Light Bicycle wheel rims?

[Erikerac]

I'v asked to LB to post a photo with a 25mm tire inflated. We'll see.

[martinkartin]

Hoping to hear from the guys who purchased the new Falcon rims once they’re mounted. I got my hands on the new Enve 3.4AR demo and they are incredibly wide on 28mm Pirellis. Not feeling too confident that a rim and tire this wide would clear my frame. I’ve seen some install 30s with 21 internal width on the same frame as mine but the 25mm internal width with 28s look to be far larger than I imagined.

[Erikerac]

Hoping to hear from the guys who purchased the new Falcon rims once they’re mounted. I got my hands on the new Enve 3.4AR demo and they are incredibly wide on 28mm Pirellis. Not feeling too confident that a rim and tire this wide would clear my frame. I’ve seen some install 30s with 21 internal width on the same frame as mine but the 25mm internal width with 28s look to be far larger than I imagined.

I think the same, just like it's shape for gravel only. But not for "pure" road bike....

[sceptre]

I'm now more confused than ever!

I recently got my first "proper" road bike - an ex-demo CAAD12 that came with Mavic Aksiums.
I have the opportunity to upgrade the wheels and I'm impressed by what I read about LB wheels.
However, this is where my confusion kicks in in terms of rim width / optimal tyre combination/frame clearance.

I currently have GP4000S ii's 28C on the Aksiums and these measure 31mm (perhaps naievly purchased)
Clearance is OK I believe. (See pics)

So, the questions!
What rim width should I go for ?
If possible, I'd like to use the existing tires as they've only done a few hundred km so far.
Would I notice much/any difference in say rim depths of 36mm vs 46mm ?

For background: I'm about 69kg at the moment. Mostly doing club rides, some sportives, but also looking to start doing some triathlons soon - probably on the CAAD12 and just adding some clip on tri-bars.

[AnkitS]

Imo go for a 56/56 wheelset with a set of 25mm gp5000's. Fastest wheel that LB makes and weight penalty is not that big.

[Beaver]

I'm now more confused than ever!

I recently got my first "proper" road bike - an ex-demo CAAD12 that came with Mavic Aksiums.
I have the opportunity to upgrade the wheels and I'm impressed by what I read about LB wheels.
However, this is where my confusion kicks in in terms of rim width / optimal tyre combination/frame clearance.

I currently have GP4000S ii's 28C on the Aksiums and these measure 31mm (perhaps naievly purchased)
Clearance is OK I believe. (See pics)

So, the questions!
What rim width should I go for ?
If possible, I'd like to use the existing tires as they've only done a few hundred km so far.
Would I notice much/any difference in say rim depths of 36mm vs 46mm ?

For background: I'm about 69kg at the moment. Mostly doing club rides, some sportives, but also looking to start doing some triathlons soon - probably on the CAAD12 and just adding some clip on tri-bars.

Clearance is ok, but on the left side it's a bit tight - if a spoke breaks, the tire will rub on the frame. With 23mm internal width, it will be even worse. And those rims are 30mm outside, so make sure your brakes open up wide enough.

Higher rims will save a few watts, but are heavier and more prone to crosswinds. It's up to your preference.

[sirsondre]

Just got told that one of my rims didn't make it through QC and that they would have to produce another which takes 10 days. Pretty frustrating, was hoping to recieve these next week but I guess not...

[romanmoser]

For the newer widest rims
25mm internal 32 external , It seems like light bicycle has put a new text about their usage , or how they think you should use them.

"The WR38 was built with one goal in mind: making the best rim possible for long distance gravel racing or riding.
With a massive 25mm inner diameter, the WR38 provides a stable profile for even the widest gravel tires.
Thanks to its mid-depth profile, the WR38 is deep enough to provide aerodynamic help when riding alone across gravel plains, but not so deep that is hard to control in crosswinds.Whether you find yourself racing across the Midwest or month long backpacking trip, the WR38 might just be the perfect match. "


But still in the tech part it says Tire25C~50C recommended
Road/Cx/Gravel

Enve is doing the same with their new 3.4 AR
What's your opinion ?

