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Submitted by
taletotell
a Weekend Warrior
from Candor, NY
Date Reviewed: September 20, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Short Bus, Shindagin Hollow | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$89.00 | | Purchased At: | Jenson USA | | Strengths: | So far totally true and stiff on 3ft to flat drops and hard all mountain riding in the woods. | | Weaknesses: | Try to get them on good hubs. My hubs are deore and they make me cry. | | Similar Products Used: | WTB Dual Duty | | Bike Setup: | trek 4300 frame
Fox vanilla RLC 130 fork
Truvativ hollzifeller cranks
XT derailleurs
Sram x-7 shifters
Avid BB7 brakes
assorted other stuff. | | Bottom Line: | No complaints yet. I have 2.35 tires so no rim is hard to get a tire onto, even with bare hands. They tell me they are heavy. I say show me a light strong rim under $150 for the set. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Sp4rt4cus
a Cross Country Rider
from Provo, UT
Date Reviewed: July 17, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Bonnevile Shoreline, Virginia Creeper | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Strengths: | Light, strong, cheap, fun to ride on. V brake and disc compatible. Holds the tire on nice and stays true through a beating. As with all rims, be sure to get them laced and tensioned properly. | | Weaknesses: | If you don't know how to be patient putting tires on, you can break your levers. Go slow and work your way around the tire and it's pretty easy. | | Similar Products Used: | Richey Comp, Stock Matrix's, etc XC wheels | | Bike Setup: | 01 Tassajara frame custom paint and stickers, Bontrager X-lite stem and alloy bars, Avid 5 brakes, XT derailleurs, LX 9 speed cassette, Deore hubs, Deore shifters, Alivio crankset, Spec Roll-x and Eskar Elite tires. Gotta love the custom build | | Bottom Line: | Great price, great wheels. If you're looking to pretend you're riding a motocross bike, and not a bicycle, get something else. They are basically indestructible if you aren't an idiot about it. Yes, they will dent if you jump down a flight of stairs and miss, but why are you trying that with cross country wheels anyway? For trail riding, at that price, they can't be beat. Buy them, enjoy them, worry less about them. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
DavidNeiles
a Cross Country Rider
from Chattanooga
Date Reviewed: June 2, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Raccoon Mtn | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Durable and value | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | Tons of sun rims and mavic wheels | | Bike Setup: | 08 Diamondback Mission 2 | | Bottom Line: | This is a wheel set I handbuilt about 5 years ago!!! XT hubs, 14g DT spokes and Rhyno Lites 32h, all black!! This is a bad a$$ wheel set. I have had these wheels on a bunch of different builds through out the years. From my 98 Homegrown 4banger, Tomac ELI 04, and many others. I have ridden the piss out of the wheels and they are still true and in great shape. I love the fact that they can hold up on big urban drops on pavement to big rock drops in the woods for years and still spin true. Great rims, super beefy. A must have for any type of rider!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
sjpendleton
a Racer
from Los Angeles, CA
Date Reviewed: May 11, 2009 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Price Point | | Strengths: | strength | | Weaknesses: | weight | | Similar Products Used: | WTB, Mavic | | Bottom Line: | Wheel build quality really affects the strength of the wheel more than the rims. If you buy the Rhyno Lite wheelset from Price Point, be prepared to rebuild the wheel. I did just that (bought the wheelset, then relaced and retensioned it myself) and have a bomber wheelset. I'm an aggressove XC rider, mind you, not DH/FR, but I haven't had to true these wheels in a few seasons. The rims are plenty strong and take a good amount of abuse. Run bigger tires (at least 2.1", 2.3" is better) and they'll provide a good ride. The braking surface holds up even in crappy conditions.
They are pretty heavy for XC use, though. I use them for my training wheels and have a lighter weight set for racing. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
zadey1234
a Weekend Warrior
from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 29, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Don't make me choose. | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$55.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Strong, beefy. | | Weaknesses: | A bit on the heavy side but I don't really care. Pain in the ass to get tires on and off. Need tire levers. | | Bottom Line: | I bought this rim with a freewheel hub so I can use it on my trail bike. I have it wrapped with a Kenda Kinetics 2.35. It can handle my weight(220lbs approx.) pounding through rooty and techy trails. With the beefier rim and tire, I swear I ride faster and harder. Its just barely bent, but rims are going to bend. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
SpecializedAllDay
a Weekend Warrior
from Santa Cruz, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: April 28, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Post Office Jumps | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$130.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Relatively cheap unless it comes laced to a nice hub with some nice spokes then it gets kinda pricey | | Weaknesses: | I bought a front rim that was laced to some LAME no namer 20mm front hub with unknown spoke. its already bent after riding on it for 4 months when i have not even hit my front rim hard enough that it should be bent? | | Similar Products Used: | Stock Alex Rim from specialized | | Bike Setup: | P.1 | | Bottom Line: | I DONT LIKE THIS RIM. i expected it to last me quite a while but instead its almost time to replace it when im barely replacing my back rim for the first time??? i have never cased it bad enough to where it should be bent out of proportion not to mention its pretty hard to bend a front rim
IF YOU HAVE THE MONEY BUY A BETTER RIM. one big case and this rim will be bent forsure | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
pedrotyler
a Downhiller
from wilson
Date Reviewed: March 30, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Tsali | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$120.00 | | Purchased At: | jenson usa | | Strengths: | they are super strong and ca with stand 5/6 foot drops
they are also light for the strength and price | | Weaknesses: | it is a pain to put tires on the rims | | Bottom Line: | best rims you can buy for the price | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Erich
a Downhiller
from Colorado Springs, CO
Date Reviewed: December 3, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | keystone | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$120.00 | | Purchased At: | Jenson USA | | Strengths: | Strong and cheap | | Weaknesses: | Tall rims (for v-brakes) and a flat center make ghetto tubeless and changing tires in general a pain in the ass. Once you figure out how to use tire levers with this rim (after snapping 4) changing tires is fine.
Stock Shimano m525 hubs are a joke. | | Similar Products Used: | Some stock Alexrims from specialized | | Bike Setup: | 06 Giant Reign | | Bottom Line: | I abuse these rims like none other. I had the front wheel rebuilt with a basic 20mm axle to fit a Lyrik fork. After half a dh race on a blown out rear tire, 15 foot drops, and a heck of a lot of abusive trail riding, these rims are holding up. Needs truing now and then but theyll stick with you.
I need to upgrade these to the level of my riding. But for the money, theyre a great value. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from Virginia
Date Reviewed: April 14, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | Jenson USA | | Strengths: | Cheap | | Weaknesses: | Heavy, Weak, Tube replacement difficult | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | Giant VT2 Full Suspension Frame, Marzocchi 140mm AM 3 Fork, WTB Velociraptor Tires | | Bottom Line: | The rhyno lite is a decent cheap entry level rim, but it's not very strong. I'm only 140 lbs, doing mostly all mountain riding on 5" of front and rear travel, and these got a big crack all the way across the rim after less than a year. No big jumps, nothing over 4' gaps and 3' drops. I would only recommend to lightweight, beginner riders looking for a cheap rim for recreational xc riding. If you're doing anything heavier than light xc riding, invest in a stronger rim. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian
a Weekend Warrior
from Memphis
Date Reviewed: February 18, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Stanky Creek | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$125.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Strong as hell. Put them on and forget about 'em | | Weaknesses: | none | | Bike Setup: | Catamount, Marzocchi Bomber, XT drive and hubs, Avid BB5 Discs | | Bottom Line: | This wheels have never ever needed to be trued since the day I put them on 2 years ago. I weigh 240lbs. I am not nice to these wheels. I do get 2-3 feet of air under them at times. I round corners faster than I should and bounce off trees like a pinball and not once have these wheels even whimpered. I have changed the rubber on these 3 times and only once had a "tough" time get the tire on and off. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andy
a Weekend Warrior
from Tucson, AZ, USA
Date Reviewed: November 17, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Shultz Creek | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | jenson usa | | Strengths: | Fairly inexpensive and decent strength/weight ratio. | | Weaknesses: | Not a very strong rim. | | Similar Products Used: | alex rims (also problematic) | | Bike Setup: | Rockhopper with many XT upgrades | | Bottom Line: | This isn't a bad rim, but after reading some of the reviews, I expected a really strong rim. Whithin a few weeks of riding, my rim is unfixably bent and battered. I weigh 230 and ride a hardtail, so this isn't that surprising, but I was disapointed. If you ride hard and/or are heavy, I would get something else. I am riding this rim until it dies, so I can get a stronger rim.
I got the Rhynolite/ XT hub wheelset from jensonusa. Be forwarned that the wheel was laced terribly. I had to completely retension all spokes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jason rolls
a Weekend Warrior
from rutherford nsw australia
Date Reviewed: September 27, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | every where and any where | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | hadley cycles maitland | | Strengths: | came stock on stp2 good and (lite)as the name sugests can take the drops | | Weaknesses: | needs a truing every now and then | | Similar Products Used: | none as yet | | Bike Setup: | stock stp2 | | Bottom Line: | good rim wiil handle the hard stuff | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eric W
a Weekend Warrior
from Henderson NV
Date Reviewed: August 1, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Anything I can ride... | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Came with wheels. | | Strengths: | Very strong for the weight.
Nice width. They are not to wide or to narrow at 28mms, so they are great for All Mountain. They work great with larger tires up to 2.4". | | Weaknesses: | Just the looks. Sun hasn't come out with any new colors in years. It would be nice to see them in white and red. | | Bike Setup: | 06 San Andreas thrasher. Its great for my "plow over things" riding style. | | Bottom Line: | I've been using both the welded and pinned styles of Rhyno Lite for at least 5 years now without a single problem.
They are a little hard to mount some tires on, but they also keep the tire from deriming if you get a blowout.
I use them for All Mountain riding and I'm a clydesdale. They hold up great with little maintenance while I hammer ruthlessly over rocks and such. I'm not a real smooth rider and these things hold up great.
I know the design is getting old, but if Sun stops making them, I'm going to be very unhappy. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a Racer
from Oklahoma City
Date Reviewed: July 26, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | wherever I may roll | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$130.00 | | Purchased At: | Blue Sky Cycling and LBS | | Strengths: | Cheap, strong, and durable | | Weaknesses: | Not many, really. A little soft, and difficult tire mounting (which is also an advantage) | | Similar Products Used: | Various Sun and Mavics | | Bike Setup: | Which bike? Komodo hardtail built heavy for urban drops, Fuel EX9 for most trails, each nicely spec'd and built up by me | | Bottom Line: | Had two sets of Rhinolytes, XT disc and XT v-brake. They're very tough medium-weight wheels and I'd recommend them without hesitation to anyone wanting a set that will handle abuse. Good for light urban use and light freeride. If they're built well they'll stay true and tight for a long time. Lateral strength is damn good. I damaged/trashed both sets of mine, but it was from using them for stuff they weren't intended for.....they're seriously good rims.
I wouldn't recommend them for street-style air stunts or flat drops over 3 feet, and they're not a durable DH rim if you ride fast courses with rocks. I ended up putting a set of Mavic Crosstrails on the Fuel and am purchasing either some Halo Tornados or Azonic Outlaws for the urban rig. If you go really big with stunts on concrete, buy something bombproof like the Halo SAS/Combat, Atomlab GI, Funn, etc...but they'll weigh a ton. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from SI, NY
Date Reviewed: July 23, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | none | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Racers Edge | | Strengths: | Ummm none | | Weaknesses: | Unsealed hubs that come lose every ride. Weak in general. | | Similar Products Used: | none. | | Bike Setup: | GT Ruckus UF (stock) | | Bottom Line: | Back wheel is holding up pretty well.
