Bigger has been the trend in mountain biking for a number of years now, and it definitely has it’s benefits. 29″ and 27.5″/650B wheels roll over terrain better than the 26″ wheels we grew up with and suspension travel has far exceeded the 60mm we once thought of as “long travel”. With fat bikes seeing Ned Overend (Durango Wheel Club) and Amanda Miller (Boulder Cycle Sport/YogaGlo) claiming the first national championships in the discipline, who knows what will be the next “big” thing?
One other innovation that has been brought to the table in many aspects of the sport is the wider rim. Roadies look to the wider rim for better aerodynamics and cross riders like it for the larger contact patch for gluing 32-35mm wide tubulars. For clincher/tubeless tires, a wider rim has additional benefits when you look at the relationship between the rim and tire. Loaded Precision is looking to enhance the benefits for those that want to run wide tires in mountain biking on a carbon rim with their X-40 29″ and 27.5″ wheelsets.
A wider rim helps in two main areas, traction and comfort. In most cases, tires work best when their sidewalls are perpendicular to the ground. Running a wider tire on a narrow rim produces a light bulb effect, with the tread bulging out like a bulb. It works, but you start to bring lateral flex of the tire’s sidewall into the equation. To combat this, a rider will pump their tires up to a higher pressure, which can make for a more harsh ride, while reducing tire compliance on imperfect surfaces, which can lead to a possible reduction in traction. To see what I mean about reducing traction on imperfect surfaces, check out this slow motion video from Paris Roubaix and watch how the riders wheels bounce off of some of the cobbles. It’s an extreme version, but translate it into the not so smooth surfaces out on the road most of us see, and it starts to make sense in regards to tire compliance. Without getting into a engineering debate, a wider tire mated to a wider rim will reduce lateral flex and allow you to run lower pressures, thereby increasing tire compliance on imperfect surfaces and creating a softer rider for the rider.
With the X-40 Hookless UD Carbon Wheels, Loaded Precision gives your 2.5″+ tires more room to spread out and create a larger footprint. On the trail, this give you the ability to run lower pressures, and get better overall traction on challenging terrain where grip matters. The hookless design also means they will be easier to get tires on and off of, while reducing the risk of breaking the rim. Plus, just add the rim strip and sealant, and you have a tubeless wheel set up.
The X-40 rims also feature Loaded’s proprietary CKT construction method that bonds carbon layers to help prevent delamination, improves impact protection, and helps to reduce weight. With 27.5″ wheelsets weighing in at a claimed 1580 grams and the 29″ at 1599 grams, you’ll be hard pressed to find another wheelset as wide, light, and durable.
If you want to give your ride a little extra style, along with some wider rims, provide a Pantone color code and Loaded Precision will provide a splash of color on the rims. That’s more than 50 shades of grey, or whatever color you want, to match your bike, kit, or whatever you like. Then again, you can also go with the standard colors of black, grey, silver, gold, red, green, or blue to match their aluminum components.
$1599.99
Heckling Editor, Image Taker, Crash Test Dummy, and Beard Master at Bikeworldnews.com
~Veggie Powered Athlete~
Location – Lancaster, PA
Current Testing Rigs – 2024 Van Dessel Arch65, 2019 Van Dessel Full Tilt Boogie, 2018 Van Dessel Motivus Maximus LTD, 2016 Van Dessel Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, 2015 Bianchi Sempre Pro, 1978 Trek TX900
Dream Bike – I’ll tell you when they make it
Discipline – Cyclocross, gravel, road and duathlons (ride/run)
Favorite Rides – Quiet country roads of Amish Country, some of the best roads around.
Food of Choice – Sweet potato roll
Beer of Choice – Unibroue Grand Reserve 17, aged four years
Bourbon of Choice – Widow Jane 10 Year