[Closed] light bicycle carbon rims

That would be very odd indeed. Do you know more specifically what they think is wrong with them?

My Cantonese is not that good and their English is the same level, they just told me they do not think they are genuine Hope hubs, will be back in the next week so will try to get more detail.

They won't even make reproduction logos for their rims so I'd be surprised if the hopes aren't legitimate.

superfli - Member
They are massive in comparison to the Flow!

Bloody hell they make the flows look tiny!

I'm pretty sure I'l be getting a set of these for what ever frame I end up with next year so will look even bigger going from my current Arch EX's! I assume you can still get them without the stickers on? (no offence but I don't like them).

forgive my dumb questions but whats the point of these over my current crests. the weights seem similar.

id be running 26" on an orange 5 so is there any advantage to be had from them?

forgive my dumb questions but whats the point of these over my current crests. the weights seem similar.

forgive my dumb questions but whats the point of these over my current crests. the weights seem similar.

id be running 26" on an orange 5 so is there any advantage to be had from them?

The main difference I noticed is the wider rim supports the tyre a bit better and it doesn't float around from side to side as much, you can probably move your tyre quite a bit on a crest, it won't move much on a wide rim. Apart from that they will be a lot stiffer than a crest, possibly too stiff perhaps, I found they transferred a lot of trail buzz, some DH teams using carbon rims have been experimenting with very slack builds to get around this.

Hmm. So this is the reasoning for 27+?

It worries me that folks are complaining its too stiff.

I have a Kinesis Sync and an itch for some wide, carbon wheels. I test rode an IBIS Ripley fitted with 941s and thought the bike and the wheels were excellent.

Has anyone had a set of 38mm LBs with the DT Swiss 240s hubs? How many spokes have you gone for?

anyone seen any 29+ in 50/52mm that are 32mm deep rather than the 25mm deep ones light bike offer

nextoe was an option, but now in bed with slam69

How many spokes have you gone for?

dont mess about with anything other than 32t

unless you fancy a 28t front to take advantage of cheaper fhubs

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Front-Hub-DT-Swiss-240s-Center-Lock-28H-black-thru-bolt-50-off-/231526721044?hash=item35e8116614

edit: ah thats not 15mm

Vivian at LB is telling me:

If you like hubs in 32H, you can choose DT Swiss 240S J-bend 6-bolt. Or straight pull center lock/ 6-bolt hubs in 28H are available.

What to do? Will the 32h be considerably heavier?

32 will not be considerably heavier, but I would have thought - considerably stronger!

I have the 35mm rims on DT Swiss 240 28h straight pull. They are plenty strong enough. I can get away with 18psi tubeless and haven't managed to ding the rims despite repeated attempts.

So for my Kinesis Sync how does this sound?

-Rims: 38mm width, UD matte

-Hubs: Black, DT Swiss 240S J pull 6-bolt 15mm/12*142mm for Sram xx1 (32H).

-Spokes: Black, Pillar Aero X-TRA 1420 aero

Any suggested changes?

R mac. How have you found those hubs? Do you have any worries that they aren't genuine?

Sorry enmac. iPhone typo...

I have similarish but Hope hubs. Only suggestion I'd make is I asked for a couple of spare spokes and nipples in each length used.

HaydPD - Member

What to do? Will the 32h be considerably heavier?

I'd have the 32s. Not so much to do with the 20 grams weight difference, more to do with them offering them with j-bend spokes. After fun times trying to find replacements for mine in the past, I'll try and never own a straight pull wheel again.

[quote=bigjim ]some DH teams using carbon rims have been experimenting with very slack builds to get around this.

<sigh> apart from rim stiffness making a negligible difference to comfort when you've got 60-70mm of travel in the tyre attached to it, spoke tension makes no difference to wheel stiffness unless you have so little that spokes are going totally slack - at which point you lose most of the advantages of a pre-tensioned wheel and it becomes a lot weaker, which is about the last thing I'd have thought DH riders would want.

R mac. How have you found those hubs? Do you have any worries that they aren't genuine?

