How crucial is rim width to fit tires?
 

I've got 700x45 Bontrager H5 tires currently on Bontrager AT750 rims, looking for a 36 spoke rim & hub. I see rims come in various widths - how crucial is rim width for a tire like this?

Thanks.

The range is pretty wide, here is a chart which gives some guidance, but people routinely exceed them. I run 47 and 52mm tires on 19mm rims without issue. https://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html#width

So my 45's should work on a 28mm rim? I'm not even sure what the AT-750 rims are.

Most likely yes.
I gather you've wasted the Bontrager rim and are now looking to replace it with one that will use the same size tire?
There are a bunch of things besides rim width that you'll need to consider, including your ability to rebuild the wheel... give us some more info before you get yourself in trouble.

No, didn't waste the rim, looking for a 36 spoke rim and hub for more strength since I've been popping a spoke every 6 months or so and plan to use triple-butted spokes. There's a 700c 28mm Weinmann Schrader rim on Craigslist that looks like it would do the trick, my sense is it's about the same level of rim as the current Bontrager. They've got it set up as a front wheel at the moment but the price is reasonable. According to them it's never been on a bike. It looks new in the pics they posted.

This is a recent related thread I started.

https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-m...ek-verve2.html

I think it is better to buy a good rim rather than disassemble an existing front wheel and rebuild it as a rear. You need new spokes and new 36H rear hub anyway. There are many good rims, like this one: https://www.ryde.nl/andra-35 or Andra 321 for disc brakes, Velocity Atlas https://www.velocityusa.com/product/rims/atlas-622 and many others.

When I built my rear wheel using Sapim Force/D-Light spokes and Shimano M525 hub with Alex DH19 rim (no eyelets, the cheapest version) I regretted it right away. The rim was <$20, and it was the cheapest part. It works, and there is nothing wrong with it, but i could have gone fancier.

If this is the rim you're talking about: https://www.weinmanntek.com/product/21/52
note the pertinent dimension is the inner rim width, which is 23.4mm. That would be fine for a 45mm tire.

That chart is very conservative. I’m running 37mm tires on 14mm wide Velocity Deep Vs and have been for ages. I regularly run 55 mm tires on 17mm Mavic XC717. It’s never been a problem. The tires aren’t going to blow off.

Thanks - that looks more hifalutin' than the one I'm looking at which is a rim brake unit. This is the label on it.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6f4fb5fa5a.jpg

The guy wants $30 for it, says he paid $60. Seems like it would be worth disassembling for that price - plus it's a close match to the appearance of the Bontrager rims. :)

There are no functional issues at all using a rim brake rim in a hub brake wheel.
The weight penalty - If any - is also really minor.

To clarify my bike uses rim brakes.

Do your AT-750's have an ETRTO printed on them? That is the internal width of your rim. My son's AT-650's have the ETRTO on them.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Fn...-no?authuser=0

If you are breaking a lot of spokes on that rim, then are you certain you are keeping them correctly tensioned? My local shop which has a pretty decent wheel guy doesn't charge very much to check all the spokes and adjust where needed. Usually I only have to take the wheel to them once and it's good till I want to replace it.

My son's AT-650's did loosen up quite a bit after he rode it 300 miles. One wheel tacoed on him and he had to replace it. But since having the shop go over the wheel, it's stayed in good shape.

The "ERTO 622x19" indicates 19mm internal width. The label also suggests a tire size range of 28mm - 35mm, but a 45mm wide tire will work fine.

Agreed.

It probably depends on the tires too. I had some 37s on 13mm rims and they felt like I was riding on water balloons around corners. The rim labels recommended 25mm max tire size... 28s feel good though.

I was trying to say that you should spend more on the rim, not less. Anyway, a decent hub like Deore M610 can be had for $30, fancy double/triple butted spokes are about $50. Do not cheap out on the rim. I checked the info on Weinmann 519, it is a single wall rim. It will go out of true easier, and retruing it by playing with spoke nipples will result in uneven tension -- one of the factors leading to spoke breakage. IMO building with this rim and triple butted spokes is like driving a BMW and wearing a suit from Walmart.

For my build that I mentioned I got Alex DH19 because it is specced on Surly LHT. You can get something like Alex Adventurer 2 (https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...s.php?id=89776 -- $35 + shipping, product page: https://alexrims.com/products/adventurer2/) -- it is double wall, and the inner width is 21, which is ideal for the 45mm tires according to the chart. It also has machined sidewall and not too deep profile, it should match your front rim well.

Or you can get Ryde Andra 30 for 20 Euros + 20 Euros shipping: https://www.bike24.com/p2230467.html (not sure if there are American distributors) -- that will make a super strong (and a bit heavier) wheel.

This is what a quick search gives, there should be other good double wall choices as well.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2ebb62781.jpeg
figure stolen from 700c - Rims Weinmann 700c 519