Front hub keeps coming lose since its unsealed, have to retighten it everytime I ride. The wheel was gone after it took and impact off a 360 down 5 set off stairs. If you ride hard this isn't the wheel for you. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from SI, NY
Date Reviewed: July 23, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | none | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Racers Edge | | Strengths: | Ummm none | | Weaknesses: | Unsealed hubs that come lose every ride. Weak in general. | | Similar Products Used: | none. | | Bike Setup: | GT Ruckus UF (stock) | | Bottom Line: | Back wheel is holding up pretty well.
Front hub keeps coming lose since its unsealed, have to retighten it everytime I ride. The wheel was gone after it took and impact off a 360 down 5 set off stairs. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
ERIC WARBURTON
a Weekend Warrior
from MIAMI, FLORIDA
Date Reviewed: July 7, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | OLETA PARK, MIAMI | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$35.00 | | Purchased At: | RACER'S EDGE, BOCA RATON, FL | | Strengths: | INEXPENSIVE, EXCELLENT STRENGTH TO WEIGHT RATIO (FOR THE PRICE).
| | Weaknesses: | A LITTLE ON THE HEAVY SIDE, BUT THIS DOESN'T MATTER WHEN YOU CONSIDER HOW STRONG THEY ARE FOR THE PRICE. | | Similar Products Used: | SUN CR-18, SUN RHYNO LITE XL | | Bike Setup: | 2000 TREK 6000 HARD TAIL CONVERTED TO SINGLE SPEED, TRUVATIV HUSEFELT CRANK WITH ISIS BB AND 34 TOOTH BLACK SPIRE CHAIN RING, EASTON ALUMINUM RISER BARS, GENERIC 45 MM STEM, SURLY 1X1 RIGID FORKS, WOODMAN SS REAR HUB WITH 16T ODYSSEY BMX COG AND SUN RHYNO LITE XL, DEORE FRONT HUB WITH RHYNO LITE RIM, AVID BB7 FRONT DISC BRAKE, GENERIC LX TYPE REAR V BRAKES AND GENERIC LEVERS, GENERIC SEAT AND POST.
| | Bottom Line: | In my experience the Rhyno Lite may be the be the best value going in MTB rims. You'd be hard pressed to find another rim which is this durable for under $40. I run a Rhyno Lite on the front and a Rhyno lite XL on the rear. The XL is a little wider, heavier and stronger than the regular Rhyno lite. For most riders (and probably myself), the XL will be overkill, but I am a notorious rear wheel destroyer, so I got it just to be safe. I weigh about 170 pounds and ride mostly cross country type trails. I do resort to some BMX type jumping and thrashing on occasion, which is when I destroy my rear wheels (but not the Rhyno Lites).
If you need a strong inexpensive wheel the Rhyno Lite Is your ticket. If you are extra abusive, a Rhyno lite XL will do you no wrong on the rear, but would be total overkill on the front. There are rims out there with better weight to strength ratios, but not for anywhere near this price.
WARNING: DO NOT buy the Deore/Rhyno Lite disc wheelsets from Performance Bike, Price Point, Etc. They are out of true right from the box and are impossible to keep true once you adjust them. This is mostly due to their cheap spokes and nipples, which are the worst quality I have ever seen. The set I bought from performance bike also featured a rear hub with a manufacturing defect which caused it to be out of round.
Buy the Rhyno Lite rims, lace them to some non-defective hubs with some good quality spokes and nipples (DT Swiss)and shred! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
ERIC WARBURTON
a Weekend Warrior
from MIAMI, FLORIDA
Date Reviewed: July 7, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | OLETA PARK, MIAMI | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$35.00 | | Purchased At: | RACER'S EDGE, BOCA RATON, FL | | Strengths: | INEXPENSIVE, EXCELLENT STRENGTH TO WEIGHT RATIO (FOR THE PRICE).
| | Weaknesses: | A LITTLE ON THE HEAVY SIDE, BUT THIS DOESN'T MATTER WHEN YOU CONSIDER HOW STRONG THEY ARE FOR THE PRICE. | | Similar Products Used: | SUN CR-18, SUN RHYNO LITE XL | | Bike Setup: | 2000 TREK 6000 HARD TAIL CONVERTED TO SINGLE SPEED, TRUVATIV HUSEFELT CRANK WITH ISIS BB AND 34 TOOTH BLACK SPIRE CHAIN RING, EASTON ALUMINUM RISER BARS, GENERIC 45 MM STEM, SURLY 1X1 RIGID FORKS, WOODMAN SS REAR HUB WITH 16T ODYSSEY BMX COG AND SUN RHYNO LITE XL, DEORE FRONT HUB WITH RHYNO LITE RIM, AVID BB7 FRONT DISC BRAKE, GENERIC LX TYPE REAR V BRAKES AND GENERIC LEVERS, GENERIC SEAT AND POST.
| | Bottom Line: | In my experience the Rhyno Lite may be the be the best value going in MTB rims. You'd be hard pressed to find another rim which is this durable for under $40. I run a Rhyno Lite on the front and a Rhyno lite XL on the rear. The XL is a little wider, heavier and stronger than the regular Rhyno lite. For most riders (and probably myself), the XL will be overkill, but I am a notorious rear wheel destroyer, so I got it just to be safe. I weigh about 170 pounds and ride mostly cross country type trails. I do resort to some BMX type jumping and thrashing on occasion, which is when I destroy my rear wheels (but not the Rhyno Lites).
If you need a strong inexpensive wheel the Rhyno Lite Is your ticket. If you are extra abusive, a Rhyno lite XL will do you no wrong on the rear, but would be total overkill on the front. There are rims out there with better weight to strength ratios, but not for anywhere near this price.
WARNING: DO NOT buy the Deore/Rhyno Lite disc wheelsets from Performance Bike, Price Point, Etc. They are out of true right from the box and are impossible to keep true once you adjust them. This is mostly due to their cheap spokes and nipples, which are the worst quality I have ever seen. The set I bought from performance bike also featured a rear hub with a manufacturing defect which caused it to be out of round.
Buy the Rhyno Lite rims, lace them to some non-defective hubs with some good quality spokes and nipples (DT Swiss)and shred! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
nathan
a
from fargo, nd usa
Date Reviewed: July 4, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Purchased At: | jensonusa (wheelset with deore hubs) | | Strengths: | durable. very strong. not much lateral movement like some of the mavics have. | | Weaknesses: | hard as hell to put a tire on. heavy? they're a little on the heavy side, but for a recreational rider they exceed my expectations. they're wide; need at least 2.1 tires. did i mention it sucks changing tubes? i would rather gouge my eyes out with a fork than have to change/patch a tube while on the trails | | Similar Products Used: | a few different mavics (x139, crossland?) | | Bike Setup: | specialized rockhopper comp stock with a few upgrades | | Bottom Line: | once everything is assembled and going, they're great rims. doing maintenance on them is a royal pain in the ass | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
luke buell
a Downhiller
from chico, ca, usa
Date Reviewed: June 22, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | durable, it pops back when you over spin your 180s....did that several times to test it and it still spins true.....and cheap! | | Weaknesses: | not a flashy "hightech" looking rim but it sure as hell gets the job done | | Bike Setup: | in progress project bike: 16" avent jibster frame, azonic pedals and a shorty stem, right now i have a manitou black 100-120 fork...just until i get my new hub so i can run it to a marzocchi super t i just got a deal on | | Bottom Line: | good sensible cost effective rims...im going to get them on my other bike soon also | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dylan
a Downhiller
from van city
Date Reviewed: April 9, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | whistler | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | stock | | Strengths: | extremely strong. takes any abuse possible especially on a hardtail taking 4 ft. flat-flat drops. | | Weaknesses: | putting on tires i guess | | Similar Products Used: | deemax | | Bike Setup: | 06 foreplay, evolve dh, pike, these rims, hayes 9 | | Bottom Line: | extremely strong rim for dh/fr. will stand up to anything and it hasnt needed any trueing. second only to deemax. I actually destroyed my back rim wehn the bike rack broke off the car doing 70mph. but i got another rhyno lite and it hasnt disapointed me | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Daniel Howell
a Cross Country Rider
from Spokane, WA, USA
Date Reviewed: March 6, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Clawhammer | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | pricepoint | | Strengths: | Strong tire. Very Strong. | | Weaknesses: | Hard to get tires on it. | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic X221 | | Bike Setup: | GT Avalanche, XT Everyting | | Bottom Line: | This is a great rim. I have owned and ridden them for 5 years now. I have only trued the once after riding 6 days a week for 3 months. Even after that, they were barely out of true. I have read bad reviews about these, but most come from DH or trials riders. For XC, you can't beat them for the price. They may be a little on the heavy side, but they make up for it in durability.
Since getting tires on them is difficult, I am give them overall 4 flaming turds, or chiles, or what ever they are. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
JayPee
a Racer
from Menomonie, WI
Date Reviewed: March 3, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Levis Mound | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | Simple Sports, Menomonie WI | | Strengths: | Inexpensive, fairly light, builds up easy. Nice machining on sidewalls, anodizing is solid. | | Weaknesses: | Weld on seam could be more consistent. | | Similar Products Used: | DT Swiss 5.1d. | | Bike Setup: | .243 Racing FR frame, 24" Sun Rhyno Lites, Profile cranks, Hadley hubs, Thomson stem and seatpost, Avid brakes. | | Bottom Line: | I built up these wheels with some Hadley hubs for use on my urban/dj rig and couldn't be happier. They were round right out of the box which made building them a snap and was able to get them perfectly true with a good amount of tension. I'm around 208 lbs and have never had to true them after the initial build and re-tensioning. I ride mostly urban with drops, stairs, etc., with some dirt jumps thrown in for good measure. While I doubt they would survive an 8' drop to flat, what really would on a hardtail?
I hear a lot of people complaining about these rims because they developed flat spots after some crazy drop or whatever but really, they're a good value for the money. If people are having problems with them taco'ing or flatspotting, then they should either a) check their technique or b) check their wheel builder. I've -never- had problems with mine and recently purchased another set because I was so happy with them.
Bottom line, they're a great value for the money. They're reasonably light, tires mount well, and they just work. The only reason I didn't give them 5 chilis overall is because they don't want to cuddle after we're done. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chad
a Weekend Warrior
from Maryland
Date Reviewed: February 18, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$22.00 | | Purchased At: | pricepoint.com | | Strengths: | cheap, very strong for normal to aggressive riding | | Weaknesses: | narrow, no lateral strength | | Similar Products Used: | SingleTrack and Mammoth DH | | Bike Setup: | I have had these rims on multiple bikes, currently rigid XC and rigid street setups | | Bottom Line: | These rims are great for riders on a budget. You can ride XC, DH, street, whatever you want, as hard as you want, and never put them out of true (as long as you check spoke tension often). As soon as you start doing any kind of tricks, however, they will wobble like you cased a 200 foot gap. They have absolutely zero lateral strength, so if you're thinking of doing any move that incolves spinning, don't.
You are also a little limited on tire selection because of the relatively narrow rim, but as long as you're not trying to run 2.7 DH tires on them or anything you'll be fine.
On a side note, if you're looking at buying these as part of the shyno lite/ deore disc wheelset from pricepoint, don't. The rims are fine, but the hubs are drilled off center, which is why they're sold so cheap. Your rotor will bounce up and down and if you're riding singlespeed your chain tension will change as your cranks go around... not a good wheelset, although you can deal with it if you have a derailleur to suck up the chain sag.
