Submitted by
matt
a Cross Country Rider
from Lala land, SoCal
Date Reviewed: February 19, 2006
Strengths: light, build up easily, looks
Weaknesses: quality control
Bottom Line:
I absolutely love these rims. They come in great colors; gold, red, black, silver. I got mine new from ebay for $30 for both. They are very light, and build up well using wheelsmith 14g spokes and LX hubs. I've put maybe 150 miles on them so far and am very impressed. Only a little touch up truing since the spokes settled in and I built them myself. Braking surface is above reproach, and the gold anodized color is unique and just lovely on my bike. Tires go on just a little tough (you will never get these to come off / on without a tire lever), but that's ok with me. The braking surface at the weld is not perfectly even by eyeballing it, but I do not notice any issues with braking. As stated in the name, these are XC rims (meaning not intended for DH / FR) and I would probably not use them for extreme riding, but for serious XC riding, they perform flawlessly. Five stinky turds all around.
First off, I'm a commuter not a mad mtb'er. What I lack in dishing abuse on my products I make up for in mileage. I had the wheelset handbuilt locally. So let's see...0 Degree XCs (32h)laced to WTB Speed XC hubs. I weigh about 185lbs, my bike weights about 30lbs (yes, it's a tank...like any good commuter), and I pack about 25lbs worth of stuff on my commute (all on the rear). Take all that weight and factor in 1,500 miles of hopin' curbs, pot holes, bunny hoping speed bumps, charity rides, etc. I'll tell ya they're just as true as the day they were built. They're welded and machined; what more could you ask for? Buy them and get them laced by a quality builder. You won't be sorry.
Strengths: Stays true after 3 years of abuse and fun. Side wall is fairly hard...I still use rim brakes. Cheap US made. Color - black. Decals and weight.
Weaknesses: NONE. Cousins are slowly disappearing. Had hard time looking for another set.
Bottom Line:
This is better than the Mavic 517 (freeride rim) that I had for only like a year. Side wall surface is hard and has a positive rim to pad contact. Sand, mud and dirt does not seem to bother this rim at all. I built a set myself and it stayed true until this very moment. This rim deserves a good rating. Found a good one again, Sun Singletack Disc rim.
Similar Products Used: mavic 519, bontrager valiant and valiant osb
Bike Setup: scott w/ lx drive train race face bars easton stem avid brakes.
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Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from Colorado Springs, CO USA
Date Reviewed: April 8, 2004
Strengths: Excellent all around XC rim: light, strong, AND cheap. No need to pick two.
Weaknesses: Changing flats is pretty difficult -- I often have to use two tire levers to get the tire bead unseated. This was never a problem with the Mavic rims I have used with the same tires.
Bottom Line:
A great deal for a great rim. Stay true even under my 180lb, poorly skilled ass, no doubt due in no small part to the excellent build from Web Cyclery. Hightly recommended.
Bike Setup: Santa Cruz Chameleon Singlespeed XT front hub, Surly rear
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Submitted by
Brian Koss
a Cross Country Rider
from Palo Alto, CA USA
Date Reviewed: May 22, 2003
Strengths: Cheap, Built in the USA, Machine sidewall when that was not the norm
Weaknesses: wore through the side wall in 2 years riding. The machining at the weld joint left it thin.
Bottom Line:
Rims have about a 1000 miles of cross country riding with some fairly hard downhills. They held up well from a truing standpoint and I lased them myself. I will use the spare I have to replace this wheel and if it craps out in 2 years I'll switch to the Mavics again. The origional trek wheels lasted 9 years and about 20000 miles half of that off road. Still have the original rim on the front. You trade off reliability for less weight. I think I got my moneys worth.
Submitted by
Andy
a Cross Country Rider
from Chicago, Il, USA
Date Reviewed: July 3, 2002
Strengths: Light, good braking surface, fast wheels. Welded, eyeletted
Weaknesses: I had to de-burr the rear rim before building. The drilling process left some sharp al scraps behind in the second wall
Bottom Line:
They seem strong. I wouldn't recommend them for recreational 'let's drink beer and hop off of stuff' rims for guys my size (6'5", 210 lbs), but they make good race rims. Climb easy, go fast. I give them 5 flamin' chilis for surviving this long with one minor ding from hopping a curb that turned into a 2' drop, and for lasting through various terrain. 4 chilis for value, 'cause they are a bit pricey compared to other rims
Strengths: Light strong and true. Nice machined sides for braking.
Weaknesses: Before you build these rims up ,check in the eyelet holes for little bits of drill chaff. I found several very sharp pieces of curly aluminum from the drilling process. Not really a weakness but you want to get that sheite out.
