Do you need a double wide rim for Gazz 3.0?
I just bought the tire to put on my nimbus X. I relized it says you need a double wide rim.
I have a Gazz on a Alex DX32, it works just fine.
The Gazz states that you need a rim that’s at least 28 mm wide. The Alex DX32 is 32 mm wide (inside width). The Sun Doublewide is 33 mm wide (inside width). If you go with a skinnier rim you’ll need more air pressure in the tire to keep it from folding over which negates some of the advantages of the fat Gazz. And when pecking up a hill (small side hops to get up a hill) you’ll still have problems with foldover.
My recommendation is not to go with anything less wide than the Alex DX32. You can use a skinnier rim, but there will be lots of compromises.
I have used a 3.0 Gazz on a Sun BFR without any problems. It’s narrower than the DX32.
I cant figure out how big my rim is. It says 24 x 2.125 but 2.125 converts to 54 mm…It cant be that big. How do i figure out how wide it is. I have this http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=759
I used a 3.0 Gazz on my BFR for nearly two years for Muni. It’s a nice solid and lightweight rim. It worked fine on the trail. It went where you pointed it and tracked well over bumps. However, I had problems with tire foldover at lower pressures when side hopping. I ran my Psi at 17.5 psi to 18 psi. Turning and facing an object at 45 degrees reduced the foldover. I ran it at 22 - 23 psi a few times and the fold over was minimized, but it really affected my gapping. Such that, the psi was too hard so, I couldn’t work with the bounce I got off of the tire at that psi. I felt like the tire wouldn’t give as much as with the lower pressures. But that was due to my level of riding experience.
I rode with it because it was the stock wheel on the Sem XLW and I wanted to save money at the time, so I just added the Gazz instead of relacing the rim with a ALEX DX32 rim.
I now have a new MUni that came with the wider ALEX rim.
In summary, it’s a nice inexpensive upgrade to just add the Gazz if your frame can handle the width of the tire.
You can fit a Gazz on a rim narrower than a DX32. I’ve been using a DM24 (24mm wide) for 2 years with my Gazz. However, I suspect that getting the correct tyre pressure will be a lot easier with a wider rim. On today’s ride I adjusted my tyre pressure up and down about 5 times in 9.5 miles to get it where I wanted it! I also believe you’ll be able to run lower pressures (good for traction and a cushy ride) without getting the dreaded foldover effects with a wider rim.
–Tony
It might be crude, but take a ruler and measure it between the inside edges of the rim. Sometimes a websearch on the rim can yield the dimensions of the rim.
The 54mm you converted to is the width of the tire. John Childs always points out that this is not always accurate, but it really doesn’t have anything to do with the measurement of the inside rim width.
The ruler would bring about a better result.