Bottom Line: Buy the rim (not the wheelset), ride it hard, but don't do any kind of spinning move that will put lateral stresses on the wheel. Also, if ordering online, buy several. They're cheap enough, and if you order a bunch all at once you will not have to pay a ton of extra shipping for the oversized item each time you have to buy another. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rob Jones
a Weekend Warrior
from Lacey,WA USA
Date Reviewed: November 9, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | capital forest green line 6 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$139.00 | | Purchased At: | pricepoint | | Strengths: | Strong, durable,stands up to big drops | | Weaknesses: | Weight | | Similar Products Used: | mavic,bombshell | | Bike Setup: | Trek all XT, Avid BB7, Rhynolite XT hubs, manitou minute 3 forks | | Bottom Line: | after reading many reviews i was afraid that thes rims would not hold up to the abuse a 240# clydesdale like myself can dish out. THEY WERE WRONG. while riding today for the first time after some heavy rain a buddy and me encountered a 3 food ditch in the middle of a downhill singletrack run. my buddy trashed his $1000.00 hand built DT swiss rims while my rhyno lites came out of it not even a mm out of true. i ride very hard on very rough single track and have never had to true these wheels yet. fot the price you cant beat the xt rhynolite combo | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Clifford Louie
a Cross Country Rider
from Bellevue
Date Reviewed: September 17, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Tolt River | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$140.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Robust construction. Trueness. Great rim strength inspires a feeling of confidence and indestructibility. Excellent value in price and performance. | | Weaknesses: | Weight. But once you get rolling, all is forgotten. | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic 517 ceramic. | | Bike Setup: | 2001 Intense Tracer with full XTR. 2.2 WTB Motoraptor. Sun Rhynolite built with XT disc centerlock hubs in black. | | Bottom Line: | You feel as if you made the steal of the century. There are probably faster (lighter) wheels out there, but you pay a lot more for them. Besides, just read the sheer number of reviews for this rim and dig that overall rating. That should tell you everything. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Anthony
a Cross Country Rider
from Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
Date Reviewed: August 17, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Strong and inexpensive. | | Weaknesses: | Is it heavy? I don't know or care. | | Bottom Line: | Excellent value for the money. I'm 6'6", over 250 lbs and this rim has stood up to a full season of riding without any problems and very little trueing. I recommend this if you want a good product that is affordable. I'm sure there are better rims out there but none in this price range. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Reed Gann
a Cross Country Rider
from Logan Utah, USA
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Richard's Hollow | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | eBay | | Strengths: | Robust, both rim and disc compatible, weight, stable platform, stiff. | | Weaknesses: | Little wide for some tires. Must have at least a 2.1 inch tire, and I like to run a little smaller, like 1.9 inch. | | Similar Products Used: | alex rims, mavic | | Bike Setup: | again... | | Bottom Line: | This is a great wheel for those who usually beat theirs up. I am pretty good on wheels (at only 145lbs that is just how it is) but I have many friends who abuse their wheels and these just keep on going strong. They have never needed to be trued and for the stiffness and weight are an excellent deal. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alex
a Weekend Warrior
from Illinois, USA
Date Reviewed: July 24, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$80.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Bomb proof, i took a 6 foot drop to flat with these and they didnt come out of true! i messed myself up more than the rims! i have never had to true from when i bought them, and im a heavy rider (280 LB) | | Weaknesses: | heavy than the weaker alternative | | Similar Products Used: | NONE! nothing comes close to these. i had a mavic 221 for about a month before it broke. thats about it. | | Bike Setup: | Surly frame, these rims and XT components. except my hubs, theyre sun ringle | | Bottom Line: | they are tanks! i would bet money that i could whip this rim at a wall and it wouldnt be bent. im confidet enough on these rims to do anything. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rob
a Weekend Warrior
from South
Date Reviewed: June 30, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | its a warrior, and its round which makes riding alot easier.
its solid and great bang for buck | | Weaknesses: | i have not tried it on my unicycle yet | | Similar Products Used: | mavics as stock (all bent/flat) trailpimps (not a fan, but i'll ride them til they need replaced) also
square wheels are not as round ones effective nor are triangular ones, although the octogon is close nothing beats a round wheel | | Bike Setup: | these are laced to xt hubs nothing crazy just effective , on my backup/loaner bike | | Bottom Line: | i have had these on two hardtails, one of which is my backup/loaner, the other i gave to a buddy because i got tired of him breaking s*it (never the rims just deraillers, handlebars, etc).
Then last week i let a novice buddy from work ride the backup and he became testicularly courageous and tried a descent with a leveled 2 foot drop onto flat then hit the 8" of exposed rock sending him careening into the trees...
SO now after my 220 lbs having ridden these rims for 4 years with only the occasional trueing/maintenance the front rim is as warped as i have ever seen it but no flat spots so i am hoping it can be saved.
i am not easy on my rims, i have bent every stock rim that has ever came on my bikes but i dont ride whistler dh's either i ride primarily xc nasty coral rock quaries, with plenty of drops and a decent amount of urban riding, and im a clyde.
I agree with the reviewer below about using these with Panaracer Fire XC's (5 chili tires) i have had no problem changing tires, i use the "alien" multitool with built in plastic levers no problems.
BOTTOM LINE - if your not doing dh, or hard freeriding youll be alright until you lend it to your novice friend who thinks hes Hans Rey.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tom
a Weekend Warrior
from White Plains , New York
Date Reviewed: June 24, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Strong rim, stays true, always see them for sale cheap on line | | Weaknesses: | Not the lightest (guess that's why they're strong), total nightmare to change a downhill tire with a wire bead | | Similar Products Used: | Sun Single Tracks, Mavic Crossmax XL, Crossmax Enduro, Mavic 819 | | Bike Setup: | I swap my wheels around on my bikes a lot. This rim is on a 2003 Kona Dawg with numerous upgrades including a Sherman Firefly fork with a 20mm front axle. I have a Kenda Nevegal 2.35 with folding bead on it. | | Bottom Line: | These rims came on a Banshee Morphine with Michelin 2.5 wire bead tires. One day I bought some new tires. I told my riding buddy that I needed about 15 min to change my tires before I picked him up at his house. It took A LOT LONGER than 15 minutes to remove those tires. It was a freaking nightmare. I had to use a metal tire iron with a screwdriver handle on it after snapping two plastic tire irons in half. I just mounted the above mentioned Kenda Nevegal with my bare hands. Hopefully it will come off easily. The trouble I have changing tires on these rims from ever buying another Sun rim. Other than changing tires, I have never had any trouble of any kind with these rims. They ride nice, stay true, whatever. It's bad enough getting a flat out on the trail. Who wants to struggle every time you change a tire? I have never had this problem with any Mavic rim with any tire. If these rims were as strong as they are, a little lighter, and were easy to change tires on, they would probably my favorite rims. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tom
a Weekend Warrior
from White Plains , New York
Date Reviewed: June 24, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Strong rim, stays true, always see them for sale cheap on line | | Weaknesses: | Not the lightest (guess that's why they're strong), total nightmare to change a downhill tire with a wire bead | | Similar Products Used: | Sun Single Tracks, Mavic Crossmax XL, Crossmax Enduro, Mavic 819 | | Bike Setup: | I swap my wheels around on my bikes a lot. This rim is on a 2003 Kona Dawg with numerous upgrades including a Sherman Firefly fork with a 20mm front axle. I have a Kenda Nevegal 2.35 with folding bead on it. | | Bottom Line: | These rims came on a Banshee Morphine with Michelin 2.5 wire bead tires. One day I bought some new tires. I told my riding buddy that I needed about 15 min to change my tires before I picked him up at his house. It took A LOT LONGER than 15 minutes to remove those tires. It was a freaking nightmare. I had to use a metal tire iron with a screwdriver handle on it after snapping two plastic tire irons in half. I just mounted the above mentioned Kenda Nevegal with my bare hands. Hopefully it will come off easily. The trouble I have changing tires on these rims from ever buying another Sun rim. Other than changing tires, I have never had any trouble of any kind with these rims. They ride nice, stay true, whatever. It's bad enough getting a flat out on the trail. Who wants to struggle every time you change a tire? I have never had this problem with any Mavic rim with any tire. If these rims were as strong as they are, a little lighter, and were easy to change tires on, they would probably my favorite rims. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
PAUL
a Cross Country Rider
from Acworth
Date Reviewed: May 17, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | light and strong | | Weaknesses: | none so far | | Similar Products Used: | you name it | | Bike Setup: | RX100, RLT100, RP3, King, Thomson, Xt, WTB Saddle, Avid, Answer, Fire XC | | Bottom Line: | I'm 6-4, 215 with gear. I ride mostly XC. I ride hard, do some small jumps and wreck wheels. So, I had a King Hub laced with DT Swiss, 14/15 DB spokes to this rim by a very competent wheel builder, working at the LBS. The result, a very snappy, strong and light wheel. Would have prefered a welded rim and the width does take a little brake adjusting but so far I am very pleased. I would recomend this rim to any XC MTB rider with a habbit of hurting wheels, but in truth, it really comes down to who builds it and what they use... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Phelps
a Downhiller
from RR,OR
Date Reviewed: May 14, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Happy Trail | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | BC | | Strengths: | Nice and wide, light like the name says. | | Weaknesses: | It bends really freaking easy. I bunny hopped like six inches and the end came down on a curb and it was rubbing against the freaking frame. This thing needs to be trued so much its not even funny. This rim is a piece of crap so don't buy it. | | Bike Setup: | Gary Fisher GED | | Bottom Line: | This rim sucks | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
cj
a Racer
from canberra
Date Reviewed: April 22, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | isaacs | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Looks good help up to all ive given it, then asked for more. I landed bad on a land ramp and the tire warped but the rim stayed 100% straight. | | Weaknesses: | None? | | Similar Products Used: | crappy department store rims | | Bike Setup: | 2005 stp2 and kenda komodo rims | | Bottom Line: | This is a great rim, if:
You can ride well
Are not fat
Know how to land jumps (not me)
can ride and still ride away (not stack)
Bye | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steven Dayton
a Cross Country Rider
from Nine Mile Falls, WA USA
Date Reviewed: April 20, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Trail #7 on Lookout Pass | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$140.00 | | Purchased At: | Cambria | | Strengths: | So far under heavy CC riding not one problem, they have stayed true since they came out of the box. I weigh 195, I'm not into free riding but I consider myself a hard CC rider. | | Weaknesses: | Not really a weakness but they are wider than the typical Mavics that I've riden in the past. | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic 222,s for the past 6 years and various other Mavic rims. | | Bike Setup: | 2000 year model Cannondale CAD3 frame (outstanding frame with 8,000 miles on it), Marzocchi Super Fly fork, all XT components except crank is LX, | | Bottom Line: | This year I replaced the entire drive train on the bike and I decided to just buy a set of new wheels instead of building up a pair. I purchased the wheel set at Cambria on line with XT hubs, 32 14g spokes and of course the Sun Rhyno Lite rims for $140 after shipping. This should be the last pair of rim brake wheels I'll have. I plan in the next two years to join the rest of the crowd and get a bike with disc brakes.
Before I bought these I called Cambria to make sure that these were hand built and not machine built and yes they are hand built. Perfectly true out of the box, I have been running Panaracer Fire XC Pros since they came out (another outstanding product)and they were very easy to mount.
