[Bamx2]

I bought a fat bike last summer riding on a mix bag of trails roots /gravel I have already trashed one stock rim and dented another but was able to bang it out. I am running tubeless thinking of getting. Carbon wheel sets any input ?

 

[.WestCoastHucker.]

maintaining proper and consistent spoke tension will allow you to beat a set of wheels for many years with no issues...

 

[11053]

PSI.
Since this is a fatbike/high volume tire, try upping your tire psi in 1 psi increments.
Rims only dent when they make contact with trails surface.
Carbon rims and too low tire PSI don't handle abuse any better than well built aluminum wheels and too low psi.

 

[RyderRider]

What tire pressures are you running where you are taking damage to the rims? You may want to consider running an insert like a Cush Core to give your rims a break. You could run Cush Core on alloy or carbon rims. If you are going to go through all the trouble of selecting a carbon rim, make sure you go with a company that has an awesome warranty program.

BTW. We Are One is running a sale through April on their rims only for 15% off. You can find the discount code through the Downtime Podcast. The code is in the latest episode's notes. Good luck!

 

[Bamx2]

maintaining proper and consistent spoke tension will allow you to beat a set of wheels for many years with no issues...

Thanks I will look in to a tension tool

 

[Bamx2]

PSI.
Since this is a fatbike/high volume tire, try upping your tire psi in 1 psi increments.
Rims only dent when they make contact with trails surface.
Carbon rims and too low tire PSI don't handle abuse any better than well built aluminum wheels and too low psi.

That is the info I was looking for the abuse factor thanks

 

[rangeriderdave]

Also hand built wheels are generally better than machine built . Plus you get to decide on rims ,spokes ,hub and nipples. Cross pattern ,gauge of the spokes ,brass or aluminum nipples .

 

[Shark]

PSI.
Since this is a fatbike/high volume tire, try upping your tire psi in 1 psi increments.
Rims only dent when they make contact with trails surface.
Carbon rims and too low tire PSI don't handle abuse any better than well built aluminum wheels and too low psi.

Yep this.

Carbon rims may not help, if you hit them as hard as you did to bend aluminum, you may crack the carbon.

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[Harold]

Thanks I will look in to a tension tool

No. You don't need a tension tool. Well, maybe...but honestly if you want to ensure a good wheel build, you need more than just a tension tool. You need something to use for truing (like a truing stand, or maybe an old rigid fork with zip ties attached to use as guides, but this setup makes a lot of assumptions about a centered rim that a truing stand deals with), you need spoke wrenches, and a tension tool should come after all those things are addressed.

AND, you then need to have an understanding of how wheel tensioning/truing works. It's not hard, but it is different from other parts on a bike and it does take attention to detail and a systematic approach.

If you're not prepared to do all that, then just take your wheels to a shop with a good reputation for good wheel work and have them go through any new (especially machine built) wheel.

But what you REALLY need to do is to pay better attention to your tire pressure. The general rule is, "if in doubt, let it out" and rim strikes are UNDENIABLY part of the "doubt" part. You do not want rim strikes. They result in flats and damaged rims. If you experience rim strikes (or pinch flats, self-steer, squirmy tires, folding sidewalls, etc), then you need to add air pressure back until you find something that gives you the best ride quality you can get without the negatives I mentioned. Fatbikes can be troublesome in this regard. I've been there. For some kinds of riding, it's possible that you'll never find a tire pressure that actually works right.

If you get carbon rims and you don't fix your tire pressures, then you're going to have some very, very expensive repairs to do.

 

[Bamx2]

That is the info I was looking for the abuse factor thanks

No. You don't need a tension tool. Well, maybe...but honestly if you want to ensure a good wheel build, you need more than just a tension tool. You need something to use for truing (like a truing stand, or maybe an old rigid fork with zip ties attached to use as guides, but this setup makes a lot of assumptions about a centered rim that a truing stand deals with), you need spoke wrenches, and a tension tool should come after all those things are addressed.

AND, you then need to have an understanding of how wheel tensioning/truing works. It's not hard, but it is different from other parts on a bike and it does take attention to detail and a systematic approach.

If you're not prepared to do all that, then just take your wheels to a shop with a good reputation for good wheel work and have them go through any new (especially machine built) wheel.

But what you REALLY need to do is to pay better attention to your tire pressure. The general rule is, "if in doubt, let it out" and rim strikes are UNDENIABLY part of the "doubt" part. You do not want rim strikes. They result in flats and damaged rims. If you experience rim strikes (or pinch flats, self-steer, squirmy tires, folding sidewalls, etc), then you need to add air pressure back until you find something that gives you the best ride quality you can get without the negatives I mentioned. Fatbikes can be troublesome in this regard. I've been there. For some kinds of riding, it's possible that you'll never find a tire pressure that actually works right.

