Sasquatch16

Just wondering how they like the new finish? Reading about them I was surprised to read that their other rims are finished after they come out of mold. Is this standard procedure for most other manufacturers carbon rims?

jfranci3

It's probably closest thing to the unpainted finish you'd find is maybe the Trek Checkpoint unfinished carbon look. If you're near a trek dealer, some of the grey on Trek carbon bikes is actually unpainted UD carbon, which would match the wheels you're looking at.
You can see the layering in the Trek fork here - https://trek.scene7.com/is/image/TrekBicycleProducts/CheckpointSL5_20_24387_C_Accessory1?$responsive-pjpg$&wid=1920&hei=1440

Basically, in all carbon construction - even F1 and aircraft - the layer against the mold can get push sideways or uneven as the worker works with the sticky epoxy and then pushes the layers with the epoxy and mold release compound. Whenever you see exposed carbon on a product it is either fake or someone took special care to make it look nice. You might notice these in the higher-end unpainted units. I think the unpainted UD texture looks cool.
Normally Carbon is painted because the epoxy ambers from being exposed to UV light because it is basically amber. I think when you see the weave this is done after the build, prior to clear coating it and it is a purpose built, nonstructural layer.

I do like the Satin finish (you can request via on the other models after clicking purchase when they review your order) looks better than the gloss or matte finish.

illdrag0n

You can see the carbon layup on my AR46 UD aswell. It some places it makes the rim look chipped or bent but it's perfectly flat. I really like the finish. Satin ftw

MinnMan

They must not be very busy at the moment. I ordered a new set of wheels from their Global source (i.e., China) on 7/16, and they shipped today (7/31). That's fast. Let's see how long they take to get to Minnesota. I

dur4ce

Just curious - which shipping method did you select? Had originally selected MTS as the cheapest/longest option, but am considering changing to EMS, which has recently reopened for non-essential shipments, according to LB.

My global-sourced AR56 rims are in QC, prior to wheelbuilding. Ordered 7/16 as well. I'm still collecting the tires/rotors/valves etc on my end.

Marcus_Ti

Unless the shipping bill was horrendously expensive...odds are very high it is coming by boat which means at least a calendar month if coming from China. All the logistics hubs out of China have been swamped with XMas and Black Friday level demand for goods; and there literally wasn't any spare boat space....with quarantines and no-fly countries; air shipment has increased in cost 5x fold at least. Many retailers are no longer offering overseas air freight, as it devours all their profit margin and more.

MinnMan

I was extravagant and paid for the faster shipping - 7 days, I think. Maybe longer with current logistical challenges. Cost was about $180. I'll let you know when it arrives.

Branko D

Received my set of R45s with Carbon-Ti disc hubs after waiting for about a month and a half, gloss UD finish, no holes nor rim tape.



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New LB wheels on my Fuji

Rode 245km on them in the first week and initial impressions are just great. They are really light and inspecting them I could find no fault. Carbon-Ti hubs have a few quirks, the most notable one that you need the centerlock lockring for 20mm axles to mount disc rotors, and you need to pay attention assembling the cassette because unlike Shimano freehubs you can get it wrong if you don't.
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The R45s I picked instead of WR45s because they're narrower and really mate perfectly to a 23mm tire and very well with the 25mm rear tire, too. Using GP5000s with latex inner tubes (was a pain to install the rear one) the ride is just awesome, and a noticeable step up from Fulcrum Racing 4DB wheels which are alloy semi deep 35mm wheels (pretty solid wheels, though).

They handle windy conditions great, slightly better than the less tall but more V shaped Fulcrums. It's been blowing and raining a good part of the week in what was supposed to be the height of summer, no issues with crosswinds at all.
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noodle soup

thinking about getting these for my mountain bike. https://www.lightbicycle.com/site/sh...4cisfzgxBcY0Uw



1611g $882.00

MinnMan

Wheels arrived in Memphis this morning and Fedex delivery is scheduled for tomorrow morning 8/5, so that's 20 days from pushing the button to delivery from the Worldwide (China) source. It's true that I paid significantly more for faster delivery, but with logistics disruptions and all, that's pretty fast.

Pizzaiolo Americano 

You can get a set of DT Swiss XR 1700 with 350 hubs at 1672 grams for 886.00 retail. I would go in that direction first. Tough, reliable and proven. I beat my MTB wheels up though...

noodle soup

those are narrower, heavier, more expensive, and have far lower POE hubs.

No thanks.

The DT wheels aren't bad, but the Light Bicycle/Industry Nine wheels are a little better.

MinnMan

At this point, consider LightBicycle to be reliable and proven. The order arriving tomorrow is my second set. They are a quality product. Tons of people on this thread have ordered wheels, and the overall experience has been excellent.