One minor thing with the wider rim my XT V brakes stick out farther than they did with the Mavs. No clearance or braking problems but it may just take me time to get used to it.
If your a CC rider I would highly recomend this rim. Good price and its durable. Just make sure you get a good quality build. It makes a big difference. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Daniel Haden
a Weekend Warrior
from Houston, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: April 19, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Houston | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | It is pretty and well-advertised | | Weaknesses: | The rim depth is so shallow that tires are ruined or degraded during the extraordinarily difficult install. | | Similar Products Used: | I have not previously used any rim that is incompatible with tires. Perhaps a hoola hoop is similar in application? Let's see, large, useless, circles? Nope. Nothing similar. | | Bike Setup: | A rather ordinary mountain bike. | | Bottom Line: | You will gain a pretty rim, but you will waste a lot of money on ruined tires.
When the tire's bead is degraded by this poorly designed rim, it won't take long to get a flat or blowout.
This design is really daft. I am still angry every time I hear yet another recommendation for Sun Rims from salespeople who've never tried the product.
The bottom line? A decorative, overpriced, underperforming and DANGEROUS product. Sorry about the all-caps. I'm still angry.
Yes, I tried with several different tires, they all were ruined or at least degraded. Rim depth is too shallow.
Oh, yes. And, an internal rim width of 3/4" is a commuter size; not appropriate for 26x2* sized mountain bike tires because of increase pinch flat and sidewall destruction.
This rim is the level worst--a useless "rim shaped object" rather than a usable product.
I didn't go back to the bike store that recommended this product.
However, the neighborhood Schwinn store had freeride rims that looked better, cost less. . .and the tire went on with bare hands in only a minute. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
sean
a
from port moody
Date Reviewed: February 14, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | A-line | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$80.00 | | Purchased At: | junkies | | Strengths: | none | | Weaknesses: | these things bend very easy. Case one jump and you have no hope for it staying true | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bottom Line: | crap | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Justin Mayo
a Cross Country Rider
from St. John's
Date Reviewed: January 24, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$115.00 | | Strengths: | Light weight, strong for priced paid can handle anything, only straighten once because my friend flew off a stairgap and ran into the rim side on at about 20km/hr about two years ago. | | Weaknesses: | they are no good for back wheels, extremely good for front. | | Bike Setup: | 2002 brodie hellion, exr's and two rhyno lites | | Bottom Line: | really good for the price, really good for xc riders. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Unipedal
a Downhiller
from St. Louis, MO
Date Reviewed: January 13, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Wash U campus | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Big Shark | | Strengths: | Strong as hell. Proven track record. Strong. Strong strong strong. | | Weaknesses: | None yet. | | Similar Products Used: | Sun Ringle Big Fat Mammoth, Ditch Witch, Dual-Duty | | Bike Setup: | 205 Bianchi SASS, Rhyno lytes f and r, Hayes Mech brakes, Kenda 2.6" Stick-Ez tires, pimp green Salsa grips, Surly hubs f and r | | Bottom Line: | Baddest wheelset I've ridden! I took the bike off a 4.5' launch to flat at full speed and killed the fork on the bike. The front tire was firmly pushed into the handlebars. But the wheel didn't untrue at all. These rims are the jams boys! Get 'em and get gone!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andy
a Weekend Warrior
from Marquette, MI, USA
Date Reviewed: December 31, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$80.00 | | Purchased At: | Lakeshore Bike | | Strengths: | not to heavy, pretty strong, decent price, stays fairly true, | | Weaknesses: | make sure u get the right color. i had to get silver and i didnt look good on my bike | | Bottom Line: | Overall this rim was pretty good. the price wasnt to bad. u definatly get what u pay for or even a bit more than u pay for. these rims have stood up to everything ive dished out and they still work nicely | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alex Bonvie
a Weekend Warrior
from Canada
Date Reviewed: December 24, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Berry Hill DJ Park | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | Sport Wheels | | Strengths: | light, looks, stays fairly true, and is afordable, great for urban, and some dirt jumps | | Weaknesses: | Can come untrue if u ride it too hard but its no problem to fix | | Similar Products Used: | single track, ditch which, BFR | | Bike Setup: | XS Haro V1, DJ 3, Rhyno lite back single track front | | Bottom Line: | greatrim for the price, farly easy to get tires on it and is very light. perfict for urban but if all u ride is dirt jumps than some of the spokes will come loose. Soo keep a spoke wrench handy or u will taco the rim | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gags
a Weekend Warrior
from Melbourne, Australia
Date Reviewed: November 25, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Majura Pines | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | Links Cycles | | Strengths: | Looks great in Black and stayed true for the duration that I owned it. Warranty support was great. | | Weaknesses: | Rear rim split at the seam after about 18 months of use. | | Similar Products Used: | Rhyno Lite XL | | Bike Setup: | Wheeler Hardtail. Deore Hubs, XT V-Brakes. | | Bottom Line: | I originally had these wheels on my hardtail Wheeler and I was using XT V-brakes on them mainly for commuting along a gravel and cement bike path approx 23km each way, 5 days a week. Had no problems with them for about 18 months and then I decided to do a couple of XC races on them. During my second race (at Castlemaine in Victoria) I thought I had buckled my rear wheel as I could hear what sounded like brake rub. Closer inspection revealed that the rim had split on one side where the seam was and about 2 inches or so of the rim was "banana peeled" away from the rest of the rim. I bought these rims after being assured by the bike shop that they were bombproof (I am 195cm and 100kg (6'5" and 220lb)) so I contacted Sun Ringle in the US via email and told them what happened. They said that they had never seen anything like it and despite me not having a receipt, they agreed to replace the rim under warranty. They also sold me a second rim at cost so that I would have a matching pair!!! The replacement rims were actually Rhyno Lite XL with welded seams and I have been running them on LX hubs with LX hydro discs for about 10 months without any problems or any hint of them going out of true (got them built at VicMtb using 15G DT spokes). I am also still running the original front wheel on my SS mtb and it is going strong. As I am rating the original hubs and not the XLs, I am only giving three chilis for performance due to the mechanical failure but adding an extra chili for the warranty support. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
doug
a Weekend Warrior
from ft. huachuca
Date Reviewed: November 5, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Yup | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Lots | | Weaknesses: | Few | | Similar Products Used: | Many | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Softtail | | Bottom Line: | I had my LBS build a set of wheels using LX hubs I picked up at a close-out. I paid a $1 for the hubs (in store demo with almost no use) and wanted a good, reliable set of wheels for all around use (I don't do free ride or DH- just get out and ride). I'm a bit heavy and powerful as is my bike- weight of the wheel was less of a concern. The terrain at the time I was riding on was very rough and rocky western Texas (El Paso). I also used these for a year in Korea on various terrain, and now in SE AZ rocky and rough terrain...now they just commute as I have a new FS Turner, but I have NEVER TRUED these wheels. They are in perfect working order. Get these if you want value driven rims; have them hand built with good spokes and nipples and you won't be disappointed, ever!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
luke
a Cross Country Rider
from mthope
Date Reviewed: November 4, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | yup | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$89.00 | | Purchased At: | jenson | | Strengths: | beefy, strong (once i got them trued) black | | Weaknesses: | so wide that my V break hits my calf | | Similar Products Used: | too many | | Bottom Line: | I bought this as a machine built wheelset & was not patient enough to get them trued & tightened @ the local shop before riding. Even after substantial abuse they stayed fairly true. but after i got them trued tight & solid they have been bomber. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
steven h
a
from holland landing ontario canada
Date Reviewed: August 29, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$80.00 | | Purchased At: | monovans | | Strengths: | very ligt, can handle most street | | Weaknesses: | dosent take spins well and will come un trued | | Similar Products Used: | dont no | | Bike Setup: | custom norco 604street, exr supura, dmr wingbars, shmano crap cranks | | Bottom Line: | good rim for the money | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
George Coupland
a Weekend Warrior
from Pitt Meadows, B.C, Canada
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Haven't Found it Yet | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Nice looking rim! Stays True | | Weaknesses: | Extemely Difficult to mount tires on to! | | Bike Setup: | 2000 Cannondale 900sx hardtail with lefty fork. I use it for xcountry and back pack touring. | | Bottom Line: | The Ryno lite front rim came with my bike when I purchased it. I really liked the look of it, but Holy Cow what a pain to change tires!
I found the rim to be very reliable for the most part.I put on 100's of miles in the last six months on various types of terrain and I never had to have the wheel trued.
This weekend though I was coming down a old logging road and I hit a fist sized rock, the wheel went sideways and tacoed like a preztel!
I am going to replace the rim with a Mavic 321. Stay tuned for the review.
Overall I think the rim is fair value for the money.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Peter
a Weekend Warrior
from Spokane, WA
Date Reviewed: July 10, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | cheap
looks | | Weaknesses: | They bend and snap too easy. They're on the heavy side for XC. | | Similar Products Used: | Bontrager, Mavic 517 | | Bike Setup: | Hardtail with Fox Float Fork | | Bottom Line: | I've gone through 2 of these rims. Both were front and neither lasted a year. I might excuse the first taco which was caused by running into a small tree. But the second rim cracked and folded when landing a 5 ft. ladder-to-flat drop. I'm not a heavy rider, I only weigh 150. Maybe I've had bad luck but these rims have been worse than any other rim I've had. My next rim will be a handbuilt Mavic 321. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a Downhiller
from Torrance, California, USA
Date Reviewed: June 21, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | these rims are great for everything. I ride street and they hold up freakin awesome and street puts a lot of stress on wheelsets, I also have a pair of these rims laced up on my DH bike...i can mount just about any tire by hand, all you guys that say its hard to mount or take off tires you have to pop the bead to the inside of the rim first and then there is some slack and a regular plastic tire lever will wedge it out easy | | Weaknesses: | NONE, unless you are a hack....or fat | | Similar Products Used: | S-types, ditch witch | | Bike Setup: | giant STP, DJ1, sun hubs laced to rhyno lites, kenda k-rads | | Bottom Line: | These rims are awesome for the money, you cant really complain because they are only like 30 bucks a piece and they will hold up to lots of abuse...and they can be built up light for DH racing or even XC...just the different types of spokes you could use some 13g spokes and the wheel will last forever riding street or some 15g spokes for some aggressive xc....AWESOME RIMS | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tan Bui
a Weekend Warrior
from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Date Reviewed: June 4, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | came with bike | | Strengths: | Everything about this wheel is great. It is designed to take abuse and not to weigh a tonne. It is extremely strong and when it is laced with the right spokes and nipples and a decent wheel builder has built it up it is BOMB PROOF | | Weaknesses: | None, cept maybe it could be shinier more BLING =] | | Similar Products Used: | Ditch Witch....utter crap | | Bike Setup: | Kona stuff, hayes mags, tuffneck hub . | | Bottom Line: | This wheel lives up to what it is designed to do. It is a 4X4 dirtjumping, downhill rim. Ive had a stack where my front wheel got stuck between two slates and the forks twisted to the point where the tyre was crammed up against the inside on the fork.... i know not very pretty. When i managed to pull the wheel it, it was perfectly straight and true wihout any signs of warpage at all. For all the reviews that had warpage its either your have had an absolute crap wheel builder or the quality of your spokes and nippes are cheap. The wheel and rim is only as strong as the spokes are. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Adam Petten
a Downhiller
from port de grave, NL, canada
Date Reviewed: May 22, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | none were i live | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$99.00 | | Purchased At: | canary cycles | | Strengths: | NONE really i only got like 3.5" of travel its not a good bike and i havn't done much on it scince i'v bent the frame the first week i had them doin a lil street it warpd a lil.... i tightened up the spokes and flew a jump down hill went like 20 feet and broke a spoke and the landing wasn't that hard | | Weaknesses: | all of above | | Similar Products Used: | vuletra (a cheap $30 rim [can$] and its better) | | Bike Setup: | raliegh peak fs.... (don't no the year my dealer didn't know) just a few small extras | | Bottom Line: | its probly good for XC weres its lite junk for any kind of freeride the bend 2 easy | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Adam Petten
a Downhiller
from port de grave, NL, canada
Date Reviewed: May 22, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | none were i live | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$99.00 | | Purchased At: | canary cycles | | Strengths: | NONE really i only got like 3.5" of travel its not a good bike and i havn't done much on it scince i'v bent the frame the first week i had them doin a lil street it warpd a lil.... i tightened up the spokes and flew a jump down hill went like 20 feet and broke a spoke and the landing wasn't that hard | | Weaknesses: | all of above | | Similar Products Used: | vuletra (a cheap $30 rim [can$] and its better) | | Bike Setup: | raliegh peak fs.... (don't no the year my dealer didn't know) just a few small extras | | Bottom Line: | its probly good for XC weres its lite junk for any kind of freeride the bend 2 easy | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Josh
a Cross Country Rider
from Park City, UT
Date Reviewed: May 6, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Porcupine Rim | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$150.00 | | Bottom Line: | You can beat the crap out of this rim and it comes back for more. I have ridden these rims hard for 2 years and they are great. As a matter of fact I just bought a new kona and it came with Mavic 117 and i took them off and put my old rhynos on them. I like them that much. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Justin Courage
a Downhiller
from Canada
Date Reviewed: April 18, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | White Hills | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | Canary Cycles | | Strengths: | The rim has very strong shimano deore hubs and the rim wall is pretty strong too. | | Weaknesses: | none that I have found yet. | | Similar Products Used: | Sun Rim Ditch Witch, Dm22 Alex Rim | | Bike Setup: | A haro V2 with just about everything upgraded | | Bottom Line: | It's a swell Rims which has a Ace performance. I would recomend this rim for any soft downhiller, and anyone who wants a rim that can last without exploding. Before I had this rim I had the alex DM18, NEVER BUY THE ALEX DM18 because it dies and the spokes kill everything, mine was sooooo bad you could hear the spokes every time you peddle. Then I got the Rhyno Lite and since then I haven't any any problems and it can actually withstand a trail. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kevin J
a Downhiller
from Victoria B.C, Can.
