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Strong & light rims for DH?

nenjarickard

Monkey
Feb 14, 2009
105
0
Gothenburg, Sweden.
Getting myself new rims, atleast for the rear which is the one that takes the dmg when i ride...

I'm pretty lightweight at 70kg but somehow i manage to destroy the rear rim.

I want to keep it decently LW (close to 500g would be sweet) but still firm enough for some DH.

The rims i used so far which have not worked is DTswiss E540 36h & DTswiss F550 32h.

What i am looking for is a preferably white rim (planning on only swapping rear), close to 500g in weight but still stronger then the named rims above & i got 32h hubs.

Or is the only smart move to get a 823 and go tubeless? I run Tubeless converted today. ^^
 

4130biker

PM me about Tantrum Cycles!
May 24, 2007
3,882
447
I'll second the 721's.
I weight 200 w/ gear and am fairly smooth but like to ride fast; my dt 5.1's died fast. 721's are the perfect mix of weight and strength in my experience.
 
Apr 17, 2009
63
0
Los Angeles, CA
Mavic 521's are just as sweet, lighter too by like 50 grams and I think just as strong. The only downside, if you can even call it that, is the inner rim width being smaller by a mill or two.
 

Rockland

Turbo Monkey
Apr 24, 2003
1,870
262
Left hand path
Again for the EX721's. Not too light or heavy. I wish Mavic would give 'em a little update & reduce the height of the sidewall. Seems like a carry over from when the D521's still had a brake track.
 

PatBranch

Turbo Monkey
Sep 24, 2004
10,451
9
wine country
I like Singletracks (now Equilizers). They are the same weight as ex721's, but wider. They are pretty strong for their weight, but probably not as hard as mavic rims. The only time i've messed one up was repeatedly casing a jump badly.

ex721 = d521, just a different name
 

tlproject7

Monkey
Nov 15, 2005
520
0
what about the the dt swiss fr 600. i have researching this subject to. only 10 grams heavier then the 721 and wider i beileve, any one have luck with these?
 

djamgils

Monkey
Aug 31, 2007
349
0
Holland
Another vote for the equalizers
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=26286
A friend of mine and myself have used them for more then 2 months now. And they hold up better then I expected. I have used them in Bad Wildbad where EX721 and EN521 rims seem to get trashed quite easily but the Equalizers have hardly any dings and are still straight. Even after casing multiple jumps in willingen.
 
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nenjarickard

Monkey
Feb 14, 2009
105
0
Gothenburg, Sweden.
Yeah, the 721's seems to be a very good choice. They does'nt come in white though. :)

The Equalizers are interesting indeed, might very will end up with a set of those.

Thinking about going Tubeless though and that made the ZTR Flow very interesting, doubt it will hold up like a 721 though, any other good tubeless rims that is lighter then 823?
 

4130biker

PM me about Tantrum Cycles!
May 24, 2007
3,882
447
I have heard of people having their rims powdercoated before lacing them up. Then you could get the perfect rim, and the perfect color! :) I'm not sure how much weight that would add..
 

braaaap

Chimp
Feb 27, 2007
89
0
Utard
THE EDGE COMPOSITE DH WHEEL

Super light...and tough as hell. (but not cheap)
Ask Mitch Ropelatto, the kid who won the Angel Fire Pro Men 4X as and 2nd in Jr X DH...

Hey cracked his front hoop..the rock he hit would have completely ruined/ destroyed any DH wheel.. The front hoop stayed together, didn't flat and got him to the bottom in one piece.

http://www.edgecomposites.com/product.asp?SKU=mram
 
Mar 4, 2003
145
0
Somewhere in Alabama
I'd vote 721's over the DT Swiss counterparts. If you really need something lighter, I'd recommend the Syncros DS28's. They're tall and sturdy, and come in white for the fashion-conscious riders. I've had great luck with them so far.
 

UiUiUiUi

Turbo Monkey
Feb 2, 2003
1,378
0
Berlin, Germany
THE EDGE COMPOSITE DH WHEEL

Super light...and tough as hell. (but not cheap)
Ask Mitch Ropelatto, the kid who won the Angel Fire Pro Men 4X as and 2nd in Jr X DH...

Hey cracked his front hoop..the rock he hit would have completely ruined/ destroyed any DH wheel.. The front hoop stayed together, didn't flat and got him to the bottom in one piece.

http://www.edgecomposites.com/product.asp?SKU=mram
the not cheap thing is quite errr... right

2200 USD for 2 rims????? :shocked::shocked::shocked::shocked::shocked:
 

Cordsport

Chimp
Feb 15, 2009
26
0
Sun ringle MTX 29. They are every bit as good as an EX721, weight, strength, profile etc.. We ran them on the team bikes last year (CRC Intense) and they really are good. And more importantly to you, available in white. If you are real worried about strength go for the MTX 31, but I'd give the MTX 33 a miss as the wider rim gives a tyre profle more prone to pinch flats.

As for the person who said EX721 = D521 No they don't, they have a slightly different profile as they are intended for different use, and the 721 is made from a higher quality material.

Letters = intended use
First number = grade of alloy
second and third number is rim width.
 

