I’ve got a Sonder Camino frame on order and I’m gonna try and build it up with second hand bits or deals(😂) if I can find any.
Been looking at the DT Swiss website and in my head at least the 700c/29 xr331s look like they could make a decent gravel wheel, is anyone else running these or am I better off looking at something else?
Bump
Might be of interest: https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/what-new-gravel-rim/
@ogden I built some wheels for my Sonder Camino with DT XR361s, it was a toss up between them and the fractionally narrower XR331.
Chose the XR361 as I run quite wide tyres for gravel, I wouldn't have wanted to run much over 40mm tyres on the XR331 personally. The assymetric rim also means I only have two spoke lengths for the whole wheelset.
They work great, build up pretty light using XTR hubs and very strong, as they are effectively non-boost XC racing wheels.
Built a number of DT rims over the past few years and they are really nice to build.
The rims include the special Squorx nipples and washers too, which make them even easier to build.
@snotrag what did the wheels end up weighing with XR361's?
Off the top of my head I cant remember - but I did remember it being less than the equivalent Hunt wheels that I was going to purchase for a similar end cost - https://www.huntbikewheels.com/collections/gravel-wheels/products/hunt-4-season-gravel-disc-x-wide-wheelset
They are 1600 something, I think mine came out at fractionally under 1600. Which I dont think is bad for something thats basically an MTB wheel.
The DT spoke calculator will also do weights pretty accurately if you know your hub weights and use DT spokes.
Off the top of my head I cant remember – but I did remember it being less than the equivalent Hunt wheels that I was going to purchase for a similar end cost – https://www.huntbikewheels.com/collections/gravel-wheels/products/hunt-4-season-gravel-disc-x-wide-wheelset
They are 1600 something, I think mine came out at fractionally under 1600. Which I dont think is bad for something thats basically an MTB wheel.
The DT spoke calculator will also do weights pretty accurately if you know your hub weights and use DT spokes.
I've built a set of XM481's and ex511's and like building with DT rims and nips.
Was that with CX ray spokes I presume?
Chose the XR361 as I run quite wide tyres for gravel, I wouldn’t have wanted to run much over 40mm tyres on the XR331 personally. The assymetric rim also means I only have two spoke lengths for the whole wheelset
I don't see the slightest issue running tyres over 40mm up to say 45mm on a 20mm internal XR331, they'll be at higher pressures than your typical XC tyre and lets be honest, the profile is going to be absolutely fine, not trendy, but fine.
@steve_b77 absolutely - I used to run my DH bike with 2.3 Tioga Factory DH's on 19mm wide Mavic rims back in the day!
Bit I figured as the rim cost was the same, the extra 30 grammes was worth it. I'm running 700x50 on my gravel bike too 😉
I've got Crests (21.5mm internal) which split the difference between the two DT's.
I wouldn't say they were always better though. The narrow R460's on my other bike have their advantages too.
Wide rims feel sketchy when you try and push the bike down like a mountain bike in the corners, it feels happier being ridden like a road bike hanging off the inside of the saddle, which then feels sketchy when it slips and you can't correct for it.
Narrow rims feel quicker and more agile to turn, and feel like they're scrubbing less on tarmac/hardpack. That's offset slightly by the Crests being 200g/pair lighter.
Building them again I would have gone slightly narrower with the 42mm tyres. The Crests would suit something closer to a monstercross or 50mm x 650b.
Narrow rims feel quicker and more agile to turn, and feel like they’re scrubbing less on tarmac/hardpack.
I wouldn't mind betting the agility and less scrubbing is down to the more rounded tyre profile allowing the (probably) more pronounced shoulder knobs to actually bite at their intended angle as opposed to already being almost in touch with the ground and hitting it at an angle they're not designed to and "scrubbing / scabbling" over it.
I guess to a certain extent it comes down to what rims I can actually find in stock for a decent price. The XR331's were in stock at Bikester for a decent price with duty/vat pre paid and looked to fit the bill. So far all I've ordered is a DT 350 rear hub n 28h 12x142 for £90 from CRC.
If they wouldn't take so long I'd go for some Light Bicycle carbon rims perhaps.
I wouldn’t mind betting the agility and less scrubbing is down to the more rounded tyre profile allowing the (probably) more pronounced shoulder knobs to actually bite at their intended angle as opposed to already being almost in touch with the ground and hitting it at an angle they’re not designed to and “scrubbing / scabbling” over it.
Also, don't forget tyres are a 3D shape, it's not a flat sheet you're rolling into a tube. If you put them on a wide rim, yes it increases the diameter of the cross-section, but by flattening the profile like that you're also forcing an increase in the diameter* of the shoulder around the circumference of the tyre and relatively reducing the same measurement around the centre of the tread, it's no longer loading all the threads across the carcass evenly. Between that and the tyre pressure, you're going to make the tyre move differently over the ground which is probably another reason why it feels a bit sketchier.
currently got hope fortus 30's on my gravel bike with 42mm resolutes on, survived a very flinty new forest rando over the weekend and have the added bonus they will also work with my 130mm full sus 🙂