Arch or Flows, Flows or Arch – decide for me please

I need a lighter wheelset.
The 721 rear I’m towing at the mo is stupid heavy and ott for the riding I’m capable of doing.
The Flow is WIDE at 25.5mm and 90grms heavier than the Arch – overkill?
The Arch measures up at 21mm internal, which should be fine (same as the 721’s right?) but looking at the tiny bead socket is a 2.4 tyre going to hang on ok or should I just go heavier with the flows?

Thoughts?…

Arch EX?

Flow Arch Mashup Madness – Flow on rear Arch on Front.

Crest 😉

2.4 will be fine, even on crest.

It’s my experience that 2.4s work much better on the flow ex, having swapped from the arch ex for that very reason. Sure the arch will work but you get the tyre squirming around sooner and miss out on the benifits of the extra volume.

@ plython, what tyres you running on your crests?

swingbing, do you notice weight difference?

I run a Flow on the front and Arch on the back, as I prefer a bigger tyre on the front and the wider rim gives it a better shape. Gives a nice oversteery ride 😀 Arch seems more than strong enough to cope.

Yeah, but its about half an average weight inner tube each end. For me the pros of the extra width far out weight the weight penalty. Depends what you are looking for but I’d say if you’re planning on running 2.4’s it’s a no brainer. If I were building a full on xc bike with 2.1’s it’d be a different story. What bike are they for?

This thread needs more factors- what 2.4 is it? A vaguely accurate 2.4 or a massively crooked 2.4? 😉

Arch/ Arch Ex ought to be fine. Crest might be fine… I’d happily use a Crest even for pretty hard work but it’s definitely a tradeoff, you lose the margin for error that the meatier rims give you.

I spoke to a chap at Stans a while back, about the repositioning of the range- Flow took a bit of a step up when they Exxed it and became officially a DH rim. Response was “Well, most people who bought Flows should have got Arches, so we just decided to make it more obvious”

I run 2.4 schwalbes but would also like the option of running a smaller tyre esp on the back as retro83 does.
At over an inch internal width the flow does look more of a DH rim
Hmmm… your silver tongue may be swaying me towards the arches Northwind

Thanks all

I have 2.1 nobbly nics on my crest, but I wouldnt hesitate with 2.4.

Arch ex’s will be fine, I’ve had a 2.5 Exo minion tubeless on the front without any issues, now on butcher/purgatory control 2.3’s which I find work really well tubeless. I have flow ex’s on the bigger bike but the arch ex’s have taken plenty of stick.

Thanks stevede , good info. That could be me pulling the trigger on the Arch EX. 🙂
Also, whats the volume like on the purgatory compared to the 2.5 minion?

Cheers

here’s my new one – with a 2.35 rr on. it’s wee bit thinner than my 721 on the gloryhole, and pretty light.

A 2.3 Butcher Control came in 0.09″ smaller than the 2.5 minion when I measured last night.
Same rim (21mm internal) at same pressures. The minion was actually 2.24″.

hairyscary – Member

A 2.3 Butcher Control came in 0.09″ smaller than the 2.5 minion when I measured last night.Same rim (21mm internal) at same pressures. The minion was actually 2.24″.

Aye… Old Maxxis, everything one size smaller than claimed (the 2.7 Highroller measured 2.5 😉 )