+1 to Light bicycle. I’ve got their rims on my 26 & 29. I’m 170lbs, uni is 9, and gear is usually 18-20. Google says that’s 90 KG or so and the light bike specs have me an extra 9-10kg of play. I don’t ride hard but I commute and unipack on them and have had no cause for complaints so far. Each of the rims is 300g or so and quite sturdy.
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Thanks so much for the input.
I am most taken by the AR25 (I know copy cat!) and LB have said their reinforced version comes in at 350g ish so still lighter than other options and this is rated at rider weight of around 100kg I think.
However when I checked with LB on using the G-one Speed 29x2” tyre (double copy cat!) - they said for a 29” tyre I should opt for the XC924 but this rim while it appears the same style is rated for XC style PSI - max 35psi.
Am I right in thinking that your main use case for going with the AR25 was due to it allowing for more road ready pressures - as in 50/60psi?
Do you think the 700x40c would become too narrow for uni riding?
I think 28"x2" is a good size for unicycle road riding, but I don’t see any advantage in using a narrower section. Maybe for a featherweight…
These 2 rims have very similar characteristics. In practice, I’m not sure that choosing one or the other makes any difference.
I made the choice based on the rims’ use and specificities.
Riding a unicycle on roads and paths is closer to gravel than to XC, and the tire’s fit on the rim is a point that can be critical for a unicycle (and much less so for a bike).
You have to be careful with pressure: 35 psi in 2.1" is not directly comparable to 70 psi in 28c.
For information, with the g-one speed 28 “x2” I went up to 50 psi with an inner tube and 45 psi tubeless.
Since last November, I’ve installed a g-one allround 29 “x2.25” with an inner tube on my AR25 disc. I inflate to about 40 psi. I plan to switch to tubeless soon.
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Thanks for the earlier reply Simon! Very helpful as always - and I can certainly see the appeal of the AR25 over the X 924 - as it seems more suited from the pressure angles.
That tyre does look like an ideal option but I confess to wondering how concerning it is to run a tyre that is wider than what LB state as recommended.
I’m presuming you have no fears or qualms here?
Looking at these two rims however they seem basically the same design just with different reinforcements - which would make me think (and you usage proves it) that with careful pressure usage on anything 50-57c it would hold on the rim just like they say tyres can on the XC924.
I am always convinced I’m going to love riding a G-700c wheel and I aim to plan some form of road tour in 2024/25 to make good use of it - and go further.
Looking at a tyre I feel drawn to trying on this build - I like the look of this one:
Seems similar to the Allround from Schwalbe but from what I’ve heard is very supple and fast rolling when it needs to be.
Gravel tyres are a serious rabbit hole one can easily get sucked into…
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I don’t base my calculations solely on LB’s recommended tire sizes.
Rim manufacturers often produce rim-tire compatibility tables.
Sometimes, a maximum pressure value is indicated for each rim-tire size pairing.
I don’t know how these tables are constructed, but I assume they haven’t destroyed as many tires as there are cells or rows in the table. Sometimes there isn’t even a tire of the size shown in the table. I therefore assume that this is a model, a theory.
And then LB releases 2 rims based on the same construction: AR25 and XC924.
To me, it’s obvious that LB has promoted these 2 rims by focusing on the differences between them. It’s an obvious marketing ploy: they release a single new product and the consumer has the illusion that there are 2, so different are their uses.
To polarize the characteristics of these 2 rims, they based themselves on the uses and the tires available.
They have nothing to gain by saying that you can use a gravel tire larger than 2". Nobody wants to ride gravel with >2" tires, and these tires are uncommon. Especially since they indicate a maximum pressure for a 28c tire… you can’t rely on it with a 50c tire, so with a larger tire it’s even less true.
As for mountain biking, who today wants to ride a mountain bike with a tire smaller than 2"?
This polarization of the uses of these 2 rims will reassure 99.9% of consumers in their choice. And we are the 0.1% of consumers…
I think the only difference between these rims is a bit of carbon to reinforce the impact resistance of the XC924 version and to improve tire retention on the AR25 version.
It may not even be real, but that’s why I chose the AR25 version.
I had already shared the dtswiss tables on the compatibility of rims and tires with and without hooks, but I can’t remember in which topic… Here’s a link to them:
https://device.report/manual/3226440
Certainly, there are differences in tolerances between different brands of rims (and tires). It’s not an exact science.
But these tables are made by engineers, while the product sheets are made by commercial people.
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I was once also in this rabbit hole, and in the end I decided that I want both a wide tire and a high pressure. I ended up with a Nextie rim with inner width=35mm, and a Surly Extraterrestrial tyre which is rated at 60 psi max. Now I keep it at 55~60psi and enjoy every minute riding on it. 9/10 would recommend if you are seeking for something similar.
