32mm Rims on a v20 Anyone?

[Derek]

I am looking at the HED RC9 wheels for my v20 (2021), but the 32mm external rim width has me concerned. Has anyone run this wide a wheel on the v20? Will it work?

HED Jet RC9 Performance Rim Brake Carbon Wheelset [J9-1114124 / J9-4114121]

The HED Jet RC9 Performance Clincher Wheelset offers an unprecedented level of versatility. With its low weight and clincher/tubeless tire convenience, its a fantastic choice for rolling, hilly sportives, hard racing in its rawest of forms, or fast Sunday group rides.

www.biketiresdirect.com

 

[cpml123]

I am looking at the HED RC9 wheels for my v20 (2021), but the 32mm external rim width has me concerned. Has anyone run this wide a wheel on the v20? Will it work?

HED Jet RC9 Performance Rim Brake Carbon Wheelset [J9-1114124 / J9-4114121]

The HED Jet RC9 Performance Clincher Wheelset offers an unprecedented level of versatility. With its low weight and clincher/tubeless tire convenience, its a fantastic choice for rolling, hilly sportives, hard racing in its rawest of forms, or fast Sunday group rides.

www.biketiresdirect.com

That wheelset looks so awesome! I don't know if 32mm wheel/ tire can fit. I have 30mm tires and they fit fine. 32mm might be really really close. I think 650b might fit better.

 

[Frito Bandito]

I haven't, mine is limited to 28mm with all of my Campagnolo wheels, which are 20.5mm wide at the brake tracks. Rim width is important on my 2018 V20 because a wider rim allows the tire to expand on the side a little more and the brake mount is shaped such that if allowed to expand even wider is where the tire will contact the brake track. In your case depending on how wide your rims are and the closest part of the frame (and maybe brakes) to contact your tire might rub with 1 brand of (wider) rims and not with a different brand of (more narrow) rims.

Those HED Jet RC 9s look great. They are on my short list of wheels when I am finally able to pull the trigger.

 

[Don1]

I run rims that are 28mm external/22mm internal with good clearance with 25mm tyres... But will be going 28mm... I've run 32mm tyres on my cruzclone and found then too slow

 

[chicorider]

Currently running 28mm outer width (22mm inner width) rims and 30mm tires on my V20c, with no clearance issues. I love this setup. Gained comfort and speed over my previous wheels.

 

[Andreas]

Sorry to hijack your thread, @Derek, but I do not want to open a new "Which wheel should I choose" one.

Short version (as it became too much text):

I found an interesting wheelset with a 32mm outer width and 25mm inner width:
Light Bicycle - Falcon WR65 DISC Link

However, the rim is relatively straight (not bulged), and it's already 32mm wide at the top.
Does anyone have experience with a similar rim on the V20 (2021)?

Also, the 25mm inner width seems quite wide for my planned tire Conti GP 5000 28c (or 30c). Do you have any concerns about this?

I think at least @RojoRacing has a similar wheel.

Long version

After the first season on my Vendetta, I'm still flashed. Now, in winter, I would like to optimize my configuration, which was actually only intended as a “get on the road” package.

A year ago, I wouldn't have thought that upgrading my wheels (Mavic Ksyrium 30) would be among the first things to change. However, seeing that I consistently reach speeds closer to 40 than 30 kph on straight sections, this is probably where I have the most potential.

But my head has now been infected by this mysterious 105 rule and since I don't want to run tires smaller than 28c it's getting more complicated than I thought.

Desired depth: around 60 to 65mm
Outer width: 30mm or wider
Inner width: around 21mm

Unfortunately, well-available mainstream brands (e.g., DT Swiss Dicut 62) are optimized for 25mm tires, and the rims usually have an outer width of 27-28mm.

My Continental GP5000 28c tires already measure over 29mm on my Mavic rim (19mm inner width), and they will likely be even wider with larger rim inner widths.

Thanks to @ratz for your market overview in July. Reynolds Blacklabel 60 would be perfect. But they are difficult to find in Europe, and I'm not sure if they are available with 5mm QR axles.

Hunt 60 Limitless Aero has a rim comparable to Reynolds: 34mm outer and 21mm inner width. However, 20 spokes on the non-drive wheel are to less for me, and the Hunt hub is said to be quite loud. In general, I feel more comfortable with standard hubs from reputable manufacturers.

There are some "small" European wheel manufacturers that produce interesting budget wheels, and some can even be configured with DT Swiss hubs. Examples include FFWD Ryot 55, Aerycs Aero WT 60, or KYZR - RC60 Disc. However, with each model, there is always at least one thing that is not pleasing, such as OEM hub, too narrow outer width, or too few spokes.

However, the positive aspect is that I now have a very clear idea of what my desired wheelset looks like. Unfortunately, I don't know of any LBS near me known for producing customizable aero wheels.

