Strong Rims

[a2psyklnut]

Hey Everyone,

Any suggestions for a good, strong, not downhill heavy, not stupid light, kinda in the "freeride" middle, disc specific 32 hole rim?

I don't do big drops of large jumps, it's just that I'm a big rider and I continue to Taco my rear wheel. My latest rim was a Sun Ringle that I thought was pretty strong. Well, it only lasted about 6 rides and is now in the scrap pile.

I'm running a Lefty on my C'Dale so I'm stuck with rebuilding as there are no aftermarket wheelsets available.

I'll probably stick with 14 gage "straight" spokes with brass nipples and my CODA hubs. Low cost is not a priority however always an issue.

The Mavic website shows a D520. Has anyone had any experience with these? What about the Velocity rims? Or any other offerings would help.

[Hunter]

Well the Mavic X517 is the sturdiest XC rim they make.Sun also makes a very strong riom called the Rhyno. I would also reccomend double butted spokes 14/15 they are stronger. Also the build of the wheel is very important.

[Tony Smith]

As far as disc specific rims are concerned, I'd suggest the Mavic X317 (lots of people don't like Mavic, but I've always had good luck with their rims, road or MTB). It maybe more XC than you're looking for. A bit beefier, but not disc specific is the F519. Mavic's "freeride" rim. It'll build into a very strong wheel, without DH weight. Velocity has some new MTB rims that look interesting, although I have no first hand experience with their MTB rims (I have used their road and cross rims with success). You might check out the mountain goat or the cliff hanger rims, they're available in disc versions. http://www.velocityusa.com

Have your wheel failures been due to broken spokes? If so you might want to go with double butted spokes. They are actually stronger than straight gauge ones (weird, but true...the thinner middle section gives the spoke a bit of springyness which is good during a landing or hard hit). However, this will only help if the failures were due to spokes breaking.

Also, since your wheel troubles seem to be mostly due to rear failure you might try several things. Running a heavier DH type rim in the back, with a lightweight XC rim in the front is not a bad idea. Or you might try an asymmetric rear rim. These rims allow more even spoke tension between the drive and non-drive sides of a rear wheel. Examples of this are Velocity's Synergy rims and Bontrager's Asym rims.

And as Hunter said, no matter what parts are used the wheel won't be any good if the build is poor. Good Luck!

[IggySE]

If you are talking just straight reliability and aren't concerned quite as much with pinch flatting or the like than I would suggest the Mavics or a pair of Suns. I'm not sure of the quality of spinergys but I know they look cool. If you are looking for pinch flat super resistant ( i don't want to say proof because it will probably jinx it) than I would suggest the new THE Eliminator rims.

[toolfreak]

So your Cdale as a left, NICE FORK

Woodman has hubs for lefty forks.

My first wheels: mavic 221 ,nameles ssteel spokes and a coda hub.

The coda rear hub went down in a year, coda sucks!!!

Second wheelset: mavic 517 SUP ceramic, xtr hubs and DT butted spokes.

This were real fine wheels, especially for XC, light, strong ,stiff in turns and Super braking power for rim brakes in wet conditions (ceramic coating)

But after 1,5 year the ceramic coating of the rim fall apart
(pro`s change ceramic rims every year, but they have sponsors and money!)

So i changed my rear wheel, Mavic 521 D SUP (very strong downhill rim, but not that heavy) , DT SSteel spokes, SSteel niples and still the xtr hub (age of hub 2,5 year)

This wheel is heavier, but i hope its durable.

My body weight is 70 kg, so thats not much for a 21 year old biker
The force on my wheel is less than for example the force on the wheel of my bikemate who`s weight is 90 kg.

So my opinion is that rear wheels must be stronger than front wheels, and more important are they well buildt.


Good rides,

Mark

[MichaelW]

Why is a big guy riding a bike quite hard, using 32 spokes?
If you can get hold of a 36 spoke hub, you problems will be over.
Most of the strength of a wheel is due to the spoke count and the build quality.
Spoke quality will help prevent spoke fatigue (not a problem if the wheels Taco first!!), and rim quality is less of an issue with disk brakes. You wont wear down the rims by braking, so thin-walled rims won't become dangerously weakened.

