Derby Rims is a new brand designed by Ray Scruggs in Marin, CA. They, like so many of our favorite things, were born of necessity. Quite simply, Scruggs wanted a wider carbon rim. So he started making them.
Besides the width, the key feature is the bead lock ridge, which holds the tire’s bead against the sidewall and prevents burping. He also says that helps them seat up quickly, sometimes even with just a floor pump. They have 10mm deep center channels, which he says means you shouldn’t need a tire lever to get them on.
The other interesting feature is the lack of a bead hook. He says you don’t need it and it lets him make a thicker bead wall overall, about 1/2 a millimeter compared to most other carbon rims. Roll through to see the inside profile…
Considering the widths, they’re pretty light:
- 29er – 35mm external / 29mm internal / 32mm deep – 465g
- 650b – 40mm external / 34mm internal / 32mm deep – 450g
He recommends using the thinnest tubeless tape and only running it over the center channel, just enough to properly cover the spoke holes.
The matte black featureless finish is pretty tasty looking, letting them fit into any color scheme you’ve got going on. The deep round shape does mean you’ll need 44mm valve stems.
He’s been selling them direct for about a month now, check them out at DerbyRims.com. He’s looking at EN testing to be able to sell them abroad, and is considering a lighter weight race version that would have about a 180lb rider weight limit. The current version caps out at a more-than-adequate 250lb rider limit.
Technically, he’s not making them, just designing them. They’re made in China by a manufacturer that produces for others and their own house brands, but says these are his design. He says they’ve only had one failure so far, under big rider that cracked one edge, causing a bit of air leakage but still letting him ride out. Since then, Scruggs modified the layup a bit and added a couple layers of carbon reinforcement.
Retail is currently $379 per rim, but he’s got them on an introductory special as of this post. That deal could end anytime and standard pricing could go up, so check ’em out now if you’re interested.
