard seasons, they do get beaten out of shape eventually but they are stronger than the Inferno (which is too weak for a DH bike, okay for trail), slightly lighter than the 721 (~580g vs 590g in the ones I've had), substantially cheaper than both the Supra D and 721 if you find them in the right place, and most importantly - they still hold tires really well when they are a bit dented and beaten up, something that Mavic rims aren't very good at.

The Supra D is a noticeably stronger rim at identical weight (both in dent and flatspot resistance), but you've gotta pay to play. If you're lacing your own rims though (particularly with just taping + swapping rims) then the MTX29 works pretty well since it's cheap to replace and will remain functional even when out of shape if you're feeling lazy or poor.

On the other hand if you want something that's going to last and don't like building wheels often, I think the Supra D is worth the postage premium.

 

[W4S]

Amazon has Supra D's for $72 with free shipping and no tax (US), not sure about canada, though.

 

[big-ted]

I know it may be hard to find but try to find 1st gen 823's. They are lighter than current model by 80 or 90g if I remember right. Still strong as hell.

Or just buy something cheap enough you can replace without much costs.

The ones with the groove machined along the sidewall along which they split at the merest sight of a rock strike? Pass...

 

[big-ted]

Yeah, leaning towards grabbing a stock of Supra D's off Amazon, or trying the Spike, especially as my LBS stocks the Spike rims. Could be worth a try. I've been pretty impressed with the eyeletless Flow EXs on my trail bike, but suspect I'd destroy them in short order on the DH bike...

 

[Westy]

RIMZ

 

[big-ted]

My lbs had mavic en521s on ridiculous close out. Let's see how quickly I can break this...

 

[kidwoo]

Seems legit.





I'm in for 5 chairlift rides.

 

[Da Peach]

Neil deGrasse Tyson meme image here.

 

[big-ted]

Seriously. Like, $23 close out...

 

[tomasis7]

go for mavic, i dont mind replace Enduro rims on DH

 

[norbar]

The ones with the groove machined along the sidewall along which they split at the merest sight of a rock strike? Pass...

Rumors. They are very durable. Don't remember the grove since it's still winter here and I haven't looke at mine but they took a beating, a ton of short landings and some riding on rim only thanks to a destroyed UST tire and they still hold fine.

 

[troy]

How about Alex Supra BH rims?

 

[yd35]

Rumors. They are very durable. Don't remember the grove since it's still winter here and I haven't looke at mine but they took a beating, a ton of short landings and some riding on rim only thanks to a destroyed UST tire and they still hold fine.

Both of you may be correct. I seem to remember that norbar is a lighter guy, and I'm going out on limb here and assuming that big-ted is well, big.

 

[norbar]

Both of you may be correct. I seem to remember that norbar is a lighter guy, and I'm going out on limb here and assuming that big-ted is well, big.

That is true. If Ted's big then they may not be for him though I'm usually rather heavy on the rims since I ride like an idiot and anything cheaper I tried is either taco'd or changed before it had the chance.

 

[BigHair]

Just in case you can't find Supra D rims on ebay...

I was very impressed by the DT FR600s on my last bike. They are not the rim as the FR6.1, as so many think.
The FR630s are even stronger at a very minimal weight penalty and the EX471s are in the same catagory as Stans Flow EXs if you need a race rim (e.g. Fearon runs Flow EXs from memory and the EX741 was the rim made famous by Gwin).

They are all lighter than the Mavic equivalents and in my opinion, stronger. While I didn't ever flat out destroy a 729, I did have a few with a lot more dings and flatspots than my FR600s (which are lighter) even though the FR600s were on the bike for longer.

If you're on a budget and want a really light rim I'd look at the WTB Frequency i25 as well. Excellent value when you consider how resilient they are. I'd throw these in the same boat as the MTX29.

 

[csermonet]

I've got the old style 823's that have been absolutely indestructible. Same pair of rims for several years now, and im 210 geared to ride and not very smooth.

Anybody out there that rides or knows anything about the carbon light bicycle rims, are they durable enough for a 200lb+ dude?

 

[big-ted]

Yeah. The old style 823s (or d3.1s as I think they used to be called) didn't hold up under me or any of my riding buddies. & they were $$$. & they suck to build...

That said, I laced my en521 on Saturday. Did 7 shuttle laps on not super rocky trails & still managed to put a small dent in the sidewall. 'woos prediction might not be far off once the chairlifts start turning...

 

[gemini2k]

Seriously. Like, $23 close out...

Is that metric or U.S. dollars?

 

[sbabuser]

Spank Spike - toughest rim I've run.

 

[Bikael Molton]

Antique homes,
Plastic cones,
Stolen rims
Are they alloy or chrome?