So I guess I'll wait to get that disc brake bicycle......the heavy duty rims sound fantastic.
On Dec 5, 11:08 pm, Grant Petersen <gep71...@gmail.com> wrote: > Many of you will remember, and all of you can relate to Keith > Bontrager's maxim from the late '80s: > > Light Strong Inexpensive: Pick Two > > It works to some extent with all bike parts, but even IT can't come to > the rescue when the thing is just too light. > > Do you know the thickness of the braking surface on a typical road > rim? It's about 1.2mm. Some are 1.1. That's what fails when rims wear > out and blow out. Well...1.1 or 1.2mm looks like nothing, which you > consider the abrasion they're subject to and can't possibly avoid. > (Disc brakes have their own set of problems, so let's stay on track.) > > It used to be common practice to inspect brake pads AND rims, but > raise you hand if you can remember the last time you did that. > > How much should a non-racing 700c rim weigh? How thick should the > braking surface be, and how tall? How wide should it be? > Reasonable answers, kind of, could be: Weight: 500g. Thickness of > braking surface: 2.5mm. Height: 11mm. Width: 24mm. > But a rim with those specs would weigh about 800g. I believe this > because we're having a NOBS rim made to our specs, and it has 1.6mm > braking surface, 10.5mm brake surface height, is 25.4 (1) mm wide, and > weighs about 650g. It's wider than 24, but way thinner than 2.5, and > the 10.5<11. I think this is a totally reasonable rim, in every way. I > wanted 2mm of braking surface, but that would have meant zero buyers, > so we settled on the world-record 1.6, bringing the weight down to a > near world record 650g, and even though I think it's a perfectly > fantastic rim for general nonracing use---touring, trails, commuting, > all purpose riding when there's not a timer or a finish line with a > banner---I believe we'll end up selling it mostly to guys who weigh > 300 pounds and are sick and tired of wheel problems...because most > riders like the idea of stout stuff, but don't really want the weight > that comes with it. > We'll continue to offer other rims....but this new rim will be the way > to go when you truly, really, want a durable rim and wheel. > (Anyway....the new stouty won't be available for many months). -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
