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Submitted by
Eric
a
from NorCal
Date Reviewed: May 3, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Top Secret | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$15.00 | | Purchased At: | ?Jenson | | Strengths: | Weight and price. | | Weaknesses: | A little flimsy. Wish they were wider so I could get a bigger footprint. | | Similar Products Used: | Too many to list, but nothing special. I've been riding mtb's for 22 years. | | Bike Setup: | Dawg Primo. Built up at home. Wheels are XT hubs and DT 2.0/1.5/2.0 spokes | | Bottom Line: | I hand built these wheels with XT disc hubs and DT 2.0/1.5/2.0 spokes with alloy nipples. I've never weighed the wheelset, but it should be pretty lite. I have over 1500 miles on these hoops and they are still very straight. I weigh close to 200# and ride XC. About half the time i am riding hard and occasionally hitting small airs on the trail. These hoops are still quite true. I do throw them on the truer every few hundred miles or after trying to impress my lady with a little style. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tony
a Weekend Warrior
from Boulder, CO
Date Reviewed: August 16, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$27.00 | | Purchased At: | Jenson USA | | Strengths: | * Cheap
* Eyelets
* Light weight
* Anno sidewall for disc compatibility | | Weaknesses: | * Hard to change tires
* Not tubeless
* Not ideal for rim brakes due to slippery annodized sidewall
* A little hard to build completely true due to a little flatspot at the pinned joint, unnoticable while riding. | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic 221 | | Bike Setup: | 1999 Diamondback XR4 | | Bottom Line: | These are very good rims for the price. If you are looking to get started with wheelbuilding, I recommend trying these rims. If you screw up, you're only out some time and very little $$. If you do a good job, you'll end up with a decent medium-end wheelset for a bargain basement price. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
johnny hack
a Weekend Warrior
from T.O.
Date Reviewed: May 27, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Toxic forest | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$69.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | * light
* cheap
| | Weaknesses: | * almost impossible to change tires (some tires take a lot of work)
* sketch brake track (in wet conditions) | | Similar Products Used: | mavic, araya, | | Bike Setup: | 03 Kona Lava Dome (with King and XTR stickers) | | Bottom Line: | They suck in the rain. I have only ridden in the rain once with them and I wouldn't want to be in the woods to find out how they brake when wet.
Very difficult to change tires. But for $69 with LX hubs they rock. ($15 OE each from Jenson right now).
Great as a second set of rims (ones that dont require you to change the tires quickly). When tensioned correctly would be great off-road rims. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
JmZ
a Cross Country Rider
from Northern Indiana
Date Reviewed: October 30, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Still Looking - Any Suggestions | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | E-Bay | | Strengths: | Light
Strong enough for my 200 lbs and disc | | Similar Products Used: | Bontrager Valiant, Mavic 517, Other Sun Rims, WTB Rims | | Bike Setup: | Rocky Mountain Fanatic - Rebuilt | | Bottom Line: | Got a pair of these as bare rims from E-Bay. As advertised, round, true, and under 395.
Can't say that always of their competition. Had a claimed 375 Bontrager Valiant weigh in at 434. Oops. Some other Sun rims within about 5%, and a WTB claimed at 410g at 455g.
Been riding the rim for several months, still don't need to put a spoke wrench on it. True and light. Running the rim with disc brakes.
It is almost a forgotten part, probably the best compliment I can give. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Yer ma
a Cross Country Rider
from Knoxville, TN
Date Reviewed: May 13, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$130.00 | | Purchased At: | JensonUSA, I think | | Strengths: | For the money, this rim is relatively light and tough. | | Weaknesses: | You CANNOT get tires off/on this rim without 2 friends, 8 tire levers, 6 beers, and a ball-peen hammer. | | Similar Products Used: | Some Araya piece o' poo. | | Bike Setup: | Old crappy hardtail with new components. The rims are on XT hubs. | | Bottom Line: | I have mixed feelings here. For the money, this is a great rim ($130 machine built on XT hubs). After the initial break-in on the rear wheel I had them trued and they haven't budged at all in the last year. It's a good rim for recreational cross country. Too heavy for racing, probably, and if you get a flat you're totally screwed since it's such a pain to get the tires off and on (I've heard most Sun rims are like this). I guess I like them a lot as a rim for my beater bike as long as I forget that I will have to change the tires eventually.
