As a manager of a shop there are a few things that usually really bug me, customers that demand the world and aren’t willing to pay for a piece of gum and sales reps.

With that said there are a few sales reps over the years that have stood out and were different. I happened to meet one of these just this past week. You may be scratching your head and wondering what that has to do with 29′r rims. Just let me finish. He happens to be good friends with a publisher/editor of a certain magazine that does reviews. He pointed out one report that had to do with a certain suspension fork that frankly doesn’t work but the magazine reported that it had potential and did not place the fork in a negative light. Even though the editor had written the article and mentioned to this sales rep that the fork had broken three times during his test period. Well, this got me thinking. If I’m going to review stuff here at the Alliance it is going to tell you everything, the good, the bad and the ugly. I beat the shit out of stuff, real world style, and I think it is important for me to convey exactly what I think for stuff I choose to review.

So what? You have my promise not to tell you something rocks when in actuality it sucks, my new motto….

Now to the review…

WTB Laser Disc 29″, these were the first rims I rode. They came stock on my Raleigh XXIX and I rode them for a few months. These rims are the ones that I have personally had the best luck with. Other than a few scratches they stayed relatively true and round. With that said, Sir Pratt rode the same bike and destroyed both of his stock rims within just a few months.

DT Swiss TK 7.1d 29″, I had these rims as part of the stock build for my Industry Nine wheels. They lasted about as long as it will take you to read this. I destroyed the rear wheel quite quickly, lots of dents and it wouldn’t stay in true. By the end of the season, both the new rear rim and the front rim were toast. I ceremoniously got some butter and moved on.

Salsa Delgado Race 29″, these rims are the lightest out of all the ones I’ve used on my bike, coming in at a scant 440 grams per rim. They built up wheel on the I9’s and I would feel good about recommending them. Besides a dent in the rear they were holding up quite well to this season’s riding, but then they met Blind Hollow and I tacoed the front one. I was unable to find one to replace them so I have moved on. A good rim, at a good price with respectable durability.

Velocity Blunt 29″, I just built these up on the I9’s this past week and have only had one ride on them so the verdict won’t be in for at least another season. Out of all the rims I’ve put on these wheels, these were the easiest to build coming out straight and true without much trouble.

That’s the scoop.

Out.