Looking for Rim Advice

[Ben Adrian]

Hey all!

I recently picked up a Rambouillet. I'm really liking it except for the rims. It has an Open Pro and a DT RR 1.1. The DT especially is VERY difficult to mount and unmount tires. Mainly, though, I'd just like to run 35mm tires.

I really like the hubs, and I've built wheels before. I'm looking for rims that I can easily swap out. Not switching spokes is a plus. Right now it seems like Velocity A23 and Mavic A316 both have the same ERD, so I should be able to just swap them on. Any reviews, pros/cons of these rims. Also, is there anything else I should check out?

Cheers!

Ben

[Garth]

Ben, not so fast with ditching what you have ! Tire mounting difficulty can be as much the tire as the rim though but often it seems to come down to technique and/or thinn-er rim tape. After years of using Velox, I changed to nylon strapping tape, it's the kind that cords of nylon in it and comes in a variety of widths. Super strong, one single layer with a slight overlap where I began. Also, make sure the opposite bead is in the middle groove when doing either side as the middle has a smaller ERD than the bead shelf. 

Here's some videos that show it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvvXrlAUUfU  From Global cycling Network,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPWBbDR3oag  From a wheelbuilder @ Velcoity\

[lconley]

I have changed to using Veloplugs on all of my wheels (tubeless would be an insane maintenance nightmare on 20+ bicycles). I put them on all of my new wheels and change to them on old wheels whenever I remove a tire for some reason. They are lighter than cloth rim tape, easier to install and reusable. They seem to be slicker than rim tape so it is easier to center the tire on the low center of the rim which makes the tire easier to mount/dismount. 

Laing

Delray Beach FL

[Matt Beecher]

I had issues with a rim recently and determined it was the cotton tape.  I switched to use the blue tape (Velocity?) that Riv sells and the rims were manageable again.  I don't recall the rim brand though, so I apologize for that lack of information. 

I have a wheel that came with veloplugs and found those suitable as well.  

Best regards,

Matt B in Oswego, IL

[Jeremy Till]

As others have pointed out, there are ways to try to make mounting a tire easier, and if your main goal is a wider tire, there is absolutely no problem with putting a 35mm tire on a rim the width of the open pro. On my Rambouillet I've maximized the tire size by running Paul Racer M brakes and 700x40 nominal (37.5mm actual) tires. A 35mm tire would be a great setup, I think, and a good balance between tire volume and clearance. Picture here: https://flic.kr/p/2kSZxh9 

My rims are Velocity Aeroheads, which are very close in width to Open Pros and DT RR 1.1's, if memory serves correctly. I don't experience any handling issues with the wide tire/narrow rim combination. I run the pressures 40 psi front/55 psi rear, and I've weighed between 225 and 235 lbs with this setup.  

-Jeremy Till

Sacramento, CA

[Ben Adrian]

I'm a pretty handy home mechanic and have never had tire mounting problems until now.

I've had fine luck with Bontrager, Reynolds, DT 411, DT Spline, WTB, Pacenti, HED, etc.

This DT 1.1 rim seems to have almost no center channel it's pretty much straight across. I've never seen anything like it. General internet chatter seems to mention the difficulty of mounting tires on these 1.1 rims. The Open Pro is difficult, but doable. The DT seems to have problems with any tires that are made to tubeless compatible specs.

My main concern is just being stranded. When I got the bike it took two tire levers and a screwdriver to remove the Schwalbe tires that came on it. I know that was bad form, but I had no other options at the moment. If I got a front flat even with the tires I have on the rims now, I still don't think I'd be able to fix it on the road. To further the story, I then put those Schwalbe tires right on my Pacenti Forza rims by hand and with zero problems.

My only other thought is to check overall tension of the wheel. I've radially trued many wheels. Maybe it just needs to be pulled in all around... which also seems like a bad idea.

Anyway, that's my story.

Thanks everyone.

Ben

[Peter Stock]

the answer is:

the VAR tire tool.

hard/impossible to find in North America.

so i ordered a dozen here 

https://tinyurl.com/yckr6ksm

great stocking stuffers or giveaways

peter stock
toronto canada

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[Peter Adler]

I bought a few of the excellent VAR tools recently from Chuck Davis, from the iBOB/CR groups. He has a stash left over from his now-closed shop in Oklahoma; he may still have garage-cluttering inventory he'd like to move out.

Peter "the Kool-Stop tire jacks and Crank Brothers Speedier tool work pretty good too, but the VAR is lighter" Adler

who just flatted his pack mule an hour ago, and so will have to test tools again in

Berkeley, CA/USA 

[Ben Adrian]

Hey All!

So I solved my problem in two ways. 

1. I got a set of H Plus Son/American Classic wheels for a great price. THey are quite good all around. They are wider rims than the Open Pros so my wider tires seat nicely. Only issue is that they are black rather than silver. Still, it's a great wheelset at great value and I'd rathe see them get used even if it's not my favorite color.

2. The same guy that sold me this wheelset threw in a set of open pro rims for free. I rebuilt my old hubs and spokes onto these new rims and my standard tires go on fine; no sweat.

So really, it was just that one DT 1.1 rim that was a pain. Plus, I now have two awesome wheelsets for the Ram.

Cheers!

Ben