Open mold wide profile carbon wheels

Back by popular demand, the general all-things Road forum!

Moderator: robbosmans

User avatar
Beaver
Posts: 796
Joined: Wed Aug 18, 2004 6:06 pm

by Beaver

CallumRD1 wrote:Does anyone have any experience with the Light Bicycles 36mm or 46mm deep, 28mm external, 21mm internal width clinchers? I'm looking at building up a pair of the 46mm clinchers in disk format for my Felt F3X cross bike that gets used for everything from road rides to gravel rides. It seems like the perfect rim for 28c road tires and 33c cross tires.

Additionally, does anyone have any experience with the hookless bead that they offer? They claim that it will drop 10-15g from the rim weight, be a stronger construction, and be less susceptible to pinch flats. I like the sound of it (I ride my 28c tires at 60-70psi and they say the max is 80psi) but I'm a little nervous having never encountered hookless road rims before.

For reference, I'm a 6'2" 150 pound guy.


No personal experience, but Light Bicycle is one of the better manufacturers - like Nextie, Yishun and Farsports.

With your weight I run 25mm Conti 4000S II on 21C rims at 60psi. This is a great combination. For 28/33mm tires you should pick at least a 24C rim. Do you run disc? Then you could just take a 29er rim.

Hookless is standard with MTBs and worry free - just don't use too much pressure.

Marin
Posts: 4035
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 11:48 am
Location: Vienna Austria

by Marin

24c is crazy and has no place on a road bike, you can run 28, 30 or 35mm tires just fine on a 17c or 18c rim. I've had all of the above combos.

The benefits of super-wide rims are pure snake oil.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



Olde5123
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2015 5:38 pm

by Olde5123

I just received my 46mm carbon wheels from Light Bicycle. Like many, I searched for info prior to ordering and came up with little on the new profiles. So, here's a brief rundown of the process and wheels. I literally only have one ride on them so I cant do a full product review yet.

I ordered the 46mm deep 28mm wide carbon clinchers with brake track.
CX-ray spokes and DT Swiss 350 SP hubs

*Ordering and Shipping*
-I placed and order and paid on March 17th, 2017. Due to new hoops, I was told 15 days before they are built. I had very prompt communication during the whole process via email
-They were shipped on April 10th, 2017
-They arrived on April 17th, 2017 (Florida)
Light Bicycle declared the value at $220 and I did not have any import taxes
The box was destroyed by customs and I was pissed when they arrived. There was a 8" diameter hole in the top corner where they just ripped the box open instead of cutting the tape. Furthermore, they didn't try to fix it. You could see the wheels through the hole. To my surprise, there was zero damage to the wheels. Not even a scratch.
*Build and First ride*
The wheels were finished very well. The nipples were not mangled and no twisted spokes. They seem to have somewhat even tension although Im going to have them checked this weekend just because. The brake track is very nice 3K finish as seen in other recent photos. In all, the hoops seem very nice and high quality. They weighed 1522 grams with FSA rim tape. Tires went on relatively easy for tubeless ready clinchers. I had to remove a tire to rotate it in line with the valve stem....this was more difficult. The tubeless bead hooks are a pain to unseat the tire from or I need stronger thumbs. The first ride was on wet roads but they still braked ok with Giant SLR pads. They spun up surprisingly quick for 1500 grams wheels. I think this was because most of the weight is in the hub, not the hoop. They seemed stiff although one ride isn't enough to gauge ride characteristics. I will update when I get some miles logged and toss up some photos. Sorry for the long post but this is some of the info I was looking for recently. Enjoy!

CallumRD1
Posts: 151
Joined: Mon Apr 03, 2017 2:54 pm

by CallumRD1

What tires do you have one them and how big do they measure up at on these rims?

Olde5123
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2015 5:38 pm

by Olde5123

The newer version Specialized S-Works Turbo 700x24mm They measure just under 27mm. I'll probably replace them with the 26mm version when they are done.

Olde5123
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2015 5:38 pm

by Olde5123

I did a normal "A" group ride last night. Dry pavement but 15mph winds. It was a spirited ride to say the least. The wheels performed great. Little to no effect from winds and the braking was much better. Better then the Mercury M5's I was borrowing but not quite as good as the stock Giant SLR1 carbon wheels I have. Handling was great with the wide tires. In full disclosure, I definitely need to have them checked....they have a decent vertical hoop so Im assuming they need the tension corrected. Laterally....they are spot on!

seansis
Posts: 47
Joined: Fri Sep 23, 2016 9:58 am

by seansis

Hello everybody.

