Another day, another wheel (and so on).
Continuing from yesterday.
The RR411 is a tubeless-ready rim,
but it has no hump (the protrusion that holds the bead).
Since the spoke holes on the outer edge have a large diameter, even if you put a hump on it,
it would get cut off at the spoke hole.
The "RR" at the beginning of the rim model name stands for Road Racing.
There are also models with just "R," which means Road,
and the difference is that RR rims have eyelets on one side while R rims have no eyelets at all.
I'm using past tense because
all current models now come without eyelets.
However, there is a clear specification difference between RR and R.
RR rims require the use of specialized nipples and washers called PHR
(Pro Head Reinforcement System).
Poor PHRS, nobody uses the system (that's not even the right name).
This washer does the job of an eyelet,
which is why rims that use it are classified as RR.
DT's current rim lineup has three categories, which break down as follows:
Performance: RR411, RR511, R460
Endurance: RR421, RR521, R470
Cyclocross: R500
The specification is straightforward—
RR means no eyelets plus PHR, while R means no eyelets, with no exceptions.
Person responsible: i... younger sister...
These are the specialized nipples. Like ENVE, they're 14mm thread pitch specialized nipples,
so you can't build a wheel with 15mm-base spokes
(by the way, ENVE requires OEM nipples and brake shoes as a warranty condition).
The RR411db rim comes in 20H, 24H, 28H, and 32H spoke hole counts,
but to avoid mistakes like "a 32H rim comes with the PHR kit for 20H,
so there aren't enough parts to build the wheel,"
regardless of the rim's hole count, 34 pieces each of both nipples and washers are included—
32H plus spares.
The "Pro Lo" written on the nipple bag indicates Pro Lock nipples,
which have thread-locking compound pre-filled in the nipple.
Honestly, I could take it or leave it. Some people might find it helpful, though.
The nipples are supposed to be 15mm long, but
the Pro Head (←DT trademark) nipple's tool grip extends 3mm,
so the effective length is the same as a standard 12mm nipple.
Another difference is that because they're spherical nipples,
unlike DT's standard 12mm nipple (part number 30-008),
the contact surface between the nipple and rim (washer) is rounded.
(When translating "sphere" into Japanese, "sufia" is standard, but when it's "spherical," we have "spherical bearing" which is written as "shuferikaru," so "suferika" doesn't really get used. I'm going with "spherical" here.)
Here's the thing: the contact between rim and washer is quite clean and even,
but the contact between washer and nipple feels like point-contact,
and turning the nipple has a gritty, heavy feel.
Of course, this is after you've oiled it to reduce friction.
I'm starting to think non-spherical nipples work better with washers anyway.
The machining precision of the Pro Head is pretty rough too.
I won't deny that I might be collecting particularly bad examples,
but 6 out of 34 are like this.
These problems are serious for the builder, but fortunately they don't affect the rider.
Got it built.
FH-RS770 hub, 28H, semi-competition four-cross JIS lacing with radial lacing on the drive side.
While working on the rear wheel, I was thinking
that the front wheel from yesterday might not even need radial lacing.
As for the RR411db rim, the actual rim weight is around 408g,
and the specialized washers (28 pieces) are around 8g,
so while it's not as light as Stans Iron Cross (385g, discontinued),
as a post-Iron Cross option, well... that's how it was proposed to a customer,
which is how I ended up building this one.
Continuing from yesterday.
The RR411 is a tubeless-ready rim,
but it has no hump (the protrusion that holds the bead).
Since the spoke holes on the outer edge have a large diameter, even if you put a hump on it,
it would get cut off at the spoke hole.
The "RR" at the beginning of the rim model name stands for Road Racing.
There are also models with just "R," which means Road,
and the difference is that RR rims have eyelets on one side while R rims have no eyelets at all.
I'm using past tense because
all current models now come without eyelets.
However, there is a clear specification difference between RR and R.
RR rims require the use of specialized nipples and washers called PHR
(Pro Head Reinforcement System).
Poor PHRS, nobody uses the system (that's not even the right name).
This washer does the job of an eyelet,
which is why rims that use it are classified as RR.
DT's current rim lineup has three categories, which break down as follows:
Performance: RR411, RR511, R460
Endurance: RR421, RR521, R470
Cyclocross: R500
The specification is straightforward—
RR means no eyelets plus PHR, while R means no eyelets, with no exceptions.
Person responsible: i... younger sister...
These are the specialized nipples. Like ENVE, they're 14mm thread pitch specialized nipples,
so you can't build a wheel with 15mm-base spokes
(by the way, ENVE requires OEM nipples and brake shoes as a warranty condition).
The RR411db rim comes in 20H, 24H, 28H, and 32H spoke hole counts,
but to avoid mistakes like "a 32H rim comes with the PHR kit for 20H,
so there aren't enough parts to build the wheel,"
regardless of the rim's hole count, 34 pieces each of both nipples and washers are included—
32H plus spares.
The "Pro Lo" written on the nipple bag indicates Pro Lock nipples,
which have thread-locking compound pre-filled in the nipple.
Honestly, I could take it or leave it. Some people might find it helpful, though.
The nipples are supposed to be 15mm long, but
the Pro Head (←DT trademark) nipple's tool grip extends 3mm,
so the effective length is the same as a standard 12mm nipple.
Another difference is that because they're spherical nipples,
unlike DT's standard 12mm nipple (part number 30-008),
the contact surface between the nipple and rim (washer) is rounded.
(When translating "sphere" into Japanese, "sufia" is standard, but when it's "spherical," we have "spherical bearing" which is written as "shuferikaru," so "suferika" doesn't really get used. I'm going with "spherical" here.)
Here's the thing: the contact between rim and washer is quite clean and even,
but the contact between washer and nipple feels like point-contact,
and turning the nipple has a gritty, heavy feel.
Of course, this is after you've oiled it to reduce friction.
I'm starting to think non-spherical nipples work better with washers anyway.
The machining precision of the Pro Head is pretty rough too.
I won't deny that I might be collecting particularly bad examples,
but 6 out of 34 are like this.
These problems are serious for the builder, but fortunately they don't affect the rider.
Got it built.
FH-RS770 hub, 28H, semi-competition four-cross JIS lacing with radial lacing on the drive side.
While working on the rear wheel, I was thinking
that the front wheel from yesterday might not even need radial lacing.
As for the RR411db rim, the actual rim weight is around 408g,
and the specialized washers (28 pieces) are around 8g,
so while it's not as light as Stans Iron Cross (385g, discontinued),
as a post-Iron Cross option, well... that's how it was proposed to a customer,
which is how I ended up building this one.