Ok, I am after the holy grail of rims: I need one that is light enough to ride all day, but strong enough for downhilling and bike parks. Any suggestions?

sun doubletrack………….mtfu type of rim 😈

SUN SOSs are pretty decent for the money (Under £25 each). I'm impressed with mine. At 520g they can take owt I care to dish out to them. 🙂

Doubletracks are far too heavy I would have thought.

Ive heard of a more than a few people using the hope hoops / Stans rims as a lightweight DH rim without any major issues.

which ones? the flows?

Yep I can vouch for the Stans Flow rim as being strong enough to survive moderate DH use. I've used a set many times at Forrest of Dean without any problems (and I'm 105kg) running dual ply tyres. I probably wouldn't risk them at a rocky venue though. They build into a strong wheel that can also be used for all day riding; typical weight is around 1.8kg for a set (front and rear). Weighed a mate's set up recently at 1.8kg for the rear and just under a kilo for the front. Spec was Hope Pro II hubs, brass nipples, DT Swiss DB spokes, rim strips, stans sealant and Spesh Eskar tubeless tyres.

I'll have a look at those but would want them to stand up to rock.

Any other suggestions?

If you've got the budget, get the Stans Flow… But they ain't cheap!

If you're on a budget, go for Mavic EN521's. They're half the price of Stans (if not cheaper!). They're basically a disc specific version of the tried and tested EX721… Only the bonus is not only are they cheaper, they're also 50g lighter at 540g instead of 590g! Oh, and contrary to what people might say, unlike the EN321 rim, the EN521 is welded (like the EX721) and not pinned, meaning its stronger…

Flows are light (circa 460g) but are only really suitable for light DH work or if you are a nice smooth rider. They are certainly not a bulletproof DH rim. If you're not really riding full on DH or are fairly smooth then you should be fine and I doubt you'll find a better rim but if you're heavier and riding harder or liable to just batter through stuff then maybe look elsewhere.

For sure the Flows won't stand up to too much abuse over rocky courses. You're kind of asking too much of a wheel unless you're light/very smooth.

I like Maverick's suggestion; a 521 is going to be noticeably heavier than the flow but you'll get away with a lot more and even if you can feel the extra weight, it's hardly going to break the bank. I've run 721s in the past as a full on DH rim and they aren't beyond being dinged quite readily either. The real issue here is that unless you're running something that weighs upwards of 680g, like an 823 or 729, you're probably going to get dings in the rim, but then, most of the time these aren't going to make the wheel useless.

This guy reckons Flows are good enough for DH racing at Dunkeld, pretty rocky there no?

http://www.wheelpro.co.uk/flow_info.php

Sun Singletracks might be worth a shout. Lighter than 721's and pretty strong, also nice and cheap.

I run a 721 on my bike on the rear and they are definitely strong but they ding pretty easily if you hit rocks hard and fast.

Mavic 823

the stans rims have quite a low profile sidewall don't they – presumably that little bit less likely to pinch flat or bend the rim ?

Sure but you may as well run them tubeless as you'll save useful weight and reduce the puncture issue considerably.

the flows are good and they wont hurt your pocket too much. crank bros are getting cheaper too the iodine are worth a look. we were at for bill this year and the crank bros were the only rims coming off the hill still round……
joe x

Sun Singletracks are what I am using at the moment but the rear one appears to be knackered. Might have a look at those 521s and if not go with another Singletrack.

Thanks for the input.