My hubs didn't come from that ebay seller, I got the front and the spokes from Bike24.de and rear from a set of Roval Traversee's which is essentially a DT Swiss 240. I bought several direct pull spare spokes so I have no worries about getting spares.

anyone using Farsports rims?

specifically the 30mm wide x 30mm tall - just prefer the aesthetics of the deeper rim

Just an update on my LB wheelbuilds. I've now used them for a couple of months, trips to Mid Wales, Antur, Slovenia (which is the rockiest place I have ever been) and last round of UKGE. The wheels have passed with flying colours. Not even had to tighten a spoke. They have been scratched a few times, but true as when I built them.
However, I cant say that I notice that much difference. The stiffness is slightly noticeable, and the tyres do look fat on them - I often get comments on what size tyre I'm using.
Now the idea was to use my old wheels as my winter wheels/tyres.. I'm not sure I want to! Although could be a good comparison to feel what they are like again.

I'm thinking of getting the 38mm 650b rims as on paper they have the same ERD as 26" flows, and since I have some rather expensive i9 torch hubs and aluminum straight pull Spokes it would be handy to be able to re use them.

Anyone done similar or forsee any issues?

The issue would be that the LB quited erd isn't right as mentioned a lot in this thread and the spokes will be too short. Presumably would cost you nothing to try it though before ordering spokes.

Except the i9 spokes are ludicrously expensive, so you sort of want to get it right or not at all. Rather than "I'll try this, and if not I'll just chuck these spokes away and order some more".

I had exactly the same dilemma with some road rims, couldn't guarantee the ERD was gonna work and couldn't be arsed to try finding straight pull spokes when it wasn't!

Yeah. £4 a spoke for a full build is pants down town! I have 1-2mm per spoke to play with based on threads showing in the hubs, I love the hubs and Spokes so may give it a go, worst case I rebuild onto the flows and sell, funds go towards new hubs or wheels, do have a set of 240s I could use instead if the i9s don't work out

I have a similar dilemma. Have some Hope Hoops in 26" ZTR Crest flavour with an ERD of 540mm and wondering whether a 650b LB 38mm rim with quoted ERD of 535mm will be a straight swap. LB appear to measure ERD in such a way that what I'm suggesting isn't quite as stupid as it would appear if you take the numbers at face value. On the plus side if I'm wrong the straight pull spokes I need won't be quite so ridiculously expensive.

I was packing my bike up last night to go to the Alps on Friday and noticed this crack in my LB rear rim 🙁

[img] [/img]

Have emailed LB with pics. Waiting to hear back. The rim was new in May.

I have now managed to crack both of my 35mm wide LB rims. The original 30mm wide ones are still intact.

I currently have a pair of 35mm ones to be built up for a 27.5+ project, I am going to go head with this as I think 3'' of rubber should be a good buffer.

The question is do I go with another set in 38mm flavour....

For what it is worth I have seen many busted Enve rims too, including 70s.

When I had my 38mm rims built onto my hope hubs, the lbs stated they were using 26" spokes.

Eh? You don't get 26" spokes, you get spokes in different lengths, but not wheelsize specific.

I think he means the 38mm rims are so deep the spoke lengths are what you would more usually use to build a 26" wheel.

...or he's got 52" wheels?

not Light Bicycle carbon wheels, but could one of you guys check these out. i'm thinking about treating myself for xmas.

[url= http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/27-5inch-MTB-AM-DH-carbon-bike-wheels-35mm-wide-x25-5mm-Tubuless-Thru-Axle-hub-/261975444382 ]ebay linky[/url]

good feedback on ebay so not worried from that point but are they comparable with Light Bicycle wheelsets. anyone actually got some?

Yes, I've got 52" wheels. That clears it up nicely.

Or, the spokes for the wheels on my build were what the lbs would 'normally' associate with a 26" wheel build. Please excuse me for not knowing the exact length that was used.

Although its quite therapeutic lacing a wheel, its something I'd rather just pay for to be done correctly and efficiently.

Thanks rubber buc.

Are you saying that's a good thing then? Bit confused. As spokes come in 1mm increments there's not really a point where you transition from one to t'other. But anywho.

Built up my FarSports road rims last week, built up really nicely, very well finished. Interestingly they have the drive side marked, but spoke holes aren't offset or owt, unless they're reinforced and reliant on you not crossing the valve hole to get it right.

If you read the comments further up, there are a couple of people with 26" wheels with nice hub/spoke combinations that are wondering if they could potentially relace them to the lb 38mm rims. I'll try and get the spoke length that was used for mine and update the post.