Ratings are docked a point each for the tire change problem. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
joseph aagaard
a Cross Country Rider
from Marietta, Ga, 30062
Date Reviewed: February 7, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Chickopee | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | super go? not sure | | Strengths: | Lighter than most wheelsets regardless of price. (measured with my trusty two hand scale) | | Weaknesses: | hmm the seem, or weld whatever it is, is not smoothe. If the wheel happens to be in the right spot when I brake I get brick wall like stoping power for an instant... | | Similar Products Used: | Something really heavy my friend lent me... | | Bike Setup: | GT frame these wheels lx/xt and various parts bumbed from friends | | Bottom Line: | I must be a really smoothe rider because I've ridden on these alot and have only trued them twice. I weigh 180 and could care less what I run over on the trail. (as well as curbs on the road) Well if you can get them for $120 or bellow for the set I would jump on them. They're pretty light and hold up well. (lx hubs) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: January 18, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | Came with bike | | Strengths: | Light and very durable | | Weaknesses: | None. | | Bike Setup: | K2 OZx. Shimano XT hubs, telescopic K2 SMART fork, XT derailers, Avid brakes. | | Bottom Line: | A great set of rims. Very light. I have raced eight 50km X-country races, one 24hr endurance (four person team), and over 240hrs of road work (with slicks) and 96hrs of weekend free-rides on these rims. I have trued them eight times in the last two years. Usually whenever I notice the tension in the spokes not being 100% - but never a case of a wobble in the rim.
The local mechanic is really good at truing. When he's finished with the wheels, they hum! Tight as a fiddle.
Even though I ride a F/S bike, I still practice finesse in the trail (ie. choose best line, rarely let the bike simply hammer over fallen trees, etc). I believe this contributes a lot to the longevity of the rims.
I have complete faith in my wheels.
Best rims I have ever owned. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from DC
Date Reviewed: November 15, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | Ebay | | Strengths: | Extremely light, sturdy (so far) | | Weaknesses: | Limited uses. A little slippery when braking in the wet stuff. | | Similar Products Used: | Low end mavics. | | Bike Setup: | Used on front wheel with a Ringle SOB hub, 28 DT Comp spokes, and a Michelin Wildgripper Comp S tire. Lite! | | Bottom Line: | I built this guy up to replace an aging stock front wheel on my FSR. It cut a lot of weight where I needed it, without losing too much stiffness. I wouldn't trust this rim as a rear wheel, but up front on a suspension bike seems reasonable. Haven't trued for 600 miles past break-in. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
wilbur
a Cross Country Rider
from chico,ca
Date Reviewed: June 18, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Purchased At: | supergo | | Strengths: | light, black | | Weaknesses: | buttery soft | | Similar Products Used: | mavic | | Bottom Line: | These are definitely light. I noticed the dif over my stock 237 mavics. Bought them online and rebuilt with some better hubs I had around.
I noticed a screwy rear brake feel so I figured it was time for truing. Took the tire off and the rim was caved in, along with a nice dent. The scary part is, you can bend them right back with a crescent wrench. Did not notice anything unusual on the ride. Trails here are rocky but the 237's have been going for years.
