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Anyone running $178 chinese carbon rims for DH yet? light-bicycle.com

wydopen

Turbo Monkey
Jan 16, 2005
1,229
60
805
Just got my hookless 650b's yesterday..look good although i was expecting a bit more surface area for the bead of the tire to sit against..

guess we will see next week..going to be running non tubeless ready maxxis..

oh and if anyone is looking for some of the 26" 35mm carbons I have a set..one of them is brand new!
 

marshalolson

Turbo Monkey
May 25, 2006
1,774
532
they buy the rims from LB. They just get hubs and lace them. You are paying about 250-300$ for them to source parts and build wheels for you.
Light-bikes is not currently selling the 35mm 29'er rim that they are making for nobl.
 
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rollertoaster

Monkey
Aug 7, 2007
730
179
Douglassville , PA
hmm… not on the website?

emailed them, would not mind saving $200.
I just email them for my orders, the interaction can be comical but it looks the best way to iron out all the details.

By the way I checked my rims that I've been running for a while now last night. Still damn near perfect. They are by far the easiest rim to true I've ever had, part of the reason being, they almost never go out of true. Keep an eye on tension and you're set. I cannot believe how well they are holding up. By comparison the stans flow ex 650b rims I'm running on my tr450 are already dented from one ride. I'm giving the stans a 5 day life expectancy at this point, and they're getting replaced with carbon when they die.
 

no skid marks

Monkey
Jan 15, 2006
2,511
29
ACT Australia
Light-bikes is not currently selling the 35mm 29'er rim that they are making for nobl.
Light bike is selling the 29er 35mm. I have a set on the way for a friend (we did a combined order)
Yep. I've had mine for a couple of weeks now.
Stretched out my 2.2 Continental tyre so sidewalls stuck out further than tread. Still a round tread pattern though. Will try upload pics later.
 

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,785
5,603
Ottawa, Canada
So you guys with the Light Bike rims, hookless AM size.... is there a beadlock on the rim bed? have you had any issues with burping when run tubeless? That's my biggest hesitation right now... I'm a heavy rider lacking practice and fitness because of a young family... I've been a little rough on my rims in the past couple of years as a result. But I'd like to run lighter rims to offset burlier tires... without breaking the bank. I'm wondering if these carbon rims would do the trick.
 

Lelandjt

adorbs
Apr 4, 2008
2,636
997
Breckenridge, CO/Lahaina,HI
^Just to be clear LB makes 3 rim widths XC, AM, & DH. AM is the same width as a Flow. DH is a hair wider than a Flow EX. They're both available in two different weights/strengths. A lot of people are using the wider DH rim with the lighter layup for trail riding. For DH you definitely want it in the heavier layup. I confidently give the DH rim with DH layup a thumbs up for DH riding.
 

voltaren

Chimp
May 21, 2013
16
6
Emailed Nancy, asked if they could provide a 150mm Hope hub, which they couldn´t. However, they are able to fix spacers or something like that on a regular 135/142 hub so it´d fit on a 150mm axle width. It´s one of the more cryptic e-mail replies I´ve ever gotten, so that´s my heavy interpretation of their answer.

This will go on a Banshee with interchangable dropouts, so I could just get the 142mm ones, but my question is: Any real difference between wheel strength when built on a 135/142 and a 150 hub?
 

Verskis

Monkey
May 14, 2010
458
8
Tampere, Finland
However, they are able to fix spacers or something like that on a regular 135/142 hub so it´d fit on a 150mm axle width.
What? The brake disc and/or the cassette will not be where they should be, if you spaced a 135mm hub to 150mm. You know, the extra 15mm is "in the middle", between the disc and the cassette. Unlike on a 142mm hub where the extra 7mm are on the ends.
 

voltaren

Chimp
May 21, 2013
16
6
Yeah, that's what I struggle to quite understand(their meaning, that is). Like I said, might be worth a go with the 142 option and get the right dropouts.
 
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Lelandjt

adorbs
Apr 4, 2008
2,636
997
Breckenridge, CO/Lahaina,HI
Is this for a DH bike with 83mm BB? In that case you need a 150/157 hub for chainline. Sounds like you gotta buy rims and lace them up stateside. That's what I did for my DH bike. You can still save some money by having LB send the correct length Pillar 1420 spokes instead of buying $$$ CX-Rays or Aerolites.
 

wydopen

Turbo Monkey
Jan 16, 2005
1,229
60
805
Just got my hookless 650b's yesterday..look good although i was expecting a bit more surface area for the bead of the tire to sit against..

guess we will see next week..going to be running non tubeless ready maxxis..

oh and if anyone is looking for some of the 26" 35mm carbons I have a set..one of them is brand new!
^ Update

Broke one last week...I had been pushing the limits of how little air you can run...as long as you dont smash them on rocks they hold up great..

Noticeable downgrade putting a narrower aluminum hoop back on...even in the rear
 

Lelandjt

adorbs
Apr 4, 2008
2,636
997
Breckenridge, CO/Lahaina,HI
Huh? Carbon rims ARE lighter than alloy and stiffer as well. At enduro races I see a decent number of the Mavic wheels but also plenty Enve and Light Bicycle.
And yes, killing a $200 rim is a waste of $200 but it's always a result of running too low pressure for your tire, weight, speed, and terrain. If you're currently denting alloy rims don't get carbon. If you're got your pressures dialed enough that you haven't dented a rim in a while and you feel like risking $400 for lighter, stiffer, wider wheels then go for it. I won't be changing back, even after cracking one when experimenting with extra low pressure. One cracked rim over 2+ years on 3 bikes is okay with me when the replacement cost was $160 + $20 shipping.
 