Update on my cracked LB rim (photo above):

Just back from 3 days riding in Chamonix - the crack has grown a bit but the rim has not failed yet.

LB are sending me a replacement rim on warranty - I'm paying the £30 postage costs.

Anybody got any pointers on which tubeless rim strips to use in the 38mm wide 29" rims?

Anybody got any pointers on which tubeless rim strips to use in the 38mm wide 29" rims?

I just used gorilla tape. Has lasted for a year with no leaks.

I just used a couple of wraps of stans yellow tape to cover the spoke holes on my 65mm rims. They've been fine and the rim bed is a good profile for running tubeless so the tape doesn't need to go right to the bead.

Good to hear about the warranty support, mine are still going strong and I'm thinking about a second set. I've used gorilla tape for tubeless to without any problems.

Ells - Member

Anybody got any pointers on which tubeless rim strips to use in the 38mm wide 29" rims?

Don't stress too much about it- basically once the rim gets wide, you can just use much narrower tape than the rim. It's only really an issue on a narrow rim. Reason being, if the tape doesn't reach the sides but does come out of the well, the tyre'll push it off when you change tyres. But if it's all down in the well, it's safe.

I used roval blue tape in mine, because I have loads of it. Gorilla tape seems just as good.

Gorilla tape is good Until you have to remove it...

Thanks for the info on the tubeless... are you just using the 1" wide gorilla tape?

http://shop-gwk.de/product_info.php?language=en&info=p341_tesa--strapping--4289---laenge--66-m---breite--30-mm---farbe--gelb.html&XTCsid=24c9d4b91c25673cf8d02445eadcb3b1&=

Anyone got experience of the blue schwalbe rim tape, seems thin and light which would suit me.. Currently using standard velox tape which seems quite chunky and my tyres are a tight fit so it gets pushed about if I'm not careful when changing tyres..

I use one wrap of the wtb yellow 30mm tape on my 38mm rims, just stuck a new wtb vigilante on there and can't wait to get out and ride on them

mattyfez - Member

Anyone got experience of the blue schwalbe rim tape, seems thin and light which would suit me..

Even if you're not doing tubeless, use tubeless tape- it's lighter than any oldschool rim tape. Only really makes any practical difference if you need to replace a spoke

I'm running folding schwalbe ron/ralph 2.1 26er they are an arse to put on if new tyres, that's with a 27mm internal width.

They loosen up though once stretched on lol! But you will say swear words if the tyres are new.

I can gorilla tape might be a pain to remove but can't imagine why you would want to? Mine have been perfect for 18months now (been through about 5 tyres)

DT78 - Member

I can gorilla tape might be a pain to remove but can't imagine why you would want to?

Bust a spoke, need to get to a spoke hole. Though, if you're a bodger you can just remove a small area to get to that spoke then patch it.

Does anyone know whether the 38mm rims would fit in the back of a Spec Enduro 2015 29er frame?

The rim will, it'll depend more on the tyre. If you're on the limit with a 25mm rim that same tyre may well not fit.

I am running the 38mm rims on a spesh enduro 29er currently have hans dampf/magic mary 2.35 on, and previously had mountain king 2.4's on with absolutely no problems.

Super, Cheers MSP.

I should probably read the entire thread... but anyone recommend a decent, light, not too expensive hub for a XC build? Default would be DT240 but they are a bit pricey.

I'm not one for mentioning work brand stuff, but the EL Guapo /Selcof Pro hubs are bloody good for the money. Jap stainless bearings, 72POE, very good sealing all round and lighter than Hope (just).

DT350 mrblobby?

Superstar Switch Ultra-Lite front is nice and light. Got one on mine and its been fine so far and only £40 http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/switch-ultra-lite-front-hub.htm

I'd get the Switch Ultra for rear. About same weight as Hope Pro 2 evo.

Just seen that polish seller on ebay. Might do 240's after all.

Superstar ones just rebranded Novatec?

Any feedback on the Novatech hubs?

Are they the same as Superstar Tesla? If so i'll opt for something else as I have nowt but issues with the freehub teeth snapping off and damaging the hub body... 3 hubs so far so need another option.