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Having spent way too much time on Light Bicycle’s rim selection of late - I can’t tell why I never looked at this one:
- It’s a gravel rim
- 30mm inside width
- Hybrid Hooks
- 700c
- Tyres 38-70c - so in other words “fat” wide gravel
- They even quote decently high PSI for 38c
I guess the cons - if you were aiming here to build a lightweight, stable unicycle wheel:
- ~400g for the standard version. They do offer flyweight
- It isn’t asymmetrical like the AR25 so spoke tension balance will be worse
- It looks a bit deep / aero - and I have no idea how that would make it feel on a unicycle
It does however look like a way to officially safely run wider gravel 700c tyres with decent pressures.
LB customer service turned me away from using the AR25 when I asked if I could use a 55mm tyre as a unicycle touring rig, even in the reinforced option, and steered me towards their clincher AR28 -
Which isn’t a Pro version however I can see some good points about it. But it still officially tops out at 50c.
It’s interesting I guess that it seems like the ideal unicycle touring set up in 700c would be something high pressure secure that sits around 40-60c tyre range.
So far the WG44 seems to tick those boxes on paper the most 
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I’m not going to make your choice any easier, but as you say it seems to me that the WG44 rim has several features that don’t seem advantageous on a unicycle.
If you want to use a disc hub, you should use an asymmetrical rim.
Deep rims are probably more aerodynamic for road or gravel biking, but even for road unicycling, I see it as more lateral wind resistance.
As for the AR28 rim, its 22mm internal width is a no-go for me.
For a similar weight, I think it’s wiser to go for an asymmetrical “MTB” rim (if hub with disc) and a low profile.
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Thanks Simon - yes this isn’t getting any easier as LB have flat out told me not to use the AR25 even when I explained it has been done before.
You make excellent points - as the aero aspect of the WG44 is for me its least useful point.
- The AR25 is not strong enough for a unicycle.
2. If you want an asymmetric rim, what about the XC925 MTB rim? The XC925 is a hookless pro rim, and the max tire pressure is 40psi. I recommend the enhanced version weight 440g+/-15.
3. The road disc rim is also available. The symmetric rim has better aero. Such as WR40 and WG44 rim. I recommend the WR40 enhanced version weight 520g+/-15 and WG44 enhanced version weight 530g+/-15.
I guess I want it to be different enough from my AM935 to make it make sense of recycling my 32h from my Braus G36er. Really first world problems here… but I can’t get that Green and Orange Touring P-frame G-700c out of my mind 
I kind of feel wedded to the hybrid hooks and 700c even though narrow 29er rims are in terms of tyres are the same compatibility wise.
Going with their enhanced WG44 would make for a heavier rim than my AM935 which seems crazy. I wonder if LB are just worried about people breaking their rims in unicycle duty now they’re making a unicycle 36” rims ….
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Picking up on rim depth and wind and musing on this here, as more rim related than frame design.
On my last 35km ride with G29er and a 2.8 fairly large tyre and backpack - the side wind was a huge challenge.
And this is without any P-frame bag. So I can fully appreciate a unicycle with any form of bag is going to become nearly impossible to ride / very sketchy when there’s lots of side wind.
I’m still unsure how much of an impact a rim depth of 44mm verses 25mm would actually have. I’m thinking with a smaller tyre it’ll probably end up being the same surface area as my current G29er’s shallower rim and fatter tyre.
I don’t believe the aero of the rim will make a huge difference in terms of cut through / speeding up, but perhaps the wheel stiffness will help transfer energy forward and mitigate the issues faced with bad cross winds.
Also hoping that running narrower and higher PSI tyres will make for a more reflexive wheel and unicycle.
I am 99% set on the WG44 rim with 2mm off set spoke holes - (incidentally does anyone know if that is a bad option to use for faux asymmetrical wheel builds?) - mainly due to the XC925 just not being in any way exciting or interesting a rim.
It’s going to be a 530g wheel so not light but it should be very stiff and allow for decent PSI, plus it’ll be set up with no access holes so once built it’ll be completely tubeless without tape - which seems like a good step here.
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There is a relatively inexpensive, light and solid rim from DT Swiss. It’s called 545D and has a jaw width of 21mm. You can mount tires up to a maximum of 29x2.40
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WG44 rim ordered with a 1mm spoke off set for some faux asymmetrical build. Doubt it really offers much - and think I’ll take a tip I got re using CX Rays and CX Sprints on each side to improve tensions.
Going to look great in in my view in LB’s UD Braided finish with these geared specific engraving from my tattoos - now on carbon! 
Side A - Down Shift Cog - when rim edge is on the ground
Side B - Up Shift Cog - when rim edge is on the ground
Yes a deeper than normal rim and a bit weighty - so not aiming for super light weight - but I’ll happily run 55c tyres with probably TPU or tubeless set up and enjoy the stiffness of this wheel when I track down some decently car free(ish) tarmac lanes 
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