dt rr1.2 vs kinlin xr300

[Honey]

was wondering what some people thought about the difference between the two (outside of weight and price). Particularly ride quality, stiffness, feel if you've owned/ridden similar wheels. I'm 195-200 looking at 24,28f/r (probably rev front x-ray/aerolite rear) dt(maybe front),white industries(maybe rear), alchemy ( maybe both if run 2 ever finishes). I know my hubs reasonably well, and am looking for wheels that will be a bit stiffer/aero than whats already in the stable (rr1.1,OPs,kinlin tb25).

mucho gracias on any thoughts

[dekindy]

If you go to roadbikereview.com and do a search limited to the wheels and tires subforum and even if you just search titles you will get a ton of discussions on Kinlin rims. I don't have any but they seem to get the highest praises from those that do ride them. Apparently there are lots of sources for prebuilts and custom builders.

[rockdude]

I have been having the same debate over rims. I have talked to several Wheelbuilder and they all picked the Kinlin. I was going to go with the xr300 but was told the xr270 is equally as strong and only two mm lower profile but lighter. Yesterday, I order the xr270.....

[Chris]

I have a dt240 XR300 build. 28 hole. I am 6'2" and 175. I ride these down all the gravel and dirt roads I can find. They are stiff and durable. I don't think you would have a problem with them at all. My only complaints is that they are noticeably narrower than other rims so you have to adjust your brakes if you switch from one wheel to another.

[oldpotatoe]

was wondering what some people thought about the difference between the two (outside of weight and price). Particularly ride quality, stiffness, feel if you've owned/ridden similar wheels. I'm 195-200 looking at 24,28f/r (probably rev front x-ray/aerolite rear) dt(maybe front),white industries(maybe rear), alchemy ( maybe both if run 2 ever finishes). I know my hubs reasonably well, and am looking for wheels that will be a bit stiffer/aero than whats already in the stable (rr1.1,OPs,kinlin tb25).

mucho gracias on any thoughts

For my thoughts. I think at 200 pounds, a 28 rear with thin spokes 'may' not be a good idea, particularly with relatively light rims(Kinlin). The 1.1 will be single eyelet, not something I recommend. 28/32, DT Aerolight spokes all around, 28 2 cross front, 32 3 cross rear, brass nipples(aluminum a bad idea with non eyeleted rims). Resulting wheels will be reliable and stiff, using the Kinlin 300 rims.

[Honey]

thanks for all the input guys, and if anyone has any more its still appreciated

[malcolm]

I have a dt240 XR300 build. 28 hole. I am 6'2" and 175. I ride these down all the gravel and dirt roads I can find. They are stiff and durable. I don't think you would have a problem with them at all. My only complaints is that they are noticeably narrower than other rims so you have to adjust your brakes if you switch from one wheel to another.


PITA, other than the above I like mine.

[11.4]

We've used a bunch of both rims for both road and track applications, as well as most of the other deep-section rims such as Velocity Deep V's and Pro Elites.

The DT 1.2 has a welded seam and is amazingly sturdy. It's also pretty heavy (not as heavy as the Deep V's but in the same territory). The braking surfaces are quite thick so they outlast the Kinlins (even though the alloy in the Kinlins is harder). For regular road use the 1.2's are bombproof. People like bike messengers that want to jump curbs and such find that 1.2's tend to bend a little more easily than the Kinlins.

The Kinlins have the pinned joint slightly offset from the midpoint between spoke holes -- go figure. They are all that way and it looks weird but doesn't affect anything and isn't noticeable on the bike. Just to warn you.

Kinlins are definitely narrower. You can't use a typical Velox 17 mm rim tape in these tires or it'll be right up against the bead hooks on the rim. Your next choice is an 11 mm wide tape, which is a tad narrow and only just barely covers the holes over the nipples. So far we haven't had problems with butyl tubes or with polyurethane ones, but a couple times have had latex tubes push the tape just enough and find a tiny crack to blow out through. Haven't seen a better solution but would love to hear about it.