At least these are light. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alacritter
a Weekend Warrior
from Alabama
Date Reviewed: May 25, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | anything with long climbs | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | airbomb as a wheelset | | Strengths: | the price and the weight are light. I've never heard of a Sun rim developing cracks. They're also a little bit wider than some other XC rims I've used in the past, which might be good for running wide tires. | | Weaknesses: | These boogers are soft! They attract dings and flatspots like no other rim I've used | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic 517, 138, 231, 230
Bonty Mustang
Trek Matrix
Sun CR17A and some non-aero roadie rims (forgot which model) from same vintage
Sun AT18
Some 430g Arayas
| | Bike Setup: | 2x8 rigid commuter, doesn't see much dirt
XT hubs, 14/15 spokes w/ brass nipples
Rider=140 pound commuter boy | | Bottom Line: | When I brought the spokes up to tension (airbomb gave me a great deal on the wheels, but they were unevenly built, as if the builder forgot to finish the build), I could vaguely see waves in the brake track. (Clue #1 that these rims are soft.) The tension is the same that I've always used to build wheels. I guess a little bit of waviness is better than getting cracks, though.
The joint isn't too smooth. Being that they're soft rims, a few trips through mud seem to have smoothed out the joint somewhat. The joint quickly becomes a moot point when you start acquiring some real brake track damage...
It doesn't take much to put a nasty ding in the sidewalls (even before you wear through the brake track), or to flatspot these rims. They're soft enough that I have bent most of the dings back into shape, but the sidewall still flares out at the inside of some dings (weird, never had another rim with quite that tendency). If you get a snakebite flat on these rims, you can pretty well bet your arse that you have also done some damage to the rims. You get no nice suprises with this rim. You don't get a hidden bargain here.
Mine have always been laterally true (that's got little to do with the quality of the rim and everything to do with the quality of the build), but they're in sad shape. I keep using them because I'm cheap, and the tire hasn't blown out the sidewall yet.
I was hoping to get a rim equivalent to a 517 with less attention paid to the finishing and joining, but that is certainly not the case in reality. Compared to every other rim I've used, the sidewalls are too soft. Even though they were extra cheap, I wish I'd sprung for something higher up the food chain. I'm giving them 2 chilis overall for being cheap like me, heh | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andre Swift
a Cross Country Rider
from Baltimore, MD USA
Date Reviewed: May 14, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | n/a | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$89.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | Very light. Performs well. Nothing much to complain about. | | Weaknesses: | the braking track seemed a little smooth, but after using a little steel wool on them... they're just great. | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic 221 | | Bike Setup: | 3.8lb Nashbar frame, all Shimano Xt components,Easton EA70 straight bar, Thompson stem, Cane Creek Headset, Manitou SX-R shocks, Mythos XC tires | | Bottom Line: | I am 185lbs and have trued these only twice and I ride on and off road with these wheels, and even race with no complaints. So, I guess it's a matter of what you like. These are great for first timers or those looking for a good back up wheel. With my bike setup (weighing in at 23.4lbs) I am happy. I do jumps with these, go over large rocks (and the occasional tree)... no prob, still intact. I recommend them, but if you are doing trials or heavy downhill, these won't do for you. I give them a smokin (5) chilis! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
George Mason
a Weekend Warrior
from Cornwall, Ontario Canada
Date Reviewed: April 2, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Bromont | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Holding up to the punishment that i give them | | Weaknesses: | haven't found any yet | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic 138, Zac 19, Ritchie Rock Comp and OCR comp | | Bike Setup: | 99 FSR with Tioga DH 2.3 tires, Race Face cranks and Shimano
XT disc brake up front. Other wise basicly stock | | Bottom Line: | I read the other reviews and noticed that many of the other reviews complained about the stregnth of the rims. I got mine with the XT disc brake, so maybe thats the difference but I think that it is more the machanic that put the brake and rim on the bike. Before puting it on the bike he loosened of all the spokes and retensioned them, then he had me come back a week later and he retensioned the spokes again. I weigh 180 lbs lean as close to freeride as my bike will let me and have had zero problems with rim.
