Continuing to fill out their line up, Whisky Parts Co. has another option for carbon rims. This time it’s in the form of a mountain bike rim for 27.5 or 29″ wheels.
Named the 36W for the outer width of the rim, each 36W measures 36mm wide and 30mm internally with a 26mm height.
Jeff, the comparable LB rims are not “less than half”, but still a better bargain. The closest spec to the Whisky rims from LB are AM930 and AM730. They list for $289 + shipping. So more like $330 per rim. If people feel like paying an extra $120 for Whisky decals for each rim, so be it.
That’s likely true. I build lots of wheels for customers (and some for myself and family members) using rims from Nextie – same idea as Light Bicycle. I’ve never had any issues with any of the several dozen pairs of rims, save for one customer who managed to melt a rim going down a mountain (dragging their brake the whole way, rim brake). I had a warranty replacement rim in my hands three days later.
However, there is certainly some value in having a person on the same side of the world as you, whose business is open roughly the same hours as you, with zero language barrier, and a huge company taking a chunk of the liability and backing a product in case some problems arise..
Light bicycle/Nextie/whatever rims are cheaper than these, which are in turn cheaper than something from Boyd, which are in turn hugely cheaper than something from ENVE. They each have a different value proposition and offer different things – one of the things a more expensive rim from a company in the same place as you offers is some more peace of mind. Options are good. It’s up to every individual consumer or shop/builder to determine where they place their preferences and values
