When the engineers from Santa Cruz Bicycles When they tackle something, they usually do it properly. Three years ago, they hired a carbon expert to develop their own rims. The ambitious goal: the most stable wheels with carbon rims for mountain bikes, with the best riding and service characteristics.
The 29-inch rims will be available in widths of 25, 27 and 30 millimetres (rim width), while the 27.5-inch version will be available in 27 and 30 millimetre inner widths. 28 DT Swiss Competition spokes and either DT Swiss 350 hubs (1860 grams in 27.5 inch and 30 mm, incl. valve and rim tape) or Industrie Nine hubs (1700 grams in 27.5 inch and 30 mm, incl. valve and rim tape) complete the new Santa Cruz wheels.
Lifetime guarantee - Danny MacAskill tested
Exciting: As with their bikes, Santa Cruz gives a lifetime guarantee on the rims. Initially, the wheels were only fitted to the top Santa Cruz models - instead of the Enve wheels. Why? "Because they are simply better. They simply don't break as quickly!" says Santa Cruz. They are now also available individually from all Santa Cruz dealers. Prices: 1899 euros with DT Swiss 350 and 2199 euros with the Industry Nine Torch hubs.
To test its durability, the Californians hired none other than Danny MacAskill. What nobody knew: His clip Wee Day Out he shot with just a single set of the (as yet unlabelled) spare wheels - including tons of unpublished crashes and scenes. But he can be quite brutal with footage when he wants to be. In the video, we see how the spare rims performed during Danny's attempts at abuse. Warning: Not for the faint-hearted!
Florentin Vesenbeckh
Editor CvD
