Sun CR18 rims
 

I'm getting a new wheelset for my touring bike. I've settled on 36h Shimano XT front/rear hubs (thanks for your help on this!) and am planning to use Sun CR18 rims and 14 gauge spokes (3X). Most everything I had heard about these rims was good, but when I looked for reviews/opinions on the internet, I was surprized by their negativity.

The source of the worst reviews was mountain bike folk. Many were along the lines of "This rim is weak" or "I took a 4 1/2 foot drop, and the rim was ruined." This isn't how I'm planning to use the rims, though, so I'm taking the reviews with a grain of salt. Does anyone have direct experience with these rims when used for self-contained touring? I'd appreciate your feedback on these (or your favorite) rims. Thanks.

MTBreview or Roadbikereview you have to take any advise there with a grain of salt. All I can tell you is I have the 36H CR18's on my tandem and I used that wheel set on my touring bike with me and 45# in my panniers on a mixture of pavement and trail this summer during my summer tour. I broke two spokes when the derailluer cage retaining screw came out and sent the chain between the cassette and the wheel. I only had to turn out one opposing spoke a full turn to straighten. I rode another 200 miles with 2 consecutive spokes missing.

rich

There a great rim, I know several tandem riders that use this rim without any problems.

I have them on my MTB and think they are only OK. The front is straight and true but the back has needed trueing 3 times, and has had 1 broken spoke. I weight 150lbs and am not doing any 'extreme' riding. The upside is that they are dirt cheep, but for my next set of rims I'll be getting some Mavic 717's.

That said, I'd bet they would stand up quite well on a touring bike. If you weight a bit more I'd consider a Rhyno Lite on the back though.

I built a set of fix gear 700c/32H wheelset using CR-18's. A bit wider than other 700c's but should be fine for touring. Absolutely no problem with the rims. And it's got that nice polished finish which I like.

You definitely need a grain or a cup of salt with mtbreview. I get the impression that many of the people who give reviews on their site are DHers or freeride people, not tourists of commuters. I've been using the same hub/rim setup as you're proposing (albeit not self-contained touring, just shopper/communting) for 6 months and they've held up great.

Thanks to all for your feedback. You've confirmed my wheelset choice, and I appreciate it. Thanks again.

Sorry for replying to an old post. I just want to mention that Mavic 717 (xc 717's) are not a strong rim. The aluminum they used is too soft in my opinion. I built a wheelset with new 717 rims with 125 Kgf and I saw the eyelet bulge out and looked fatigued. I just built a wheelset with cr18s and they look strong, but time will tell on its durability.

It has been 6 1/2 years since I replied to that post. We rode our tandem today with the same CR18 rims (XT hubs). They are very near the end of their useful life as the side walls are getting thin from brake wear. The last few years we have been using them with fat slicks for causal rides on the MUP. Not bad for a wheelset that has been in use for nearly 17 years and ~40K miles.

I run the CR-18's on my city bike with roller brakes, I fully expect them to outlast me short of an accident or something. Bike is a 2007 model and gets a lot of riding under all conditions. The front wheel went CR18 right after I bought it when I added a dynohub, the rear about a year later. Neither wheel has needed truing since they were put on the bike. I am no lightweight at ~215# and the roads around here suck. I would absolutely recommend the CR18 to anybody looking for a decent utility rim at a good price.

Aaron :)

Zombie thread is aliiiiive!

Yup! But CR-18's are still available and the information is still good. It also makes it easier for the search gerbils to find.

Aaron :)

Lemme keep this zombie alive a little longer:

I'm looking for a 26" rim for a rigid mtb tourer I'm building. I'm going to ride it on a little pavement and a lot of dirt roads, some of which are pretty lousy with a lot of washboarding, rocks, etc. Is the CR-18 beefy enough for that? If not, what other relatively inexpensive rims do people have good experience with? I weigh about 170 and will probably have b/w 20 and 60 pounds of gear with me and don't have a big budget for this build.

The Sun Rhynolite gets good reviews for a cheap, bomber mountain rim.