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I'd love some Stans Flows at 28mm external and 22mm internal and 470g, or possibly even some of the new Arch EX's as they've got a 21mm internal width yet only 400g, but I'm not paying 60 odd quid a rim, even if I had the money, which I don't... Bike is a 5" travel trail bike FWIW, currently got Mavic 819 UST rims on which at 24mm external and a lot narrower internal, are narrow and heavy (515g all up including the nipple bed thingies) and don't give that good a profile on the 2.25"+ tyres I like to run. Tubeless compatibility isn't an issue as I'm happy going ghetto if needs be, or a rimstrip etc.
So... Been looking to see what else is around... So have spotted these...
- Mavic EN521 @ £28 each, heavier than I'd like at 540g but I know they're strong as I've used them before, but might be overkill.
- Sun Ringle EQ29 @ £17.50 each, still heavier than I'd like at 520g each, but getting there, no knowledge of them though so don't how how strong.
- Sun Ringle EQ27 @ £35 each (more than I wanna spend for defo), 480g each, possibly slightly narrow at 19.5mm internal, but don't know. Again no knowledge as haven't used them.
- Sun Ringle Rhyno Lite XL @ £16 each, 29.5mm wide with 22mm internal, 520g each, pretty strong iirc rode a bike with a pair a couple of times. but any good against newer designs?
- Superstar AM-490 @ £25 each, 30mm wide 23mm internal, not used them so don't know if any good (though I'm sure will be made by a decent enough rim manufacturer under license anyway), claimed weight sub 500g but heard stories they're more like 550g each (can anyone confirm?)
Anybody care to add to that list? Or are Flow's really that good that I should just sell a load of other bits and pieces to pay for them?
Strong, light & cheap... choose any two, said Mr Bontrager.
flows are that good..... at least i am a convert used en521 strong but heavy same as sun ringle rhyno...the flows and tubeless do make a huge difference
Strong, light & cheap... choose any two, said Mr Bontrager.
I know, I know, I'm trying to cheat though! 😉
Sun make great rims: My Singletracks lasted for years, and for everything from xc epics to the Whistler bike park.
flows are that good..... at least i am a convert used en521 strong but heavy same as sun ringle rhyno...the flows and tubeless do make a huge difference
Hmmmm... Not boding well!
Before I do anything rash, where's the cheapest for Flows? Suppose could wait til CRC have another offer code on for a weekend where you save £12 or however much off any order over a certain value, as they're £59.99 each there.
Is that Keiths excuse for most Bontrager kit being weak and shit.? ^^
flows are no way worth 60 quid, are they no longer cheaper if bought pre-built into hope hoops? I'd go that route or S/H irf you really want them.
mboy can I ask do you have a maverick durance?
What's your rim preference GW? Kinda with you on the "not being worth £60" front, that's twice the price of most similar rims, but they do appeal.
Yes vondally, I do indeed
Get some in the States, if you're going over there? I picked up some Crests for £30 each, I think - still not cheap by Mavic standards, but less of a kick in the wallet?
Or, as said elsewhere, get some new Hope Hoops with Flows.
Some unbuilt stans Olympics in classifieds, though I lost interest after lack of response from OP.
Cheers Shorty121, but the 355's and the Olympics are a bit too lightweight/narrow for what I have in mind. I've used 355's before, and rate them, but I'm after something wider and a bit stronger.
Get some in the States, if you're going over there? I picked up some Crests for £30 each, I think - still not cheap by Mavic standards, but less of a kick in the wallet?
Sadly not going to happen anytime...
Or, as said elsewhere, get some new Hope Hoops with Flows.
Don't need new hubs (and don't like Hope Pro2's anyway, too noisy freehub, and the 24mm convertor to fit my Maverick forks is a REAL bodge job), just rims... Very happy with my current hubs thanks.
721s
- been using them since they were called 521s and used their predecessor the 121 before that.
I do use a Flow on the rear of my hardtail but drilled it out to run shrader tubes as I can't get away with tubeless on the rear (don't really get away with it on the front either if I'm honest, I can't run less than 32psi on the front tubeless with an 823 on the DH bike with a 3C dual ply without burping and running the risk of rolling the tyre off and even at that pressure I still occasionally burp it).