I might add that the customer service communication is as good as with any bike company I've dealt with over the years. They respond quickly and accurately.

DT Swiss stuff is great too.

MinnMan

This is an old post, I know. I tried the LB pads, but had much better performance with the Swisstop Black Prince pads. Except of course, in the rain. Carbon wheels, rim breaks, and rain are a lousy combination, no matter what.

My new wheels are for a disk break bike. Yeah....

PoorInRichfield

Arrived this week.. Light Bicycle WR50 wheels at 1,354g for the pair as the photos show. They're a custom build with "Flyweight" carbon as I only weigh ~165 lbs and I wanted these wheels to be as crazy-light as possible. I had to have them built in China because I wanted the new DT Swiss 240 Ratchet EXP hubs and those hubs won't be available in the USA for who-knows how long.

For comparison, Bontrager Aeolus XXX 4 are claimed to weigh 1,455g and that's before adding the tubeless rim liner, not to mention that the WR50's have a 25mm internal width and the XXX 4's are only 21mm. After riding the Bontrager Aeolus Pro 3V wheels on my new bike this year, I love the wider rims when setup tubeless. I thought the wide-rim thing was a marketing ploy, but I am now a believer.

As for the finish on the rims, the rims look perfect. Obviously, I ordered the custom 3K Twill carbon which has a glossy clear coat.

I'm waiting on a set of 60mm valve stems to arrive before I put the wheels on the bike with Conti GP5000 TL tires. The wheels came with 70mm valve stems which stick out about a mile above the rim which bothers me

robbyville

Nicely done! Looking forward to ride reports. Ride safe!

noodle soup

the 3k twill looks great

noodle soup

How were these shipped, how long did shipping take from completion to your door, and did you have to pay a tax?

PoorInRichfield

I opted for the uber-expensive FedEx 4 day shipping over the "slow boat from China" shipping Once I got the tracking number from LB, they did indeed arrive in 4 days. I'm in the USA (WI) and we don't pay taxes or import fees on shipping... or at least I never have. LB marked the wheels as having a value of $600 which apparently helps avoid shipping insurance fees (but at an obvious risk to me should the wheels get lost or damaged in shipping as that was half the actual cost of the wheels). The LB sales person asked me if this declared value was OK with me when I purchased the wheels.

LB offers a much less expensive "slow boat from China" shipping (literally), but that would've added several weeks on to my wait time. I didn't want to risk getting the wheels in the late Fall or early Winter when I would likely be riding indoors on Zwift.

So far, my experience with LB has been top-notch... almost unbelievable. Their sales team answered all my questions (with a 1 day delay due to time zone differences) and the wheels look incredible... not to mention, I got a totally custom build for about 1/2 the price of similar off-the-shelf carbon wheels. I kind of hope that LB stays a "best kept secret" so they don't jack-up their prices!

noodle soup

Thanks for the info. I asked LB yesterday what their shipping times are from China currently.

This is the response

"Due to Covid-19 situation, there are few flights. So, we have below two deliveries for your reference.
DHL/Fedex: USD250 for one wheelset , 7~10 days roughly for delivery.
EMS plus delivery: around USD114 for one wheelset, around 12~15 days roughly for delivery.
Standard delivery: USD35 for one wheelset, 20~25 days roughly for delivery.It is a multimodal transport emergency lane, tax included."

Good to know that we are able to avoid the stupid tRump tariff.

PoorInRichfield

I paid $177.50 to Wisconsin for FedEx... which is still insane, but then again, the wheels did have to literally be flown half-way around the world to get to my house. With that in mind, $200 for shipping doesn't seem so bad.

It's my opinion that unless you have some life threating condition where you need a new wheelset a.s.a.p. (hehehe...), you should either look to have a wheel set made in their USA facilities or just convince yourself that "good things come to those that who wait" and select the very affordable standard delivery.
As an American who wants to see manufacturing jobs return to the USA, I support the tariffs... but that's a can of worms for a different forum. At least if one buys the LB wheels from the USA distributor, that employs a few US workers and saves a lot on shipping. It's a bummer that the DT Swiss 240 EXP hubs won't be in the USA warehouses for several months.

noodle soup

I just priced it out again, and it's about $3 more to use the US warehouse, but they have a 4 week lead time on builds.

It looks like I should expect them in mid-September, regardless of where I order(unless I pay $177.50 for FedEx).

vespasianus

Yeah, I have been rocking a set on my MTB for close to 8+years and they have been 100% solid. LB is a solid brand.

MinnMan

I may be mistaken, but I believe that it's a "North American" distributor, not USA, and that it's in Canada? Anybody know?

The lack of the 240 hubs is part of why I bought from China rather than N. Am.

Marcus_Ti

When I ordered my set--the NA distributor was in Canada, as was their pay processor address....so my banking institution charged an international billing fee.