Aliexpress wheels - What's wrong

[Patch64]

Hello
did you know those wheels?
https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005005450670581.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.2402378dbJzXxY&mp=1&gatewayAdapt=glo2fra
looks very light and very cheap...
What's wrong (zero order...)

[dsveddy]

I wouldn't say anything is wrong, but there are reasons for why it's so inexpensive:

-seller isn't well-known
-rims are aluminum
-narrowish rim width for modern standards (helps with weight, but also is not attractive to customers)
-shipping isn't free

These look like they are either on clearance sale or are being sold as loss-leaders. All considered they look like a great deal, but 1480g is not so hard to achieve with such narrow rims.

[Tijoe]

Drum Roll...   They aren't stated as being tubeless!   No way would I go back to using tubes in any of my 29ers.  Factor in the weight of tubes, plus you have to deal with the possibility of a tube pinch on these narrow rims.

[Patch64]

Drum Roll...   They aren't stated as being tubeless!   No way would I go back to using tubes in any of my 29ers.  Factor in the weight of tubes, plus you have to deal with the possibility of a tube pinch on these narrow rims.

you're right....maybe with some PU inner tube...

I don't find some reasonable wheels below 300€ in aliexpress, that weight less than 1900gr

[dsveddy]

The rims' tire bed profile looks like a tubeless compatible design. The bead seat has those shelves/shoulders required for tubeless. I would say maybe roll the dice and throw in some tubeless tape and set them up tubeless anyways.

[Wet Noodle]

I mean, technically, rims do not even need the humpy part to go tubeless. It was common to use whatever in the early tubeless days, where there were no or very few dedicated tubeless-ready* rims, and that kind of worked, too. You just shouldn't go too aggressively on them and maybe also not too low on the pressure / excessively wide on the tires - but with 21 mm rim width, you wouldn't want to anyway? However, these buts do somewhat diminish the tubeless benefits.
*) Ignoring UST. That already had been around then, but was also super niche.

[h-habilis]

you're right....maybe with some PU inner tube...

I don't find some reasonable wheels below 300€ in aliexpress, that weight less than 1900gr

I have had good luck with the following, some assembly required.  Ryet 29", 33mm outside width, assymetric carbon rims, USD175/pair, Ztto M1 36t ratchet hub, DT Swiss straight pull stainless steel spokes with copper nipples.  Price, if you can build them yourself, is around $325USD.  Spare parts for hubs are easily found and cheap.  4k km and no issues on one of my 1Kw ebikes, other pair recently installed.

[KvotheTheRaven]

I have had good luck with the following, some assembly required.  Ryet 29", 33mm outside width, assymetric carbon rims, USD175/pair, Ztto M1 36t ratchet hub, DT Swiss straight pull stainless steel spokes with copper nipples.  Price, if you can build them yourself, is around $325USD.  Spare parts for hubs are easily found and cheap.  4k km and no issues on one of my 1Kw ebikes, other pair recently installed.

How much does the pair weigh?

[h-habilis]

How much does the pair weigh?

Unfortunately I'm not of much help on this since I currently only have access to my luggage scale, and that seems to read way low; front finished wheel at 800gr, rear finished wheel at 950gr.  Vendor spec sheet on Ali lists the bare rim at 440gr, that could be for both in the pair.  I currently have two sets of these because they have not failed, they're easy to buy, and they don't dissolve like alloy wheels with heavy beach use.