Chandne

I currently have a 24x28 R45 wheelset built with DT Swiss 411 rims and CX Ray. I'd like to rebuild it but not really sure which alloy rims to use. If a tubeless-ready (TLR) profile does not make it hell to switch tires by locking in that bead, I'd be open to that and even prefer that. I love tubeless in general. Here are the good rims I know of:

HED Belgium Plus (TLR)
Pacenti Forza (TLR)
Easton R90 SL (not TLR)

Do you guys have a specific preference or a better option? The bike is a BMC SLR01. It can handle a Continental 25c tire max. Rides involve a ton of climbing and fast descending so a relatively light wheel set is nice but lateral stiffness is important for the fast long descents. I think the DT Swiss 411 feels a bit soft now.

Spokes- I'm thinking either CS Rays or Sapim Lasers. The CX Rays build a really stiff wheels it seems, but the Lasers are also nice. much cheaper, and build up really well.

I could get some ENVE 3.4 SESs but I doubt I will gain that much for a huge investment I'd have to make, and I have those R45 hubs I love. So, rebuilding makes sense to me at this point. Any thoughts will be appreciated.

November Dave

I don't know about the Pacenti option but you're going to have a tough, tough time finding a 28h HED Belgium+ rim, or any Easton R90SL. Some retailers may have them in stock so it's not a lost cause but there's no current wholesale availability of either. HED is supposed to re-launch a Belgium+ replacement this fall. No idea about Easton's plans. R90SL is a tubeless ready rim - it was our workhorse CX tubeless rim for years, very good tubeless interface.

If you can wait until June, Boyd is coming out with an updated Altamont rim that I expect will be the belle of this year's alloy rim brake ball.

Tubeless tire fitting is all about the technique. Some are still tight, but if you use the channel diligently, and use a lever, it's not too hard. Some tires are hell - many have claimed the GP5000 tubeless as the toughest tire to install, but I'm sure someone here will have popped one on no problem. I've found the tubed versions of them to be fine on tubeless rims, but the tubeless version has been counterproductively tight in my experience.

Chandne

Thanks Dave! I was mistaken about the R90...happily so. The new Altamont sounds intriguing. I'll see if I can find any rumors/info on that one. I have a couple of big rides in July and August though, so it is a bit of a gamble. Maybe I can pick up two R90s as a backup and wait as long as I can. I can keep training on my current setup for now. I have been using tubeless on my mountain bike and gravel setups for a long long time, but road tubeless (I have done it twice) is a bit tougher. I have heard the same thing about the Contis so I'll probably run something else- maybe the IRCCs. I have used those before and like them. Thanks for the feedback! Cheers

Chandne

Update- I found a 24 and a 28 hole rim at two diff retailers and picked them up. Hopefully, Sapim Laser spokes are not out of stock. I'd like to try those this time, over the CX Rays.