Bottom Line:
A very nice rim !I got the 0 degree XC and XC lite. They are both great rims. I laced them up to an XTR front hub(28 hole),and an XT rear(32). They have stayed strait and true with no adjustment at all! Its been at least 250 miles of off road bumps ,trails and jumps. They are very light weight and super strong. Very stiff and track great in nice tight singletrack. Great for anybody wanting a nice ride with out paying an arm and a leg for the 517. I would definitely buy them again. five flaming frogs!
Similar Products Used: Bontrager super stocks, Mavic 239(flexable at best). some low end sun L18 or somesuch.
Bike Setup: Full suspension XC rig. 100mm travel both ends.
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Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Temple,TX
Date Reviewed: May 11, 2002
Strengths: Stay True, pretty light, stop hard, look good, did I mention stay true
Weaknesses: With great spoke tension they look like they may stress, so do any mavics
Bottom Line:
I am not a little guy(190-200). I bashed these things at Flat Creek for 9 1/2 miles in a race, 13 miles preriding, and over a hundred at BLORA(it ain't smooth there) and have not had to do any major repairs. Can't say that for Mavic Cross Links. These guys are light and stay true. The sidewalls really stop hard. I ride Rhyno Lites mostly, but I am not scared to take these out if I don't feel like changing them. What kind of booger eatin' moron runs into a curb and doesn't think it should bend a rim. Learn to bunny hop or ride on trails. No rim is idiot proof. As for skinny and his 185 lbs., try building a wheel right and it will last. That helps alot. I really like these things, and the dude I talked to at Sun was super cool. Keep the tires in the dirt.
Similar Products Used: Ryhno lites(tough, use to train on)
Bike Setup: Giant XTC SE, 0* XC/XT hubs/dt spokes, panaracer fire x/c, Manitou Mars
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Submitted by
Josh
a Cross Country Rider
from Fairfax, VA
Date Reviewed: March 16, 2002
Strengths: Light, strong, stays true, machined sides, looks sweet in red, Sun/Ringle customer service is A-1. Dirt cheap if you buy them from Sun/Ringle "factory outlet"
Bottom Line:
Got these rims and some Rhyno Lites from Sunrims.com, sun/Ringle's website. They have a section called the "outlet" or something like that that sells product that supposedly has scratches or dings or whatever. I have ordered about 10 things from this "outlet" and have yet to find even the smallest scratch, ding, or defect in any of them! The prices are ridiculously cheap - like $20-$30 for rims that usually cost $60-$100. Check it out.
This is not the first set of these rims I've bought - they are the 5th - for my other bike and for some friends who also have no complaints about them. They're not THE lightest, but are pretty damn light. Strong, and keep their true just fine. The sides are machined for smooth braking (I don't think the 0 degree lite has machined edges, though) Besides that, they look good in red, black, yellow, or silver (the colors that are available). Can't beat the value or performance..
Bike Setup: Spicer custom aluminum, Mega-9 XT/XTR drivetrain, Manitou SXRTDS fork, Bontrager Crowbar, King HS, Sun Rhyno Lites and 0 degrees (depending on where I'm riding), XTR and Ringle hubs
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Submitted by
Dirk
a Cross Country Rider
from Belgium
Date Reviewed: November 4, 2001
Strengths: strong, reliable, easy to build, stays true, good looks
Weaknesses: weight is not as advertized: 412 gr advertized, in reality 448, 442, 435
Bottom Line:
Fine rim which is easy to build and stays true. I'd suggest to buy a new scale at Sun
Submitted by
Bob Michaels
a Cross Country Rider
from Apopka FL
Date Reviewed: August 14, 2001
Strengths: stay true, bulletproof, low price
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
These rims haven't needed truing since I built them up a year ago. They're on a rigid single speed and I'm a 220 lb. basher. Light, cheap and stay round and true; you can't ask for anything else in a rim.
Similar Products Used: many rims from Mavic, Bontrager, Weiman, Specialized, Richey and others
Bike Setup: '98 Bianchi BOSS single speed, Pauls hubs, DT 14/15 spokes, various tires
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Submitted by
erik
a Cross Country Rider
from corte madera
Date Reviewed: August 4, 2001
Strengths: it's a nice light rim.
Weaknesses: not durable enough for some over 180 lbs.
Bottom Line:
they are probably a good rim, but if you weigh 180 or more lbs go with a different rim. one ride down mt tam and i just about ripped to rim in half. a pinched flat which bent the rim to the point of pulling it off my bike. i weighed 185ish when this happened.
These are a great rim. The big width makes tire changes a cakewalk, even with really big tires. They've held up to six months of all-around abuse, but are still light enough to get used for XC racing. I'm quite pleased. In my experience, Mavic rims are crummy, Bonty's are good, but these are better because of the extra width.