Date Reviewed: March 30, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | street | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$35.00 | | Purchased At: | Russ Hayes victoria. | | Strengths: | Reasonably strong, only one flatspot cause I messed up on a landing. | | Weaknesses: | Very difficult to remove tires with wire/kevlar bead, thank god for folding :) | | Similar Products Used: | Single track, double track, arrow frx/dhx, rhyno lite(normal). | | Bike Setup: | Azonic Steelhead XL, dual 24, PX knifen(rigid), rear rim in on an axiom SS with 14 guage DT swiss spokes. | | Bottom Line: | First off, there is something unusual about the rims. When I got them it didn't have stickers like any of the other rhyno lites, it just said Rhyno Lite, so I assumed it was one. Well I looked very hard, then I found the seam, but it wasn't pinned like the normal rhyno lites, it was welded, but I'm still not able to confirm if it's the welded AND machined version. Again, unusual stickers(purchased 05).
But to the point, this rim is tough(36 spoke), and I haven't had my K-Rad pop out like I did on my front Arrow FRX. It only has one slight flatspot, cause I was running my K-Rads with 30 psi, big mistake.... Anyway, it can take abuse, and I case things occasionally, which is always good to know that your wheels are going to be there for you. So far it's held up well, and still true. But a wheel is just as good as the build, and I got it done by an experianced mechanic, and the spokes were pre-stretched... So far no tensioning needed. Good rims, if Sun made a similar(in weight, strength, and price) in disk specific, I'd go for it, but the big kicker was the 35 dollar price tag, for a welded one(not the crappy ass pinned and glued ones). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Braeden
a Downhiller
from poco,bc,canada
Date Reviewed: March 20, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | cbc cus its flowy | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Strengths: | light and fairly cheap | | Weaknesses: | easy to flat spot if u case or hack it up compared to a dual duty or other rims around this price | | Similar Products Used: | dual dutys,vuelta dh's,cr 18 | | Bike Setup: | haro8.2,dj3,avid brakes...stock stuff | | Bottom Line: | ive had mine for a year as a back wheel and its been through alot,and ive cased alot and the wheel only has one flatspot that isnt to bad .....its really light but probly should be up front...a decent all around rim probly gonna relace a dual duty on though cus its starting to die | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff
a Weekend Warrior
from Portland, Oregon, US
Date Reviewed: March 14, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Post Canyon | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Cheap, looks kinda cool. | | Weaknesses: | Everything else, any good tire is hard to mount, Bends very easily. | | Similar Products Used: | Ditch Witch, S-Type | | Bike Setup: | Kona Chute with Saint/Xtr combo | | Bottom Line: | First, this is a review for the Rhyno Lite Xl's, not the super cheap Rhno Lite's.
Bought it looking for a cheap alternative after I broke my other rear wheel, worked good for about a month on the smalll stuff, but once I got up on a real ride I found out that they're peices of s*^t! I was only about 15 min. in and hit a fairly small jump, Rear wheel bent on landing throwing me off my bike, now ive got no face and no wheel. If your doing any freeride DONT buy these, spend the extra money and buy some atomlabs or somethin....its worth it.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gary
a Weekend Warrior
from Vancouver B.C. , canada
Date Reviewed: January 29, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | urban riding | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | taken off complete bike | | Strengths: | Super light, easy to pull up. Good wheels though for the price. | | Weaknesses: | Not that strong, untrues easy. | | Similar Products Used: | Trailpimps, doubletracks, dx32 | | Bike Setup: | norco drop, azonic ds-2 | | Bottom Line: | Good for the price!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Davo
a
from Australia
Date Reviewed: January 23, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | great looking (looks better than those crappy silver rims), cheap, strong | | Weaknesses: | havent found any yet | | Bike Setup: | stock stp2 | | Bottom Line: | great rims | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff B
a
from Western WA.
Date Reviewed: January 10, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | The Shore, and local Hucks | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | very inexpensive | | Weaknesses: | as with all rims they eventually get beaten into submission. | | Similar Products Used: | Ditch Witch, Mavic | | Bike Setup: | Giant AC1 set up for bridges,jumping and hucking,2.7 tires and thick downhill tubes | | Bottom Line: | I have used the same Rhyno lite rims for almost 3 years. they have been subject to tons of 10- 20 ft drops. as long as you don't habitualy overshoot landings and land flat they will last a long time. these rims are really not for big drops but I did them anyway and the rims took the abuse really well. these rims are well suited for the everyday freerider or jumper who ocassionaly goes big. if they fail they are cheap to replace. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eric W
a Cross Country Rider
from Henderson Nv.
Date Reviewed: January 8, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Bootleg Canyon | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | Mail order. | | Strengths: | Its lite enough to pedal up hill.
They are very strong when built with DT spokes and brass nipples. | | Weaknesses: | They are a bit difficult to get some tires on, however I've learned that the Geax Sturdy and Continental 2.3 folding tires are mountable by hand.
Unfortunatly I like the Maxxis 2.35 tires wich are a bit tighter than most, so between the rim and tire combination I choose to run, I need to bring at least one steel tire iron in case of flats in the desert.
The braking track isn't as effective as a Mavic rim's if you still use rim brakes on your bike, however this is a moot point if you have disc brakes.
If you do use rim brakes, I highly recommend Kool-Stop's Techtonic shoes with Salmon (prefered) and/or black colored pads.
They are modular, so you can mix pad compounds on the same shoe to get the best possible stopping power. | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic F 519. | | Bike Setup: | Jamis Dakar XLT | | Bottom Line: | They take a beating.
They are probably the best "all mountain" rim out there and are in fact capable of taking much more abuse.
The Rhyno Lites are not high tech looking anymore, but they work better than anything else in their weight range. I hope Sun Ringle' doesn't get the itch to mess with a perfectly good product. I would not mind some new colour choices though, anodized translucent red would be sweet.
How about some laser graphics Sun?
One of the reasons these rims work so well is because they are wider than other rims in the same weight catagory.
The 27mm width allows a rider to run less pressure for better traction and floatation, while still keeping the tire stable and pinch flat resistant. I can run about 3 psi less than with a comparable Mavic rim (not including the Dee Maxs).
At the time of this review; the best deal is at Price Point.
They have a Rhyno Lite wheelset, with XT disc hubs and DT spokes for $119.00!
Beware of the $89.00 Deore Disc Rhyno Lite wheelsets, the hubs are fine, but they use no name spokes to often, leading to an unreliable wheel. The spokes and nipples are the key to a reliable wheel.
I've only had to do two touch-up truings on the latest wheelset in 200 miles of riding and that was when they were new and breaking in. Even then they where never more than a millimeter out of true. Now they are perfectly reliable in the rocks and dropins at Bootleg Canyon.
If you decide to buy these rims and have a wheelset built, or buy a prebuilt wheelset, make sure that DT spokes and brass nipples are used in the construction. If you do this, you won't be dissapointed. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andrew
a Weekend Warrior
from Regina
Date Reviewed: January 1, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | price, stength | | Weaknesses: | some rim wear, but its probably my pads... | | Similar Products Used: | stock bonti's | | Bike Setup: | trek 4500 beefed up | | Bottom Line: | bent the stocker rims, and was shopping for a cheap-but-good rim. My LBS recommended these, and I love it. I've cased a couple of landings, and the rim has some dings from running my tires with to little air. They're a little outta true, but I figure I'll wait until spring and do a full tune on the ride. Bottom line? If you're good at landings and ride arresive, these are for you! If you tend to case landings, and smack them around, either make sure you run a higher PSI (30 min) or get a stronger rim! I am planning on getting another for the front. I like em...built strong, and cheap too! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
cK
a Downhiller
from N.J. / Pa. U.S.A.
Date Reviewed: December 12, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | anything homegrown @ DIABOLO Freeride Park | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$36.00 | | Purchased At: | Local Bike Shop | | Strengths: | This is a review for the RHYNO LITE XL 26" and 24"
-Lightweight
-Seams are WELDED, not Pinned
-durable ano finish | | Weaknesses: | -inner diameter is still a little bit narrow, which means the tread accross its width will have more of a curve to it, and therefore less surface area in the contact patch.
-because of lightweight construction, it is better suited to racing instead of weekend big-drop and huck sessions... | | Similar Products Used: | Sun Single Track | | Bike Setup: | 02 Spesh. Big Hit, 8" Rear Travel Kit, Boxxer, Thomson 50mm 0 deg. rise Stem, SRAM X.0 deraileur, MRP, Answer Pro-Taper bars, MAXXIS Minion and High Roller... | | Bottom Line: | First off, the most important thing to remeber is:
A rim is only as strong as its wheel build - PERIOD.
Rims WILL flatspot - I flatspotted my rear after not noticing I pinch-flatted in the middle of a run and rode through a rock garden with it. If you run low pressures and hit a square edge (rock, curb, boulder) at speed - the rim lips WILL bend - that's just what metal does when subjected to an impact.