Get onto Canondale for a suitable 36 spoke hub, and get a good LBS to build it up with eg DT 13/14 guage butted spokes in a standard 3x pattern. Rims with the spokes offset from the centre will build up with less dishing, so will be a lot stronger. Bontrager make rims like this.

In the good old days, hard riding, loaded tourists used a 32 spoke on the front, and a 40 spoke on the back.

[riderx]

I recommend Sun CR18's

They are strong (triple box construction) for the money and not heavy. A little heavier option is the Sun Ryno Lite.

Ritchey makes some nice triple box rims also, but they are a little harder to find.

Can't say I've been pleased with the durability of Mavics. Especially for the price.

[biztyke]

echh, the CR18s suck!

maybe youve had good luck with them, but they were weak little pieces of crap for me. bent after only 10 rides, not very strong at all. seems ppl at mtbr dont like em either, http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Rim/product_22618.shtml 2.92 outta 5 isnt that great.

i have since upgraded to sun rhyno lites, which are much better. ive ridden em about 25 times now and they still look new(cept for the dirt). heres the reviews for them http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Rim/product_22623.shtml 4.63 outta 5, now thats better

but dont think im going by reviews, ive had experience with both and seriously the CR18s are not what you want. i simply dont think they are tough enough, my rhyno lites have taken a beating and have come through with style....

[riderx]

As they say, your mileage may vary. I currently have them on two bikes and ride them hard, lots of jumps and lots of drops. A strongly built wheel is the key. A lot of the negative reviews seem to be because of poorly built wheels. I like the Ryno Lites too, but they have held up the same for me as the CR18s, but they weigh more and cost more. I usually get at *least* 1500 trail miles out of the CR18s before they start showing signs of hurt. I'm a big fan of Sun over Mavic for rims that you need to take a beating and be reasonably priced.

[biztyke]

well, i dunno...guess ive just had bad luck. im a certified bike mechanic, and i built the wheels myself to the highest standard....also kept them completely true, untill they bent beyond repair.

oh well, use what best fits i guess. im happy with my rhyno lites....and ive only had a few success stories with mavics, wasnt impressed.

[riderx]

It's good to hear others who are *unhappy* with mavic. Seems like everyone around here keeps buying them and swearing by them even though they don't hold up.

I'm only 150#, so maybe that's why I've had good luck w/ the CR18s

[fubar5]

I would go with Sun rims. If you look elsewhere on the site other people have problems with Mavic rims, also in one of my bike mags they rated Sun over Mavic. Personally I have little experience with either brands.

[Ranger Jake]

Servus!

Boomer, I know what you are going through. I have to agree that going to double-butted spokes and a 36 hole rim is very good advice.

I ride DT Onyx hubs (36 spoke, disk) and mavic x618 rims. A bit heavier, but absolutely bombproof. Good combo for your rear wheel, good rim choice for the front.

How is the Lefty? Never rode one, but played with one in my LBS. Stiff enough?

Pax vobiscum,

Ranger

[riderx]

36 spokes is also a good idea. How much weight are you going to save by losing 4 spokes? I know the whole rotational weight argument, but for 4 spokes, I'll take the stength they provide over the weight savings. The downside is 36 hole rims are a little harder to find, but it's not that big of a deal.

[a2psyklnut]

Thanks Everyone for your input. I guess I needed to explain that I'm stuck with a 32 hole because I'm riding a Lefty and C'Dale doesn't make a 36 hole (that I'm aware of). I'm still debating the manufacturer. The LBS where I work part time is a Mavic dealer so I can get a good deal on those. If I choose Mavic's I think I'll go with their downhill rim (D521-I think that's what it is).

But once again, I appreciate everyone's point of view.

Oh yeah, I've lost some weight so I think that'll help out on the extent of equipment damage.

[riderx]

Well, yesterday I crushed the Mavic rear rim I had on the geared bike, once again verifying that I don't think Mavics have the strength for what they retail for. Luckily, I only paid $10 for the rim at a bike swap (which is why I had it in the first place) and I have a new Sun CR18 hanging on the wall. Thing is, I don't feel like building a wheel right now. Oh well, just another reason to ride the single speed. And I thought I was being nice by dusting off the geared bike and showing it some attention for a change!