Polaris OBark

I did the above. It did not break the seal.

TrackSmart

Hi Polaris Obark,

The AR28s are a totally different rim, so I'm hoping/guessing will be better behaved.
AR28: https://www.lightbicycle.com/29er-di...vel-bikes.html
AR24: https://www.lightbicycle.com/bead-ho...ompatible.html

Testing: Indeed, just deflating a tire and waiting about 30 seconds would be enough to figure this out. Using tubes, if anything, should make it easier for the tire to fall off the bead. On tubeless tires, the sealant can somewhat glue the tire to the beads. It doesn't glue them well-enough, however, on the AR24s!

UPDATE: Thanks for testing!

That's why the AR24s are a bit confounding. Even with a well-seated tubeless tire, the AR24s will drop the tire from the bead with ease. I think this behavior was common on tubeless wheelsets in the past, but most modern wheelsets have a more pronounced "bead hump" that keeps the tire on the bead when deflated. As you inflate a tire, when your tire makes it over that "hump", you'll hear that satisfyingly loud "thwack" on many wheelsets. The AR24s don't have much of a bead hump as far as I can tell.

TrackSmart

ANOTHER UPDATE: It looks like there is a new AR25 wheelset that uses a new XC924 rim. Has anybody purchased these?

They look like a modern replacement to the AR24s. They have what they are calling a "hybrid hook" design, which looks interesting. The AR24s are hookless (and really light weight in flyweight form), but clearly lack some modern refinements like a stronger bead hump. The AR28s are hooked (and considerably heavier). This appears to be something in between those two styles.

Rims: https://www.lightbicycle.com/newslet...he-Market.html

Wheelset: https://www.lightbicycle.com/AR25-di...symmetric.html

zhoushenglin

EH935S, eMTB specific and maybe a DH version is also good. Looks unique and enn a bit futurism but the said "Dural ERD" appears smart and interesting.
https://www.lightbicycle.com/newslet...im-Around.html

Abalem

After having read the whole thread, I have a question for you guys who are used to owning several pairs of wheels. I just placed my order for a pair of WR46 for my gravel bike. This will replace the stock wheels from my Rose Backroad 2019 edition gravel bike. These wheels are good enough, but I wanted deeper rims and got hooked up by the wheel bling syndrome

So my question is how do you go from one set of wheels to the other : do you buy a new set of disc rotors or simply unmount the previous one to the new wheels ? I understand that if I buy another set of rotors, I'll be able to use two different sets of wheels, but then, you have to change the pads every time you change the wheels, right ?

Koyote

You do not need to change the pads when changing wheels.

Whethet you wish to swap over the disc brake rotors, cassette, even tires, is entirely up to you. But bear in mind that those are wear items… So if you choose to buy a second set of them to mount to the new wheels, it’ll just be that much longer before you ever need to buy them again,

Also bear this in mind: hub tolerances may vary, so you may need to slightly tweak your indexing to get the bike to shift smoothly when you go from one wheelset to the other. You may also need to adjust your brake calipers to eliminate rub. None of that is a big deal.

scottfsmith

I think most people get a spare set of rotors and cassette (and tires of course). Then a wheel swap takes just a few minutes. I find I need to re-align the pads every third or so wheel swap based on random disc alignment at the time. Ymmv.

zhoushenglin

I am sorry for my unusual question but wonder If anyone use tubular in gravel?? I love the crazy 718g/wheelset lightweight but I am riding gravel the most days. https://www.lightbicycle.com/newslet...t-to-life.html
Thank you guys.

clasher

I'm thinking of building up a set of wr50 wheels, with 28h f/r dt350 hubs, but with j bend spokes instead. Would do the build myself to save money, and hopefully have wheels quicker/cheaper than getting pre-builts. I want 28 spokes for durability since I'm looking at using them for long distance. I'm a bigger rider and have good upper body strength/endurance, so not too worried about being pushed around by the wind. Would run 30mm gp5000 up front for a bit of aero gains but probably go with 32mm on the rear for comfort. I am stuck between ordering from the NA shop that shows wr50 as an option, but no choice of drain holes, and I was kinda thinking that no access holes would be nice to eliminate possibility of tubeless tape issues, though I've not had any tape issues on my current tubeless setup. I'm in Canada, so ordering from the NA shop also seems like it would save customs charges. Thoughts, opinions? Anyone had water get into the rim? I've had that on an old set of open pro wheels.

KJ43

Contact Light Bicycle with about drain holes from the NA warehouse. They are super responsive to email communication in my experience and I've heard that they will work with you on custom items not showing up on the website wheel configuration.

clasher

They suggested I just order from the global shop to get drain holes.

