Mag Wheel opinions?

[FrizzleFried]

Damien... you have the 3-spoke mag wheel set, right?

I assume the decals on them are removable... would that be a safe assumption?

 

[DAMIEN1307]

Damien... you have the 3-spoke mag wheel set, right?

I assume the decals on them are removable... would that be a safe assumption?

YEP...lol...I removed the ones on the spokes already, just kept the ones on the rims itself for a little "flare"

 

[FrizzleFried]

How about the thickness? I know the 6-spoke ones are only .75 inches wide... very thin IMHO. What is the widest tire a .75" rim will take? I am guessing a 2.125" tire is going to be a little difficult?

 

[DAMIEN1307]

How about the thickness? I know the 6-spoke ones are only .75 inches wide... very thin IMHO. What is the widest tire a .75" rim will take? I am guessing a 2.125" tire is going to be a little difficult?

They claim 1.75 to 1.95 but I know that people have put 2.00 on them with no problems...typical street riding only, they are not meant for off road trails etc.

 

[ImpulseRocket]

Most of the mag wheels are relatively narrow because they are meant for road tires anyway. Wider tires may look good, but they add rolling resistance and slow you down. That is one of 2 reasons I wanted to use a 700c bike/wheel on my build. I am not going off road. They are narrower by default and much better suited to running higher pressures to support my weight and go down the road. Much more stable at speed too. I actually quite like my 40mm width tires, they are a great compromise. A bit more meat than the standard 23, but not quite mountain bike.

 

[ImpulseRocket]

Wheels came in today. Forgive the picture quality - a combination of smudgy lens and poor lighting + flash.

Initial impressions - yes like every review ever people talk about how they are a bit heavier... duh. Not as heavy as I was expecting though. They weigh bare what the original spoked wheel and tire/tube combo weigh - the rear in particular if you count the weight of the sprocket adaptor in there.

They came shipped with nice little protective covers and caps over the important stuff. The axles and hardware is all there and in good condition. The Axles themselves seem to be of a cheaper grade but only time will tell. They fit the bearings snugly at least.

They used two different roller bearings depending on which side of the wheel with the brake rotor flanged side having a larger 5200-2RS bearing and the freewheel sides have 5000-2RS bearings. I was actually surprised to see them use double row ball bearings and it was a pleasant surprised to be sure. The spacer tubes between the inner races of the bearings are perfectly sized when I tightened down an axle and gave them a spin test - they spin nice and smooth.

The freewheel threads are a tad rough and dirty looking but should function ok. I am going to try and take some light oil and a stiff nylon brush to them to see if I can get them looking a little nicer and eliminate any potential issues with grit.

Sprocket alignment with the rear is going to be spot on which is nice but it does mean if I want to go back to running a rear disc brake again I would need to work out the rotor spacing. The holes for the rotor/sprocket bolts look about the same as the freewheel threads so I plan on chasing them out with a bottom tap to be safe.

The overall finish is very nice and instead of swapping over the tires and tubes from my other wheels I am just going to get some ebike rated road tires for these as the current tires ( rear in particular ) are laughably more worn than I first thought they were.

Last observation. These wheels are incredibly well balanced out of the box.

 

[Freddy Snottgrass]

I have 2.125" on my mags.

 

[Chainlube]

I have 2.125" on my mags.

I do too. But I'm looking hard at those Gemini spoke wheels. I know one is the same price as a pair of mags, but they're well built.

 

[ImpulseRocket]

I do too. But I'm looking hard at those Gemini spoke wheels. I know one is the same price as a pair of mags, but they're well built.

Oh yeah cost wise those Gemini wheels are pretty hard to beat considering the features they come with. If I could get him to build me a 29" wheel to those standards I would definitely go that route if these Mags don't work out.

 

[ImpulseRocket]

I went ahead and put some tires on order. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N7XKHCQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1
My options were limited and I am a cheap a** so I went with the 700 x 42 since they were $37 at the time of purchase and it saved me almost $8 per tire over the 700x37.

I am just impressed by the construction and specs. These tires were definitely designed for motor driven bikes - 31mph speed rated. 180 TPI. Really heavy duty puncture protection as well and the reviews back it up.

If they don't impress me I will try these Pirelli's next. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PDRMW3...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

I was wondering if I should treat the tire and tube like a motorcycle and use some talcum powder inside the tire and on the tube to reduce operating friction. It may be a bit overkill but I am always looking for whatever edge I can in terms of safety.