Carbon Clincher Rims < 370?

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whydobearsxplod
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by whydobearsxplod

I'm looking to do a clincher build. Since magnesium rims are so hard to source, are any of the Chinese companies doing a (carbon) shallow clincher rim under 370g?
Last edited by whydobearsxplod on Wed Oct 04, 2017 12:10 am, edited 1 time in total.

whosatthewheel
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by whosatthewheel

"in the days" we had sub 400 gram rims and frankly they were awful... they turned into a Pringle at the first opportunity... I had a pair of Wolber that did just that. Aluminium extrusion techniques have not improved that much and I am inclined to think that the only way to achieve a decent sub 370 gram alloy rim is to shave off a significant portion of the brake track, which in turn means they will be dangerous (overheating the inner tube) and won't last.

I would look at carbon if you are that concerned about rim weight. A 350 gram clincher carbon rim will be solid

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mdeth1313
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by mdeth1313

whosatthewheel wrote:"in the days" we had sub 400 gram rims and frankly they were awful... they turned into a Pringle at the first opportunity... I had a pair of Wolber that did just that. Aluminium extrusion techniques have not improved that much and I am inclined to think that the only way to achieve a decent sub 370 gram alloy rim is to shave off a significant portion of the brake track, which in turn means they will be dangerous (overheating the inner tube) and won't last.

I would look at carbon if you are that concerned about rim weight. A 350 gram clincher carbon rim will be solid



Which is why the OP's title mentions CARBON clincher rims.
Nice 30th post.
Speedplay is the devil!

whosatthewheel
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by whosatthewheel

mdeth1313 wrote:

Which is why the OP's title mentions CARBON clincher rims.
Nice 30th post.


Pretty sure I read alloy earlier this morning... maybe it was TOO early in the morning... :lol:

Are you one of the nice guys on here?

joejack951
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by joejack951

whosatthewheel wrote:"in the days" we had sub 400 gram rims and frankly they were awful... they turned into a Pringle at the first opportunity... I had a pair of Wolber that did just that. Aluminium extrusion techniques have not improved that much and I am inclined to think that the only way to achieve a decent sub 370 gram alloy rim is to shave off a significant portion of the brake track, which in turn means they will be dangerous (overheating the inner tube) and won't last.


[off topic] In contrast, I commuted for years on 390 gram IRD Cadence rims, built with 32 DT Revolution spokes up front and 16/16 Revo/Comp in the rear, alloy nipples, American Classic hubs (disc up front) for a wheelset weight in the 1450 gram range. The only major issue I had was cracking my front hub on a pothole in the rain at night. Rims held up fine and I still ride that bike, just less than I used to (~7000 miles/year from 2009-2012).

Marin
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by Marin

I had a 1220g 23x25mm clincher wheelset from Farsports - the rims must have been in that ballpark.

I never had problems over the 2 years I rode them, but the guy I sold them to - lighter than me & a driving instructor who should know how to use the brakes - melted the front on his 2nd ride.

I asked Farsports, but they couldn't source the same rim again :(

You can get 400g 25x25mm clincher rims from Light Bicycle though, my set weighs 1280 on Bitex hubs.

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F45
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by F45

You get the LB 25mm rims that Marin mentioned. Then you take advantage of the good stiffness and only use 16/20 spokes. So what you don't gain at the rim you get back with the spokes.

alcatraz
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by alcatraz

Kinlin xr200's really are 380gr. Alloy and dirt cheap taiwanese rims.

/a

whydobearsxplod
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by whydobearsxplod

Looks like farsports has a 380g clincher rim in 38mm depth.

I suspect these could go under 1100g with extralite hubs and steel spokes.

Farsports offer extralite hubs on some tubular builds. I'm going to see if they would put them on a clincher.

robertbb
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by robertbb

alcatraz wrote:Kinlin xr200's really are 380gr. Alloy and dirt cheap taiwanese rims.

/a


I rode Kinlins (28h rear laced to DT240s, 20h front laced to Alchemy ELF).

Light yes, but super thin and very soft. Bought Shamal C17's a year ago and regret the last 4 years riding the Kinlin rims.

alcatraz
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by alcatraz

robertbb wrote:
alcatraz wrote:Kinlin xr200's really are 380gr. Alloy and dirt cheap taiwanese rims.

/a


I rode Kinlins (28h rear laced to DT240s, 20h front laced to Alchemy ELF).

Light yes, but super thin and very soft. Bought Shamal C17's a year ago and regret the last 4 years riding the Kinlin rims.


Not very easy to find light and great performing ones. Might need to compromise.

/a

robertbb
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by robertbb

alcatraz wrote:
robertbb wrote:
alcatraz wrote:Kinlin xr200's really are 380gr. Alloy and dirt cheap taiwanese rims.

/a


I rode Kinlins (28h rear laced to DT240s, 20h front laced to Alchemy ELF).

Light yes, but super thin and very soft. Bought Shamal C17's a year ago and regret the last 4 years riding the Kinlin rims.


Not very easy to find light and great performing ones. Might need to compromise.

/a


Agreed. What I'm stressing to OP here is that weight isn't everything (hope this doesn't get me banned from WW). Stiffness translates both to improved torque uphill, and width translates to improved handling downhill - not to mention comfort...

whydobearsxplod
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by whydobearsxplod

Robertbb, your point is well taken. I have widened my search for my perfect clincher build. Deeper, wider rims are looking better and better even at a bit of weight penalty.


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kulivontot
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by kulivontot

Pretty sure lateral stiffness has little to do with the rim material or width on a properly tensioned wheel. Wider hub bracing angles, heavier spokes and increased spoke counts are typically the recipe for stiff wheels.
There are legitimate reasons to opt for wide/carbon rims, but i feel like that has more to do with aerodynamics and tire volume than lateral stiffness.

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whydobearsxplod
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by whydobearsxplod

Edit: double post.

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