KJ43

Ah...gotcha. Well I've gone through low streams and rode in the rain with my wheels (without drain holes) and it hasn't been an issue. I would bet that with a small drill bit you could even add your own without compromising the wheel if you did want that peace of mind.

surak

At least for orders to the U.S. the cheapest shipping option from the global store covers import duties.

I run a 28mm GP5000 S TR on my front WR50. If you run a bigger tire like a 30mm, it will likely expand past the outer width of the rim. If you're looking for better aero, then you want the tire to be narrower than the rim.

OkFine

I contacted Light Bicycle asking if they ever had plans to make a road oriented integrated handlebar like they did with their gravel handlebars. I was told they would email me some pictures and drawings of some road bars. Sure enough they did, but I noticed some branding on there that seemed a bit inconsistent with LB and then looked at the filename that showed a model number. After some searching around, I found an Aliexpress listing that used the same images and model number then found a current listing with different images through that store front.

I'm not that familiar with Light Bicycle outside of seeing this thread and looking at their wheels from time to time, but is it normal/known that they would rebadge an Aliexpress storefront product with a pretty low seller feedback rating? Is this something that should discourage me from purchasing the handlebars through Lightbicycle?

vespasianus

Those pics don't look alike and anybody that knows Aliexpress, knows what it is like. And most people know what LB is like. So, what is the point you are trying to make?

OkFine

The first Aliexpress link has images that are identical to what Light Bicycle emailed me. The second link looks to be the same product and has a matching model number. I was being thorough and giving a current link.

I literally said I'm not familiar with Light Bicycle. I thought it would be obvious I'm not "most people". I didn't try to make a point; I asked a question. I've quoted it below. Is it standard practice for Light Bicycle to sell rebadged items? Should I avoid this particular product? I see the wheels get love, but I can't find discussion on the handlebars. What was the point of quoting me if you weren't even going to read the entire post?

sean.hwy

I have bought several times from Light Bicycle. They have always been top notch. Response is fast. Product as described.

As long as you buy and deal with Light Bicycle you will get great service.

Aliexpress is crap shoot. I have bought from three different vendors on aliexpress. Two of the where great. One of them ripped me off and sent me the wrong product. The vendor and aliexpress did not refund my money. I don't buy anything on aliexpress now.

As far as your handle bar question there's so many reasons why you might see the same or similar looking handle bar sold by a bad vendor. I can open an aliexpress account; post photos of s-works crux frame but then sell you carbonda cfr696 frameset.

OkFine

I've heard similar things about Aliexpress being like that. That's kind of what alarmed me in the first place when I saw the same model number/images/etc etc. I just don't know the culture of Aliexpress well enough to know if that kind of mimicry would be done for a cheaper product without a bigger name so I wasn't sure if it was that or if LightBicycle was rebadging something from a different vendor. Just a lot of things I don't know so I figured I could ask where people were far more knowledgeable.

I realize I'm looking for a product in a super cheap price range that it normally isn't in, but my line of thinking was that if it was from a reputable company the risk would be minimized. I knew LightBicycle wheels were generally accepted as a great value for wheels so why not elsewhere in the product line? i don't have any incentive to drop $4-600 on handlebars. I just like the look of integrated handlebars, but would rather not have some that snap on me mid-ride sending my face into my front wheel. lol

Abalem

You're question is fair, and it is not because "most people know the value of LB and that most people know the value of AE" that it should not be asked. I myself did not even know that LB was making handlebars, so I also very much would like to read some feedback from people who tried them.

zhoushenglin

Mates, are the ripple shaped wheels going better in cross wind compared to normal flat shaped ones?

bblair

My new LB wheels are on a boat somewhere in the Pacific. I spent a lot of time reading and researching. DT Swiss hubs. Rim brakes.

ussprinceton

^ nice. How much did you end up paying for those? What is the total weight?

bblair

About $1000 or so, but don't really remember the exact cost. I upgraded the hubs and brake track, so that added a little extra. Not sure of the weight either, but after spending way too much time on the internet comparing, I'd say it is competitive. Rim brake version narrowed my choice a little, to mainly online vendors.

ussprinceton

ah, ok. Those are really nice. I planned on buying some LBs, but couldn't justify the cost, if I could get SuperTeams, for a fraction of the price. Also, the weights are similar

bblair

Not familiar with that brand.

LB did have less expensive wheels, but when I changed the hubs, brake track etc., it added up. But what the heck, why not.