If you get carbon rims and you don't fix your tire pressures, then you're going to have some very, very expensive repairs to do.

this is good info And it all seems like that the psi
Is something I need to work on thank you

 

[hoolie]

I can’t believe that nobody has said, Pick better lines. No offense meant towards your ability, but at some point you have to avoid obstacles. A pro rider on a fat bike for the 1st time, may need to adjust their riding style, so Im not picking on you. But avoiding, or using some finesse over rocks/roots, along with weight transfer, and angle of attack will all save you money on rims. Stubborn people riding too fast, thinking they can Monster Truck over stuff, can be an issue. Ive done it myself trying to keep up with faster riders. Although I dont trash rims.

 

[Harold]

I can’t believe that nobody has said, Pick better lines.

This might be a problem, too. But after riding a fatbike year-round for awhile, one thing that's fun about it is the ability to take what I always called "the stupid line" because of all the extra traction and flotation you get from fat tires. I did get too used to fatbike line choice and everybody else's line choice so when I got a different bike, I had an adjustment period back.

If we were talking about punctures, I'd be 100% in agreement with you. But rim damage? Tire pressure is probably the biggest culprit, with things like line choice, spoke tension, and so on as secondary.

 

[eb1888]

You'll be better off taking a gauge and a compact pump in your pack for a few rides. Certain segments of your ride will have the rocs/roots and you'll hit them at higher speeds. That's where you adjust the aur pressure so you don't keep getting rim hits. Once you're safe for those areas you can ride everywhere else without problems.

Here's discussion of a rim insert for the rear.-
(90) Tire Inserts for Fat Bikes? | Mountain Bike Reviews Forum (mtbr.com)

 

[.WestCoastHucker.]

i don't have a fat bike, so i forgot about the low pressures. i was thinking more about rims becoming untrue and out of round instead of damage from low pressure rock strikes...

 

[HerrKaLeu]

Before investing in Cf rims, find out and resolve what causes the strikes. Just throwing expensive Cf rims into the ringer will just destroy them. what size of tire and rim do you have and at what pressure and system weight? how fast or aggressive do you ride?

Avoiding obstacles is good, but sometimes things just happen. So a wheel with large enough tire and pressure will be helpful. Obviously the wheel should be built well (round, tension etc.)

IMHO those insert's should be last resort. They add weight and AFAIK they only last the life of the tire and you need to re-buy with anew tire. But there may be better ones.

 

[Battery]

Get yourself a nice set of Santa Cruz wheels:

 

[Harold]

nah, I wouldn't bother with inserts on a fatbike.

adds too much weight to the wheels (especially if you can get something that supports the tires, too), fat tires are still gonna squirm and fold and behave uncontrollably/unpredictably in at times if you use a light one like huck norris and your pressures aren't high enough

 

[Bamx2]

Before investing in Cf rims, find out and resolve what causes the strikes. Just throwing expensive Cf rims into the ringer will just destroy them. what size of tire and rim do you have and at what pressure and system weight? how fast or aggressive do you ride?

Avoiding obstacles is good, but sometimes things just happen. So a wheel with large enough tire and pressure will be helpful. Obviously the wheel should be built well (round, tension etc.)

IMHO those insert's should be last resort. They add weight and AFAIK they only last the life of the tire and you need to re-buy with anew tire. But there may be better ones.

Ok I’m going work on my psi my tires are 26x4
Was ridding them around 6-8 psi to get better trac going up incline but I will have go slow down my aggression on other obstacles. I was thinking that’s cf rims would take more of a beating but like some one else said it’s not a monster truck
I’m glad I posted what I did. Because I got a lot of good intel thanks!!

 

[HerrKaLeu]

Ok I’m going work on my psi my tires are 26x4
Was ridding them around 6-8 psi to get better trac going up incline but I will have go slow down my aggression on other obstacles. I was thinking that’s cf rims would take more of a beating but like some one else said it’s not a monster truck
I’m glad I posted what I did. Because I got a lot of good intel thanks!!

4.8" tires may help.

Did you ever observe the rim contact? I mean is it an obstacle hitting from the side, or does the rim hit the obstacle from above (like in too little pressure)? If the strikes are from the side, a wider tire on the same rim may help. What rim width is it?

6-8 psi may be on the low side in 4" tires if you are heavy, but may be OK if you are light. You also don't want to have too high and bounce around. I guess pressure has to be high enough to not let obstacles hit all the way through the rim.

It all depends. Observing your tires when riding over typical obstacles may help.

 

[Shark]

What is your rim width?

I had way more strikes with 80mm wide rims vs 65mm.

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