I sugest that if you get these rims that you do the same thing. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Javier Aceves
a Cross Country Rider
from Irvine
Date Reviewed: February 25, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | south ridge carbon canyon | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | supergo | | Strengths: | light | | Weaknesses: | Very weak, after two months i had to replace the rear. After less then a year both are bent beyond repair. | | Similar Products Used: | ? | | Bike Setup: | XC al. rig with judy XC. | | Bottom Line: | If you enjoy rocky downhills stay away from these rims. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
EDDIE PETERSON
a Racer
from GERMANTOWN TN USA
Date Reviewed: February 22, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | TOO MANY | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | SUPERGO BIKES SHOP (mail order) | | Strengths: | none they are not good at all i very much dislike these rims these rims they come out of tru and even if you did tru them and get everthing right they still mess up casue they are very weak the machine that built these should be destroyed | | Weaknesses: | very weak one jump=out of true and no comming back they warp easily espically the rear one bend easy my friend has a pair and the seam is comming apart | | Similar Products Used: | mavic 221=are not very good bontrager=pretty good(stock wheels) i recommend the d521 by mavic thats the pair im getting next they are awesome over any rim in my opinon and only 10 bucks more per rim | | Bike Setup: | sun sub 1v with lx hubs | | Bottom Line: | DO NOT BUY THEM!!!!! you will never get a wheelset as bad as these but thats coming from me which is a 180lbs tall rider (hardtail) very hard on bike parts i ride all the time and do everything on that bike and that means the rims do to but i would not recommend these rims to anyone unless you weigh about 100lbs and you have traning wheels they might not bend then but i dont know | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rod Munch
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Rosa, California
Date Reviewed: August 31, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Creek Trail, Boggs Mountain | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Light, cheap, pretty strong | | Weaknesses: | pinned, not welded seams, slippery brake track | | Similar Products Used: | WTB Powerbeam, lots o' Mavics over the years | | Bike Setup: | '99 K2 Razorback built to 25 lbs. | | Bottom Line: | Wheels came stock on my Razorback. I ride mostly in rocky Annadel State Park, and go through a pair of rims a year on average. The Sun Sub-IV's are holding up well so far, but the "ABT" (Advanced Brake Track) is really an "Average Brake Track." Almost smooth, with little friction to aid braking. I like the machined Mavics better. But these are light and cheap. 2 out of 3 ain't bad. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ruben A.k.a TXTORNADO
a Weekend Warrior
from Houston, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: August 23, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Anything | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$114.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo.com | | Strengths: | Price | | Weaknesses: | Non that I've found just yet. | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic, Weinmann (sp?) | | Bike Setup: | 99 Fisher Marlin, TruVativ FireX cranks, XT BB, XT 8-sp cassette and FD, Gripshift shifters and RD, Kenda tires | | Bottom Line: | Got mine on line. I though it was a pretty good pick (LX hubs w/ 14/15 gauge spokes laced to the rim). Definately lighter than what I was riding. The only thing I don't like is the fact that they were machine built. Take them to a shop to get tensioned after the first two or three good rides. Other than that, no probs so far! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jdelmare
a Weekend Warrior
from Front Royal, Va
Date Reviewed: August 4, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | cheap, lite. | | Weaknesses: | a bit weak? | | Similar Products Used: | mavic stuff | | Bike Setup: | Jamis Dakar, sub IV/LX | | Bottom Line: | i have used these for a little over amonth, riding about once a week. They are really lite. Onlyprob is they go out of true after a fairly hard ride, or when out doing a little bunny-hopping. maybe this is just cuz they are new. But hey, i get a lot of practise truing =). over all a good deal so far. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
scott
a Cross Country Rider
from northern idaho
Date Reviewed: July 23, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | my back yard | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Light weight
good value | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic, Matrix, Araya all in various models | | Bottom Line: | Built these up for my new hardtail. They looked good out of the package, fairly straight and round. They arent as cleanly finished as the Mavics I have used, but they were half the money, so that is to be expected. Once they were laced they built up as nicely as ANY rim I have used. Running a medium tension they have held up well through a month of hard XC riding. I have been riding every day sometimes 2X per day in that time. They have needed a little attention as far as truing goes ( I have never built a new wheel that didn't) but after the first couple of weeks they ahve set in nicely. Highly recommended for someone looking of a good XC rim at a reasonable price. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Max Nealon
a Weekend Warrior
from SoCal
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Cheap, light, good braking surface in the dry, bit tough to clean though. | | Weaknesses: | little bit fragile in the rear-wheel department on a hardtail. Does not look too happy with 2.1" tire. | | Similar Products Used: | Hoopster (?) Mavic, other Sun's. | | Bike Setup: | Fisher MT TAM, Full XT/XTR SID SL, wobbly rear wheel.... | | Bottom Line: | These are cheap and chearfull rims, that will not last forever. Mine have covered about 600miles and the rear is no longer trueable - I need a new rim according to my LBS. The front is fine though, despite my best efforts at missing jumps, and slamming kerbs. So that is about $50 every 600miles - seems to be a bargain, my front shock costs that every 50hours !
