Pro Bike Supply Blog THE NEW IBIS 741 AND 941 WIDE RIMS

If you're part of the crazy world of riding mountain bikes there is a very strong chance that you have either, heard of, conversed, or argued about whether carbon wheels are worth the money. Previously the carbon wheel game was a pick 2 battle between three categories; low weight, great quality, and affordability. Enve was always at the highest level of quality and lighter than the competition however carried a price tag that for some was only achieved by selling off their first born. Other no name carbon rims were light and cheap however had more cracks than a convention of plumbers.Recently, more bigger name companies like Ibis Cycles have stepped up to the plate to take the task of creating a carbon wheel that achieved all three qualities of being affordable, reliable, and low weight. Not only did Ibis nail all three but they did so while following the new trend of massively wide rims. Remember when the Flow Ex's were the bees knees sitting at 25mm wide? Well those days are gone and the new Ibis 741 and 941 (wheel size shown by the first number, 27 and 29 respectively) come in at a whooping 41mm wide.What does this mean for your ride? Simply put, massive amounts of traction on a stiff responsive wheel. The wider rim allows you to dabble in the high teens tire pressure wise, allowing you to scrub your bars cornering without worrying about breaking loose. Also gone are the days of those annoying burps that resulted from running too little air pressure on your now archaic narrow width rim. The Ibis wide rims also feature a hookless bead that Ibis claims is stronger than a traditional rim. I can tell you from personal experience that the hookless system is definitely as strong as it's made out to be as I definitely struggled trying to unhook the tire when curiosity got the best of me. Another check in the confidence department!So how did they ride? Simply put, I'm pretty sure one could get rid of their Minions and Hans Dampf's and run Racing Ralph's and still achieving massive traction! Well, maybe not that far, but the amount of increased traction was dramatically present during my testing. Testing out a variety of tires has definitely made me err on the side of caution on my first couple of ride out on tires that I am not accustomed too. This was not the case with the Ibis 941's which I mounted to my Niner Bike's WFO. The lower pressure combined with more tread contact allowed me to put all my trust in my hoops to get me in and out of corners without taking an unintentional dirt nap. Constantly I found myself trying to find how slow I could make my way down near vertical rock rollers, and was blown away by how much composure and control the increased traction was giving me.Another benefit of the Ibis 941, and this is a given, is that they are carbon. If you have never ridden a set of carbon wheels before, stop reading this and never hop on a set. You can't miss what you never had. If you do end up riding a set, prepare to never have that memory of stiff and responsive maneuvering removed from your mind. The carbon wheels allow you to put the bike exactly where you want it since there is no flex or loss of momentum. Acceleration improves significantly on climbs and hard pedals as all your momentum is going forward rather than being displaced by the flex from a traditional alloy rim. On a 29er this is magnified, and I have often preached to anyone who will listen that if you can afford it, buy some carbon hoops and never look back.Icing on the cake? The Ibis wide rims are backed by Ibis Cycles, who have some of the best customer service in the industry, and as I have often told people, is second to none. So do yourself a favor and pick up a set of Ibis 741's or 941's. MSRP is $1449 for a wheel set laced to DT Swiss 350's featuring a rare 54t Ratchet ring system to give you high engagement in addition to your increased traction. You can even configure your wheels using our custom wheel builder! Compare that price to other carbon wheels on the market, and you can put your spouse at ease from fear of selling any offspring. Click here to check them out.Ride on!