Light Bicycle wheel rims?

[Steve Curtis]

I pulled the trigger on the AR465s with Carbon-Ti Hubs. Running them tubeless with Conti GP 5000s 28mm.

Interesting that it seems nobody here (or anywhere else I look at) has taken the plunge on the new wavy rims. The rather dubious marketing claims and absent evidence backfiring on LB?

Is that a velobuild 099 ? How much clearance do you have for the tyres ?
I'm intending to use 32mm wide rims on mine so hopefully they're not too tight in there.

[aejt]

One of the WR50 rims in my order has gone from processing to molding today. The other one is still in processing though, I'm unsure of if that's because only one of them was flyweight, or if the other one is also about to start being manufactured soon.

My order is from the 14th of May, so closing in to a month. How long does the manufactoring process take once it has started? I think the 14 weeks estimate (i.e. late August) I was given seems quite pessimistic now if the second rim also starts moving soon, I can't imagine that it takes another 11 weeks once the manufacturing has started?

[Veto]

One of the WR50 rims in my order has gone from processing to molding today. The other one is still in processing though, I'm unsure of if that's because only one of them was flyweight, or if the other one is also about to start being manufactured soon.

My order is from the 14th of May, so closing in to a month. How long does the manufactoring process take once it has started? I think the 14 weeks estimate (i.e. late August) I was given seems quite pessimistic now if the second rim also starts moving soon, I can't imagine that it takes another 11 weeks once the manufacturing has started?

I ordered AR56s on 7th of May, right now they are in QC process. I don't know how much more it'll take but it's been moving slowly.
Like yours, two rims weren't always at the same step as each other. Some times one lagged behind for a day or two. So, i believe that's normal.

[Aryeh]

I ordered a single WR65 wheel on May 4th, and it says it is now in QC/Building. It was stuck in Decal Applying for like a week.

[vjswing]

Rough day. I ran over a chunk of branch yesterday, which immediately threw it up into my front wheel - a Light R45, which I had purchased as a custom build 2 years ago (along with a Light R55 rear). The sound was utterly horrific, and when I brought it to a stop, I looked down to see two spokes ripped out of the rim. The spoke holes in the rim didn't show clearly obvious signs of damage, but this was nowhere near a thorough evaluation. I brought the wheel into my LBS to evaluate, but I'm not feeling very optimistic at this point.

On the other hand, I felt a bit of buyer's remorse following the initial purchase, for having gone with the "old-school" relatively narrow rims. At the time, I told the gentleman that did the build that I was planning on sticking with 25 mm tires, and I eventually made the move to 28 mm, given the variety of sketchy surfaces I'm forced to deal with. The bike doesn't see gravel at all - I have a hardtail for that, but so much of the tarmac I ride is way less than ideal. Will absolutely go with an AR or WR model as a replacement, if that is necessary.

[uquality]

Just came to say that after a month I LOVE my WR38 and WR50 wheelsets.
Did the rim bed without holes and DT Swiss hubs.

They setup like a dream tubeless.
I've been running Conti 5000 TL on the one set and they fit so well and don't lose any air that I have not had to add any sealant.
I will add sealant at some point of course, but wow.
The wide rim means I 50psi is about the best pressure. Crazy low for road tires.

Other set has Panaracers GK SS in 38C. Perfect too. Fast AF on gravel.

But hoo boy, they took 5 months from the time I ordered to get them in my hands. Gotta be patient!

[bkerning]

Its a Tantan TT-X21 but I looked up the velobuild 099 and the frames seem identical?

If they are the same, you shouldn't have any issues running 32mm tires cause there's plenty of room.

Great experience with the LB wheels so far. 4 weeks (total) from payment to delivery at my door in the US. Super easy to setup my new Conti 5000s tubeless, didn't need a tire lever or sealant. I did put some in just in case.

Only 300 miles on them but they definitely feel smoother/faster than my DT Swiss PR 1800s. Haven't had any issues crosswind yet.

