[Clutchman83]

Hey all, figured I'd poll those who've run these rims and see what you thought about the stiffness. I have a set of 28mm ID Dual Duty FR's laced to Formula hubs that I got off a Giant Reign X2 build and I've used them for the last 8 months. I'm finding them to be extremely flexy in comparison to my Syncros DH wheels. I don't think I noticed until recently when I stumbled into a really cheap downhill bike with a good wheelset but I'm starting to question whether these hoops are worth keeping around. Am I just feeling things or have others noticed the same?

I may make it a winter project to build a new set of wheels, if so what rims would you recommend for a burly trail rig. I'm no good with sorting out what wheels are good compared to others, seems there are too many to keep track of.

 

[combatkimura]

I voted "okay". I have a set of 150mm r 20mm f DD FRs on my izimu and they are pretty stiff. Mine are the 30mm outside width and are 36 spoke.

 

[tscheezy]

Unless you have the two wheelsets laced to the same hubs (or at least hubs with the same flange height and spacing) and using the same spokes, and built to the same tension, you have no basis for comparison or attributing flex or the absence of flex solely to the rim.

I have a set of stock WTB DD FR wheels and I broke a spoke (cheap spokes) and the wheel barely came out of true. They seemed pretty stiff overall to me, but like I said above, a wheel is a package and figuring out what any individual part contributes is very difficult.

 

[Clutchman83]

Unless you have the two wheelsets laced to the same hubs (or at least hubs with the same flange height and spacing) and using the same spokes, and built to the same tension, you have no basis for comparison or attributing flex or the absence of flex solely to the rim.

I have a set of stock WTB DD FR wheels and I broke a spoke (cheap spokes) and the wheel barely came out of true. They seemed pretty stiff overall to me, but like I said above, a wheel is a package and figuring out what any individual part contributes is very difficult.

Hmm, so I may be better off just building up a new set and selling this one? All the spokes are properly tensioned and I was under the impression the Formula hubs were of decent quality. I know how to build and true a wheel just fine, it's the finer details of what makes a good wheelset that I'm fuzzy on. I was thinking about trying out a 10mm bolt on setup...

My main source of concern is that the bike doesn't jump nearly as steady as my hardtail and DH bike, it's really unpredictable and you can feel a mad squirm come from the back end when you try to pump a lip or try to lay the bike over at speed. Just grabbing the top of the wheel and pushing and pulling it I can get the wheel to flex enough so the tires contact the sides of the rear triangle. I can't do that with any other wheelset on the same bike, even my super lightweight XC wheelset. Same wheel on the front, feels a little more stable but definitely not as precise as the Syncros setup on my DH bike.

Any recommendations for a somewhat inexpensive build with a bolt on? Say under $400.

 

[vmajor]

Ahh...if you are grabbing the rear wheel and deflecting it that much...get that Hadley through axle for your bike!

It will stiffen up the rear end beyond what you expect. While I was on the 10mm trough QR, my rear wheel would contact the chainstays even under hard acceleration. Never even touched them anymore even on sideways landings after the through bolt arrived.

Try that first. Cheap and reusable.

V.