ZHendo

Turbo Monkey
Oct 29, 2006
1,661
147
PNW
I'm going to toss in a vote for 721s as well. I built some up recently and they have been on only a couple rides, but are really awesome so far. They track really well and are very stiff laterally. I also like the tire profile that they produce. They built up very well and were fairly easy to get tensioned correctly and quickly compared to some other rims I've built, maybe due to the stiffness? They're actually a bit lighter than 590 grams, check sicklines.com.

Also, I can try to answer the question that was posed about seemingly excessive sidewall height. While the sidewalls are very high and I agree they could be modified a bit, they contribute to the stiffness and strength of the rim. It's a very square rim, which would theoretically handle forces better than a rim with a different profile.

Also, while they don't come in white, you do realize that white rims often weigh a bit more per rim than their anodized counterparts right? It's either powdercoat or paint, so it adds 20-ish grams in some cases to the rim weight. Stan's uses a very thin paint to keep them lightweight, so they get ugly rather quickly when paired with the stains they'll get from mud, etc. Just my 2 cents though, I also own a set of white rims as part of my XC wheels and I really like the look of them.
 

tlproject7

Monkey
Nov 15, 2005
520
0
please some one give me an opinion on the dt swiss fr 600. much wider profile then the 721 (assuming the last guy was correct with what the last two numbers mean) supposely strong. and only 10 grams heavier. but thats all things ive learned from the internet, any one have experience?
 

davep

Turbo Monkey
Jan 7, 2005
3,276
0
seattle
My guess is that the failures (material softness) of the 6.1 will keep people away from the 600 for a while to come. Mavic measures inside width, DT measures outside.


D521s are indeed the exact profile and material (maxtal) as the current 721. One could actually argue that the 521CD was the 'best' rim of that profile/extrusion as it added the hard anno. Other than that.. material, welding, profile, weight, eyelets, etc, etc are all the same from the d521 to the 721.

There is however a (newer) EX521 that is a different rim in all aspects....
 

nenjarickard

Monkey
Feb 14, 2009
105
0
Gothenburg, Sweden.
Thanks for lots of awsome answers!

The edge wheels where a bit of my budget. :P

So, Mavic 721, WTB Dual Duty FR & Sun Ringle MTX 29 are the 3 most interesting rims so far. Most important part since none is horribly expensive will be toughness.
Anyone got experience of atleast 2 of these and can tell which one seemed to hold up best?

My favourite atm i would say is the Ringle MTX.

Some tubeless alternatives to ZTR Flow would really be interesting aswell.
 

Kanye West

220# bag of hacktastic
Aug 31, 2006
3,740
470
I've run the WTB's and both the Mavic 721's and 729's back to back. The Mavic stuff bends and cracks. I could tag the daylights out of my WTB rims and they would just get scratched. That said, a lot of people notice them pinch flatting easier because the rim won't give you when you nail something super hard. That's generally fine by me since I run slightly higher pressures and get less tire roll. The Mavic stuff is just silly expensive for how (not) durable it is.

I can't speak for the Sun rims though, never used them.
 

Udi

RM Chief Ornithologist
Mar 14, 2005
4,915
1,200
As for the person who said EX721 = D521 No they don't
Yeah, they are. Back in the 521 days, the naming scheme did not follow the one you explained, that is a recent thing. The new EX721 rim is identical to the old 521 - both in design, materials, and construction.

The only difference is that the 521 was available in their CD coating (hard anodized), and while the EX721 was available in the same flavour for a little while, it no longer is. Also, the EX721 comes in black whereas the 521 didn't.
 

sbabuser

Turbo Monkey
Dec 22, 2004
1,114
55
Golden, CO
In my experience, the hardness scale goes as follows:
DT < WTB = Azonic/ Alex < Sun < Mavic

Mavic are the only rims I've owned that have cracked (along with some trek xc rims in the 90's). Everyone else's have some give to them, which seems to help with pinchflats, and whatever dings they get are easily (but not attractively) fixed with a crescent wrench. Plus Sun rims cost 50-60% of what Mavics do. But Mavics, up until that cracking point, seem to keep their shape the best, so long as you get one that matches up to your needs.
 

Kanye West

220# bag of hacktastic
Aug 31, 2006
3,740
470
I should add that the WTB LaserDisc series are REALLY damn soft. Probably softer than the Mavics as someone pointed out above. Also avoid their hubs...
 

big-ted

Danced with A, attacked by C, fired by D.
Sep 27, 2005
1,400
47
Vancouver, BC
In my experience, the hardness scale goes as follows:
DT < WTB = Azonic/ Alex < Sun < Mavic

Mavic are the only rims I've owned that have cracked (along with some trek xc rims in the 90's). Everyone else's have some give to them, which seems to help with pinchflats, and whatever dings they get are easily (but not attractively) fixed with a crescent wrench. Plus Sun rims cost 50-60% of what Mavics do. But Mavics, up until that cracking point, seem to keep their shape the best, so long as you get one that matches up to your needs.
Anyone care to place the Stans rims in this hierarchy?
 

Cordsport

Chimp
Feb 15, 2009
26
0
Yeah, they are. Back in the 521 days, the naming scheme did not follow the one you explained, that is a recent thing. The new EX721 rim is identical to the old 521 - both in design, materials, and construction.

The only difference is that the 521 was available in their CD coating (hard anodized), and while the EX721 was available in the same flavour for a little while, it no longer is. Also, the EX721 comes in black whereas the 521 didn't.
Sorry my mistake, i thought the old D521 was the same as the current EN521. Obviously it's not!