Alloy clincher rim review

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madcow
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by madcow

Ergott and Myself have been working on this review for a week now, and were just waiting on production versions of the SL23 to arrive so we could confirm specs before publishing. Now that the rims are available in the U.S. we are able to publish it. I hope some of you find it helpful.

http://fairwheelbikes.com/cycling-blog/ ... undup.html

HillRPete
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by HillRPete

Kudos Madcow. The FWB reviews are second to none.

Edit: would have been cool if you had added a line about CX/29er suitability for each model.

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MileHighMark
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by MileHighMark

Nice work.

Kirk is sending a pair of the new rims for testing/review, and I'm really excited.
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bikerjulio
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by bikerjulio

Love your reviews.

Let me start by saying that I'm only a very amateur wheel builder, and with direct experience with only 2 of the rims you discussed - Open Pro and Stans 340.

I felt the review was a little harsh on the OP's. I love my wheels built with them, they have always been a pleasure to build up, and the spares I have both weigh exactly 435g - a little lighter than your samples and the 4th lightest out of the 14 reviewed I might say. Not so bad for such an old design.

Perhaps I was just unlucky with my Stans, but considering the premium price they were a complete PITA to build up, they were not round, and then have required several retensionings. The weight was good though. And so far they have held up.
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madcow
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by madcow

It might have seemed a bit harsh about the Open Pros but it wasn't meant to be. Honestly though I'm not in love with them. I think they are an ok rim if you already have a set, but if I were building a new set of wheels, it would certainly not be at the top of the list of choices. There are better choices in the same price range. Rims have gotten better over time and the Open pro is no longer a leader. The Stans, Even though I know the newer version is better, I just don't seem to be able to trust them, I find myself cringing a little every time someone asks to have a wheel set built using them.

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Zen Cyclery
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by Zen Cyclery

Definitely an awesome review. The OP definitely isn't in the same league as alot of these rims. It is solid, but it ain't nothin' special.

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WMW
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by WMW

Great stuff Jason and Eric! Those Pacenti SL23s look really nice. Ticks all the boxes... good dimensions... stiff, aero, and still pretty light. When will they be available?
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kulivontot
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by kulivontot

On paper, the Stans rims seem pretty competitive, but the durability of these rims seem to be suspect and their flexiness has been discussed quite often. I'm riding a pair of the V1 rims and sometimes wonder if I'm sitting on a ticking time bomb. Besides the tire spontaneously popping off the rim, what other problems have you seen from a quality perspective?

nspace
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by nspace

Great review, thanks for posting!

What sort of warranty issues have you experienced with Stans? I had some issues with the first generation Alpha340, and they had a replacement out to me (2nd gen, slightly heavier with thicker spoke bed) up to Canada in less than 3 days. No hassle and couldn't have been happier with the way they treated me.

Of course, I wish the rim never cracked, but from many accounts, it looks like they have improved the product.

I have been interested in the H+Son rims but wondering how the hard ano looks after a while. I know the black ano wears off pretty quick and I've heard mixed things about the hard ano version.

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by eric

Excellent review. If anything you were not harsh enough on the Mavic OPs.

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WMW
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by WMW

kulivontot wrote:On paper, the Stans rims seem pretty competitive, but the durability of these rims seem to be suspect and their flexiness has been discussed quite often. I'm riding a pair of the V1 rims and sometimes wonder if I'm sitting on a ticking time bomb. Besides the tire spontaneously popping off the rim, what other problems have you seen from a quality perspective?


IME the roundness and straightness seem about average. Also I think they are plenty stiff, considering how light they are. Tire inflation effects the rim diameter more than most rims, which means the tension will drop with the tire mounted... just something you should be aware of when building. The new rims have a welded seam and are offset drilled... and a lot of material has been added to the spoke bed.

The best feature is how the tire takes a bigger and rounder profile than with any other rim... that includes the 23mm wide ones. That should enhance traction, ride, handling, and Crr.
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by bm0p700f

You know that review sums up what I think about most of those rims. I also have no loce for the OP as the DT Swiss RR465 exists and is simply better. I would also rather with a TB14 or velocity A23 in place of a Open Pro.

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MajorMantra
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by MajorMantra

Great stuff.

I really fancy a set of TB14s on Record hubs or something, but the rims are surprisingly heavy. I wonder if there's another classic looking rim that comes in a little lighter?

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kavitator
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by kavitator

As always superb article! :thumbup:
What about max spoke tension of each rim? it will be very useful data

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itsacarr
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by itsacarr

Thanks for some great information Mad.
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