Not far behind tires, the variety of rim widths is ever increasing. Slowly growing year after year, eventually they hit a point where they may have gotten too wide. Depending on the tire you’re using, that 40 or 50mm rim might actually be hurting the performance of your tire rather than helping it.
That’s why brands like Sun Ringle are filling out their lines with more options like the new Duroc 30 and 35s. And since they’re available in both 27.5 an 29″ versions, they’ll serve as great additions to a lot of bikes as durable, tubeless upgrades…
Similar to the other models in the Duroc line, the 30 and 35 use a double walled, welded rim that uses the Sun Ringle Tubeless Ready profile.
Labeled as 30 and 35, the internal widths come in at 27mm and 32mm respectively. Complete wheelsets are offered in both widths in 27.5 and 29″ sizes, each with 28 Wheelsmith straight pull DB14 spokes and brass nipples. Rim will also be available and in 28 or 32 spoke versions. The Sun Ringle SRX hubs are listed as Boost only for the front, while the rear has options for 135 QR, Boost or non Boost thru axles.
Prices are set at $129.99 for each rim, $239.99 for the front wheel, and $359.99 for the rear. As usual, wheels include tape, bottles of sealant, tubeless valves, hub adapters, and even XD drivers.
Hayes also had a new cutaway in the Manitou booth of one of their forks. In addition to showcasing some serious machining skills to cut windows into all of the tiny components, it also highlights their MRD IRT kit which is available as an upgrade for Mattocs and Dorados. The Infinite Rate Tune creates a secondary air pocket above the floating piston (top right) which can be tuned to alter the mid stroke of the fork independent of the bottom out. Looking at the internals of the air chamber (left leg, right side in the photo above), the negative chamber sits below the bottom white piston, the positive chamber lies in the middle, and the IRT chamber is at the top. Check out more on the IRT system here.