I'm happy with the weight to strength of 721s even for XC and notice the difference in striffness between Flows and 721s instantly.
My comment about them not being worth the money is because there's nothing special about the manufacturing process compared to any other non tubeless rim. With mavic tubeless rims I can understand the higher price
are Flow's really that good
I've just swapped my rear one for an EX729 cos I made it square 
Only used it for 6 or 7 rides, so value for money it was not, but then I have been doing some silly things of late.
Hey Hey Mboy - you should check out the Pacentis TL28 on JRA if you want really wide and light. (I think they are 28mm ext) They won't save you any money though, but the boys at JRA seem to rate them. They might not suit tight clearances. I went for 355s on my flux and Arch EX for me new Salsa.
No idea on what they're like (nor price) but the weights vs. widths of WTB rims dont look too bad? (23mm 470g, 21mm 500/500g) Frequency 123, Speed Disc 121, Laser Disc 121
What makes Flows good is the shape they give big tyres, the actual build and material of them is a bit pants compared to Mavic... but until the French company start making wider rims Flows win for me. But if a thud gets past the tyre the rim is usually toast as they really are not strong. Tempted to try Spank oozi or others which can be found cheap sometimes.
Cheers GW, will agree on the 721's being great, but I don't need that strength myself on a Trail bike, so I might as well go lighter is my thought. I've been fine with 721's on a DH bike before...
Rob Hilton, echoing same comments. You're probably riding a lot harder than me, or using it for something it wasn't designed for.
TimCotic, saw those Pacenti's the other day. Great in principle (price aside), but at that width and such a low weight, I'd worry that they weren't actually very strong cos of a complete lack of material. That and £70 for a rim is a joke!
james, can't find much info about WTB rims any more, CRC seem out of stock of pretty much everything, and they don't seem that light for their widths either compared to Sun Ringle or Mavic.
I quite like the look of the Syncros DS28's I've just seen, but again, not that light.
Anyone used the Superstar AM-490's and care to comment?
Haven't looked at WTB rims in a while but they used to have a rim in the same category/size/weight as pretty much everything Mavic did (other than tubeless) in use I always found WTBs Speed disc (DH and FR) rims to be similar to their Mavic equivalent for durability in both dent resistance and bending (Mavics crack easier tho).
I have a brand new set of Superstar Am wheels in white boxed in my garage
Light they are not , but feel really strong . Not sure on the actual model , can go and look if you want . Although i thnk you only want rims?
velocity P35's are ace 530g 35mm wide strong like a bear and give a massive tyre volume.
oh and can be run tubeless with a tape and valve a la stans
729's are probably the best value rims I have ever owned. Proved to be indestructible so far despite my best efforts.
Dear to buy initially but worth it long term.
All rims are disposable items IMO
729s weigh shit loads and are not massively stronger than 721s, infact I always thought they dinged easier and were no stronger when it came to flatspotting and cracking (my spare DH wheels were often 729s)
Singletrackmind, only need the rims...
tazzy, P35's would be ace for a rigid with BIG tyres, but too wide for my full sus with 2.25's I reckon, as well as silly money still.
coolhandluke, 729's weigh a tonne and are complete overkill, would also be too fat for my bike too as the width would square the profile of the tyres off way too much.
All rims are disposable items IMO
He's got a point...
Which brings me back to just ordering some Sun Ringle EQ29's at £17.50 each... Nice width, weight is ok, not gonna be riding full on DH on them so I'm sure they'll be tough enough, to a point...
521's are my choice for a tough rim. For a trail bike they are probably overkill unless you are A) heavy B) clumsy or C) ride your trail bike like a dh bike.
kudos100, A) I'm just under 12 stone, B) Can be but not compared to a lot of riders I know, C) Try to, but I'll be honest it doesn't quite work out like that.
Though at only 25g per rim more than I'm running now (plus maybe another 25g for a rimstrip) it's not a massive weight increase.