Boyd Cycling has updated their road and gravel carbon rims to better fit modern tubeless tires and made them lighter in the process.
The new carbon rim profiles will be found on their top-level Podium series on the 36 and 55 road wheels and Pinnacle 700c gravel wheels. It’s more than just a new interior shape, though, it’s also a new manufacturing process that let them save a lot of rim weight, too.
And for anyone still riding rim brakes, they’ve improved their brake tracks to offer more stopping power and better wet-weather performance.
We talked to Boyd to get the scoop…
BIKERUMOR: What changed to make installs easier?
BOYD: We changed the dimensions of the center channel, making it deeper, and rounded off the profile. The center is 0.4mm deeper now, but the shape is more concave instead of angular, so the tire beads can slide up onto the shelf much easier. Combined, this makes it easier to mount and seat even the tightest tires.
BIKERUMOR: How did you drop weight?
BOYD: All of the weight savings is at the rim. It comes from new tooling, primarily, which allows for higher pressure during molding to get better compaction. Meaning, we’re squeezing more resin out, but also getting smoother interior walls. The better compaction also let us use less overall carbon fiber material, too.
Despite all that, the rims were actually made stronger and stiffer. They have better impact resistance now, and can still handle really high (for tubeless) tire pressures -up to 120psi- without any risk of blowoffs or having any tire limitations.
BIKERUMOR: What’s up with the new brake track?
BOYD: We started with our bead-blasted texturing process, which removes the top layer of clearcoat to reveal raw fibers. Because they’re a 3K weave, it has a texture, which provides a better braking surface with more friction and bite.
Now, we’ve added laser cut relief lines for even more friction, and these are less likely to smooth off over time, helping the rims maintain their braking power for longer while also improving overall stopping power.
They also improve wet weather braking performance because the water is wicked down into those chevrons. There’s more immediate braking power because you’re not waiting a couple of revolutions for the water to get pushed off.
2022 Boyd Podium Road & Gravel Wheels
36 Road Disc Wheels
Their most popular carbon wheelset, the 36 Road Disc is a mid-depth road wheel with a hooked rim works with any tire model. The overall dimension stay the same with a 22mm internal width and 2.8mm offset rim bed to balance spoke tension. The new 36 Road Disc rims are 65g lighter, putting the wheelset at a claimed 1495g. MSRP is $1,750USD.
