Gents, can we talk about the crescent wrench thing? Dude, crescent wrench is not the preferred nomenclature (tool) it’s knipex (or knockoff) please. Besides, then you...
Gents, can we talk about the crescent wrench thing? Dude, crescent wrench is not the preferred nomenclature (tool) it’s knipex (or knockoff) please. Besides, then you also have the proper tool for everything hex related on the bike, rotor truing, fork air top caps and can even use it as a hand vice if need be. Next thing you’re going to say is that you use the ole rock on rock tap method to reduce air pressure in your suspension. MADNESS! FWIW, I use a 7” for most things and I have a knockoff one that travels so that the name brand lives in my garage to live a (mostly) un-abused life.
Concur with everything that has been said. I do kill ex511’s and Reserve AL/HDs after a year, but rarely because they no longer hold air. Mostly because I get annoyed with a wobble or flat spot that’s so bad I can feel it while sitting down riding laison fire roads or have spoke tension so all over the place I can start to feel it in berms. Bend’r straight, check spoke tension and run it until you’re annoyed with it.
Lastly, I use the park tool spoke tensiometer at home (bonus points for testing/calibrating it or calibrating to it said more accurately if you’re doing lots of builds)… but I have a knockoff one that lives in my car tool roll and sometimes travels in my bike bag. It’s shit… but it’s good enough to check for consistency from one spoke to another and was 1/3 the price. I would not build a wheel with it unless I was doing a parking lot, in frame build out of necessity.
I'm absolutely not above using the rock tap or stick method to reduce air pressure in my suspension if I'm up on the hill and don't have access to a shock pump.
But in my defense: I'm really good at it.
This is what it felt like the day I discovered that I didn't actually have to waste a run and wait until getting back to the car before making my fork and/or shock feel better. And once I got back to the car, I could use the shock pump to accurately measure and confirm my new preferred pressure:
Gents, can we talk about the crescent wrench thing? Dude, crescent wrench is not the preferred nomenclature (tool) it’s knipex (or knockoff) please. Besides, then you...
Gents, can we talk about the crescent wrench thing? Dude, crescent wrench is not the preferred nomenclature (tool) it’s knipex (or knockoff) please. Besides, then you also have the proper tool for everything hex related on the bike, rotor truing, fork air top caps and can even use it as a hand vice if need be. Next thing you’re going to say is that you use the ole rock on rock tap method to reduce air pressure in your suspension. MADNESS! FWIW, I use a 7” for most things and I have a knockoff one that travels so that the name brand lives in my garage to live a (mostly) un-abused life.
Concur with everything that has been said. I do kill ex511’s and Reserve AL/HDs after a year, but rarely because they no longer hold air. Mostly because I get annoyed with a wobble or flat spot that’s so bad I can feel it while sitting down riding laison fire roads or have spoke tension so all over the place I can start to feel it in berms. Bend’r straight, check spoke tension and run it until you’re annoyed with it.
Lastly, I use the park tool spoke tensiometer at home (bonus points for testing/calibrating it or calibrating to it said more accurately if you’re doing lots of builds)… but I have a knockoff one that lives in my car tool roll and sometimes travels in my bike bag. It’s shit… but it’s good enough to check for consistency from one spoke to another and was 1/3 the price. I would not build a wheel with it unless I was doing a parking lot, in frame build out of necessity.
I'm absolutely not above using the rock tap or stick method to reduce air pressure in my suspension if I'm up on the hill and don't...
I'm absolutely not above using the rock tap or stick method to reduce air pressure in my suspension if I'm up on the hill and don't have access to a shock pump.
But in my defense: I'm really good at it.
This is what it felt like the day I discovered that I didn't actually have to waste a run and wait until getting back to the car before making my fork and/or shock feel better. And once I got back to the car, I could use the shock pump to accurately measure and confirm my new preferred pressure:
Truly, a new dawn.
Everytime I rent a bike at a bike I just tell them to pump it up the fork too much and spend the first run doing the stik poke till it feels right.
Heck you could even just run a carbon rear wheel and keep running alloy front wheel to keep running cost lower but yes so far from what you have described, carbon could work to fix your longevity issues.
With all these big boys smashing up reserve rims on the regular. Are you getting sent replacements free of charge time after time ? Ant that the deal they advertise ?
With all these big boys smashing up reserve rims on the regular. Are you getting sent replacements free of charge time after time ? Ant that...
With all these big boys smashing up reserve rims on the regular. Are you getting sent replacements free of charge time after time ? Ant that the deal they advertise ?
Yeah I've done 5 reserve warranties. The 3rd one from my enduro bike they offered an upgrade to the carbon 30 DH for another $250 but I was restarted and said no.
All things said here about spoke tension,rebound and LSC setting,strong rims ,riding style ,rim saver like cushcore etc are true But you have strong dents in your rims and after set all the things sugested here i looked for something similar to Schwalbe Procore inserts to help your rims to survive a little more Tyre pressure is also a thing to taking into account, and now I don't remember what pressure you use.but must be high like near 40psi and dh casing
Yeah I've done 5 reserve warranties. The 3rd one from my enduro bike they offered an upgrade to the carbon 30 DH for another $250 but...
Yeah I've done 5 reserve warranties. The 3rd one from my enduro bike they offered an upgrade to the carbon 30 DH for another $250 but I was restarted and said no.
The suggestion to go to a carbon rear hoop is a good one. I prefer the feel of the AL reserve wheels on my enduro and LT e-bike, but after way too much rear wheel maintenance I eventually swapped to reserve HD carbon rears and HD aluminum front on my e-bike and HD/SL front on my enduro bike. I feel like it’s the best of both worlds and while it’s a touch harsher, I now do pretty much zero wheel maintenance year over year. I’ve broken 2 reserve HD carbon wheels over my tenure with many sets… and neither were the fault of the wheels… pretty much mistakes that would have killed any hoop of any material. Pick your favorite brand of carbon rear hoops… We are one’s are just as good.