Right now using Light Bicycle 56mm ultra wide ones, with 25mm pro one in front measured at 29mm
and 28mm GP5000 rear measured at 30 mm
Great on bad pavement, strade bianche, when going above 40 45km/h
A little more hard and sluggish to push when going uphill I've found despite 1550gr for the pair , not that powerfull more of a climber/rouler with lot of RPM .
Tire at the rear at 5,5 bar so correct pressure , feel weird when climbing seated or not.

Best regards

[emotive]

duplicate

[emotive]

For the newer widest rims
25mm internal 32 external , It seems like light bicycle has put a new text about their usage , or how they think you should use them.

"The WR38 was built with one goal in mind: making the best rim possible for long distance gravel racing or riding...

...Enve is doing the same with their new 3.4 AR
What's your opinion ?

A couple of thoughts.

1. Both the WR38 and the Enve 3.4AR have a deeper variant, which will be more aero for a more road orientated rider. Where is a shallower wheel better than the deeper version? Strong crosswinds.

So they are both "positioning" the shallower wheel for events where crosswinds are a factor.

2. Gravel riding is the fastest growing segment in cycling. If you want to race gravel, the only gravel bike I can recall that has aero wheels is the Canyon Grail. Every other gravel bike has shallow wheels with no aero consideration, they are all potential customers for an aero gravel wheelset. By targeting gravel, they are targetting the fast-growing market.
3. Serious ex-pros (Ted King) and even pro riders from EF and Trek are entering/winning mixed terrain events such as the Belgian Waffle Ride, where there is a mix of road and about 30% gravel. The new 32mm wide WR 38 or WR50 wheels are the most aero wheels available for a 28mm tyre that the winners are racing on.

Light Bicycle has redefined the price point for a wide aero wheel with the WR38 and WR50. The WR56C02 is a strong seller for them, so I expect the WR38 and WR50 will also sell very well.
4. I've seen some people frustrated to realise their 1-year-old road disc brake road bike doesn't have clearance for these new wheels, so I think the 'gravel' statement also steers those riders to other wheel models. Saying they are great for gravel racing does not stop a savvy rider from using these wheels to run 28mm on a modern road disc frame for 100% sealed road riding, and achieve the 105% aero rule. For this application, I'd suggest the WR38 would also be the best choice for long-distance racing, such as Race Across America, or the Trans-Continental Race.

[Erikerac]

Finally, here the response of LB :

"Thank you for your inquiry! I am Charlie from Light-Bicycle at your service.
25c tires can fit in the WR50 rims but considered narrow as you worried, our recommendation tire width is 28c~50c. Can your frame ok with 28c tires? If not, you can check out our narrower rims like the RR46C02, or 17.9mm inner/25mm outer width series rims, RRU55C02 or RRU45C02."

Up to me, they' will probably change the recommadation....

Looks clear now, thanks to all.

[Erikerac]

Up to me, they' will probably change the recommadation....

Just check at this point, they change this morning

[emotive]

A 25mm GP4K2 is only 0.5mm narrower than a 28mm GP5K. By my calculations the 25mm GP 4000 will measure about 30.5mm on the WR50 rim. Whereas the 28mm GP5000 should measure 31mm. Either would be fine in my opinion. It’s not surprising that their recommendation is not conclusive. It really comes down to choosing the tire that will fit in your frame clearance. For me 31 mm is probably too big so I’m seriously considering using the 25mm GP4000.

[dcorn]

My 46mm x 28mm LB wheels were delivered yesterday! 7 days to go from China to NY, one day from NY to DC to my door. They ended up below the estimated weight and I hadn't taken the tape off the freehub or the 10speed spacer, which is maybe a gram or two I'm sure. 1522g for DT350 hubs, brass nipples, aero spokes, and rim brake rims.

I really want to run these tubeless, but don't have the right tires and don't want to spend another 100 bucks right now. I mounted up some 25c GP4000 IIS that I had on another set of wheels and they measured 28.6mm wide. (Just for giggles, I mounted a 23c Conti tire tubeless and it inflated with just a hand pump and measured 28mm wide!)

[skyboy]

We don't have permission to view photos from your google photos.