If you buy them Mailorder, take them to an LBS and get them trued from day one, do not trust that they will be straight AND tensioned correctly :)
I'll give them 5 for value, as they are cheap and light, and strong enough unless you are down-hilling all day, but only 4 overall as they do take a little looking after, and the rear is easy to bend.
Overall I like these rims, I am planning on putting them on a hybrid later in the year, with some thin tires. I will think long and hard about their replacements on my XC ride though. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
david
a Weekend Warrior
from toronto,ontario,canada
Date Reviewed: July 7, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | price weight | | Weaknesses: | strength warp after one medium hit then they'll never be true again | | Bike Setup: | oryx hta 500, judy xl, lx setup, xtr rear derailer, sun sub iv rims, tioga seat, formula hubs & discs | | Bottom Line: | well the rims came on my bike and they where fine till i had a bad landing and i put a good warp in to them, and since then they've had a slight taco to them.
but if your riding xc they should be fine.
can't wait to get my new velocity deep v's | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
a Cross Country Rider
from Salt Lake City
Date Reviewed: June 27, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | ridge trail 157 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | weight
looks
made in usa | | Weaknesses: | maybe the wieght
| | Similar Products Used: | Ritchey OCR | | Bike Setup: | Steel Marin | | Bottom Line: | Got them cheep from Supergo, $109 sub iv, black butted spoke and lx hubs. They look great (black rims, spoke and the black 2000 lx hubs.) The front wheel is still going strong however the rear won't stay true more then 3 to 4 rides. I'm going to have a new wheel built using the lx hub and a
sub o degree xc. This time it will be built by hand not by a machine. I believe this is why my rear sun iv is shot, I hope anyway. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff
a Cross Country Rider
from Price, Ut.
Date Reviewed: June 25, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Amassa Back | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | They looked really nice | | Weaknesses: | Hit a small lip and barely touched rim and it has a flat spot. I hit my old P.O.S. Suntour rims harder! | | Similar Products Used: | Suntour P.O.S.; Mavic 138(I think) and a variety of others. | | Bike Setup: | Old Cromo Jamis w/front suspension. She ain't pretty or light, but that doesn't mean I can't ride her hard. | | Bottom Line: | I got a wheelset with these rims for cheap, and ruined the rear rim with less than 50 miles on them while riding down a sidewalk. This was a machine built wheelset, and I don't think it was tensioned very well so that may have played a huge role. I just built my first wheel, and trust me, that is definitly the way to go. Basically, this may be a decent rim if it were on a well-built wheel, but with the machine-built wheelset I had, I was very, very dissapointed. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rob
a Weekend Warrior
from Seattle
Date Reviewed: June 20, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Tiger | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Price! | | Weaknesses: | Strength... | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic 138 | | Bottom Line: | This wheel completely taco'd on me today. It may be a freak occurence, but this was the first serious ride I've done on them, and needless to say, I'm not very happy. I don't think that after this I'll give Sun rims another chance. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Killer B
a Downhiller
from Mills River, NC USA
Date Reviewed: May 8, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | SideHill @ Bent Creek | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Strengths: | I have a set of these Sub IV's ordered, and am eagerly awaiting their arrival. Based on most of the posts here they should hold up pretty well. I'll repost after I've ridden them awhile. | | Weaknesses: | none known | | Similar Products Used: | WTB SpeedMaster | | Bike Setup: | ProFlex Beast, Magura hydraulic brakes, Girvin Chubby fork, 5" travel in front , 4" travel in rear, "THE" fenders f&r. | | Bottom Line: | I was re-inflating a new tube on my WTB SpeedMaster rim (rear) three days ago, when all of a sudden the tube swelled out and exploded! The explosion bent out a 5" section of the sidewall, where the pads touch, rendering the rim totally useless. It looks like someone took a pair of pliers or a hammer to my rim... I have never even heard of this happening to ANYONE. Has anybody out there heard of this, or had it happen to them? I'm thinking about contacting WTB about it. The rim was only used about 6 months. Not even 1/2 worn out on the sidewall thickness. Please email me if you have any info that may help. It sounded like a cannon going off. I practically got a slight concussion from the explosion, no joke. Thanks guys! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian H
