It arrived.
The item that will surely be my number one toy this year has traveled across the sea and arrived.
Heh heh heh.
If I were a dog, my tail wouldn't stop wagging.
As for what arrived, it's this.
Yes!!!
Chris King Wheels!!!
I wanted to put them on right away, but the part of me that is a bit of a mechanic couldn't suppress the urge to take them apart.
Even though Greg took the trouble to build them in the States for me.
Sorry about that.
But, you know, you just have to take new things apart, don't you?
Since I went to the trouble of taking them apart, I observed them one by one.
Rims – FusionFiber Material
These are rims that use FusionFiber, which is manufactured in Utah, USA.
What is the high-end carbon material FusionFiber™️?
It uses "long-chain polymer fibers" in the rim's composition, taking advantage of their properties to increase impact durability and improve vibration damping—truly the best of all worlds. Also, while typical carbon fiber rims are bonded with resin, these use a nylon-based adhesive to bond the materials. The advantage of this bonding is that it is easier to form, significantly shortening the time required, and reducing the cost and energy involved in manufacturing. It is a new material produced entirely within the United States that is also recyclable, aligning with SDGs.
For more details, please check this entry if you are interested.
Well, I'll think about the complicated stuff later, but I'm looking forward to seeing how the characteristics of this material perform. And...
Another feature is that it is a hookless style rim
It's the latest design adopted by companies like ENVE, Zipp, Giant, and White Industries. Simply put, the advantage is that even with the same size tire, the air volume increases—you can see the benefits of that if you look at the recent boom in wider tires in the cycling world.
I'd like to dedicate another article to talking about hookless rims later.
Now, moving on...
Spokes – Sapim
The spokes are made by Sapim.
It's cool how they use different spokes for gravel and MTB applications.
The GRD23 for gravel uses Sapim CX-Ray.
CX-Ray has become the go-to for good wheels; it's a reliable spec.
The MTN30 for MTB uses Sapim D-Light.
Among Sapim's butted spokes, this is the lightest for MTB use while also being resistant to twisting.
You can use them with complete peace of mind.
Nipples – With Secure Lock
The nipples are aluminum nipples with a secure lock.
They are resistant to loosening even without applying prep (thread locker).
The part indicated by the arrow in the photo is the key point.
Hubs – Of course, made by Chris King
The hubs are, as you might expect, Chris King.
R45D is for gravel. ISO Boost is for MTB.
Mine is the MTB version.
I'll skip the hub description this time, but you can choose between stainless and ceramic bearings.
Other details down to the fine points
And the dedicated nipple washers—I only noticed their presence after taking everything apart.
By increasing the surface area contacting the rim and having a cup inside the washer, the angle at which the nipple is received becomes smoother, allowing the spokes to be pulled as vertically as possible.
Seeing such diligent work put into places that aren't visible increases my trust in Chris King and fuels my anticipation for these wheels.
Additionally, there are tubeless valves with custom engravings.
The Angry Bee is dazzling.
Now that the detailed observation is finished, I'm moving on to the assembly.
The build will be done carefully and solidly, just like with any other rim.
I asked Greg about the spoke tension and lacing pattern, so I'm all set.
By the way, the lacing pattern is "reverse Italian" on both the front and rear, which is quite distinctive.
As for why this pattern was chosen, my guess is that they prioritized addressing the torsion that occurs during braking, but I'll make sure to ask Greg about the truth when I see him next.
Well, all that said, they are now complete.
Once I put the tires on, I'll install them on the bike right away.
I also plan to share my impressions in another article.
Ooh, I'm so excited.
I want to hit the trails soon.