Hot off the press is today’s announcement from the proponents of all things lightweight and tubeless, Stan’s NoTubes, about two new carbon fibre rims that the company will be offering aftermarket individually.
Stan’s NoTubes has offered rim-only options for many years, but up until now it’s only offered those rims in alloy. All of the brand’s carbon fibre rims have been restricted to complete wheelsets, such as the Valor and Bravo wheels that we’ve reviewed previously, and the Podium SRD wheels we’ve just received for testing. It’s no surprise that these rims are the lightest aftermarket rims that Stan’s has ever offered.
For those who wish to build their own custom wheels however, Stan’s now has two carbon rims to do exactly that; the Crest CB7, and the Arch CB7. Like the alloy version of the same name, the Crest CB7 is a lightweight carbon XC rim that will only be available in 29in diameters only, with 28h and 32h drilling options. The Arch CB7 will be available in both 29in and 27.5in sizes, and aside from being wider to support tyres up to 2.5in, will also carry a higher rider weight limit to its thicker and more robust construction.
Both rims are entirely new, and while some of the dimensions are shared with other Stan’s rims, they are unique. We’re still awaiting confirmation of UK pricing, but we have US RRPs and all the specs listed below;
Crest CB7 Carbon Rim Features
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- Superlight XC racing carbon rim
- 29in only
- RiACT carbon fibre construction with 10mm of radial compliance
- Bead Socket Technology (BST) for easy tubeless setup
- Internal rim width: 23mm
- External rim width: 29.7mm
- Depth: 19.3mm
- Recommended tyre width: 2.00in to 2.25in
- Claimed weight: 325g
- 28h and 32h drillings available
- Max Rider Weight: 104kg (250lb)
- Rim RRP: £450 per rim
- Available February 2018
We got in touch with Chris Currie – the Creative Director at Stan’s NoTubes – who gave us the lowdown on the Crest CB7 rim;
“The Crest CB7 rim is not the same as the Podium. The internal width is the same, but the rest of the dimensions differ somewhat. We were able to purpose-build the Podium SRD specifically for one hub/lacing and pull out all the stops, weight-wise, whereas the Crest CB7 had to be built with thicker walls to be a bit more versatile, both from a “lace it to whatever hub you want” standpoint, and also because Crest riders are often riding their XC bikes out on a really widevariety of trails vs. the more “XC race course only” life of a Podium SRD.“
Whereas the Crest CB7 is your XC racing rim, the Arch CB7 is much beefier and heavier for trail riding applications. And although the carbon Arch CB7 rims appear to share exactly the same dimensions as the current Bravo wheelset, the rims are different. Here’s Chris Currie again with the dealio;
“The Arch CB7 shares the basic dimensions of the Bravo, but the shape and wall-thicknesses are actually pretty different. Whereas the Bravo tapered toward the top slightly (so the widest part of the Bravo was about mid-way down the side of the rim), the Arch CB7 does not. The rim material at the top of the sidewalls has basically gotten thicker to fill that space, so the widest part of an Arch CB7 runs all the way from the mid-way of the sidewall up to the top of the rim, by the bead. Wall thickness has also been increased slightly throughout. Versus a Bravo, an Arch CB7 is more donut, less hole.”
So there you go!
Arch CB7 Carbon Rim Features
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- Lightweight carbon rim for trail riding
- Available in 27.5in and 29in diameters
- RiACT carbon fibre construction with 10mm of radial compliance
- Bead Socket Technology (BST) for easy tubeless setup
- Internal rim width: 26mm
- External rim width: 32mm
- Depth: 19.5mm
- Recommended tyre width: 2.25in to 2.5in
- Claimed weight: 450g (27.5in), 475g (29in)
- 28h and 32h drillings available
- Max Rider Weight: 114kg (250lb)
- Rim RRP: £450 per rim
- Available February 2018
Like the Bravo, the Arch CB7 rim is designed to support 2.25in – 2.5in wide tyres with its 26mm internal rim width, and offers 10mm of radial compliance to provide a more comfortable ride compared to much stiffer carbon wheels on the market. Like the Crest CB7, the Arch CB7 also features the BST tubeless compatible profile for easy tubeless setup, and super-short and thick sidewalls that are – in theory – stronger and stiffer than taller sidewalls.
We’ll post confirmation of UK pricing and any other details as we get it. The rims are due to be available in February, though we’ll have to wait to hear about UK availability. For further information, head to the Stan’s NoTubes website, or see Paligap.cc