a Racer
from Menlo Park,CA, USA
Date Reviewed: May 1, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | varies based on my mood | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Light weight and inexpensive. Have taken a beating and keep on going. | | Weaknesses: | Very hard to get tires on and off. May be do to this particular rim, or beacause rims like it are so narrow. | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic 221, Sun 17s | | Bike Setup: | '00 Access Alu, XTR, Speeedplay, Xvert Ti | | Bottom Line: | I have been very happy with these rims. I had them built at Airbomb and they have held up quite well. I'm a light rider but these rims have taken some cruel punishment. Last year when I got two flats (front and rear) within the first 2 miles of a 17 mile race, I had to ride out on my rims. I got home expecting my wheels to be smashed to pieces, but all they needed was a quick truing. I haven't had any problems with them since. Overall the rims are light, relatively inexpensive, and strong. The only issue I have with them is getting tires on and off which can be quite difficult, especially in a race environment. The Sun Sub IV is a great rim for those seaking good performance without the costs of more expensive setups. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from Ojai, Ca
Date Reviewed: May 1, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Hmmmm....... | | Weaknesses: | The first thing I noticed is the fact that I had to use tire irons to get the tire on!! I still haven't had to take them off but when I do, man what a pain that will be. This rim bent beyond repair on my second ride, was it my fault? maybe. But still I am disapointed | | Bike Setup: | Voodoo frame, xt, z2 Alloy fork | | Bottom Line: | While it could have been my inexperience this rim is BENT. I hit a small dip in the trail that I believe the rim should have taken. It did not. Front rim is still true though!!
Three flamin chilis - - | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
runforestrun
a Cross Country Rider
from Wilmington NC
Date Reviewed: April 25, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Light weight, strong | | Weaknesses: | none so far | | Similar Products Used: | Sun Ryno Lites, Matrix | | Bike Setup: | Old steel Trek w LX/XT drive train, sun sub IV-XT wheels | | Bottom Line: | I purchased these wheels on-line from thebikeco for $140 mated to a pair of XT hubs. Thebikeco did an outstanding job on the building. These wheels replaced a pair of Rhyno Lites, which were also on XT hubs (by the way, the rhyno set was built by Nashbar, who also did a great job. Not one adjustment in 1 1/2 years). I cut 10 ounces by going with the lighter rim. The Rhyno Lites were great, but heavy in comparison to the sub IV. This means slower, wider cornering. Folks, don't believe the drivel coming around in the mags; they have to sell product or die, so now they all want you to buy wide rims and tires. What was it last year? I forget, I wasn't cool then either. I ride the subIVS, a narrow rim, with 2.1 inch Panaracer Smoke and Dart (same combo used on the Rhyno Lites), and I can assure you that you get a better overall ride with the sub IV's and definitely tighter, lighter cornering. You do have to redial air pressure and pay attention to it (you are checking your pressure before every ride anyway, right?) I was running 50/40 front/rear with the Rhyno's and moved up 3 lbs on the sub IV. You really can tell a difference. Unless you are a downhiller or just do a lot of drops and other stuff, this is a great light rim. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian Crabtree
a Racer
from Indpls, IN
Date Reviewed: March 31, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Gnaw Bone Camp | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Light weight | | Weaknesses: | Not True from the factory, had a small hop from factory. | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic 217 & 517 | | Bike Setup: | Giant XTC SE1w/full XTR | | Bottom Line: | Very light rim, with good braking surface. Dont use 15/17 spokes with these rims! I would suggest using 14/15 to keep from breaking spokes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Old Proflexer