I want to buy a wheelset from a carbon-cycle.
Tell me, what is the width of the rim will be better - 25 or 27mm?
Also confuse me different U-shape profiles on pictures. With a width of 27mm, the profile looks more like a U-shape Zipp.

User avatar
Beaver
Posts: 796
Joined: Wed Aug 18, 2004 6:06 pm

by Beaver

Marin wrote:24c is crazy and has no place on a road bike, you can run 28, 30 or 35mm tires just fine on a 17c or 18c rim. I've had all of the above combos.

The benefits of super-wide rims are pure snake oil.


Did you also try wide tires on wide rims with reduced pressure yourself? The hole system gets stiffer as the tire flanges stand straighter and the pressure reduction doesn't lead to squishy handling or increased rolling resistance.

I was sceptical myself, but now I will never go back to 25mm tires on 15C rims again. For 23mm tires go for 17-19C rims, for 25mm 19-21C. These super wide 24C rims are of course for Gravel with 28mm tires. We started with 13C rims and 18mm tires, then the tires grew but the rims didn't.

Overlapping tires that look like a light bulb decrease ride quality.

Marin
Posts: 4035
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 11:48 am
Location: Vienna Austria

by Marin

Not true, the bulge makes for better suspension and sidewall protection. Aero is not everything.

Just look at MTBs, they're not running CX tires on fatbike rims either.

User avatar
Beaver
Posts: 796
Joined: Wed Aug 18, 2004 6:06 pm

by Beaver

The bulge makes you have to run a high pressure - or you have a higher rolling resistance and squishy ride.

Just try it, if you get your hands on wider rims. 23mm tires on 19C and 25mm on 21C are fast and comfy without loosing the road bike feel. ;)

MTBs are different: You need the bulge to protect your rim from dirt and debris.

Ticlimax
Posts: 92
Joined: Thu Aug 04, 2016 2:44 pm

by Ticlimax

Since this seems to be where all the experts are, I thought I'd see if any of you could help me:
I'm looking for disc-specific Chinese carbon wheels (or rims). As in, no brake track and an actual rim shape that is disc specific...
(Yeoleo and lightbicycle looks to have them, but at a high price).

I know wanting something fairly new at a low price is a lot to ask, but I can try :).

Ticlimax
Posts: 92
Joined: Thu Aug 04, 2016 2:44 pm

by Ticlimax

Ticlimax wrote:Since this seems to be where all the experts are, I thought I'd see if any of you could help me:
I'm looking for disc-specific Chinese carbon wheels (or rims). As in, no brake track and an actual rim shape that is disc specific...
(Yeoleo and lightbicycle looks to have them, but at a high price).

I know wanting something fairly new at a low price is a lot to ask, but I can try :).


These aren't exactly what I had in mind, but since they ship from germany and are dirt-cheap: does anybody have experience with this seller https://nl.aliexpress.com/store/702228?

With disc brakes there are no brake tracks to overheat so I'd be a little less worried...

tokyodrift69
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Oct 05, 2016 8:52 pm
Contact:

by tokyodrift69

Does anyone have any experience with any carbon clincher disc time trial wheels from aliexpress or DHgate? I've been looking for a generic carbon/aluminum combo like a HED jet, but haven't found anything that's less than 450. Therefore I don't think I have a choice besides an all carbon one, and I'm just wondering if I should be looking for something specific on these listings. Racing a couple UCI regulated TT's, so a disc-cover is out of the question, and it seems that all the wheel rental services have switched towards the triathlon crowd and therefore no longer rent/offer discs, just 80mm deep wheels.
Trek Emonda ALR (Etap, Ksyrium SLs, Zipp Service Course SL Finishing Kit)
Cervelo P2 (Sram Red 22, Force P2M, H3 Front, Zipp 900 Rear, Parts bin Cockpit)
Focus Mares Disc 2016 (Force 1x, Zipp 303)
Trek Top Fuel 8

CallumRD1
Posts: 151
Joined: Mon Apr 03, 2017 2:54 pm

by CallumRD1

Olde5123 wrote:I just received my 46mm carbon wheels from Light Bicycle. Like many, I searched for info prior to ordering and came up with little on the new profiles. So, here's a brief rundown of the process and wheels. I literally only have one ride on them so I cant do a full product review yet.

