So after many months of reading the reviews on MTBR, I went for a pair of the Light Bicycle carbon rims from China at £135 each delivered. They were shipped a week after I ordered them and arrived 9 working days after shipping. All good from start to finish. Excellent email communications.

They arrived yesterday, 3k weave, 32h, 372g and 380g. Absolutely perfect finish inside and out. They were very easy to build up. They went up tubeless just as easy as a Stans rim – I used a couple of layers of insulation tape and the usual valve.

First ride tonight and wow – they are stiff. I wasn’t sure they were worth the money riding them to work on the road this morning, but round fast berms and corners where you are really leaning into the bend they just don’t flex like a Stans rim. Stans feel really whippy by comparison. I ran my usual pressure and had no tyre roll or squirm at all. A really noticeable difference. I guess this could be due to the wider rim profile compared to the Stans rim, though.

Now let’s just see how long they last….

Some pics of the build, of the bike with the new rims, King hubs, new XTR discs and some nice wider bars too as my old ones were damaged. Ison also had some custom Sala/MTFU ODI lock-on grip lockrings made… Just about the most awesome thing I’ve ever seen.

GB

Nice. Which Stan’s rim are you comparing them to?

Crests.

Interesting, getting tempted to get some of these rims. Bike looks lovely

They seem to be fantastic rims. Fingers crossed they stay in one piece now. They’ll get quite a hammering racing so let’s see…

I’m very tempted to give these a try when I get my 29 er. Love the salsa lockons, can you buy them?

i picked up some Hope Flow EXs the other week but don’t really need a downhill rim so tempted by a set of these in 26″ guise as I would really like wheels with the weight of a set of crests but I know they would be too flexy (hence the flow)

Lockrings not available to buy – limited supply… Frame is now in it’s 4th season of racing… Got to love titanium.

If you go for the 26″ ones make sure you get the wider ones. They do 2 widths. Actually, before you go for 26″ at all check 650b wheels won’t fit in your frame/fork…

That is a nice bike, George. Is there a weight limit on those rims? Are you at Bristol tomorrow?

Cheers,

Matt

Not that I know of Matt – they have sold a lot to Americans and I can’t believe you weigh more than one of those. Not doing Bristol this year – did both June and October last year and need a break. Also need a weekend at home as I’ve been away loads and am going to be away even more… Doing a big N Downs loop on Sunday.

Imagine weighing more than an American. They’re all over 300lbs or whatever imperial measurement they still cling to.

I would’ve thought you’d have gone up to Selkirk, you’re doing well at these 6 hour events this year.

It’s just too far, and realistically I’m not going to win so it’s a massive amount of time away for little return, plus you have to enter really early, so you can’t tell if it’s going o be nice and sunny or raining and miserable. I’m over miserable. Same reason I never did Kielder – too much of a risk of it being a grim bike wrecker. Happy to ride for 8hrs/100 miles off road but only in the sunshine…. Like round the N Downs tomorrow!!

GB

They do look good, interested to have a look up close, I’m tempted by a pair!

Well hopefully you’ll have a look next weekend! Please let Mayhem be dry…

Very nice. Tempted by these as Enve rims are so expensive. Be interested to hear more about how they ride.

Lovely. Do you know the final weight for both wheels? Messiah off here got his 26ers under 1500g using Hope hubs, and I’m hoping to build a 29er pair under 1650g also on Hope hubs.

I’m looking to build some 29er wheelsas well and have been trying to decide between Stans and Light bikes rims. Review is certainly swaying me at the moment and making me feel the extra would be worth it.

What are peoples thoughts about lacing these to DT Swiss 350 hubs?

Mate of mine running these to good effect and he’s generally hard on kit.
The shop seems to have nice road wheels too.

The wheels are 1640g the pair. King hubs, Halo DB spokes and DT alloy nips.

As long as they turn out to be durable I want more pairs for my other bikes! I was really surprised at how different they felt round berms – so much stiffer. What has also sold it for me is the ease of getting them tubeless.

GB

I’ve been hammering a pair of the 29er versions on a rigid singlespeed for the last 5 months and they have been absolutely spot on.
They are in a different league stiffness wise to Crests and weigh about the same,mine were approx 380g each. Also just as easy to set up tubeless as Stans rims.