a
from Orange County, CA
Date Reviewed: February 28, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | after one month, they're still round | | Weaknesses: | An aluminum nightmare - the new braking surface started peeling small chunks of aluminum and imbedding into the surface itself and into my new brake pads. I hadden't even been off road yet and i had to clean (steelwool) the rims and pull chunks of metal out of my XTR pads. The juncture on the front rim settled uneven and now get's a nice thunk every time the pad hits it when braking. No matter how much i cleanoff the rims and change the pads - it continued | | Similar Products Used: | just about every other type of rim on the market - even the cheap ones. | | Bike Setup: | K2 4500 Carbon with Shimano XTR brakes | | Bottom Line: | An aluminum nightmare -
I road raced for many years and have been mountain biking for the last 5, take extremely good care of my equipment, and i never had a bad experience with a set of rims.
Now i have - - -
I'll be posting my experience on the K2 site, telling and showing all of my friends and boys in the club.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nate
a Weekend Warrior
from Redding CT
Date Reviewed: February 7, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Super Light
ABT keeps the brakes on track and working well
Strengh to weight ratio
| | Weaknesses: | None | | Bottom Line: | I bent the other rim and substituted it with this one. It was only $130! w/an XT hub. The rim is amazingly light and fast also the price is not to be believed! GREAT RIM! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rich
a Weekend Warrior
from Tallahassee, FL
Date Reviewed: January 17, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Tom Brown Park | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Light compared to most.
Seems to be strong under my weight(240lbs).
Looks nice in the polished version.
Only $150 w/ XT Hubs at BikerBob.com!(the LX version only cost $100 | | Weaknesses: | None thus far | | Similar Products Used: | Some older cheapies that came on my Mongoose back in the day and some blue-light specials(K-Mart) | | Bike Setup: | Giant MCM990, Marzocchi up front/RS DeSux in the rear, XT/XTR all 'round | | Bottom Line: | I read all these reviews while building my bike and based on the input, these rims seemed the best. I am completely satisfied with them too. However, when I received them, they were severely under torqued from the factory(machine that assembles these things). Had that fixed by my LB who tightened and straightened(from being loose) them up for me. I got them with XT hubs and DT 14/15 spokes and it made for one light set of wheels. The rims are polished by the way, not black. After all is said and done, only minor truing by myself has been needed and they just turned 213 miles today which is mostly riding on the trails. All in all, I have to stick with the 5 of 5 until they give me reason not to. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Cross-Country Rider
from Saginaw, MI, USA
Date Reviewed: November 29, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
light, strong | | Weaknesses: |
none | | Bike Setup: |
K2/Proflex 4000, XMO SL fork, XTR brakes/derail, Race Face Cranks | | Bottom Line: | I have beat the crap out these rims and they are still straight, brake track works great, ultralight, unbeatable rims for the price | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a Cross-Country Rider
from Milbrae, CA
Date Reviewed: October 28, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Strong, light | | Weaknesses: |
None | | Similar Products Used: |
Mavics, Ritchey, WTB | | Bottom Line: | Holding together very well even I weight 205lbs and ride very hard in the mountains. Very low maintenance. These replaced my Mavic 517. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Roger
a Cross-Country Rider
from RI
Date Reviewed: October 18, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
Long lasting, light, strong, roll fast | | Weaknesses: |
none yet after 2 years of racing, downhill | | Similar Products Used: |
Mavic 517, 217, 222, CC WAM, Crosslink | | Bottom Line: | By far the best value for a light and strong rim set for xc racing. Built these with DT Rev and CK hub or Nuke hub for a strong and lightweight 1500gram wheelset for racing. Won many races with these rim. Sure there are more expensive brandname rims but why burn it? Spend it on better hubs and spokes. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mike
