I’ve got a Hope Pro 2 front hub and looking to have a go at building up my first wheel.

I’ve got a rigid On One Inbred 29er with a Salsa Cromoto fork. I reckon I can fit quite a fat tyre in there. So I have two options, build up a 29er front wheel or build up a fat 650b+ front wheel.

My current 29er wheelset is a bit naff, functional but quite heavy. So building up a 29er front would be no bad thing (with a rear to follow some time).

So what are my options for 29″

I’d be looking for “trail” durability so as an example Stans Arch over Stans Crest.

and 650b+?

Is there anything out there for 650b+ other than WTB Scraper?

DT XM 551 – lighter, cheaper, and if my Scrapers and my DT EX 471s are anything to go by, the DTs will be easier to build and more durable. Slightly narrower at 40mm internal rather than 45mm though.

WTB got my attention a while back- I’ll be doing a 29er set with Frequency i25s soon I think, the 26er one I had was tough as old boots and the price is right. The KOMs are worth a look too- same profiles with a lighter structure. But these are to be my alps/uplift/abuse wheels so I’ll be going heavier.

New DT range looks pretty ace too. I used to really rate Stans but I didn’t find the Flow Ex to be as good as the old Flow and they’ve stood still since.

B+ is interesting but it’s still all pretty expensive and unsettled so I’ve bottled it 😆

See the b+ thread but I’ve found SSC DS25 rims good

B+ is interesting but it’s still all pretty expensive

This is definitely a consideration, the Scraper rims are £115 each. Then there’s the cost of tyres too

I’ve just built up Scrapers and KOM i25s. Not a problem with either. Nice, even tensions on both with little tweaking.

I think there’s a set of new scrapers on pinkbike, might be worth checking out- it’s quite an old ad though

Easton Arc rims – 35mm for me on B+.

I’m getting on pretty well with WTB i35 rims and B+ tyres. They’re a much more reasonable price compared to the i45s and seem to be plenty wide enough given they’re 35mm internal.

boxelder – Member
Easton Arc rims – 35mm for me on B+.

They’re only 30mm internal in the largest size. What tyres?

Schwalbe recommend 40mm minimum for the plus size Nobby Nic…am currently wondering whether or not to take that with a pinch of salt myself.

Sorry then, 30mm with 2.8 Nobby Nic – as big as will fit in a mk1 Solaris.

How are they in hard corners? Like the look of the Arc 30 but don’t want squirmy tyres

How are they in hard corners?

Stiffer than 29″ wheels….
Haven’t noticed them squirm. I wouldn’t go wider than 35mm on the rear and think 30mm is right for my needs. I’m 90Kg ish and don’t run tyres that soft. Plenty of grip and comfort at 20ish psi, without squirm. Wheelbuilder was impressed with the rim, for building.
I have a 45mm Dually up front. No squirm there until a big tyre fart last night left about 5psi in there – still not very squirmy, just soft….

Dually is 40mm internal, and yes – it burps badly. Mine is doing my nut in at the moment. Bead shelf is really poor. Wish DT did the XM 551 in a 29er size.

Halo Vapour Rims – 35mm external diameter, heat treated, strong and very well made for not a lot of money. I run them with 3 inch Nobby Nics on a Turner Sultan. Very good indeed! 😀

That’s only 30mm internal Sanny. Fine if you’re trying to fit a 650+ into a 29er frame that’s not designed to take it, but it’s not a “+ rim”. Plenty of others making 30mm rims who are a bit more realistic of the tyre volume they’ll support adequately.

Cheers,
Dave.

Selling some less than a year old Wtb Frequency I25 650b rims if interested.

Straight. 32hole.

Thanks for the posts

So here’s a question, where is the crossover from 650b rim to 650b+ rim in terms of width?

Could I build a wheel using a suitable rim that will take a 650b+ tyre (3.0) and make a 29er equivalent size but then can also be used with a conventional tyre (2.4) in a standard 650b frame?

Sillyoldman

Curiously, my 3 inch Nobby Nic on the Vapour rims is noticeably wider than my Dirt Wizards on a 50mm rim. Does that mean that they aren’t a proper plus size set up too? :DThe Vapours and Nobby Nic’s work really well as a combo. It may not meet your own criteria for a B plus set up but in my experience, they work brilliantly, particularly in slop and muck as well as on rocky trails.

Cheers

Sanny

Sanny,

Nope. That just suggests that the NN is a larger volume tyre than the DW. I’d bet that the NN would work better (less roll/squirm) on a larger rim. The squirm/roll is what I was getting at rather than being “proper”.

Try them on the wider rim as that’s what they’ve been designed to work on – tyre/rim combo will be more stable, and the edge knobs will be where they’re intended to be.

dmorts – 40mm internal seems to be where tyre manufacturers see them being appropriate for 3.0″ and larger tyres.

Cheers,

Dave.

3.0″ NN on 35mm Halo Vapours here

Are they wrong then?

Not wrong no – but I’d suggest that marketing a 30mm internal rim as a “plus” rim is optimistic. Plenty other brands make 30mm rims which are for 2.4/2.5 tyres. 3.0 tyres benefit from the support of wider rims. It also means that the tyre is the right shape with the outer edges being in a useful position rather than being decoration on the sidewall. 😉

Think they’re Sanny’s wheels BTW.

3″ tyres on 35mm rims – LOL.

It’s like turning up for your first school football match in your cheapo Sports Direct football boots to find everyone else is wearing the latest from Adidas or taking your cheap Iceland burgers along to a gourmet barbecue.

Look at http://www.lightbicylce.com. I’ve got them in 29 and 27.5. V happy with both, all on Hope hubs

2.8″ – 3″ tyres work a lot better on Wider rims.
Dually’s here, very happy with them.

On the subject of them burping, mine have always been ghetto tubeless, & run down to silly pressures, with no burping.

Op, depends if you want to go plus size.
A 29+ might squeeze in that fork. Mine is on a Niner steel fork, plenty of room in that.