These do look interesting. Especially as they’re talking about doing a wider rim. Something wider than the flow would be great, especially if it was stiffer and lighter.

they are bringing out a 30mm internal width rim for 26″. Just not sure if 30mm is a bit overkill for non-DH use and tyres. Will be hookless with a stronger rim than if you have a hook.

Gee – does this mean you’ve got some Crests for sale?

I have a whole spare wheelset that I’m going to keep in case the carbon ones fail.

GB

Gee – any update on how they are going? Interesting in getting some of these. Thanks!

Mine arrived a few days ago, 650b same as OP, built up easily, tubeless kit and tyre went on no problem, only had one ride so far but the signs are good.

By new XTR brakes do you mean the M987 with the magnesium calliper and master cylinder?

Interested to see how these rims last, especially after Tom Evans smashing a Duke Lucky Jack at the weekend, expensive way to start a walk.

Interesting…Do you know what tyre width range they are suitable for?

Missed this thread first time round. Cheap (still £150, but waay less than the competition) carbon rims sound great. Interesting..

but round fast berms and corners where you are really leaning into the bend they just don’t flex like a Stans rim. Stans feel really whippy by comparison.

Really? You sure they weren’t badly built?

Quite a few builders are scared to do Stans rims up properly because of the eyelet thing, I think, so there’s probably a fair few loosey builds out there. The recommended tensions are just as high as competitors though.

Still sill money for rims. My LBS showed me some Carbon rims brought in from the states for someone (probably off here), he said, see them over there guess how much? So, I picks them up, look em over think cheap Chinese stuff – 50 quid. OOOHHH NOOOO – 700 quid each. EACH I tell ye!

Anyway roll on a few months I ask them if the purchaser has noticed how wonderful they might be, the response.. Can’t tell…

Quite a few builders are scared to do Stans rims up properly because of the eyelet thing, I think, so there’s probably a fair few loosey builds out there.

Spoke tension dosnt = stiffness apparently. or at leaast thats what someones argument was last time this came up.

Anyway, my stans 355 29ers feel pretty rubbish in the stiffness stakes, and they are built with normal DB spokes. Im big and heavy so a light alu rim in big wheel size will always fair poorly. Will be getting some of these carbon rims over the next few months.

My LBS showed me some Carbon rims brought in from the states for someone (probably off here), he said, see them over there guess how much? So, I picks them up, look em over think cheap Chinese stuff – 50 quid. OOOHHH NOOOO – 700 quid each. EACH I tell ye!

ENVE rims are very very light and ridiculously stiff – see a review posted in ST a while back. They look sweet as well…

I think the verdict was that as long as spokes are adequately tight, it makes little difference but if they’re not then it does.

Cracked ENVE

no tar

ceeeeeeeeeerrrrazzzyyy I think you’d be hard pressed to find someone that has blown as many £50 quid mavic rims as it takes to buy just one ENVE rim.. I no likey the exploded part of the review..

That’s not a production rim, though.

Hi

The update is I’ve caned the hell out of them at Mayhem (9 laps), one long ride and an XC race. The acceleration is a lot more direct and the tyre definitely doesn’t roll as much. You really notice it on fast bends and when you give it the beans down a fire road. I’ve bottomed the rear a few times on roots but they are still in one piece. It makes a really odd noise when you do this though… I’m going to keep racing them for this season then make a decision on kitting the other bikes out when I’ve seen their durability.

Re flexy Stans wheels – I build my own wheels and have done for 12+years so I know they are built the same as my Crests. The carbon ones are a hell of a lot stiffer.

Right now, I’d be gutted if I’d just spent £800 on an Enve rim.

Dougal – no not the M987s – M985s. Not fussed about the M987s with their plastic levers…

GB

It’s just too far, and realistically I’m not going to win so it’s a massive amount of time away for little return, plus you have to enter really early, so you can’t tell if it’s going o be nice and sunny or raining and miserable.

Did you hear how gorgeous the weather was for Selkirk? 🙂

Having access to cheaper carbon rims can only be a good thing, as long as the quality is there, which can be built up with Hope/CK/DT hubs.

A couple of years ago I nearly bought a pair of Easton Havens’, but in the end bought 2 sets of Hope Hoops and saved about £1200 – it was mainly the issues over their hubs that changed my mind.