If your wheel is built with improper spoke tension, your wheel will come apart, damaging the rim... The tension on all of the spokes around the wheel is a fine balancing act - each of them should be pulling equally - if any spokes are incorrectly tensioned around the wheel; weak spots will be created, and that is where spokes will either rip out, push through, or cause a rim to deform.
So - The Rhyno XL's are great rims, but I would only recommend them for medium freeriding, or racing... I wouldn't attempt Red Bull Rampage stuff on them but they can handle everything up to that. I rode mine DH and urban, and never had any problems - we're talking lots of stair drops to flat, curb hits, etc - along with the boulders and rocks of downhilling...
Despite what some manufacturers may want you to believe in their propaganda and dis-information (think Laboratory), a welded rim is better than a pinned rim. Sure, you can make a decent pinned rim by over-engineering it and making super thick, and heavy, but it will always be a broken loop... NOT physically continuous. A weld physically joins the two ends of the rim into a permanent physical loop - no areas where there is a gap where one side merely butts against the other side... This butting creates a weak spot... A weld just has more structural integrity - ever seen a pinned Motorcross rim??? - Neither have I...
Many of the top racing teams use Rhyno XL rims, namely the Honda/Turner and Maxxis/Turner DH teams... Thing is, no one is really aware of this because the rims are under the S.U.V. wheelset badging. S.U.V. wheelsets use Rhyno Lite XL rims in their build - go to sunringle.com and check it out if you don't believe me. So if top teams like that racing Turner DHR's are running them, then they're good enough for the average Joe.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jay
a Downhiller
from Middle of Nowhere, VT
Date Reviewed: November 20, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Bootleg Downhill | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | These rims can take a royal beating, and for the price there is no other choice. Work well for Disc and Rim brake setups. | | Weaknesses: | A bit weak side-to-side, but that could have been the build or the way I ride. | | Similar Products Used: | cheap WeinmannZac Tacos, D321's, Random Alex rims | | Bike Setup: | Franken-stylie Giant with cool-ass stickers all over it. | | Bottom Line: | I have seen ppl ride these rims off 6ft drops with 3 spokes missing from the back wheel to no ill effect. I can't believe my eyes when I see what they look like after every ride (straight as an arrow). I bent my back rim twice and gave it a flat spot after a year of HARD riding, but I think the builder (unknown) might have been on crack. It now has to have 3 spokes at a questionable tension (way low) to keep it straight, but after a year of MAJOR ABUSE and my Drunken Ninja Style, who can complain, especially for the price! BOTTOM LINE = I've seen at least 3 pairs of these that should have died (due to rider abuse) after 6 months, but are still kickin' it after 2 yrs!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joe
a
from East Lansing, MI, USA
Date Reviewed: October 8, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Urban | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Strengths: | Light, strong, and WHEN BUILT RIGHT AND RIDDEN RIGHT last | | Weaknesses: | FOOLS WHO DON'T KNOW HOW TO RIDE | | Similar Products Used: | n/a | | Bike Setup: | 05 Gary Fisher Biggns GED, bone stock | | Bottom Line: | I am 5' 11" tall and weigh 215 lbs. I just cannot stand any longer all these people blaming the quality of a rim for flat-spotting or anything (going out of true is normal and easily fixable)
I have been riding BMX for a long time... I have bent my share of rims... and all you people have 2 choices... Either A: Buy a rim that is guarenteed bombproof and sacrifice a HUGE amount of added weight to your bike, or B: Go with a lighter rim that will allow you to handle your bike well and then LEARN HOW TO RIDE SMOOTHLY and PROPERLY. If you flat spot a rim on a drop doing urban, it's your own fault... get a bigger fork, ride a 24, and learn to land smoothly. If you bend them "overshooting" a jump and then cramming them into the dirt, it is your own fault. These rims are designed to be high performance, no-nonsense and replaceable. You want rims that dont bend... buy something heavier. Otherwise, learn the skills necessary to land jumps and drops properly.
5 flamin turds for value, because at the price even if YOU mess up (and blame the rim) they can be repaced easily.
5 flamin turds for performance, because if you actually have the skills to be riding a bike, these rims are sweet.
Thank you. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
The Sock
a Downhiller
from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, eh?
Date Reviewed: September 24, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Don Valley, Etobicoke Creek, Fish Creek, Toronto Urban | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Clean look, eyelets, strength | | Weaknesses: | Soft alloy | | Similar Products Used: | Sun Singletracks, Sun DM18 | | Bike Setup: | '03 Norco Fluid 3.0, '04 Marzocchi Z1 Drop Off I, Sun Rhyno Lite rims on Formula downhill hubs, Maxxis Mobsters tires, Easton Vice stem, rest stock. | | Bottom Line: | Pretty good so far. Since I've gotten them (which has been a month now) I've been riding about 4 times a week either on the trails or doing some urban. So far, no truing or flat spots, and I'm not the softest rider. Sooner than later I'll have to true em, but that's the nature of the sport. Only one thing, when installing my tires, I made a groove in the rim, the rim itself is made from such a soft alloy, but I was able to fix it up so no pinch flats. Pretty good value for performance. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dez mitchell
a Weekend Warrior
from vegreville,AB Canada
Date Reviewed: August 30, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | knuckle duster | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | well it worked for a little while, it seemed strong took drops and nice lookin | | Weaknesses: | it bent i did a valley gap and its bent to hell i got a new alex rim so im hoppong that will hold up | | Similar Products Used: | mavic,alex | | Bike Setup: | kustom stinky with s7 fox rl ect | | Bottom Line: | some people told me that the rim wasint really ment for dh and fr use but it took some 3-6 ft drops but if u plan to go big spend a couple more bucks come on i would reccomend this rim for an aggressive cross country rider or a bigginer fr (if u have the $$$ to upgrade later)ill try the new alex rim and let u all know how it goes | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Derek
a Weekend Warrior
from Elmvale, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: August 15, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Citizens Property | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$130.00 | | Purchased At: | Bikeland | | Strengths: | well, its great. black, strong, beautiful design, wide, strong, i have never gotten a flat spot and my tires are always at 20 psi. wierd but i check everytime i hit rim and nothing happens, for 130 what else are you gonna buy? this is the greatest! easy to put on tires (others say its hard but its probably my strong muscles , ha), this is a great wheel i have it laced to norco spokes and deore hub its a rear wheel and i ride mostly trails , street, and djs sand ive only had to true it once (that was last week) cause i had nothing else to do (it had a small wobble). great wheel hasnt let me down. | | Weaknesses: | ok the only reason peole are saying that this rim sucks is cause they use it for Downhill! of course any rims cant take the punishment of dh, well some can but none for 130 $$$, most rims couldnt last as long as rhyno lites on a dh course - no weaknesses so far far except for that if you use v-brakes the side walls wear, but this happens to every rim | | Similar Products Used: | sun ditch witch, sun doubletrack, alex dm24, mavic d321, etc... | | Bike Setup: | to good to mention! | | Bottom Line: | buy it! im going to a bike shop before the end of the week to pick up a front one with some 20mm axle! its probably only gonna cost me 150!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dany
a Downhiller
from sherbrooke, QC, Canada
Date Reviewed: August 13, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | they look good and they are fitting if you want to go just on the road | | Weaknesses: | not very strong, i just make a bunnyhop over a pavement and i miss it... result, three rays broken, the only welding on the rim broke, and the rim came oval... | | Similar Products Used: | anything worse | | Bottom Line: | finally if you want to buy these rims, dont make any shock on the rims and just make road. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian Elmer
a
from Lexington, KY, USA
Date Reviewed: August 10, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Cave Run, KY | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Purchased At: | JensonUSA | | Strengths: | -Very strong
-Inexpensive
-Durable | | Weaknesses: | -Heavy
-Doens't hold up well when hit by car | | Similar Products Used: | Weinmann Zac-19, Some cheap single-wall Alex rim | | Bike Setup: | '01 Specialized HardRock Comp w/ Duke XC, Deore disc/Sun DS-2/Sun 0 XC, Avid front disc, LX crankset, Easton CT-2 seatpost, SS conversion (Salsa 34t ring, Shimano 18t cog, Surly Singleator). | | Bottom Line: | I purchased these wheels nearly two years ago when I decided to go with a front disc brake. They were inexpensive, and I needed a standard rear rim because I was keeping my rear V-brake. I figured they'd hold up well, too.
And that they did...until my car was rear-ended on the interstate a month ago, which bent the rear rim too much to easily fix. I'm surprised it wasn't completely taco'd, which is a testament to the rim's strength.
Now I'm going with a Deore disc/Sun DS-2 wheel in front, and Deore disc/Sun 0-degree XC rim in back. I'm not heavy and I don't jump, so I've decided to save a pound on my wheelset...I don't really need the great durability (and the weight that comes with it) of the Rhyno Lites.
Overall, they're just a good, durable, cheap rim. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bitbug
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto, Canada
Date Reviewed: July 24, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | West side Don is cool after work... | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$350.00 | | Purchased At: | Cavern Cycles | | Strengths: | Man do they ever hold up to some abuse... | | Weaknesses: | A bit heavier than the Mavics I had on but then again the mavics are in the garbage bin out back right now... | | Similar Products Used: | Too many to list... | | Bike Setup: | Habanero Ti, XT hubs/ brakes/ cranks/ f-r derail, Kris King HS, FSA stem, Rhyno Lite rims, Avid levers | | Bottom Line: | Keith at Caver Cycles hand built these bad boys and they are the nices wheels I have ridden so far. Not the lightest, but I'm 195lbs and like stairs almost as much as these wheels do. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Babak Zargarian
a Downhiller
from Toronto, Ontario
Date Reviewed: July 22, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | NS style | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | Cycle Solutions | | Strengths: | -Cheap
-Strong
-Wide
-Fits Fat Tires | | Weaknesses: | I actually have not had any problems yet. I can't say they're weak because they've worked fine for me.
I guess they would be nicer if they were wider. Oh, and they come in a welded version as well but that's about 20-30 CAD more. | | Similar Products Used: | Sun DitchWitch | | Bike Setup: | Fully custom 03 Torrent- DNM 7" DC, dual 8" Avids, 20mm hub, Rhynolite/Supra BH | | Bottom Line: | These rims are stupid strong for the price. You can get those for 20-30 dollars CANADIAN here and they work mad good. They are tough, and very light. I wanted to keep my wheels light, and these are not only light, they are so strong.
I got these handbuilt, and I believe a good wheelbuild is key. This rim will easily out last a badly built Mag30. It's all in the build. I've had two Rhynolites for my front, but I sold one because I went to a 20mm hub. Both were mint, and held up to big drops to flat, aggressive riding, and crashes. My old one had 3 bent spokes and it was still true!
I recommend these rims to someone who's smooth and wants solid rims for a low, low price that are uber light.
I gave these a 5 for value since you can't beat it for the price, but since they're obviously not the toughest rims on the market, I still gave them a nice 3 for performance. They still havn't let me down. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt Crosby
a Downhiller
from Polson, Mt, USA
Date Reviewed: July 15, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Daves Dive | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | Jenson USA | | Strengths: | Lighter than some DH rims, Easy to fit fat tires on them | | Weaknesses: | Weak Rear Rim, You can flatten them without very much effort | | Similar Products Used: | Sun Ditch Witch, Singletrack | | Bike Setup: | Single Speed Kona Dirt Jumping Bike, Manitou X-vert, Avid CPS Disc's, Strong and Fairly Light. | | Bottom Line: | Ok, I bough these wheels as prebuilt from Jenson USA. They are laced to Shimano Deore Disc Hubs, which are nice and smooth. The front wheel is fine. It's true and spining great, But I must warn you that these suck for abuse as a rear wheel. I owned them for 2 weeks and while ridng street bend them in. It sucks cause I dont really want to buy another one, So I am just gonna tighten the spokes and hope there good for a while longer.
