Editor’s Note: Here is “c_g” again with his follow up to his introduction to the American Classic wheel set he is testing:
AMERICAN CLASSIC 29er tubeless wheel set – Riding impressions: by “c_g”
Since my intro (here) I have ridden the AMERICAN CLASSIC 29er tubeless wheels day in day out on my home trails and some alpine tours. Mostly it was run in a geared set- up but recently I have also used it in a belt-drive SS version. I will continue to use it and get back with more observations. Up until now the test of the wheels has been positively incident free
and without anything seriously negative to report. Here some observations:
APPEARANCE:
The white coloured rims with red and black graphics and the bright red hubs somehow really grew on me. The white spoke pointing to the valve (a feature I initially viewed by me more of
a gadget) has actually proven a nice thing, especially on night rides it really does ease finding the valve. Another thing I find positive is how easily the white powder coated rims can be cleaned and made look like new.
RIM CONSTRUCTION:
I found the 26 mm width of the rims to be a superb compromise between tire support, stiffness and weight (the rims alone are not available but are said to weigh 420 g only). The construction made tubeless conversion very easy and provided a secure bead locking action as well as easy inflation on a multitude of tires. Keep in mind though that the rims are on the larger side. Just like with NOTUBES rims this may make fitting of some UST standard conforming tires difficult or impossible. All standard folding and many tubeless ready tires though do fit nicely on the rims.
In my testing I found that the system does work: Every standard folding tire I own was easy to inflate by floor pump and the special design of the rims shoulders made for a very secure
locking at any pressure. Even when completely deflated the tires needed an extra push to the central groove to be dismounted … these rims show they were designed with this in mind.
BUILD:
The wheels are well built and up to now there has been no need for re-tensioning or truing, despite using them for more than just tame XC riding. They seem to bee seated nicely right
out of the box and I have no reason to suspect the builder behind these wheels do know their job. Besides if something happens (which in our sport of mountain biking can happen regardless of how well the component is executed or assembled) then AMERICAN Classic made sure each and every component is easily replaceable by mainstream parts that are commonly available when original parts are out of reach. Smart, I think.
Riding impressions – STIFFNESS & POWER TRANSFER:
The wheels feel very nice and stiff under riding conditions. The low weight of the wheel set is instantly noticeable and I really enjoyed them. These wheels are not the stiffest laterally due to the narrow flange distance (thus small triangulation), which I found only matters when running ridiculously low tire clearance configurations.. On the other hand this controlled flex did create a bit more forgiving ride in the rough which I found to be rather positive. I am wondering whether this lateral flexibility wouldn’t be more of an issue for those riders hammering much out of the saddle and throwing their bikes around (thus my temporary test set up as a SS) but so far I have not found any negative effects of it.
Also for specific SS use or those seeking greater lateral stiffness there is a SS specific rear hub with wider flange spacing available – which can easily be converted into a 5/6 speed set up if desired. Other than that the wheel feels direct and stiff in terms of power transfer, so I never thought there was any energy wasted on the wheels.
The front wheel is tracking nicely with no issues at all – a 15 mm (and upon request even a 20 mm) TA version is available for even more steering precision.
HUBS:
So far with all the nasty weather and no maintenance, both hubs are spinning really smoothly. The industrial bearings seem to keep out the elements well while spinning freely. The engagement system has been performing flawlessly as well – absolutely unimpressed with the regular mud wrapping and creek crossings I exposed it to. So far I have nothing to report about in this section other than that it works like intended – but time will tell whether this will remain on the long run.
The AC specific engagement system with 6 twin point pawls has been hassle free and is working flawlessly so far. Engagement is swift and secure with no complaints whatsoever.
COMMENTS:
So far the AMERICAN CLASSIC 29er tubeless wheels have performed admirably with not issue whatsoever. These wheels are a good example of components that not only look hot but perform and feature quite an assortment of innovations that do make my riding enjoyment a better one. Wait for more riding impressions to come in the course of this season.
Note: “c_g” is a freelance contributor to Twenty Nine Inches from Europe and is not paid, nor bribed for his opinions and thoughts.
so far myself, i am absolutely lovin my own set of these wheels just as well. i have been waiting for a little written follow-up on these specific wheels, just to see if they were to good to be true. great job on the testing & reporting, keep up the good work : )
I’ve been looking at these for geared setup-I ride in Utah and Colorado-A very helpful article.
Can you offer any comparisons of these wheels to Stans Arch for stiffness, weight, etc?
hi folks (sorry, have been absent for some time
)
Nevada 29er: UNfortunately the Arch is the one rim I have very little personal experience with. Also keep in mind that the AMERICAN CLASSIC wheels came to me as a pre-built wheel set rather than rims alone, so I can only comment on the overall riding impressions.
I have built several wheels with The ZTR 355s and FLOWS and I´d say the AC falls pretty much right in between those two. The FLOWS are stiffer and wider while the 355s do tend to give a bit more flex and smaller footprint. In terms of the weight the AC falls closer to the 355s (410-420 g) than the FLOWS (~520 g), but like I said above the rim´s weight was communicated to me as 420 g and not measured myself.
In terms of tubeless conversion I´d put them all in the same league – a bit larger, assists folding tire conversion, has a good bead loccking action – all of the above mentioned see to me very similar if not equal.
Hope this helps,
c_g