Probably one of our most visited during Interbike, Hed’s booth seemed to have something new every time we went by. What started with Andy showing us the new 100mm BFD fat bike rims out at Dirt Demo, continued with a new aluminum fat bike rim and finished with Steve Hed himself showing us their new 29″ carbon rim inside. What started with a single 85mm wide carbon rim has exploded into a number of fatter options for fat bikes and 29ers alike.
Details on the new hoops next…
Hed isn’t calling their new 29er rim a 29+, but it is wide. Measuring in at 45mm external and 42mm internal, the 365g rim should fit standard 29er tires on standard 29″ frames. We’re told true 29+ rims may be on the way, but for now the 29er rim is being raced by their team members on regular mountain bikes at pressures as low as 15-16 psi. Using a similar tubeless design as their other wider rims, the wheels seal with normal tubeless tape and sealant. The rims will be offered in both 29″ and 27.5″ and will be available around the first of the year.
To go along with their 85mm Big Deal carbon rim, Hed is introducing an 85mm aluminum rim – the Big Deal Al. The welded rim will be extruded in Iowa with the final rolling and welding to be completed in Hed’s Minneapolis headquarters. Welded and accepting 32 spokes, the rims can be built without spoke washers and will be offered in different anodized colors.
Using what they’ve learned from their carbon offerings, the Big Deal AL continues with the Inflatoband system for tubeless. Our experience is that non tubeless fat bike tires will probably need the Inflatobands, but the new crop of tires with tubeless beads should snap right into place. Due to the ribbed design of the rim, Hed says the rim achieves the stiffness of most dual wall rims while keeping the weight at 760g (actual measured weight). Available soon, the rims will retail around $190 a piece.
In case you missed it, Hed also introduced a 100mm wide version of their Big Deal, the BFD.