During this search I came across Light Bicycle. Initially, I didn't plan on ordering a "China wheelset" but this manufacturer seems to make a very trustworthy impression, and according to this forum, customers appear to be consistently satisfied: weightweenies starbike

And the following wheelset would be available for under 1k EUR:

Rim: WR65, 65mm deep, outer/inner width 32/25mm
Spokes: Sapim CX Ray, 28/24 for drive/non-drive wheel
Hubs: DT Swiss DT350 or DT240 (DT Swiss 5mm QR adapters are easy to get)

However, the U-profile is very straight and not as nicely bulged as the LAW profiles:


I'm a bit concerned about these 25 mm inner width.
If it were 21 or 22mm, I probably would have already placed an order.

Official tire-rim charts indicate a minimum size of 35c and a recommended size starting from 42c for this inner width. However, it seems that Schwalbe allows for 28c on this width: Schwalbe Tire Rim Chart

In the Starbike Forum and also on the Light Bicycle website, you can find several individuals who ride this combination. The GP 5000 28c then measures approximately 31mm in width, and it doesn't look bad at all:

WR65 Album: Link
WR65 with GP 28C: link

Perhaps with this rim, it might be easier to mount a 30c (or even 32c) tire on the front, as the vertical clearance compared to my current rim seems to increase:


And after writing all of this down, I just noticed that @RojoRacing apparently has a Light Bicycle WR45 (same inner width) on his V20, so it should work: Link
(Regardless, I'll still post all this but will add a summary at the top

And while we're on the topic of Chinese wheels, I found an alternative rim with a 21mm inner width at Nextie: Nextie CRX-series
I can hardly find any experiences with Nexties, and the website and configurator are somewhat basic but the profile looks much better:

End of text

 

[chicorider]

I have built many wheelsets over the years, both for myself and for friends, using Light Bicycle rims, and have had nothing but good experiences--ease of building, rim quality, and customer service.

 

[Alanczik]

Edit:
took my some time to understand your talking about the rim width, and not the tire..
So unfortunately can't help, as I'm using rim brake and it's hard to find a road wheel with rims wider then 20mm outer width (17mm iner width)
guss that's the best thing about moving to disc brakes.. you got so many great options this days.

 

[Andreas]

Thanks for your responses.

For those who are interested, here is the outcome of the story.
I endet up going with the Nextie rims mentioned at the end of my post.
I ordered the rims only and had the wheels built with DT Swiss 350 hubs and Sapim CX Ray spokes by a wheel builder.
On the front, I switched from GP 5000 Clincher 28C to tubeless GP 5000 S TR 30C.
On the rear I will wear down my old 28C first.
Clearance on the front is no issue.

Perhaps even a 32C tire could fit with 2mm of clearance remaining.
On the rear, the clearance is about 1mm less, so 30C may be the limit there.

The Nextie rims have a specified inner width of 21mm, but measured, it's more like 20.4mm.
The worn Conti 28C tires now measure 29.8mm on Nexties (Mavic 19mm inner: 29.0mm).
30C tubeless tires now measure between 31 and 31.4mm, and they will probably expand a bit more.

I think I'll skip experimenting with 32C tires.
With 28C, I perfectly adhere to the 105 rule, and with 30C, the tire and rim have the same width.

Yesterday was the maiden ride. And as luck would have it, it was the stormiest and gustiest day I've ever ridden on the Vendetta.
Result: I can handle this rim depth with ease.
But now I have a new problem: I need a lot more teeth on the big chainring.

 

[Frito Bandito]

Nice going Andreas! Nice to hear about wider tires fitting too. As far as the bigger chainring goes, I went from a 52t, to a 53t chainring found at a bike shop for about $20 for my R7000 105 cranks. Then, I found a brand new Dura Ace crankset in 54-40t without a power meter, and it helped a little on the top end. However, if you want more bang for you buck then get a cassette with a 10t smallest gear and whatever you need at the big end for the climbs. Dropping to a 10t from an 11t there should get you about an extra 5kph, while going up 1 tooth on the big ring only nets you about 1kph.

 

[Andreas]

Thanks @Frito Bandito
You can add a smiley after my last statement about bigger chainrings, it's no priority, just yesterday I ran out of gears on a pretty flat segment due to tailwind.
But since you named it:
I don't think about a smaller spocket.
Beside doubting about the efficciency of a 10t spocket, this would require a big update (change HG-L to Micro Spline -> 12x -> new STIs -> switch to hydraulic).
The cheapest solution would be to mount a 53t to my FC-R7000 and hope that my front derailleur can handle 53/34.
And if someone wants to go really big, there are options from Rotor up to 58/44

 

[Frito Bandito]

I hear that Andreas. Everyone once in a while the winds are perfect for +50kph in sections, and I've found myself clicking on my AXS button hoping for another gear or two that never comes. There was a 1x Miche in 60t or 61t but someone snapped that one up before I could. Since I am running a Mullet with an Ultegra 11-34t cassette on a Shimano Freehub I can't take advantage of SRAM's 10t cassette. My current project bike might eventually get that SRAM 10t though. My FD on my 2018 V20 can handle the 54t, but just barely.