Working through some of the suggestions, I think I'm going to give the following setup a try and report back with long-term results. WAO Deal (offset carbon...
Working through some of the suggestions, I think I'm going to give the following setup a try and report back with long-term results.
WAO Deal (offset carbon rim), DT Swiss Alpine III spokes on brass nipples, Maxxis New DH casing DHR2, and we're gonna give Rimsaver a shot as well.
Thank you all for your input!
I love that game plan you describes, with the caveat that I'd like to reiterate the importance of militantly safeguarding equal spoke tension during the initial wheel build process and after riding.
If that game plan doesn't fix it for you, then I think we can conclusively determine that you are the problem. Lol.
Working through some of the suggestions, I think I'm going to give the following setup a try and report back with long-term results. WAO Deal (offset carbon...
Working through some of the suggestions, I think I'm going to give the following setup a try and report back with long-term results.
WAO Deal (offset carbon rim), DT Swiss Alpine III spokes on brass nipples, Maxxis New DH casing DHR2, and we're gonna give Rimsaver a shot as well.
Thank you all for your input!
Good luck. Ultimately, I don't think any spokes/nipples/wheelbuilding detail can solve the problem it seems like you're having, which seems more related to rim strikes than general forces.
All of the above will help make a more durable wheel, but if you're denting and cracking rims from impacts, your issue is isolated to the rim and tire. If you're denting the shit out of the beefiest rims on the market, I'd run higher pressure with an insert and try being a little lighter on the rear wheel. Be a little more gentle, don't push down through rough G-outs if you can; pick up the bike over big rocks; and take those doubles just a few inches farther.
If you happen to have a little extra bread, I'd build the baller carbon wheel you describe and a spare budget-ish aluminum wheel. That carbon rim oughta hold up pretty well, but when (not if) you crack it your day will be over. Keeping a backup wheel in the car (i.e. FR 571 laced to a Bitex hub) will keep you rolling.
🤣
I'm absolutely not above using the rock tap or stick method to reduce air pressure in my suspension if I'm up on the hill and don't have access to a shock pump.
But in my defense: I'm really good at it.
This is what it felt like the day I discovered that I didn't actually have to waste a run and wait until getting back to the car before making my fork and/or shock feel better. And once I got back to the car, I could use the shock pump to accurately measure and confirm my new preferred pressure:
Long term moving forward carbon or aluminum?
Everytime I rent a bike at a bike I just tell them to pump it up the fork too much and spend the first run doing the stik poke till it feels right.
Heck you could even just run a carbon rear wheel and keep running alloy front wheel to keep running cost lower but yes so far from what you have described, carbon could work to fix your longevity issues.
With all these big boys smashing up reserve rims on the regular. Are you getting sent replacements free of charge time after time ? Ant that the deal they advertise ?
Yeah I've done 5 reserve warranties. The 3rd one from my enduro bike they offered an upgrade to the carbon 30 DH for another $250 but I was restarted and said no.
All things said here about spoke tension,rebound and LSC setting,strong rims ,riding style ,rim saver like cushcore etc are true But you have strong dents in your rims and after set all the things sugested here i looked for something similar to Schwalbe Procore inserts to help your rims to survive a little more Tyre pressure is also a thing to taking into account, and now I don't remember what pressure you use.but must be high like near 40psi and dh casing
Oof. Shoulda jumped on that one.
The suggestion to go to a carbon rear hoop is a good one. I prefer the feel of the AL reserve wheels on my enduro and LT e-bike, but after way too much rear wheel maintenance I eventually swapped to reserve HD carbon rears and HD aluminum front on my e-bike and HD/SL front on my enduro bike. I feel like it’s the best of both worlds and while it’s a touch harsher, I now do pretty much zero wheel maintenance year over year. I’ve broken 2 reserve HD carbon wheels over my tenure with many sets… and neither were the fault of the wheels… pretty much mistakes that would have killed any hoop of any material. Pick your favorite brand of carbon rear hoops… We are one’s are just as good.
Working through some of the suggestions, I think I'm going to give the following setup a try and report back with long-term results.
WAO Deal (offset carbon rim), DT Swiss Alpine III spokes on brass nipples, Maxxis New DH casing DHR2, and we're gonna give Rimsaver a shot as well.
Thank you all for your input!
hell yes
I love that game plan you describes, with the caveat that I'd like to reiterate the importance of militantly safeguarding equal spoke tension during the initial wheel build process and after riding.
If that game plan doesn't fix it for you, then I think we can conclusively determine that you are the problem. Lol.
Good luck. Ultimately, I don't think any spokes/nipples/wheelbuilding detail can solve the problem it seems like you're having, which seems more related to rim strikes than general forces.
All of the above will help make a more durable wheel, but if you're denting and cracking rims from impacts, your issue is isolated to the rim and tire. If you're denting the shit out of the beefiest rims on the market, I'd run higher pressure with an insert and try being a little lighter on the rear wheel. Be a little more gentle, don't push down through rough G-outs if you can; pick up the bike over big rocks; and take those doubles just a few inches farther.
If you happen to have a little extra bread, I'd build the baller carbon wheel you describe and a spare budget-ish aluminum wheel. That carbon rim oughta hold up pretty well, but when (not if) you crack it your day will be over. Keeping a backup wheel in the car (i.e. FR 571 laced to a Bitex hub) will keep you rolling.
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