Superstar Components – AM Carbon Rims

Tempted by these as my Stans ZTR Flow rims have seen better days after me casing and half whipping most jumps in the UK on my trail bike… (maybe a slight exaggeration)

Anybody got these? Are they able to take abuse? I’ve been quite impressed with my ZTR Flow rims over the last 18months with them getting very little care and me riding places like Aston Hill and Woburn. They are still going despite the rear resembling an egg.

Thoughts or experience welcome

Cheers

I’ve not tried them myself but when it’s time for new rims I’ll be looking at the Light Bicycle Chinese ones which are even cheaper.

Pretty sure the Superstar ones are made by Lightbicycle.

wasn’t there a SSC v LB rim thread, where the “Bath University Independant Benchmarking Test results for XC rims pdf” author piped up that the “Undisclosed manufacturer’s” was LB?.. and so suggestioning LB’s aren’t as good as SSC’s?

Not heard of any really bad reports of LB rims (damage only caused my misuse), I’d like to try a set.

Yeah there is a study by Bath University although it doesn’t disclose who the manufacturer of the other carbon wheel set is. They do compare it to an aluminium Stans Crest rim and conclude its stronger in every way.

I might just go for it, main concern is if they do go it’s usually in spectacular fashion unlike aluminium…

That’s the exact opposite of what that study says…

I would like to try the light-bicycle rims…

The only thing keeping me away from carbon rims is the way they fail – cracking.

If i ding the crap out of my stans i can bend them back, maybe even keep them tubeless, if a carbon rim cracks no more tubeless, you cant bend them back and would it be safe to continue riding them?

Top end rims like Enve and Easton seem to be quite durable but then the cost is obscene….

Here is the same-old-picture of my cracked 28mm wide LB carbon rim…

I raced it for another 5 days in the Trans-Savoie with this damage , although I did require a tube after two days.

LB then gave me a warranty and for a small charge I upgraded to the new stronger 33mm wide rim. I have no hesitation recomending the LB rims; but its worth remembering that there is nothing that cannot be broken if your trying hard enough 😈

PS.

I’ve also cracked a Flow rim and ridden it for a few weeks with a big blob of liquid-metal strengthening the area until I could find a replacement

Just had a wee email from Superstar correcting my email, they’re not made by Lightbicycle apparently.

The images in the Bath study don’t seem to be any of the current range of Lightbicycle rims either, mind- the rim profile doesn’t match. (in fact it doesn’t look like any mtb rim I’ve seen for about a decade…) A bit of info missing from the study is weight comparison too, that’d have been interesting.

just been reading the pdf too, their unknown carbon rim certainly doesn’t look like any of the LB ones. building up some wheels soon and very tempted to splash a bit more and get the LB rims over stan’s.

I may well have a set of light-bicycle carbon 26″ rims for sale shortly. 30mm wide with a 23mm inner dia (like flows) and only used for half a dozen rides.

Currently built onto dt240 hubs and weighing just 1400g for the pair.

Only selling them as building up a set of 29er wheels… Which will be light-bicycle Carbon again.

I had a ride on some lb carbon ones last week, laced on to hope hubs. Pretty sweet really. Certainly seemed durable.
They were lighter than my flow but not by a huge amount.
They felt good up and down bikepark Wales anyway..

I’m seeminly convinced on Carbon wheels, thanks all for your input. I quickly got over any anxiety of having a carbon frame a few years ago so don’t see how this is any different really.

Out of interest is there a UK Dealer for the LB Carbon wheels, I can’t seem to find one?

Thanks again

those SS carbon rims dont look to bad for the money (compared to enve etc)

they actually look quite nice too, which is something that cant usually be said for SS 😉

Out of interest is there a UK Dealer for the LB Carbon wheels, I can’t seem to find one?

No you have to order direct hence the price. It’s going one stage further than the Superstar model and buying direct form the factory.

Hmm.

£200 a rim for SS. I think I would rather stick to the Derby rims for the same sort of cost. Wider, hookless & nominal weight difference.

Gee76 – Member
I may well have a set of light-bicycle carbon 26″ rims for sale shortly. 30mm wide with a 23mm inner dia (like flows) and only used for half a dozen rides.

Currently built onto dt240 hubs and weighing just 1400g for the pair.

I’ve sent you a mail Gee 8)

heres a profile of new hookless LB 650b wide rim from MTBR forum

doesnt look that similar to the unkown one in the bath uni study

Without knowing what carbon rim superstar have benchmarked against, the results don’t seem particularly useful. They named the Stans rim, why not the carbon. The cynic in me thinks they must have selected something known for being below par. Why not go up against LB who are possibly the nearest competitor?

I have a set of 26″ New All Mountain light bicycles for sale, built up weight including 2.35″ Hand Dampf is a rather tasty 1,560g. See link below if interested:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fs-26-light-bicycles-all-mountain-carbon-wheel-set-inc-tyres-1

Not sure I’m convinced by the idea of hookless rims. Anybody tried them yet?

Yes, Derby rims.

No issues at all. Not sure why i wouldn’t be convinced to use them?

I have a set of 26″ New All Mountain light bicycles for sale, built up weight including 2.35″ Hand Dampf is a rather tasty 1,560g

1560g including tyres? Not a chance. Event 2560g is virtually impossible.

Not sure I’m convinced by the idea of hookless rims. Anybody tried them yet?

Just waiting for the customs note for my 29er ones, hopefully get them soon.

njee20, apologies – I misquoted my own for sale post!!!