a Cross-Country Rider
from Notre Dame
Date Reviewed: September 30, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
light ,light, light the machined brake track stops you incredibly fast. with low rolling weight it is the bomb | | Weaknesses: |
only comes in black | | Similar Products Used: |
mavic 221,517 | | Bike Setup: |
cannondale sv 1000 free ride 100mm,120mm | | Bottom Line: | this rim stays true and rolls fast | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Robert Ng
a Cross-Country Rider
from Richmond
Date Reviewed: September 30, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
I been using mine for about 6 months. The sides are beginning to show some wear and had to true it once. As far as I'm concern that's about half the maintaince on the wheelset I used last year. | | Weaknesses: |
Give me a few years, I might find one. | | Similar Products Used: |
mavic 217 | | Bike Setup: |
Rocky Mountain Ti-bolt
Mar. Atom-Bomb
99 Shimano XT | | Bottom Line: | I found the best prices could be found at www.airbomb.com. If you purchase anything from them, tell them E.Ng referred you there | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kirk
a Racer
from SF
Date Reviewed: September 2, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
Superlight. Lighter, stiffer and stronger than Mavic 517, yet less expensive. Made in USA. | | Similar Products Used: |
Mavic 517, Ritchey | | Bottom Line: | These rims are great! Strong and light. Made for racing xc. Much better than 517. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Sean
a Cross-Country Rider
from CA
Date Reviewed: August 30, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Rim Trail | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
extremely light
very strong considering weight | | Weaknesses: |
none | | Bottom Line: | These are great XC rims. My first set was for XC usage and never went out of true once, however, when I turned that bike into a freerider I untrued them twice on bad falls. But you cant expect perfect downhill performance from rims this light anyways. I recently purchased these for my new XC racer because of their great XC strength, incredibly light weight, and because I love the advanced brake track (ABT). I recommend these for anyone trying to save weight or increase braking power. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian H
a Racer
from Bay Area, CA
Date Reviewed: August 19, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Anything offroad w/ elevation change | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
-Light
-Quite Durable | | Weaknesses: |
-None | | Similar Products Used: |
Arayas, Mavics | | Bike Setup: |
KHS FXT, XT/XTR, Delta HL | | Bottom Line: | I just got back from the 17 mile Downieville Classic downhill race where I got 2 flats (front and back) and had to roll on my rims 12 miles to the end. I got pinch flat because of the narrow rims, but only a small wobble in the rear and 2 shredded tires show the painful return to civilization. Durable and Light. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Allison Alexander
a Racer
from Newfoundland
Date Reviewed: August 17, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
pp ski trail | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
-Light weight
-durability | | Weaknesses: |
-None | | Similar Products Used: |
-Weinman Zac 19 (crap) | | Bottom Line: | I bought these a few weeks ago and I love em. My riding continues to improve every day, and even more so now. The new rims cut a lot of weight off of my bike. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
batman
a Cross-Country Rider
from Bowmanville
Date Reviewed: August 15, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
anything down | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Superlight! Stiff too, i havent seen a compromise that sun made with this rims to make them lighter. | | Weaknesses: |
i have a hop in the rear wheel, but ive done some crazy stuff so thats acceptable | | Similar Products Used: |
sun ringle rpm's
mavic X221
Bontrager Hugi disc | | Bike Setup: |
K2 proflex 5000 w/ smart shocks | | Bottom Line: | These rims seem to be able to take a beating. I have them built on xt hubs and dt spokes, and so far they are holding up verywell. I trued them once after the first while of hard riding and they have been true ever since. If you are looking for a new pair of rims, consider these. | | Overall Rating: |
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