I ordered the 46mm deep 28mm wide carbon clinchers with brake track.
CX-ray spokes and DT Swiss 350 SP hubs

*Ordering and Shipping*
-I placed and order and paid on March 17th, 2017. Due to new hoops, I was told 15 days before they are built. I had very prompt communication during the whole process via email
-They were shipped on April 10th, 2017
-They arrived on April 17th, 2017 (Florida)
Light Bicycle declared the value at $220 and I did not have any import taxes
The box was destroyed by customs and I was pissed when they arrived. There was a 8" diameter hole in the top corner where they just ripped the box open instead of cutting the tape. Furthermore, they didn't try to fix it. You could see the wheels through the hole. To my surprise, there was zero damage to the wheels. Not even a scratch.
*Build and First ride*
The wheels were finished very well. The nipples were not mangled and no twisted spokes. They seem to have somewhat even tension although Im going to have them checked this weekend just because. The brake track is very nice 3K finish as seen in other recent photos. In all, the hoops seem very nice and high quality. They weighed 1522 grams with FSA rim tape. Tires went on relatively easy for tubeless ready clinchers. I had to remove a tire to rotate it in line with the valve stem....this was more difficult. The tubeless bead hooks are a pain to unseat the tire from or I need stronger thumbs. The first ride was on wet roads but they still braked ok with Giant SLR pads. They spun up surprisingly quick for 1500 grams wheels. I think this was because most of the weight is in the hub, not the hoop. They seemed stiff although one ride isn't enough to gauge ride characteristics. I will update when I get some miles logged and toss up some photos. Sorry for the long post but this is some of the info I was looking for recently. Enjoy!



Do you have an update on the wheelset? Any photos to share? I'm really close to pulling the trigger on a set of these rims and I think I'll build them up myself on Bitex BX106 road disk hubs with CX-Rays.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



CallumRD1
Posts: 151
Joined: Mon Apr 03, 2017 2:54 pm

by CallumRD1

After much hemming and hawing I did end up ordering a pair of Light Bicycle 46mm deep, 28mm external width rims. I'm going to build them up on Bitex BX106 disk hubs with CX-Ray spokes. With this in mind I ordered the rims without a brake track, without a bead hook, with 24 holes front and back, and with no holes (other than the valve hole) in the rim bed to allow for easier tubeless setup. I went for a subtle UD matte finish on the rims with no graphics.

Here are the dates of importance:
- Ordered on May 8
- Shipped on May 26
- Arrived on June 9

The package arrived in absolutely perfect condition. I wouldn't expect a package being shipped from 50 miles away to have made it in such good condition, let alone from the other side of the world!

These rims are advertised as 460g +/- 15g. My two rims weigh in at 474g and 476g. This is a little disappointing as if you poke around the web site they say that a rim without the brake track and bead hook will likely be about 10g lighter than the quoted specifications. But I give them credit for consistency at least.

The tubeless valve stems I bought from them seem to be good quality, with removable cores and a nice finish. They weigh 11g for the pair.

The finish on them is impeccable. There's hardly a flaw visible anywhere. The worst is a few blemishes in the surface coating that are nearly unnoticeable. The holes for the spokes and valve are very clean with no tear out.

I have a 25mm and a 28mm Schwalbe Pro One that will be the primary tires for this wheelset. At some point I'm going to get a pair of good tubeless cross tires (exact model to be determined at a later date) for use on gravel and in the snow come winter.

Unfortunately I'm stuck waiting on spokes because I ordered them from Starbike (they were noticeably cheaper than anywhere else I could find) along with a Pro Stealth saddle which won't be available until the end of June. They're holding the whole order so they can ship it all at once.

(I'll be riding these wheels on my 2015 Felt F3x cyclocross bike, hence the disk brake hubs and cross tires.)

Image

Image

Image

Image

Edit: Added photos
Last edited by CallumRD1 on Mon Jun 12, 2017 4:29 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Post Reply