Huge amounts of cash and so far none that seem to tick all the boxes.... Easton hub problems and slightly narrow rims, DT Swiss not tubeless and not that light, Enve not tubeless and again not that light...
If you own any i'd be grateful for feedback....
Thanks
ENVE do UST ones I believe. I'd sooner use NoTubes, which weigh less and cost less than 10% the cost though! I know a couple of people using ENVE and they rate them. They've not paid much, if any though.
I'd love a set, but not at the price quoted (well... actually "I" might but the wife would go nuts; something about stealing the food out of the childrens mouths probably).
I've picked up a set and had a very quick scoot on some Havens and they felt okay. Not as light as I would have expected but they did have Maxxis Doonhall tyres on them so not unsurprisingly un-light. I think my Hoops with Rubber Queens were lighter... but I ripped the sidewall open that ride so light is not always right. Anyway, enough digression, about these Haven Carbon wheels then... my mate ragged them for about two months before the rear rim split (he's owned them for six months but he broke himself so didn't ride for a few months, I did ask to borrow them but with my reputation with carbon he laughed in my face). He returned them to the UK folks who replaced the rim under warranty, and they replaced the bearings because they were rough too. He's got the wheels back now and plans to continue riding them in the same way he was before. The wheel did not explode so he is not worried about catastrophic failure but sending off ubber expensive parts far warranty work is a pain in the hoop. Not a great story so far... but I still want some of them there ENVE carbon rims 😳
Was reading about [url= http://www.tufo.com/xc-lp/ ]TUFO[/url] recently, might be worth a look, looks like it's pro race gear though.
They're tubs though, totally different, and there are some weight advantages at the very light end of the scale, Innolite and AX-Lightness do 220g XC rims.
None of the 'mainstream' carbon clinchers are as light as the alu offerings out there, and from the experiences above they're not as strong either!
The ENVE ones are UST ready but you need to use a valve and rim strip.
http://singletrackmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/presscamp-2011-enve-rims/
I don't own carbon wheels and couldn't afford to but I was looking at Enve rims yesterday and for XC the numbers simply don't seem to stack up.
You can buy Stans Podium MMX rims for XC racing that weigh something like 280g or Alpines at 330g for £80 per rim. Why would you want to pay £750 for a rim that weighs 350g and has a 3mm narrower internal width (compared to Enve XC)?
The Enve AM rims on the other hand look a better proposition at under 400g for a rim that's really wide. I guess that's why Steve Peat used them this year.
What about the new Hope 1295 Hoops?
Lighter than many carbon wheels, with legendary Hope service and back-up.
Carbon rims are'nt relly about the weight.Which is stiffer...a podium mmx (with a 75kg rider weight limit) or an enve xc rim?
Tubs are the way forward for racing anyhoo.
Lots of Chinese carbon rims starting to appear on ebay for reasonable money. I'd feel far safer riding them than some of the super lightwight alu rims out there too.
The Enve AM is my favoured choice at the moment but they are still not UST certificated in 26''.
I thought they came in at 450g so that was putting me off, if they are 395grams that makes them a better option.
As mentioned, it's not really about weight but ride quality, that said they need to be both light and ride like a dream as well as be strong as....
I don't really have the money but want to breath new life into my bike and uber wheels are an area that i'm looking at.
Lots of Chinese carbon rims starting to appear on ebay for reasonable money. I'd feel far safer riding them than some of the super lightwight alu rims out there too.
I've got some Podium MMX rims, which have been fantastic. I wanted (in a dream sense) some Innolite XCC250s (250g carbon clinchers), but a friend saw someone mistime a bunny hop up a kerb and shattered the £400 rim. Put me off a bit!
The only ones I'd use are probably the Rovals, which are a pretty good weight, and not silly money. Still prefer my sub-£300 1246g alu wheelset though!