Weight without tyres is actually 1,560g and with tyres its 3,100g. Still v-light.

Not really though is it. They’re decent wheels, and a good weight, but not “very light”. I’d say sub 1500g would be light for a wheel of that ilk, and sub 1400g very light, the rims are only 380g, so not much heavier than a Crest.

That said… your weights don’t stack up. You seem to have calculated weights rather than actually weighed them? But you appear to have accounted for the weight of the spokes twice – they should be 218g for 64, plus 50g or so for nips, and yet your spokes/nipples in your weights are 477g. Brass nips aren’t that heavy!

I’d say they are very light for such a big strong rim, you can’t compare them to Crests which are piddling by comparison.

Think I’ll wait and see if these hookless LB 26 rims come out soon.

I’d say they are very light for such a big strong rim, you can’t compare them to Crests which are piddling by comparison.

They’re a 380g rim, they are a little heavier than Crests (I’m not comparing their usage, I just used the weight as a bench mark). Ergo, if you build a 1200g (say) wheelset with Crests, these would be a little more. They’d be a lot stronger.

As such, whilst they’re a very tough, and great quality wheelset, I don’t think they fall into “very light”, but I do suspect the sums are wrong, for the reasons I said above, so cblair is probably doing himself a disservice.

The other rim in the Superstar/Bath study is a Stren Cycle item:

http://www.strencycle.com/products/wheelrim/mtbrim/35/index.html

Comparable weight to the SS rim so a fair comparison there, just how good or bad Stren are I have no idea, the profile doesn’t really inspire confidence tbh but maybe that’s unfair.

Never heard of ’em! The 26″ one is quite light, the 29er isn’t at all.

Interesting though, agree that the testing doesn’t inspire confidence, but I wonder why SSC chose quite an obscure supplier where there are a number of very high profile suppliers.

Just waiting for the customs note for my 29er ones, hopefully get them soon.

Interested in hearing your feedback. Full wheels or just rims, these for a race bike ya?

Yep.

Rims only, got some AM Classic hubs and Revolution spokes to build them. 355/356g for the rims I’m told.

Nice. I’m kinda flirting with the idea of ’em again so it’ll be good* to hear your thoughts.

bigjim, I’ve been told by LB that the hookless 26″ AM rims should be available from mid February.

For njee20 benefit,

Weights = 1,495 plus 1,612 = 3,109g for full wheelset inc tyres

therefore 3,109 – (2 x 770) = 1,569 g for wheelset without tyres

Build weight:
Rims x 2 = 780g
Hubs front and back = 323g
Spokes = 318g
Nipples = 62g

Total weight = 1,483g

Total individual weight is 1,483g not including rim tape, valves and sealant so I would say my numbers are tying up pretty well to be honest. Or am I missing something?

So you are comparing a Carbon AM rim with a XC aluminium rims weight so you can call another rim not light? Then say they aren’t comparable in application. Bit of a confused message going out there I’d say 😉 There is only 100g difference between them anyway. A fair comparison would be the Arch but then its 950g for a pair but that doesn’t work for your argument does it? Lets please keep this to comparing apples with apples.

Show me an all mountain carbon build which is lighter and not twice the price and I will buy them. This thread, I believe, is about Carbon rims and in the carbon world these are a very light build. The OP ones he mentions are 1,700g which is over 200g heavier.

Im confused by the hookless rim

wont the tyre burp lots?

njee I don’t understand to be honest! I think you are arguing with yourself perhaps.

I’ve been told by LB that the hookless 26″ AM rims should be available from mid February.

sweeeeeet

I’m trying to help out cblair, but yes I am basically arguing with myself – there are two separate claims:

1) “My wheels are 1560g”
2) “My wheels are very light”

I’m saying – if 1 is true, then 2 isn’t. However, I don’t think 1 is the case looking at the build and 2 is a completely subjective statement. This comment:

Total individual weight is 1,483g not including rim tape, valves and sealant

Seems to confirm that 1 isn’t actually true. As that’s almost 100g lighter than cblair said for the build and that does seem light.

Using Prince/Princess hubs with CX-Ray spokes and alu nips on the same rims would move them into “very light” for me, but as I said up there that’s a completely subjective claim. It would however yield a sub-1400g wheelset using exactly the same rims. Which for an all-mountain wheelset is very light.

Make sense? 😕

Im confused by the hookless rim

wont the tyre burp lots?

The consensus is that these days with tyre and rim tolerances being far tighter no, they won’t. Spesh have done some hookless ones for a while, and I’ve not heard of anyone having any major burping issues.

Light/heavy is all relative, 1560g for a tough, wide, allmountain wheelset is light, it’d be heavy for an XC wheelset. Just a question of how you approach the subject really. My Rovals are considered very light for allmountain use at about the same weight, but they achieved it by not having enough spokes and being a bit flimsy.

Hookless is interesting- did anyone else see the interview with Specialized? They describe the design process like this:

“So we had this new engineer start, and one day he said “Why do these rims have beads?” So we told him, “Durr, rims need beads” So he said, “Yeah, but why?” so we all called him names, because obviously rims need beads. So since engineers are all nerds, he tested it to prove us wrong, and so now we’re all pretending like we always thought it was a good idea. Because it is”

Well I’ve just built my LB 29er rims. Very pleased they seem much stronger than crests. Yet to ride due to the weather but looking forward to it when I get a chance….