New Wheels!

Three years ago I bought some carbon 29er wheel rims direct from Light Bicycles in China. In terms of bang for your buck they were hard to beat! Laced to No Tubes 3.30 hubs using Sapim spokes, they built up into a 1500g wheelset. As a benchmark Specialized’s 1400g Roval SL’s are a common sight on cross country race bikes. The rim profiles and intended use are identical, but they are over twice the cost of my Light Bicycle wheels.

In three years I didn’t encounter any issues with durability and the customer service has always been superb. It is testament to both the rims and Darren who built them up for me, that they have remained straight and true from day one. However two rock strikes, one on the front which was repairable and a more serious one on the rear that wasn't, have finally brought the curtain down on these wheels adventures after 3000 miles.

So what to replace them with? If I had a pot of gold or a generous sponsor it might have been ENVE’s or the Rovals. As XC racer on a family budget another visit to the now much slicker Light Bicycles website was the way to go.

Three years ago ordering direct from Light Bicycles in China felt like a bit of a risk. I now know several riders who like me have been riding hard on their Light Bicycles wheels with no worries about durability. The amount of positive reports and feedback online is also testament to the quality of the products they produce. No fear now that these are just cheap, knock-off copies of established brands products, that will crumble to dust  at the first sight of dirt. Or that Light Bicycles customer support will vanish if there is a hint of a problem.

It is also interesting that the review of my old wheels is the most visited page on this blog.

www.light-bicycle.com  now offers  a broad range of different rim options for a diverse range of cycling disciplines and riding styles. Since 2013 the trend has been toward hookless rims. Removing the un-necessary bead hook to hold the tyre makes the rims easier to manufacture, as they do not need the secondary machining process to create the internal profile. It also leaves the carbon fibre structure intact, with the reported advantage of increasing overall strength.

My current rim profile - with bead hook

New rim profile - without bead hook

I opted for the lightest, cross country focused rims, clicked the online order button and waited 2 weeks for the tracked parcel to whizz around the world in a couple of days and then crawl through UK customs and the final 40 miles from the airport to my house! The website states a 360g weight +/- 15g. I asked if they could choose some rims at the lighter end of the scale and quickly received an email to say they were happy to oblige. Straight out the box and onto the scales the combined weight was 718g. The internal 22mm width is a little wider than my old rims and should be wide enough to fit a 2.3in tyre, which is about as large as I can imagine ever needing to go. 

New hoops!

 

The rims cost $380 plus £26 UK customs and handling fee. Building them up onto my existing hubs makes them without doubt the most cost effective route to a quality set of replacement carbon wheels. A ride review will follow when Darren has woven his magic!