Stan's NoTubes' tubeless rim, the Iron Cross, has been discontinued.
While I'm at it, the Alpha 340 and 400 are also being phased out.
Going forward, only existing distribution inventory will be available.
The Iron Cross is an extremely lightweight rim at 385g,
but with a 32C tire, 45psi (roughly 3bar) is the limit,
making it essentially a cyclocross-only rim.
The Grail, which has similar dimensions in 700C, is rated for up to 115psi (roughly 8bar)
and is suitable for road bikes with a recommended tire width of 25-40C,
but it weighs 460g.
Both rims come in 24, 28, and 32-hole options,
but for cyclocross, the most practical choice
when considering hub availability and other factors is 28 holes.
However, the distributor's stock has already run out of 24 and 28-hole versions,
and several wheel builds that were requested to be completed before next season's cyclocross opener
were changed to Grail rims, so
I've already ordered the Grail 28H in advance.
But the other day, the 28H stock briefly came back in stock,
and I was able to source just two units.
A cancellation might have come through
(the moment I bought these two, the stock went back to "sold out").
Then a few days later, somehow the 28H stock has now completely returned.
It seems unlikely to be a rerun production,
so the distributor probably bought up the manufacturer's final inventory all at once.
Writing something like this might make people wonder if some shop is going to hoard them all and cause problems,
but
I'm not concerned because I won't have any problems.
In addition to converting all the orders that were initially changed to Grail due to lack of Iron Cross stock back to Iron Cross,
I've sourced a considerable quantity.
If anyone else would like to reserve stock, please get in touch.
"The 28H stock keeps turning on and off...
Haha, there's a lot of it! Could it be a rerun? No, no that's not it.
A rerun would move much more suddenly!
...This place is stuffy. Can't I get out?
Hey, let me out! Come on!"
While I'm at it, the Alpha 340 and 400 are also being phased out.
Going forward, only existing distribution inventory will be available.
The Iron Cross is an extremely lightweight rim at 385g,
but with a 32C tire, 45psi (roughly 3bar) is the limit,
making it essentially a cyclocross-only rim.
The Grail, which has similar dimensions in 700C, is rated for up to 115psi (roughly 8bar)
and is suitable for road bikes with a recommended tire width of 25-40C,
but it weighs 460g.
Both rims come in 24, 28, and 32-hole options,
but for cyclocross, the most practical choice
when considering hub availability and other factors is 28 holes.
However, the distributor's stock has already run out of 24 and 28-hole versions,
and several wheel builds that were requested to be completed before next season's cyclocross opener
were changed to Grail rims, so
I've already ordered the Grail 28H in advance.
But the other day, the 28H stock briefly came back in stock,
and I was able to source just two units.
A cancellation might have come through
(the moment I bought these two, the stock went back to "sold out").
Then a few days later, somehow the 28H stock has now completely returned.
It seems unlikely to be a rerun production,
so the distributor probably bought up the manufacturer's final inventory all at once.
Writing something like this might make people wonder if some shop is going to hoard them all and cause problems,
but
I'm not concerned because I won't have any problems.
In addition to converting all the orders that were initially changed to Grail due to lack of Iron Cross stock back to Iron Cross,
I've sourced a considerable quantity.
If anyone else would like to reserve stock, please get in touch.
"The 28H stock keeps turning on and off...
Haha, there's a lot of it! Could it be a rerun? No, no that's not it.
A rerun would move much more suddenly!
...This place is stuffy. Can't I get out?
Hey, let me out! Come on!"