Use them with a fat tire up front and there great, But for DJ, Street and Freeride on a Hardtail get a Singletrack of Doubletrack for the rear. They are a ton Stronger and worth the extra money. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan M C
a Cross Country Rider
from Romania
Date Reviewed: May 30, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$185.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Light,wide and black (aluminum finish shows dirt,oil like crazy) and priced right . | | Weaknesses: | None ,other than i wish i had them on my TREK (this wheelset is for my wife's Specialized,her bike came with crapy/generic rims....i got Bontrager Corvairs on mine. | | Similar Products Used: | Original crap Specialized put on,go figure...nice bike crapy rims ...way to go Specialized (Specialized HardRock Ladies). | | Bike Setup: | Wow,it's going to be a long list.First of all when we got this bike we didn't know didlysquat about bikes so soon we realized that we'll have to change almost everything.The bike is a Specialized HardRock CrMo Women in yellow.We changed the sadle with a Selle Royal (gell type),the rims...with Sun Rims Rhyno Lite on Shimano Deore hubs (front/back),Continental Travel Contact tires (heavy duty tubes with Slime),changed the rear wheel from Freewheel to modern Freehub then changed to a Shimano 8 speed instead of 7,so now the bike is a 24 speed not a 21,new gear shifter by Sram MRX,Planet Bike fenders,Specialized computer,Cat Eye LED and halogen lights,Specialized hand grips,Axiom panier with CCM bags,Zefal thermos water bottle and cage,Zefal toeclips,Nervz Teflon brake/shift cables,etc. | | Bottom Line: | A great set up,initially i was going to get Bontrager Corvair's like on my Trek but the guy at the bike shop didn't have them and he said that the Rhyno Lites are just as good or better than my Corvairs and based on the positive reviews this wheelset receives the guy was right. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ice Breaker
a Cross Country Rider
from Canada
Date Reviewed: May 13, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$130.00 | | Purchased At: | lbs (local bike store) | | Strengths: | Very stong rim, impossible to break | | Weaknesses: | none yet | | Similar Products Used: | cheap rims, they break | | Bike Setup: | rhyno lite rims, kona cowan frame, hayne 9 hydro disk breaks, race face cranks, stem, bb and handle bars. | | Bottom Line: | This is a great rim, i suggest that you get it because I've beaten the hell out of it and it's not even bent yet!! I usually get it tuned every year but it usually doesn't need it. I've done 7 foot drops to flat with this rim and it's still holding up. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
adam
a Weekend Warrior
from ft. hood, tx
Date Reviewed: May 1, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | all | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$99.00 | | Purchased At: | on line | | Strengths: | completely bombproof and fat. can't hurt em | | Weaknesses: | completely bombproof i am never gonna get to replace these damn rims | | Similar Products Used: | too many to remember | | Bike Setup: | jamis komodo 01 with duke 100mm and all lx groupo with xt rear d. | | Bottom Line: | not too heavy all though not race rims. these things are stupid strong i have had them 2 years now and only had them trued once(no lie) and that was just for a race. they are on every web site and you can get them with any hub you want CAN NOT BEAT THESE RIMS | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Grant Webb
a
from Gainesville, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: April 16, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | horseshoe @ Breaks of Bar H | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$130.00 | | Strengths: | STRONG,have held up to 6ft drops with no complaint. Good price. Good aggrssive xc/LIGHT freeride rim. Only needed truing twice in two years. | | Weaknesses: | They won't win any weight contest. | | Bike Setup: | Warp ds with a manitou black, panaracer fire xc 2.1, deore/xt components, Hayes Mech disc | | Bottom Line: | Great pair of hoops, will definetely recommend to friend and buy again! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ben Smith
a Weekend Warrior
from Waterford, ME USA
Date Reviewed: April 10, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Prides Corner Trail | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$39.00 | | Purchased At: | Back Bay Bicycle | | Strengths: | Very durable and stays true. I used to burn through rims until the bike shop recommended these. Good up to moderate trail riding.
Also comes in 38 spoke configuration (very strong). | | Weaknesses: | Will eventually warp under enough stress (missed jumps of 5 feet or more). | | Bike Setup: | A Diamondback Topenga Comp with a 38 spoke rear rim and 36 spoke from rim w/ a 2" hybrid-continental tire in back and a 1.75" old schwinn hybrid in front. | | Bottom Line: | A very durable rim, and definately worth its price. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Milkman
a Downhiller
from North Shore
Date Reviewed: April 7, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | Cove Bike Shop | | Strengths: | Pretty srong. Light. Cheap | | Weaknesses: | Better front rim than rear rim (for a hardtail) | | Similar Products Used: | Sun Doubletrack | | Bike Setup: | Cove Stiffee, full Race Face, Manitou Slider, etc... | | Bottom Line: | When I first bought my bike, the rear Rhyno Lite lasted about 4 months. I replaced it with a Doubletrack which has been perfect and extremely bombproof. My front Ryno lasted 2 years with no problems whatsoever. I just tacoed it yesterday and am getting another Doubletrack built for the front, but for the price, and the fact that it lasted 2 years, 5 flames | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eddie Jones
a Weekend Warrior
from Mount Olive
Date Reviewed: March 2, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Oak Mountain State Park | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$249.00 | | Purchased At: | BikeLink, Hoover AL | | Strengths: | Extremely strong. Good looking. Stay straight. | | Weaknesses: | absolutely none | | Similar Products Used: | Bontrager Race, Bontrager Corvairs | | Bike Setup: | 99 Super V 1000sl with XTR rear, XT front, Grip Shift, Race Face Cranks, Shimano 646 pedals, Kenda Kinetics Stick-E 2.35 tires, Selle Italia Flite Gel titanium saddle, XTR v-brakes, Sun Rhyno Lite XL rims on XT hubs | | Bottom Line: | This is a review on the Sun-Rhyno Lite XL rims. I had these handbuilt and properly tensioned on XT hubs with DT straight guage spokes and they have been the best investment that I have made to my bike. I am a true clydesdale (275lbs) and have ridden the crap out of these things since I got them and they have not even had to be re-tensioned or re-trued even a little bit. They may not be the lightest but I don't think that a really lightweight wimp rim would hold up to me. Besides, what use is a lightweight rim if they go out of true all the time? Any way, if you want wheels that can take an absolute pounding then these are the rims for you, especially for you fellow clydes. Just make sure to have them hand built. I think that is what makes all the difference in the world. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Butternuts
a Weekend Warrior
from Beverly, MA
Date Reviewed: February 25, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Bruce & Tom's, Lynn | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$45.00 | | Strengths: | Strong, stiff, reliable. I weigh 190lbs and I ride hard and agressive on very rocky trails. This rim has held up to an incredible ammount of abuse and has been running strong for over 3 years with very minimal trueing needed! | | Weaknesses: | heavy but definately worth the weight if you're a larger rider. | | Similar Products Used: | mavic 217, 221 | | Bike Setup: | Stumpjumper hardtail, marzocchi, easton, raceface turbine | | Bottom Line: | The best bike components are the ones that you can use and forget they're even there because they work flawlessly. The rear rim that originally came with this bike was i think a mavic 217 and i destroyed it in a year. a friend recomended the rhyno lite and i went for it. It's held up to everything i've thrown at it. I've landed some hairy 4+ foot drops on it expecting it to be bent up but it was always true. I have no regrets buying this rim and you probably won't either. i paid a good bike shop to HAND BUILD the wheel for me which also makes a HUGE difference in the longevity of the rim. Five flamin' turds!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eddie
a Weekend Warrior
from San Jose, Ca.
Date Reviewed: February 21, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Santa Teresa | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$120.00 | | Purchased At: | Universal Cycles | | Strengths: | Strong! Great Looks! Oh yeah, did I mention they're strong?! Can't go wrong for the price. | | Weaknesses: | Essentially NONE. However, the all black rim has an orange colored under coating which is bleeding through the black paint. Does not go away with cleanings. | | Bike Setup: | 2001 Specialized Enduro with a beefy set-up specifically for trail riding. | | Bottom Line: | I Highly recommend this rim for the abusive trail rider. They definitely take a beating and will stay true. The orange discoloring unfortunately makes the rims look older and used sooner than you would expect. I'd like to hear from others experiencing this same problem/issue. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andrew
a Weekend Warrior
from North Vancouver
Date Reviewed: January 14, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Ned's | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | Simon's - Vancouver | | Strengths: | A really strong XC wheel for a heavy rider or light freeriding/all mtn. Cheap too! | | Weaknesses: | None, as long as you stick to what it's meant for - light freeriding (no big air) and heavy rider XC. | | Similar Products Used: | Various mavic & Sun XC wheels in the 18-19mm range. None that lasted through a rough trail or even a decent pothole. | | Bike Setup: | Rocky Mountain Slayer (dual 5"), hayes 6", fox vanilla RL125, various 2.1-2.35" tires depending on ride, Mavic X139 front rim for XC(change to Rhyno light for gnarlier rides), Sun Rhyno light rear rim at all times. | | Bottom Line: | A good rim for light freeriding or a great rear rim for a heavy XC rider. I'm 215 lbs and I haven't damaged this rim in the 18 months I've been riding it. It still doesn't need trueing. Great product. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Phil
a Downhiller
from Seattle, WA
Date Reviewed: December 23, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Strengths: | Cheap, Strong, Light, Comes in all sizes/drillings, Easy to find | | Weaknesses: | Comes apart if it's not welded, You get what you pay for | | Similar Products Used: | D321, D521, D121, Singlewide, Singletrack, Trailpimp | | Bike Setup: | '02 Bullit/Avy, '99 Monster, M4 | | Bottom Line: | Nice simple rim for the money, very good for trails and 'lite' riding. I lace these with a little more tension than I do mavics, they usually last longer that way. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mr. Wizard
a Downhiller
from Albuquerque
Date Reviewed: December 4, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$60.00 | | Purchased At: | ABC | | Strengths: | Strong, strangely seductive... | | Weaknesses: | Heavy, but not an issue for me. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano rims, alex rims | | Bike Setup: | M8000, Manitou black, panracers, other stuff... | | Bottom Line: | These rims have held up to two years of trials and urban assault. Once I screwed up so bad that my rim went through the sidewall of my tire, through the tube, and out through the tread of my tire, sparking on the curb. All it needed was five minutes of trueing at home, and it was perfect again. Only a tiny scratch to show that it happened. These rims are some of the best money can buy, for people who are sick of going through rims. Just make sure and get them handbuilt, okay? By someone who knows what they're doing!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Heroine
a Weekend Warrior
from Windsor
Date Reviewed: November 24, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$155.00 | | Purchased At: | courtesy | | Strengths: | uhhh | | Weaknesses: | get flatspots easy
warp easy
seams about 1.5mm apart now | | Bottom Line: | if your an agressive rider, i suggest you dont buy this rim. it might be that the shop did a bad job of bulding it, but they have never done a bad job before. it got flatspots from drops under 3 feet with 40PSI. this rim should be good for xc riding, but it wasnt good for me. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Allen
a Weekend Warrior
from Berkeley
Date Reviewed: November 20, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Cal Campus | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | Friend | | Strengths: | -Strong rim
-Good weight for strength
-Large braking surface | | Weaknesses: | -Not welded at seam?
