I run Alpine’s, im 12 stone and absolutly fine. although dinged it when rear tyre went flat. but its still ok and straight.
I seriously ‘ragggg’ my bike 🙂

Not that you’d be using a big tyre in the back of a Fuel EX 8, it wont fit

Amen to that, clearance is pisspoor on the drive side – I’ve wasted a load of cash on ‘2.2 tyres’ that don’t fit. To be fair they did cone up more like a 2.3 but still. Think the latest models have addressed this slightly?

Crest 29er wheels are currently tolerating my 16 stone of unsubtle style. And that is well over the rider weight limit.

“i think the general consensus is they’re not far off being strong as flows when built properly, but lighter with a narrower ID”
“I am trying to decide between crests and flows”
etc

Has nobody come across the arch (And arch EX)?

Stans/ZTR website has some use descriptions and cross sections here:
http://www.notubes.com/ZTR-Rims-C18.aspx
(if you click on each rim they have some other descrition)
JustRidingAlong also have some descriptions on each rim

Bear in mind the 21mmID 400g Arch EX is on its way to replace the 19mmID 420g Arch which should sit better between the 21mmID 340g Crest and the (perhaps? due a revamp for 2013?*) 22.6ID 470g Flow

I’m waiting on the Arch EX’s (currently on Mavic XM719, hoping the little extra width should be spot on for me (width being my only real niggle with the mavics)

My interpretation (on trying to decide which to get) was that:
Crests are fine for wheels on the ground stuff and light jumps and/or light riders
(So long as you’re not tw*tting them into everything)

Arch(/Arch EX should) have extra stiffness due to ‘braced’ cross section, will take some abuse

Flow more stiffness, will take plenty more abuse. Extra internal diameter for really fat tyres (less ‘needed’ for many perhaps? now Arch EX is going upto same width as Easton Haven for eg)

*Purely guessing going by alpine, crest, arch EX all coming out to replace others

I think more people would take arch builds but as hope hoops aren’t available like that most people plump for the crest/flow option and a hefty saving

but as hope hoops aren’t available like that

yep that is a shame, maybe they’ll do arch-ex hoops next year?

Seems likely, the Arch EX is a great rim on paper!

a “flat spot” and a “ding” are two entirely different things Njee.

Thank you, I’m not totally stupid. My comment about Open Pros was tongue in cheek. You’d have to try pretty hard to actually ‘ding’ (if that’s the accepted terminology) a road rim! I did however put far more ‘dings’ in my 717s than I have any Stan’s rim, it helps that the sidewalls are a fair bit shorter, there’s less material to ‘ding’.

Get some 819’s and be done with it!

Why? They’re heavy, narrow, expensive, and hard to build on.

You can keep ’em!

do Stans spec a lower spoke tension for their rims than other makes? perhaps due to lack of eyelets?

Strong (OP’s request) light (relatively), reliable and no strip-kit needed to run tubeless. They seem to stay true longer and better than any other rim I’ve owned. That’s why I’ll be putting another set on my next bike too!

There you go njee that is why I use and recommend them, you may have other criteria for your choice or wheel rim.

I take issue with “light (relatively)” – they’re heavier than Flows by the time you include the rim inserts, whilst being narrower than a Crest. Compared to an anvil or boat anchor they are indeed relatively light, but in the context of XC-biased rims they really aren’t.

IMO (non-tubeless) tyres inflate far more easily on Stan’s rims than UST too – I think the UST is a bit of a red herring, although I admit you’re guaranteed compatibility, and an increasing number of tyres are going to tubeless ready, but I’d have no faith that the 6 of so sets of (non-tubeless) Schwalbes I use would inflate with a track pump on an unmodified UST rim, whilst I know they will go straight up on either set of Stan’s rims I have.

YMMV of course – so yes, we obviously have different criteria for rim purchasing!

819 is the strongest rim I’ve used (like I said not tried proper DH rims) but as njee says weigh a lot and narrow. Its the weight that puts me off getting one again. Got a flow and that so far seems atleast as strong but lighter.