Rim recommendations
06-26-21, 07:29 AM
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Rim recommendations
I weight about ~100kg. I ride mostly road and occasionally travel with some luggage (10-15kg). My current bike is Cube Nuroad Pro 2021 which is a gravel bike.
Some of my last rims (on different bikes) used to fail by cracking around spoke nipples after some amount of usage. I have been reading that this might be due to several factors , one of the possibly being spoke tension to high. Currently I cannot verify this, but I might take the next rim and spokes to different bike shop to build me a wheel. I use DT Swiss alpine 3 spokes and have not had any issues with breaking spokes, only cracking around spoke nipples.
I am looking at some suggestions on rims available on bike24 for my next wheel, for example:
https://www.bike24.com/p2345012.html...1868,1919,1920
https://www.bike24.com/p2235484.html...1868,1919,1920
I am not really sure what would be the best. I read there are rims with or without eyelets but again, rim without eyelets should have reinforced rim at the spoke hole so its not really necessary to have eyeleted rims. You can also add PHR washers (if the rim supports this?), but again, not sure if particular rim would benefit of such addition. My current rear hub has 28 holes so I might reuse this (since its in good shape), meaning I am searching for 28 hole wheel. I know it might be better of going to 32 holes, possibly even 36.
Note that I am located in EU and want to buy from EU shops like bike24 etc.
Some of my last rims (on different bikes) used to fail by cracking around spoke nipples after some amount of usage. I have been reading that this might be due to several factors , one of the possibly being spoke tension to high. Currently I cannot verify this, but I might take the next rim and spokes to different bike shop to build me a wheel. I use DT Swiss alpine 3 spokes and have not had any issues with breaking spokes, only cracking around spoke nipples.
I am looking at some suggestions on rims available on bike24 for my next wheel, for example:
https://www.bike24.com/p2345012.html...1868,1919,1920
https://www.bike24.com/p2235484.html...1868,1919,1920
I am not really sure what would be the best. I read there are rims with or without eyelets but again, rim without eyelets should have reinforced rim at the spoke hole so its not really necessary to have eyeleted rims. You can also add PHR washers (if the rim supports this?), but again, not sure if particular rim would benefit of such addition. My current rear hub has 28 holes so I might reuse this (since its in good shape), meaning I am searching for 28 hole wheel. I know it might be better of going to 32 holes, possibly even 36.
Note that I am located in EU and want to buy from EU shops like bike24 etc.
06-26-21, 01:10 PM
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utoner34 - I would think that either of the DT Swiss rims you linked would be suitable for your application. To take a guess, I'm thinking that the G540db rim at the lower price is manufactured in China. The extrusions of these rims are good. I doubt you would have a problem with this rim. I had a road wheelset built up with DT Swiss R460 rims (rim brake with machined rim sidewalls) in 24 hole front, 28 hole rear with lightweight DT Swiss Revolution (I believe that is the spoke name) butted spokes and aluminum spoke nipples. I weigh just over 200# (~91 kilos) and these wheels were built up on new old stock Dura Ace 7800 hubs. My wheelbuilder doesn't go crazy on spoke tension. He hand stress relieves the wheel multiple times then has you ride the wheel and then bring it back for up to a year to have any out of true of uneven spoke tension remedied. He is a really cool mechanic wheel builder! I have about 1,000 miles on these wheels and for a rim that only cost me about $30 USD I would say these rims punch way above their price point. I never experienced any cracking around the spoke holes BTW.
With all this said, the DT Swiss RR 521db rim you linked to might be even stronger. I have noticed that when DT Swiss rims start with two R's (RR) those seem to be the ones that are manufactured in Switzerland or Europe. I would think that the "Squork Pro Head nipples" and the "PHR washers" could both potientially be features that could contribute to a stronger wheel. The extrusion on the RR 521 db appear to be more of a semi aero shape which would make it slightly heavier than the other one pictured which would make it stronger and therefore a more durable wheel for a heavy rider when built up with a low spoke count configuration.
With all this said, the DT Swiss RR 521db rim you linked to might be even stronger. I have noticed that when DT Swiss rims start with two R's (RR) those seem to be the ones that are manufactured in Switzerland or Europe. I would think that the "Squork Pro Head nipples" and the "PHR washers" could both potientially be features that could contribute to a stronger wheel. The extrusion on the RR 521 db appear to be more of a semi aero shape which would make it slightly heavier than the other one pictured which would make it stronger and therefore a more durable wheel for a heavy rider when built up with a low spoke count configuration.
06-26-21, 01:32 PM
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I just studied the differences between the 2 rims a bit more. The G540db is 25mm tall with a 28 mm external width and weighs 565 grams. The RR521db is 32mm tall with a 24 mm external width and weighs 520 grams. Bike24 seems to have really good prices. If you plan on running wider tires the rim with the 28mm width might be a better choice. But really the RR521db has a lot to offer based on the specs. It would probable be a fantastic rim for disc road or disc gravel/commuting use.
06-26-21, 02:19 PM
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For road bikes I'm a fan of the asymmetric rims. It may not be as important with bikes having > 135mm dropout spacing.
https://www.dtswiss.com/en/component...country/xr-361
I see the DT site also has rider weight recommendations.
If your current wheel is good, I'd either ride it until it goes bad, or purchase a new wheel and keep the old one as a spare. And, in that case, I'd probably choose 32h as it is still widely supported, and should give you a little extra strength.
https://www.dtswiss.com/en/component...country/xr-361
I see the DT site also has rider weight recommendations.
If your current wheel is good, I'd either ride it until it goes bad, or purchase a new wheel and keep the old one as a spare. And, in that case, I'd probably choose 32h as it is still widely supported, and should give you a little extra strength.