Both Kinlins and the DTs are massive improvements over Velocity Deep V's. Both are nicely round and build nicely without problems. You can't go wrong with either. The 300's are enough to support any rider comfortably up to 200+ pounds with the right spoking. Built with 36 spokes they are completely bulletproof, and on the road at 28 spokes they are as stiff as any 32-spoked clincher rim out there. The DTs can support a sumo wrestler. The 300s are available up to 36 holes, the 1.2's only up to 32. Both go down to about 20 holes, or at least 24.

[cody.wms]

Both Kinlins and the DTs are massive improvements over Velocity Deep V's.

Is this a Deep V specific improvement, or are DTs/ Kinlins better than Velocity rims in general (thinking of the Fusions for a future build).

[11.4]

Is this a Deep V specific improvement, or are DTs/ Kinlins better than Velocity rims in general (thinking of the Fusions for a future build).

My opinion (and many blowtorches ready to flame at this point): Velocity rims are relatively inexpensive, durable, and fill a need. They are excessively heavy and partly turn out heavy because their extrusion dies don't control wall thickness very well and don't work as well on very hard alloys, so the rims have to be made with overly thick walls so they don't get too thin anywhere and to compensate for aluminum alloy that isn't as high a grade as on rims like Kinlins. This is a mixed bag -- a softer alloy dents more easily but doesn't crack; harder alloys tend to have more interesting failure modes. I have seen virtually no failures of either Kinlins or Velocity's, so they both achieve the same desired result of basic reliability. Just figure that the Kinlin weighs a LOT less. In addition, I'd say that Kinlins and DTs lace up smooth and round with little effort. Velocity rims at times have bumps at the joint that are annoying to true and sometimes can't be fully remedied. Kinlin uses pinned joints but I rarely see one with the slightest bit of imprecision.

If it matters, you want Velocity Deep V's if you want black and white checkerboard rims, rims with big sperm dashing along the sidewalls, floral rims, colors to match that godawful Bianche celeste (puke green), etc.

[wildboar]

How about the Ambrosio FCS 28 compared to all of the above?

[Marcusaurelius]

My experience is 32 hole rims are not always the best with 200+ riders. Of course my experience is with campagnolo hubs which may be a little different from a shimano hub (less dish). I found a 32 hole velocity aerohead o/c to offer the amount of stiffness I like without having to use a 36 hole hub.
Previous to my experience with the velocity aerohead rims, all my favourite wheels had 36 hole hubs.

I found 32 hole campagnolo hubs and mavic open pro rims to be not as stiff as the aerohead o/c.

I wouldn't go anywhere near a 28 hole hubs but not everyone likes really stiff wheels.

[oldpotatoe]

My experience is 32 hole rims are not always the best with 200+ riders. Of course my experience is with campagnolo hubs which may be a little different from a shimano hub (less dish). I found a 32 hole velocity aerohead o/c to offer the amount of stiffness I like without having to use a 36 hole hub.
Previous to my experience with the velocity aerohead rims, all my favourite wheels had 36 hole hubs.

I found 32 hole campagnolo hubs and mavic open pro rims to be not as stiff as the aerohead o/c.

I wouldn't go anywhere near a 28 hole hubs but not everyone likes really stiff wheels.

hear, hear. As a guy that's also .1 offa ton, all my wheels are 36 hole. 4 14/15 spokes weigh about 28 grams, one ounce. On a bicycle 'package' of bicycle and rider that is somewhere around 3400 ounces or 95,000 grams, saving even 200 grams on a wheelset when it may not be reliable makes no sense to me. There are better places to saves lots of weight than on inappropriate wheels. IMHO, of course.

[Honey]

my OPs/rr1.1s are 32h, but xr300s/1.2 are much deepeer profiles and much stiffer making a 32h wheel bit of a monster.

[cassa]

I'm 200+ and I find my current wheels [Kinlin 300s/White Industries H2/CXRay/20f/28r] to be plenty stiff enough, though I can't say that I have a lot to compare them with. Previous wheels were OPs with Veloce hubs from around 1999.

Also, I've never had to re-true the Kinlins in ~2500 miles.

[cody.wms]

Thanks 11.4. I have some Deep Vs (in that ugly celeste color) and I dont think anyone would refer to them as light wheels.