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saruti

Turbo Monkey
Oct 29, 2006
1,173
75
Israel
after riding carbon rims, aluminum rims feel like noodles ....
brook some carbon rims. (light bicycle ) . but even after they crack, you can still ride them (ghetto tubeless )
and you can fix them reel easy with epoxy.
I'm now on a cracked rear carbon rim. I fixed it and its even true.

cant go back to aluminum.
 

rollertoaster

Monkey
Aug 7, 2007
730
179
Douglassville , PA
I broke one too a couple months ago. Same deal, smashing rocks with almost no air in them. It was awful running an aluminum rim until I got my replacement. For me, breaking one plastic rim is still way cheaper than the pile of aluminum rims I would have destroyed normally.
^ Update

Broke one last week...I had been pushing the limits of how little air you can run...as long as you dont smash them on rocks they hold up great..

Noticeable downgrade putting a narrower aluminum hoop back on...even in the rear
 

wydopen

Turbo Monkey
Jan 16, 2005
1,229
60
805
What PSI were you running?

I dont even know...I would venture to say it was under 25...I used to be anal about my tire pressures...now with these wheels I pump them up to 26front 28rear and then end up airing them down..I go by feel on these wheels...I hadnt put a gauge on them for a few rides and I would imagine the rear was low...funny thing is I rode a super gnarly trail the day before and had no problems...I was riding my favorite trail which has fewer gnarly rock sections and had just railed the two rock sections there is....I was mid corner when it happened and there were only scattered fixed rocks..

I got more miles out of this rear that I would have a stans flow ex...theres literally hundreds of rock gouges on these things..they take impacts pretty well




 
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rollertoaster

Monkey
Aug 7, 2007
730
179
Douglassville , PA
That damage looks similar to mine. It held air and I was able to ride out of the woods with it.
I've been keeping the rear at 28 lately, I'd prefer 26ish, but I have burping issues when I rail a corner at lower pressure. I'm heavy so when I lay into a corner hard enough to roll the tire over I usually end up losing a couple psi in the process. Hopefully they make a new version with a raised bead hump soon.
 

wiscodh

Monkey
Jun 21, 2007
833
121
303
31-32psi rear. Cracked mine just like the picture above. I lost air almost immediately. 4ish months on it. Rims last me from 2-6 months usually.

I broke 4 nipples before that which was strange.
 

jstuhlman

bagpipe wanker
Dec 3, 2009
17,315
14,123
Cackalacka du Nord
These sound like the kind of high quality, long lasting products that I'd like to sink my hard earned money into . . .

Know what happens when I case the crap out of my not-that-much-heavier-less-than-half-the-price aluminum rims (which feel nothing like noodles)? In the rare event that they do dent, I gently bend them back into place and go about my business.
 

wydopen

Turbo Monkey
Jan 16, 2005
1,229
60
805
That damage looks similar to mine. It held air and I was able to ride out of the woods with it.
I've been keeping the rear at 28 lately, I'd prefer 26ish, but I have burping issues when I rail a corner at lower pressure. I'm heavy so when I lay into a corner hard enough to roll the tire over I usually end up losing a couple psi in the process. Hopefully they make a new version with a raised bead hump soon.

Mine would hold 20psi but anything after that and it would leak..


These sound like the kind of high quality, long lasting products that I'd like to sink my hard earned money into . . .

Know what happens when I case the crap out of my not-that-much-heavier-less-than-half-the-price aluminum rims (which feel nothing like noodles)? In the rare event that they do dent, I gently bend them back into place and go about my business.
For me I S-bend aluminum rims as well as flat spot them and that cant be trued out....carbon rims definitely make the bike feel snappier and 50gs a rim make a big difference believe it or not...

them breaking has nothing to do with the quality..its just the nature of the material...As long as you keep the rock smashing to a minimum they hold up great

They might not be for everyone but once you try them you arn't going to want to go back to aluminum..An enve rim will break just the same if you smash it hard enough
 

tomasis7

stroganoff
Nov 5, 2014
623
65
Electronic bong-shed LEGAL
Huh? Carbon rims ARE lighter than alloy and stiffer as well. At enduro races I see a decent number of the Mavic wheels but also plenty Enve and Light Bicycle.
And yes, killing a $200 rim is a waste of $200 but it's always a result of running too low pressure for your tire, weight, speed, and terrain. If you're currently denting alloy rims don't get carbon. If you're got your pressures dialed enough that you haven't dented a rim in a while and you feel like risking $400 for lighter, stiffer, wider wheels then go for it. I won't be changing back, even after cracking one when experimenting with extra low pressure. One cracked rim over 2+ years on 3 bikes is okay with me when the replacement cost was $160 + $20 shipping.
ok, fair enough.

What is minimum pressure to avoid risk of denting? What version are you running? 350gram? The low weight of rim would motivate me try it as rear wheel. Stiffness is not deciding factor for me though more precise feedback from ground is nice to have.

"Noodliness" and heaviness are no obstacles for top riders to win podiums with DT Swiss and Mavic wheelsets. That was my point in the previous post.

Fondling is fun. Sensation of feeling moar stiffness and moar lightness is addicting. No way i pay 999$ for a ENVE rim. At the moment, 450gram Mavic En821, which I run on, is not bad!