• This topic has 24 replies, 14 voices, and was last updated 6 years ago by oink1.
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  • Fatbike rim width – is 55mm to narrow?
  • monkeyboyjc
    Full Member

    I’m going to be building up a new set of wheels for the fat bike and would like some narrower rims than the 80mm’s I currently have, but all I’ve found is 65mm or 70mm carbon rims which I can’t afford.
    I could get some 55mm alloy ones though – but is 55mm too narrow for 3.8″tyres?
    Will the rounder tyre profile be a bad thing?

    hofnar
    Free Member

    Many ride with 47 mm rims I have done 1000’s on either trialtech SL or Bonz rims. It makes your tire rounder, which decreases the rish on sidewall cut. Brings the knobblies more to the sde and makes for better corner grip on front wheel. Negative a bit les damping, less grip on the really loos stuff and you float a bit less on the mushy stuff.

    firestarter
    Free Member

    I used to have 80 now have 65 marge lite. I’m not sure I’d want any narrower tbh

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    JohnClimber
    Free Member

    I’m with Firestarter.

    What’s the point of a fat bike if you don’t have fat rims?

    dovebiker
    Full Member

    I built my first fatbike wheel with a Velocity Dually rim which is 45mm – was fine with a 3.8″/4″ tyre and will work fine unless planning to run ultra-low pressures like 2psi where tyre squirm becomes more noticeable. For all-round use a 65mm rim is great – the only time I found it a problem was in deep snow.

    monkeyboyjc
    Full Member

    Specifically i’m thinking of some fatlab 55’s.

    Charlie the bikemonger has them on offer – if i dont get on with them I’ll just save up for some carbon ones….

    thisisnotaspoon
    Free Member

    Ive been contemplating Surly marge rims too.

    I ride my fat bike everywhere so rounder tyres make more sense to me, I can always let air out for a bog, I cant make rims narrower/tyres rounder on a fun bit.

    Looking at yank forums rabbit holes and marge rims are far more common in the US outside of Alaska or Minesota.

    tuboflard
    Full Member

    I’d think 55mm is somewhere between plus and fat (plus plus?) but as others have said, will affect tyre profile. I’d personally err on the side of caution and look for nearer 65mm.

    monkeyboyjc
    Full Member

    thanks all – I’ve pushed the button on the fatlab 55’s.
    I’ll keep my OM set of wheels (80mm rims) for snow / winter use. (if we ever get decent snow in Gloucestershire).

    At £40 a rim it not a massive loss if I really don’t like them. With some hope fatsno’s and decent spokes I should be able to build a light (for fatbikes) set of wheels.

    CheesybeanZ
    Full Member

    Young Tazzy runs and recommends Fatlab 55s , hes not exactly shy on his bike – rides tge Peak and Cannock off piste stuff with no problems .

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    Used o have 100mm they were shite for trail riding .

    Good on soft surface most of my riding how ever was trail so I rebuilt into 48mm tryalls

    Far far better to ride 95% of the time

    monkeyboyjc
    Full Member

    Well fatlab 55s were bought, Slam69 built them up and I got some nates as well….
    Just fitted them (tubeless was a synch) and I’ve saved 2kg in rotational weight! Over the OEM wheels and onone tyres.
    https://www.instagram.com/p/BOpWWnhgIBf/

    thisisnotaspoon
    Free Member

    Looks ace, what were the OEM wheels? Just curious because Nates are actually heavier than floaters (unless you had some of the heavy batch of floaters).

    monkeyboyjc
    Full Member

    Thanks – the original wheels were no name 80mm drilled rims (single wall) on no name hubs and straight gauge spokes. These were set up with tubes though so theres possibly 7or800g there.

    The new wheels are fatlab 55’s (lighter than dtswiss br710’s) and hope fatsno’s built up with dtswiss competition double butted spokes and orange nipples. Total cost with the build was £420 so a fair bit cheaper (£200) than the dtswiss equivalent and around 100g per wheel lighter.

    I’ve a set of jumbo Jims for the summer which will save a further 700g overall.

    thisisnotaspoon
    Free Member

    Cheers, interesting to know, I suppose the hope hubs probably save a few grams too. I’m thinking I’ll probably go down a similar route in the summer and swap the On-one wheels for something narrower. I’d been thinking hugo’s or carbon but those fatlabs are the same weight as hugs and a fraction of the price.

    JohnClimber
    Free Member

    If anyone is looking to save weight on a fat bike, then fat biking maybe isn’t for you.
    Just get on, ride and smile

    rOcKeTdOg
    Full Member

    If anyone is looking to save weight on a fat bike, then fat biking maybe isn’t for you.
    Just get on, ride and smile

    Says the man with carbon lauf forks & a Ti frame 😉

    thisisnotaspoon
    Free Member

    If anyone is looking to save weight on a fat bike, then fat biking maybe isn’t for you.
    Just get on, ride and smile

    I disagree, they benefit from a bit of weight reduction just like any other bike. Doubly so when 90% of them are built down to a budget that appeals to n+1 purchasers and are ripe for a bit of weight saving.

    You may as well replace fat with MTB, and then cross, then road, then track in a reductio ad absurdum.

    monkeyboyjc
    Full Member

    A 2kg weight save on a set of fat bike wheels will make a greater difference to performance than a ti frame 😉

    postierich
    Free Member

    Never had any issues running Hugo Rims 52 on 4.0 tyres and I,m a cack handed roughen when on the trails!

    walleater
    Full Member

    I’ve been thinking about this with regards to a potential future bike. I might ‘need’ a winter commuter next year judging by this year (Squamish BC) and have been thinking about a Trek Farley EX 8 (if it’s still available). I’d probably want to run 3″ tires in the summer and 4″ in the winter and the stock rims are 80mm. Maybe I’d get away with something like Easton ARC 45 but I guess more realistically around 55mm might be better.

    monkeyboyjc
    Full Member

    pretty limited on choice of 26×3″ tyres – surly knard may be some others.
    If it’s a second set of wheels i’d go with set of standard 27.5 rims instead (same dia as 26×3) or even 27.5+.

    walleater
    Full Member

    Yeah, the farley EX is 27.5 so I’d be looking at ‘Plus’ tires for summer.

    heliuscc
    Free Member

    Where can you buy fatlab 55s in U.K.?

    oink1
    Free Member

    helluscc –

    monkeyboyjc – Member
    Specifically i’m thinking of some fatlab 55’s.

    Charlie the bikemonger has them on offer – if i dont get on with them I’ll just save up for some carbon ones….

    🙂

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