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Salsa Delgado X Rim |
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Written by Jesse Stevens
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Wednesday, 22 March 2006 |
 
Tester: Jesse Stevens, Team Bikeman.com Rider, Certified Bikeman Product Tester
Conditions: Sweet West Virginia single track.
Review: Having found the perfect frame for my new 29er, the Kona Unit 2-9, my attention was turned expeditiously to wheels. I am the kind of hands on rider who does all his own maintenance, meticulously adjusts every little detail and most importantly builds his own wheels.
I have used my share of factory wheels and I have definitely had good luck with some, however once you ride a set or hand-built wheels you can never ever go back. My painstaking search lead me to the Salsa Delgado Cross rim. The claimed 460gram weight (my scale said 451grams) and the legendary strength of this rim are what really drew me in. I can honestly report that these rims are smooth, very well made and stay true for ages. They have been on my 29er for 3 months through the torturously rocky Kanawha state forest trails in Charleston, WV to smooth and fast Lake Hope state park near Athens, Ohio and have yet to fall out of true.
In my opinion one of the key features of a rim that is very seldom spoken of in a wheel review is fit. I describe fit by how many of my tires go on and come off easily and without need of tire levers, large sticks, or in some cases nuclear weapons. The Delgado Cross really shines here as well, not only can I easily change tubes anywhere without levers but I can do it with any tire I’ve tried. Panaracer Fire Cross, Maxxis Ignitor 29er, WTB Exiwolf, and even Maxxis Detonator road tires slide on and off like they were smothered in oil and still stay put while you’re inflating the tube. I like these so much that I’m ordering some Delgado 26er rims for my Salsa Moto-Rapido. Now before you gasp at the fact that the Delgado Cross is not a disc specific rim consider this; in many instances non-disc rims are lighter than disc specific, with non-disc rims you have the option to use a high quality rim brake (Cane Creek Direct Curve comes to mind) as well as a disc system don’t limit your options if you don’t have too you never know when you might want to slap on a set of rim brakes and drop a full pound of your bikes weight. But we’ll save the rim brake discussion for another time and I’ll give you what you came here for the bottom line; these rims are priced VERY affordably, they are light, they have good tensional stiffness and the tire fit is remarkable. If however you’re looking for a flashy new shiny rim this isn’t gonna do it, just remember that they all look the same covered in mud. And if building your own wheels doesn’t turn you on let the guys at Bikeman.com do it for you and you know it’ll be done right. I recommend DT-Swiss Champion spokes and DT-Swiss 240s front hubs and Shimano XT rear hubs for a good mix of lightness and reliability.
Jesse Stevens
Rated:
 | $32.95 | Buy / Details | Salsa Delgado Cross: 700c, 32H, Silver. 700c version of the Delgado, excellent choice for Cross:, touring bikes and 29ers. 22.5mm width, pinned and sleeved joint. Drilled for Presta Valves. Machined brake surface. 6061-T6 aluminum. 460g... |
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