Nova tech hubs. Yeah I had some on my last bike they were branded as Ibis and came fitted as OE on Some of their bikes. Think they were the same as superstar switch. I had no problems with the set I had bearings lasted well.

On to the LB wheels thread. Mine are in order email from Nancy today one is built the other will be done soon.

Spec is 38mm all mountain rims 27.5 on CK hubs.
The hubs I have had for yonks and sent them to LB for them to build onto their rims. Looking forward to a nice wheelset arriving.

Are there no qualified wheel builders in this country?

Qualified ?
Would you trust the bit of paper anyway ?
Ask about find the best one and crack on

Here's my reasoning.
I asked LB for a quote to supply DT spokes and build the wheels. They quoted less than I could by the spokes for in the UK or Germany from Rose etc.
The other big plus was that they put a lot of emphasis on correct spoke tension and the risk of over tensioning spokes.
Due to the stiffness of the rims it's easy to get uneven spoke tension and the wheel still be straight.
My thoughts were, that I was spending a few quid and thought it was probably a good idea to get them to build as they have the most experience with carbon rims. Rather than be the first customer to send a set to be assembled at LBS.
Also if I have a warranty issue LB will possibly feel more sympathetic if they built the wheels.
It was to me, the most cost effective way to own a very nice wheelset

Pro tip, if you buy from LB fully built, go with spokes that are easily available, I've just had an own fault disaster, hangar snapped sending the mech into the wheel, 7 snapped spokes. The pillar aero spokes are expensive and hard to find in the UK, so go with dt spoke if possible, can't fault the LB service though! Very happy with the rims.

Id agree with that, they offered me pillar or DT. After struggling to get mavic spokes in small numbers before for ST wheels, I decided to keep it simple and have DT. They also agreed to send me 3 spare spokes for each wheel.

You can have half Pillar and half DT if you want. Chuck in a single Sapim and ACI too for good measure! Mavic et al are totally different.

Speaking of spokes for a light XC wheelset. Much benefit in going for bladed (like CX-Ray) over round (like Revs)?

I have just gone bladed on my second LB wheelset, I did it for the aesthetics but there is supposedly some advantage in stiffness under braking/drive. The guy who builds my wheels also likes building with them as he can stop the twisting when winding up the spoke tension.

Speaking of spokes for a light XC wheelset. Much benefit in going for bladed (like CX-Ray) over round (like Revs)?

Somewhere (google it) there's some windtunnel/CFD work of a whole lot of spokes. IIRC all bar the most expensive bladed spokes were worse or no better than than the butted spokes.

Depends on the 'blade', some are aero, some are just squashed and offer no aero advantage over a normal butted spoke, but weigh more (because they're not butted).

I'd probably go cx-ray or aerolite, i think they are butted spokes that are then flattened. I think DT Swiss claim the flattening actually strengthens the spoke.

Somewhere (google it) there's some windtunnel/CFD work of a whole lot of spokes. IIRC all bar the most expensive bladed spokes were worse or no better than than the butted spokes.

I'll try and dig that out. Wonder if there's much benefit in rotational resistance?

Do these rims come with staggered spoke holes and/or angled drilling?

I'm about to order a pair of 26"x33mm all mountain hookless rims and this question suddenly occurred to me and is kinda holding me back.

Alternatively do I need to think less and just order? 😯

When I bought fat bike rims there was a choice - what does their site say?

Although my 35mm alu rims have standard drilling.

Mine have arrived. They lol very nice. Quality looks good, finish is really nice. Very well packaged let's hope the reliability is as good and all will be well

wwaswas - Member
When I bought fat bike rims there was a choice - what does their site say?

Although my 35mm alu rims have standard drilling.

I can't see anything on their site, plus I reckoned it would be quicker to ask on here...

Any advice on spokes?

Looking at getting a set of the 650 hookless rims built on to DT Swiss hubs and not sure what spokes to go for. The wheels will be used for a bit of everything but mainly trail riding in the Peak District etc.

Was thinking DT Super Comp? Any other suggestions?

I went for the DT spokes. Available from most bikes shops the alternative were pillar aero (I think) there not as easy to get hold of if you damage a few.

Got my pair built with DT Swiss spokes and Hope hubs by 18 Bikes who did a first class job. Just bought another set of rims in Black Friday sale so will be having these built up the same.