MiniLDs bird came with dtSwiss E1900 wheels and he has killed the rear in about 7 months. Took it to local repair chap and he can’t do anything due to alloy spoke nipples stripped or stuck and lots of dents and flat spots. Would cost around 170 to build a new rim on the relatively cheap hub.
So do I try a similar “disposable” wheel for 200ish or go for a serviceable decent build, e.g. Dt rim on pro 4, for about 350? The thought being that if/when he trashes the next rim I’m still looking at significant rebuild cost. Feels wrong having throw away wheels though.
He rides pretty hard and fast, inners, golfie, Fort Bill, Stirling local, etc etc and now runs rimpacts.
Anyone with similar experiences or advice?

Tediously predictable perhaps, but if he’s likely to go through rims regularly then building them yourself might be worth a go? Then if one gets dented to death you can swap to a new one without having to de- and re-lace (assuming he hasn’t pretzeled it at the same time).

Otherwise- heavier casing tyre and a tyre insert might be more suited than tougher rim?

You are probably thinking of the dt ex511 rim, which has a superb reputation and I’ve certainly found very tough and confidence inspiring.

Not had that long on them yet, but the ex471 amazed me with the hits they took and never really dinged or went out of true. And that was before I used inserts.

You mention he has Rimpacts now. Does he also have a tough carcass rear tyre?

Brass nipples. More reliable for maintenance, and it looks like this will be in your future.

He’s on Michelin Wild Enduros so fairly tough.
And yes brass nipples are what we need but only seem to get them in proper builds or posh wheels. The cheapish factory builds seem to come with alloy nipples to make them harder to maintain!
As for self builds, hmm not very patient with bike maintenance but maybe I should learn.

@LD –

Jack killed those DT wheels in double quick time.

We’ve worked out that DH or Enduro carcass and inserts is a must on any wheel. He’s on wild enduros too.

the rims and spokes held up well on a Halo Vortex, but a day of loose cassette in France split the freewheel and hub shell…

He’s now not destroyed a Newmen Evo including last summer’s month in the Alps. Still with insert and beefy tyres. Just don’t look at the cost.

Was going to ask Jack as I know he’s had similar issues. Can’t decide if it’s worth big spend or not.

First step is getting him to learn how to build his own wheels. Second step is buying s superstar dh rim in the same size, hoping the inner diameter is good enough to use the old spokes on and a new set of nipples.

They were £25 a pop last time I checked..

£170 for a new rim build 😳, You can get spokes as little as 25p each so thats under a tenner then a decent rim for £60, that leaves £100 for a wheel builder. I’ve picked up plenty bargain rims in the past, doing my own wheels has cost me as little as £30 per wheel, my most expensive rebuild was £80.

Can’t decide if it’s worth big spend or not.

If it was my money, I would have bought the Halo wheel again. It was more user error and alps DH for 4 weeks that damaged it.

It was however his cash…so he went posh.

Without doubt, relace with brass nipples and EX471/511 rim. Best bang for buck option.

As for self builds, hmm not very patient with bike maintenance but maybe I should learn.

Then make him learn to build his own wheels which’ll also teach him to ride smoother as a nice side effect.

Maybe a skills course to help with technique! A lot of newer and younger riders do tend to slam the back wheel into things rather than having a bit of finesse. Especially as some people have only ridden big full sus bikes where you don’t feel the impact as much.
I’ve never broken a rear wheel despite loving downhill riding, maybe it’s because I grew up with fully rigid bikes? Just a theory.

Even if he’s just casing jumps a lot a course would improve that sort of riding. Jedi is the man to see. 😀

It might be money well spent!

It does just depend on how and where you ride, I am hard on wheels, I used to run full DH tyres with high pressures back in the 26″ days for everything.

Basically, as above, building wheels isnt really difficult and is a decent skill to have.
There isnt really anything wrong with alloy nipples, people just get a bit ham-fisted and blame them when over forcing them rather than addressing the issue, (often imo)

Buy him a EX511 (will come with nipples), and the spokes of the right length for the hub, set him away with youtube and tell him to learn what he’s doing.
Or join him and build a wheel yourself at the same time.
I like ali clarksons video on it, and watch it every time I build a wheel as its now infrequently for me.

And use an insert, this for me has been a revelation, havent ruined a rim since, running much lower pressure, and a lighter tyre to make up some of the weight diff.
My fave is pro-core, but only other system I have used is rimpact.

Last thought @LD – we have battled the lower tyre pressure fashion thing with both Jack and Ben. Running an extra few psi has really helped – Jack went from battering front rim to running no insert for a year with no problems.

@b230ftw – The skill is there with mini_LD, it is more the speed and gnar-trails they ride. Where I back off to preserve my bike, they chase Strava times….

I have noticed that eldest_oab breaks less after a torrid time in the alps two years ago when he spent a fortune after crashes, days waiting for mechanics etc. He is no slower, just knows more when to pile in and when to ease a touch it seems. And now he pays….

Those places are hard on bikes and he may be quick!
Try a DH rim. Halo would be a good place to start for a whole rear wheel

My lad was a serial wheel wrecker, flicking rapid turns on steep ground and crashing through rock gardens his specialty. A hope fortus rim (the braced dh one not the wider flimsier one), a Michelin DH22 tyre with a nukeproof insert has cured it. The back wheel does now weigh as much as the rest of the bike, mind!

Tbh the hub on the e1900 is ok – it’s not massively quick but I ran one for almost 3 years before selling the wheelset still in ok condition. I’m not sure if they come straight pull or j bend but you could just look to stick a better rim on that hub for a cheaper option.

DT Swiss EX511 or FR560 – the latter being the strongest option. It’s a shame about Brexit nailing cheaper European parts at the moment – Starbike have often been good for DT Swiss rims. Although last time I bought some I got a good price at CRC.

I’ve been building my own wheels a few years now and had no real issues. Just followed the Sheldon Brown wheelbuilding guide. But an lbs would build a new rim onto your hub – I’d guess around £50 – £70 labour.

Either that or you could look to pickup a Bitex hub as a cheaper option than Hope Pro4 and build a rim onto that. Someone like Ryan builds wheels is worth a look.

If you can get a rim with same size inner it is super easy to do a rim swap and just replaced nipples and a few busted spokes. Tape the new rim to the old wheel and crack on. Plenty of videos to help.

Just to add if you find EX / FR rims have the exact same erd as above, they generally come with squorx nipples and phr washers in the box.

Re-use the existing hub and swap the rim out for an EX471. The E1900 rims arn’t as tough as they are a cheap alloy and construction (fairly sure the E13’s are the same)

The EX471 in renowned for being very strong, gwin doing a full dh run on just the rim! I run the XM481/421 on my bikes and have no dents or dings, one set of the 481’s is coming up 3 years and still going strong.

If its been built with DT alloy nipples, then the heads are a bit softer and you need the 4 sided DT spoke key. If its been built with squorx alloy nipples, then they can be tensioned from the rim bed side. If you arn’t bothered by weight, then go for the squorx brass.