I'll try and do a long term review

I pulled the trigger on the AR465s with Carbon-Ti Hubs. Running them tubeless with Conti GP 5000s 28mm.

Interesting that it seems nobody here (or anywhere else I look at) has taken the plunge on the new wavy rims. The rather dubious marketing claims and absent evidence backfiring on LB?

Is that a velobuild 099 ? How much clearance do you have for the tyres ?
I'm intending to use 32mm wide rims on mine so hopefully they're not too tight in there.

[Steve Curtis]

Yep. They're the same frame so that's good news.
Thank you

[dmason]

I pulled the trigger on the AR465s with Carbon-Ti Hubs. Running them tubeless with Conti GP 5000s 28mm.

Interesting that it seems nobody here (or anywhere else I look at) has taken the plunge on the new wavy rims. The rather dubious marketing claims and absent evidence backfiring on LB?

did you weigh them? are they flyweights? they look nice!

[Veto]

Is this a defect on the brake surface or is it normal?

[Steve Curtis]

Is this a defect on the brake surface or is it normal?

They use sections of carbon, not a continuous loop so there will be a join somewhere on the rim. That's the join you're looking at.

It's not a defect unless there is a step in the resin brake track, which I very much doubt.

[Veto]

Is this a defect on the brake surface or is it normal?

They use sections of carbon, not a continuous loop so there will be a join somewhere on the rim. That's the join you're looking at.

It's not a defect unless there is a step in the resin brake track, which I very much doubt.

Thanks Steve. I thought so too. LightBicycle sent me the photos today to confirm if i want to proceed with shipping. So, i am looking everywhere in the photos for a problem. Just to be sure.

By the way, for general info, i paid for AR56, 28mm external width wheels on 7th of May. Today, 16th of June, they are fully built and ready to ship.

[Steve Curtis]

Is this a defect on the brake surface or is it normal?

They use sections of carbon, not a continuous loop so there will be a join somewhere on the rim. That's the join you're looking at.

It's not a defect unless there is a step in the resin brake track, which I very much doubt.

Thanks Steve. I thought so too. LightBicycle sent me the photos today to confirm if i want to proceed with shipping. So, i am looking everywhere in the photos for a problem. Just to be sure.

By the way, for general info, i paid for AR56, 28mm external width wheels on 7th of May. Today, 16th of June, they are fully built and ready to ship.

I was a touch paranoid about my first LB build too. Looking for issues or potential qc problems.
You've done the right thing by contacting them and getting reassurance.
Sit back, wait for the wheels and enjoy

[vjswing]

As a follow up to my "accident" post of 6/10/21 - LBS looked it over, and determined that spoke holes were completely intact, and no damage had occurred that would affect the wheel's integrity in any way. Chalk one up for the build strength of Light wheels! A couple of light scratches are present, which did not actually gouge the surface at all. The wheels were originally built with bladed CX Ray spokes, and the two which had pulled out were replaced with round spokes, but you literally have to run your fingers over each spoke to detect the shape difference. So the wheel may now weigh a gram or two more with the different spokes in place, but I've done a couple of rides since, and everything is working great. Climbed and descended a Category 4 hill with a rutty, sketchy gravel surface, and everything held together quite nicely, including myself. All told, I'm thanking my lucky stars I came away from the situation as well as I did. The experience makes me feel even more confident than before in my choice of Light wheels.

[bkerning]

These are the standard versions with the Carbon-Ti X hubs and Sapim CX spokes. I didn't weigh them, unfortunately.

I definitely would have gone with the flyweights which on paper would have brought the weight down from 1,423 grams to 1,323 grams but I didn't want to wait and miss out on a month of riding.

I pulled the trigger on the AR465s with Carbon-Ti Hubs. Running them tubeless with Conti GP 5000s 28mm.

Interesting that it seems nobody here (or anywhere else I look at) has taken the plunge on the new wavy rims. The rather dubious marketing claims and absent evidence backfiring on LB?

did you weigh them? are they flyweights? they look nice!