CX tyres on 29" (niner) mountain rims?

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Permalink Reply by Titan on July 11, 2009 at 10:23pm

29'er mtb wheels are fine for CX use, especially since they are easy to find with tubeless compatibility allowing you to use the new Hutchinson tubeless tires. The 29'er wheels are built tough so they will hold up but you'll have to pay a good dollar for a light set as they do weigh more than standard road wheels. My fav's are the new 1370 disk compatable one from Stan's NoTubes.

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Permalink Reply by andrew on July 12, 2009 at 12:44am

noel,

titan is right in that the 29er rims are typically strong but often heavy - but should hold up if built well. the notubes/stans rims are quite light and have held up great under my 160 pounds riding over almost anything - but I have had to true them.

one note - while titan is correct that some 29er wheels are "tubeless" that's typically UST which is different than hutchinson's "Road Tubeless" technology used in their 'cross tires. But there are many ways to do a cyclocross tubeless wheelset, including different rims and tires - see our articles online and in our mag for more info.

the wider rims can offer benefits over a narrow rim too - but you don't have to go mtn for that. companies like HED are making wider clincher rims. HED and EU Imports have HED-rim based wheels. You can also find wider commuter or touring-type rims too.

just a reminder, while the 29er rims will work, a complete rear wheel may not as mtn spacing is 135 mm and your 'cross bike is likely different.

also, the builder of the wheel probably has as much to do with the strength as the components.

good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Noel on July 12, 2009 at 2:51am

Thanks for all the replies guys! You've been a great help and this is one great site for CX enthusiasts. Will surely take note of your recommendations!

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Permalink Reply by Titan on July 12, 2009 at 12:59pm

Good point about the dropout spacing. I have our Everti frames spaced at 132.5mm so you can run either road or mtb hubs...

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