-Not super strong | | Similar Products Used: | CR-18, Zac19 | | Bike Setup: | cromo hardtail, rhyno lite rear on deore disc hub, cr-18 front | | Bottom Line: | If you do aggressive xc, or are a clydesdale rider, these rims are very good for you. I run this rim on the rear only. I ride to school everday, and always hit at at least a jump or two, usually 1-2 feet. I've taken 3-4 foot drops and very light dirtjumping. These rims are still fairly true, and flatspot free. If you're smooth, these rims can take more. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott
a Weekend Warrior
from Dorchester
Date Reviewed: October 29, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$160.00 | | Strengths: | Very strong and rigid. Not too heavy. Stay true. | | Weaknesses: | None in over a year of abuse. | | Similar Products Used: | some of the others | | Bike Setup: | 2000 Heckler, 2003Fox Vanilla RC, 1999Judy XLC 100mm fork, Avid MECHANICAL 7" disc, XT+SRAM 9sp drivetrain, self built. | | Bottom Line: | The rims I have are hand built with DT 2mm stainless spokes, XT disc hubs and brass eyelets. I converted my Panaracer Fire XC kevlar tires to tubeless using STAN's TUBELESS CONVERSION KIT. I highly recommend it! I will buy these rims again when the time comes-that should be awhile. I weigh 150 lbs. and have dropped these 5+ feet onto pavement, down countless stairs, and jammed them between offset boulders. They have tolerated it beautifully. The combined weight of my wheels, tires and all, is ten pounds. I love these wheels! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David
a Cross Country Rider
from Denton TX. 76201
Date Reviewed: October 21, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Johnson Branch | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$129.00 | | Purchased At: | Bluebonnett Bikes | | Strengths: | Probably the strongest part on my bike. They are lite too. | | Weaknesses: | Needed trueing when new and after a few miles. Machine built wheels, what would you expect. | | Similar Products Used: | Maxis 750 | | Bike Setup: | Trek 4500, LX hubs on Ryno Lite rims,EA50 stem, Richy riser pro bars,Velo seat,Continental explorer pro 2.1 front Hutchinson Octopus 2.3 rear,Oury grips. | | Bottom Line: | serious upgrade from the stock trek units. They roll well and stay true (now). I've taken them trough some trails that hurt me, but the Rynos are still fine. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
akash
a Weekend Warrior
from silver spring, md
Date Reviewed: October 14, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | schaeffer | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$120.00 | | Purchased At: | jensonusa | | Strengths: | holy cow this rim is strong! i haven't had to get it trued since i bought it and i've been beating the crap out of it. it serves it's purpose! plus it's cheap too! these rims are awesome | | Weaknesses: | none! i had some sun zj18's and they sucked bad...i had to true them all the time. | | Similar Products Used: | sun zj18 | | Bottom Line: | if you want a cheap upgrade that's worth every penny, get these rims. i have a hardtail and have jumped off 3 ft lips with no problem at all. i have not needed to true them since i bought them 6 months ago! awesome rims. they are a little heavier than my other rims but i don't care. plus they are soooo cheap. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alex
a
from Santa Cruz,CA
Date Reviewed: August 31, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | dead camper | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | Back Country in Truckee | | Strengths: | Increadbly strong and low price. | | Weaknesses: | weight | | Bottom Line: | This is a very good downhill/freeride rim. I landed a five-foot-to-flat drop with only three inches of travel in the front. However, it is not the best xc rim, as it is VERY heavy. Get this rim if you're into downhill/freeride. I give it 4 flamin' chilis overall because of the weight problem. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Anthony
a Weekend Warrior
from Chandler, AZ
Date Reviewed: August 21, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$150.00 | | Purchased At: | Online | | Strengths: | Strong Rims. Reliable. | | Weaknesses: | Heavy, oh yeah did I mention they were HEAVY!
2350 gms w/xt hubs, DT spokes | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic 222 | | Bike Setup: | Handbuilt, XT disc hubs | | Bottom Line: | I am a 210lb agressive XC/sometimes freerider. I have had no problems with these rims and I have been very hard on them. I did just come off a pair of Mavic 222's, which are XC and I did not have disc brakes, which I have now. I also went from a 3" travel bike to a 5" travel bike - so all of that may play a role.
All in all, I would recommend for the price, however, I am considering upgrading to a lighter rim. I have to give it Five Flamers because of what you get for the price. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Blake Roberts
a Downhiller
from texas
Date Reviewed: August 20, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | steep and fast | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | bike store | | Strengths: | cheap, look cool | | Weaknesses: | not good for dh or freeriding. im not shure if they are even welded at the join | | Similar Products Used: | atom lab trailpimp | | Bike Setup: | 2002 azonic eliminator,marzocchi monster t, trail pimps | | Bottom Line: | good for a heavy xc riding but the first time i rode them downhill i snapped 2 spokes and all the others came loose,rubbed all the paint of my swingarm. same story every time i rode after that. did some urban riding and created such a big flat spot that a couple of spokes busted through and popped my tube, a week before the state dh championship.
Despite all that great rim for the price for heavy xc | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alex F.
a Racer
from Hellertown PA
Date Reviewed: August 7, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Snake | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$39.00 | | Purchased At: | PricePoint.com | | Strengths: | Somewhat light in comparison to most freeride and downhill rims. Prevents pinch-flats very well. Saved me from a couple of flats while dirt jumping. | | Weaknesses: | I ride street alot and these rims go out of true often. Gets massive flat-spots after 1 or 2 hits. After hitting the trails once or twice, I got this strange orange color to appear under the paint that wouldn't come off with anything I used, cleaners, CLR, you name it. The biggist mistake, I bought them online. (something I will never do again if I want my money's worth.) | | Similar Products Used: | Mavics, I was lookin at those Intense rims too. | | Bike Setup: | 16 inch black Banshee Morphine, 2003 Manitou Sherman Firefly with 20 mm thru-axel and Marzocchi QR20 hub up front. 8 inch Hayes Hydraulics f and r,soon to be replaced Rhyno Lites, WTB Moto Raptors (2.4), FSA Big Fat Pig DH headset, Azonic Shorty stem, Titec Hellbent bars, ODI Rogue lock-on grips, Shimano LX shifter pods and cassette,XT front and rear derailer.Race Face Prodigy DH cranks (1st and 2nd ring set up with bashguard),Evolve FR bottom bracket, Praxys Northshore Seatpost, WTB Speed V seat, Haro rear hub (soon to be replace with an Atom lab hub. Its there becuase I started off with a 2002 Haro Escape 8.2 and got all the nicest parts for it then I snapped 3 of their frames in less than a year, so they took me off their warranty program, so I bought a 2003 Banshee Morphine frame. | | Bottom Line: | If you want a Top of The Line rim, don't look here. These rims suck for Freeriding and downhill, pretty much anything besides aggressive Cross Country or light Freeriding. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ben S.
a Weekend Warrior
from Cape Cod
Date Reviewed: August 3, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | all of them | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | jenson usa | | Strengths: | Big Beefy and Strong | | Weaknesses: | I suppose it could be lighter, But I'm happy the way it is | | Similar Products Used: | Tioga factory XC | | Bike Setup: | Deore Disc hubs, Hayes HMX-1's | | Bottom Line: | A nice strong rim that doesn't come out of true every other ride. I am more than happy withthe performance of these rims. I haven't had to use my truing stand on them since thier initial tensioning. if your looking for strong rims for trail riding that don't flop around after bashing over rock and roots, these are them! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ken
a Weekend Warrior
from Chandler, Az
Date Reviewed: July 22, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$32.00 | | Purchased At: | Jenson.com | | Strengths: | This wheel is very strong. Its wider than a typical single track rim, and as such supports a tire a little better and gives a very 'solid' feeling footprint wherever you put the tire in the dirt. I have not had to true them yet, but I had a quality wheel build (Jenson.com) | | Weaknesses: | Yes, they are heavy than the racer-boy rims, but if your interested in those you wouldn't be reading this anyway. | | Similar Products Used: | Bontrager Race Disc | | Bike Setup: | Titus Switchblade, Chris King hubs, Wheelsmith spokes, Hayes Disc Brakes. Rider is 205lbs, plus the gear on my back. | | Bottom Line: | Please don't be fooled by riders who manage to potato chip on one of their first rides. ALL wheels need to be broken in. Also, you might notice that anyone who reviews these rims poorly won't mention who built their wheel. Please read other rim reviews and you will see that their is quite a lot of people who go out and push it too much on their first few rides and mess up the rim. For all these guys who say their 200+. So am I! Its important to learn good cornering, braking, and landing/jumping techniques to prolong the life of your rim, not to mention don't push it on the first couple rides. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
heroine
a Racer
from Windsor, CANADA!
Date Reviewed: July 20, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$155.00 | | Purchased At: | Courtesy west | | Strengths: | black:D, pretty strong, light, fairly cheap. tall sidewalls | | Weaknesses: | since 2 weeks ago, when i bought this rim ive recived i think 4 or 5 pinchflats. im not sure if this is from the rim or not. the sides are really tall, making it hard to remove or put on tires. | | Bottom Line: | good rim for the money. mine was 155 canadian for the rim, shimano decore wheelset and casette. i have to true it after casing a jump but other than that its a great rim. i recomend it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jordan
a Downhiller
from Whitehorse,Yukon,Canada
Date Reviewed: July 12, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$33.00 | | Purchased At: | Philippe's bicycle repair | | Strengths: | EVERYTHING!! It's wide, strong and black. I've had a couple of really hard cases with this rim and haven't had a single flat spot or even put it out of true. I crushed a couple of spokes and when I took the rim off it was still straight and round. | | Weaknesses: | none, but don't buy this rim to ride or race xc. | | Similar Products Used: | alex x-rims, no name rims | | Bike Setup: | Kona hahanna with 4" of front travel, bashguard, old xtr short cage, sun rhyno lite laced to shimano deore disc hubs | | Bottom Line: | wow. I love this rim. it's perfect. nothing more can be said | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jordan
a Downhiller
from Whitehorse,Yukon,Canada
Date Reviewed: July 12, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$33.00 | | Purchased At: | Philippe's bicycle repair | | Strengths: | EVERYTHING!! It's wide, strong and black. I've had a couple of really hard cases with this rim and haven't had a single flat spot or even put it out of true. I crushed a couple of spokes and when I took the rim off it was still straight and round. | | Weaknesses: | none, but don't buy this rim to ride or race xc. | | Similar Products Used: | alex x-rims, no name rims | | Bike Setup: | Kona hahanna with 4" of front travel, bashguard, old xtr short cage, sun rhyno lite laced to shimano deore disc hubs | | Bottom Line: | wow. I love this rim. it's perfect. nothing more can be said | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jordan
a Downhiller
from Whitehorse,Yukon,Canada
Date Reviewed: July 12, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$33.00 | | Purchased At: | Philippe's bicycle repair | | Strengths: | EVERYTHING!! It's wide, strong and black. I've had a couple of really hard cases with this rim and haven't had a single flat spot or even put it out of true. I crushed a couple of spokes and when I took the rim off it was still straight and round. | | Weaknesses: | none, but don't buy this rim to ride or race xc. | | Similar Products Used: | alex x-rims, no name rims | | Bike Setup: | Kona hahanna with 4" of front travel, bashguard, old xtr short cage, sun rhyno lite laced to shimano deore disc hubs | | Bottom Line: | wow. I love this rim. it's perfect. nothing more can be said | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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