[mr_dove]

I'm in the market for a large and sturdy rim because I'm a heavy rider (250 pounds currently). Most of the rims that I'm looking at are designed for wider tires. The Mavic 729 recommends a tire between 2.3 and 3.0 and the Mavic 321 recommends a 2.1 to 2.5.

meanwhile the tire that I typically run for commuting is 1.95". They are the specialized Armadillos for asphalt. I really love the puncture resistance of the armadillos. Been running them since they came out and never had a single flat.

How difficult (if possible) would it be to mount a 1.95 tire onto a rim designed for the larger tires?

 

[Wumpus]

It's not getting the tire on the rim, which should be no problem, the problem is keeping the tire on the rim while you are riding.

 

[Wumpus]

I don't think you will have a problem with the narrow rim...



Sheldon Brown's Tire/Rim chart:

1.95" = 49.53 mm

A mavic 321 is 21mm(?) wide.

 

[buildyourown]

I know this is a little old, but...

Your problem will be in the tire profile. The rim will be too wide and the tire will sit flat on it. It will hold air and it will be rideable, but it will handle poorly and absorb bumps poorly.

Look at rhynolites or sun single tracks. The 729 is a full on DH resort rim. Many of us consider them too heavy for DH racing, much less anything that involves 1.95 tires.

 

[mr_dove]

thanks for the comments so far. Finding a suitable rim for me is turning out to be more difficult that I thought. Just about anything strong enough for a 250 pound rider to do mild stuff on seems to be a downhill rim and therefore wide/heavy.

 

[DownCycles_Stef]

Try checking out the Sun MTX, they offer it in several widths. The MTX 29 or 31 should be just fine for what your looking to do. I run the MTX 33 as a DH race rim and it's turned out to be one of the better rims I've ever run. Honestly, other than the Mag 30 I have on the front of my BMW TMX, the MTX's are the wheel I've had to true and tension the least. Especially if your not DH'ing and just want a strong wheel, the MTX 29 or 31 should be fine and they would match really well to a 1.90-2.35" tire.

Also keep in mind that the strength of any wheel has just as much to do with the person who builds it as it does with what the wheel is built with. Find a shop locally who has had a fair amount of experience building wheels and let them build it. It may also be worth your while to ask them to use DT ProLock nipples when they build it. The build will cost a bit more, but you'll end up with a wheel that is less prone to tension issues. Finally, it may also suit you (if you've had issues in the past with damaging wheels) to switch the rear hub to a 36h and then lace the front up as a 3 cross / 32 hole and the rear up as a 4 cross 36 hole. That would give you a reasonable trade-off between weight and strength since the front wheel isn't taking as much abuse as the rear wheel typically.