[Closed] 650b rims - Stans Flow EX Vs Easton Arc Vs E13 TRS Vs DT Ex471

I'd lean towards the Ex471 - here it is in action

And here's the rim afterwards.

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I've just (Sunday) ordered a front Pro4 hub laced to a Flow EX rim.

I toyed with the Easton's, but read a couple of bad reviews, where I cannot find any bad reviews of the Flow EX's.

No idea how they will compare to my 5 year old bombproof 26" Mavic's (never been trued). I would have gone Mavic again, but the world has moved on and Mavic well.....havn't.

ex471s here

For the riding you've described I'd say EX471s, like what I got. Great rims.

I don't think I'd go flow ex these days, not with the new stuff that's come out since- they're decent but they're not massively tough. WTB Frequency's definitely worth a look, not as light but properly tough.

(said this before but yep Aaron Gwin rode on that rim; what does that tell us civilians though? If I was going to choose a rim to use without a tyre it'd be top of the list but if I get a flat, I stop. And while it's impressive it didn't break, it was still ruined pretty much instantly.)

It tells us civilians that he chose to use an EX471 for a World Cup DH race which must be a pretty good recommendation in itself.

I've got the TRS and they held up fine for a week in Spain and a few around my local trails.

I've got a set of Easton ARC rims of 30mm int width. Not had them long but they've been dinged badly on the back in a number of places. Ridden flow ex previously and not suffered the same issues. Tempted by the DT options next time.

Northwind - Member
I don't think I'd go flow ex these days, not with the new stuff that's come out since- they're decent but they're not massively tough. WTB Frequency's definitely worth a look, not as light but properly tough.

(said this before but yep Aaron Gwin rode on that rim; what does that tell us civilians though? If I was going to choose a rim to use without a tyre it'd be top of the list but if I get a flat, I stop. And while it's impressive it didn't break, it was still ruined pretty much instantly.)

It's mostly a bit of fun, but it does mena Specialized DT & Dwin all trust it for World Cup DH, even though it's sold as an "Enduro" rim.

Beyond that, it's lighter than a Flow and tougher, I'd say it was definitely tougher than an Arc based on a few reports, and when I was pricing rims recently it was cheaper than either. I'd be going for it if it was me.

The unknown for me is the TRS - the LG1 rims are super light and I've foudn them excellent on the DH bike - TRS are a LOT lighter, if they hold up well, they could be a winner. Unlike E13 hubs - I rebuilt one of those the other day. Not impressed.

Thanks guys, certainly gives me some good insight. I'm leaning towards the DT rims now.

I currently have a set of WTB i25 rims and I'm not that impressed, I've dented them badly already and I've not had them long.

Which i25 are they? Reason I ask is, if you're denting Frequencies frequently, you need to look at proper strong rims, they're a lot tougher than a Flow Ex or TRS. But there's 3 different i25s and they're not at all related other than size.

It's whatever comes stock on the Kona Process 153 DL 2015 - WTB Frequency Team i25 TCS

I'm a Mavic or Stan's fan personally, but we've been battering a set of E13TRSr wheels pretty hard over the last 6 months and they've held up remarked lay well. Even with regularly going as low as 20-25psi and hitting rocky sections flat out.

I've only ever heard bad things about their hubs (although no problems so far) not the rims. And they seem pretty light as well

Tom KP

jonnyblease - Member

It's whatever comes stock on the Kona Process 153 DL 2015 - WTB Frequency Team i25 TCS

OK, then honestly I think you need to either look at more air/tyre, or more rim than any of these- the Frequency is way on the tough end of the trail/enduro rim so if you're beating it up then you probably want a beast. I had them in my dh bike and they're more comparable with full on DH rims than with most trailbike rims. (in fact mine proved tougher than my 721s never mind my Flows- highlight being riding on a flat down a big chunk of la thuile without even so much as a bruise. OK, not riding Aaron Gwin style on a flat! But still, I expected it to be hammered). My first choice for my spare wheels for the new bike, for dh and alps trips and hammering on rocks with

Certainly if the Frequency's not tough enough for you then it rules out the Flow Ex, they're not in the same class.

I've had a pair of Easton ARC 27s since October, no issues so far.
Reasonably light and seem durable enough.

If you're getting pro4 hubs then why not Hope Enduro built up complete?

I've just laced some 471s to some pro4s. Yet to ride them but they look mint.

If you're getting pro4 hubs then why not Hope Enduro built up complete?

Narrow & heavy. The lip to hold the bead is a nice feature though.

Ive not ridden the Arc's but my old Havoc rims were good. Even with a few dings in them they never lost pressure when running tubeless tyres and they always seated first time. They're still in service after 3 years but are now on my old DH bike.

I've found the new 650b flows to be flawless and found they've stayed straight with negligible attention where previously I'd be needing to true my wheels often.

Currently debating this too but can't decide between the 27.5" EX471 and XM481. The 481 is wider and slightly lighter but I've never had an issue with dinging a rim.
Will be putting a 471 on the back as they are available in 26".

471's

got arc30's at present, not that impressed with the strength, few dings, one was quite bad, that had no adverse effect on the tyre (as in the tyre shrugged off the damamge without even a mark let alone a flat) but seemed to ding the rim quite badly, managed to get most of it out and it holds air fine mind

if I don't go carbon, ill be getting 471's next time

enduro/AM in europe and uplift places in the UK, I am going to Whistler

Whatever rim you choose you may have to just accept that no rim is indestructible, maybe just go cheaper and be ready to replace them or look for a crash replacement scheme

I have the 2014 process, which came with similar rims. Mine flat spotted after casing a jump (which is fair enough). I think the spokes they used were crap, if you look at the spec for the 2014 process 153 they're some random brand i've never heard of.

But I found that the spoke tension was appalling before then, having to stop halfway round Twrch to rebuild my rear wheel on the bikes second outing. Since then I've re-tensioned the wheels about 3-4 times. Finally they've stopped loosening off.

Retensioned them before heading to the Alps for 3 weeks last summer dreading the inevitable collapse of my wheels, but they held firm. Whilst my mates new wheels were popping spokes every other day.

forgot to add - same with mine as above, the rear has lost tension in the spokes around 5 times now from a fresh new build, once it was terrible, with about 8 spokes causing the wheel to dish out and rub the inside of my frame) thought it was the shop build at first, but given it keeps happening, and you are saying the same, it appears it maybe to do with the rim or similar!

assume yours are ARC right jackhammer?

would add with the process, the back end is very stiff, so components; wheels, mechs, etc seem to get a real rattling around, definitely get the wheels built up tight and check them regularly

Mine came with WTB ST i23 TCS, the spokes are Sandvik Stainless 14g.

Happy for now, just got a wonky rear wheel and check the tension with my fingers after every ride or so.

I echo what Kimbers says above, very stiff rear swingarm.