The trend towards wider rims is gaining traction, and with a 35mm internal width these 29er wheels from Ibis really push the envelope. The broad carbon rims are combined with 32 J-bend spokes to provide enormous stiffness. This helps eliminate the vague feeling 29ers sometimes suffer from – our test bed bike had a crisp and precise feel when thrown into catch berms or angled rock sections.
Because of the stable base provided by the wide rims we found we could run our tyres at slightly lower pressures than usual. The tyres still felt glued to the rims and we didn’t burp any tubeless sealant. The sturdy, bead-hook-less rim resisted denting too, despite some puncture-inducing impacts.
A tyre with a round profile and stiff sidewalls is the key to unlocking the 941s’ low-pressure potential – otherwise you can expect some squirming when cornering hard. We found that Maxxis’s Minion DHF provided huge grip when run at sub 20psi, while Specialized’s squarer profile, single ply Butcher Control couldn’t be run anywhere near as low without the shoulder tread lurching in the turns. This means the range of suitable tyres for wide rims is limited. For now…
