About half a year ago,
the president of Tri Sports and the sales department manager
came to our shop.
During a business trip to Osaka where the president came along,
it seems the sales manager wanted to visit our shop,
and he happily said things like
"Is this the place where you always take photos of wheels
（the corner of the shop）?! Holy pilgrimage! Holy pilgrimage!"
So I replied,
"Nomu Lab fanatic, gross."
Anyway, moving on,
around the end of this year or beginning of next year,
TNI was planning to release under the brand name "Aegis"
ultra-lightweight carbon tubeless ready rims
with inner widths of 23mm and 25mm,
and they asked me to share my opinions
and showed me spec sheets.
But wait a minute before that.
TNI is supposedly a company called
Technology Needs Idea (TNI) in America
that plans OEM products,
and I thought Tri Sports was importing their brand products.
So I asked about that,
and they told me
"It's a Tri Sports brand."
Well, okay, if that's how it is.
Back to the Aegis rim.
The 23mm inner width version comes in
rim heights of 32mm, 45mm, and 55mm,
plus 65mm and 80mm (I think) options,
while the 25mm inner width version comes in
38mm and 48mm rim heights—
a lineup where rim heights don't overlap
between the two inner widths.
That's what they told me.
At that point I said,
"Starting next year, UCI regulations will set
the rim height limit at 60mm（※）for road racing,
so wheels with rim heights higher than that
probably won't sell very well,"
※It was 65mm
Thank you for the comment
I don't think that decided it,
but in the actual final product,
55mm is the maximum rim height.
"We'd be happy to have you use this rim for Nomu Lab wheels!"
the sales manager said,
so that's what we're doing.
Nomu Lab wheels with official Tri Sports approval for the first time?
And just a few days ago,
the rim was officially announced.
It's already in stock at distributors.
The rim name isn't Aegis but rather
LIGHT rim,
with only 23mm inner width (to be precise, 23.5mm)
and rim heights of 32mm, 45mm, and 55mm
in the lineup.
I don't know if the 25mm inner width version was canceled,
or if it's coming later,
or if they'll release it under the name Aegis when they do—
none of that is clear.
The rim weight, from actual measurement of samples
that arrived at Tri Sports, is
273g for the 32mm height,
319g for the 45mm height,
and 354g for the 55mm height.
They really are light!
The price is ¥66,000 before tax / ¥72,600 after tax
for all heights.
On the shop-only website it says
something like "we worked hard on the price!"
but half a year ago they told me
the planned price would be around ¥90,000
（I'm not sure if that was before or after tax）,
so they really did work hard.
I stocked a 32mm height rim for my personal use.
The reason is I wanted to know what it feels like
when building wheels.
The rim is unmarked, and
comes with a sticker that you can apply around the valve hole if you want,
but...
Whether it's for reinforcement or to support
the tubeless valve nut on a flat surface,
the valve hole's inner circumference is rounded and raised,
but the sticker's hole is sized exactly to the valve diameter,
so it doesn't look like it'll apply cleanly as-is.
In Tri Sports' sample images,
it was applied on the opposite side of the valve hole.
That's definitely not the intended design.
Here's the measured weight of this particular rim.
With a 32mm rim height and 31.5mm outer width,
it's shaped like something carved out of a square.
It's not an offset rim,
but the rim holes have a strong lateral offset
with clear left and right distinction.
There's a sticker next to the valve hole on one of the rim holes
that says "spoke direction goes this way."
Following this instruction means "build it as a normal rim orientation,"
but if that's all it meant, then following this instruction
you could have the spoke point either toward the freewheel side
or the non-freewheel side—meaning there'd be no left/right attribute.
But actually, although this rim isn't offset,
it is left-right asymmetrical and does have left/right attributes.
I threaded a 14-gauge plain spoke and nipple
through the hole that has the offset instruction sticker.
If I orient the spoke so its weight makes it tilt
opposite to the sticker's direction,
it looks like this, but
when I flip the rim to match the instruction,
it looks like this.
The rim holes clearly have left/right offset difference.
Since this rim alternates between holes with large offset difference
and holes with small offset difference,
the holes with large offset difference need to connect
to the flange on the non-freewheel side (left) for rear wheels
or the non-rotor mounting side (right) for front wheels.
How to tell the difference is:
by looking at the hole offset on the outer edge.
The image above shows the rim holes on both sides of the valve hole,
but the outer edge holes alternate between
"centered" and "offset to the side,"
and the hole that had the sticker earlier
is one of the "offset to the side" holes.
↑In the range shown in the image, from left:
centered, offset to the side, centered, ...
↑In the range shown in the image, from left:
offset to the side, centered, offset to the side, ...
Even in the rim holes where the outer edge is centered,
there is left/right difference in the angle the spoke hangs,
but it's not as pronounced as with the offset holes,
so you might be able to get to the point of a trial wheel assembly
even if you make a mistake.
However, when you do, the spoke going through the offset hole
would be forced to bend from its natural straight line
toward the flange,
so the wheel shouldn't actually build.
I've built a wheel before
with this blue arrow sticker on the rim,
and on that rear wheel, the arrow pointed toward the freewheel side.
With this rim, the same arrow points
toward the non-freewheel side.
So this blue arrow doesn't specify freewheel or non-freewheel side.
As I marked with tape in the image above,
it's just that on the inner circumference of the rim,
there's a sticker saying "spoke direction goes this way"
（meaning build it as normal rim orientation）
and on the outer circumference,
the same meaning is conveyed with a different-looking marker,
that's all.
The front and rear wheels I built before
with the same sticker are for rim brakes,
and since they had machining on the brake zone
with left/right attributes,
the blue arrow pointing to the freewheel side
wasn't wrong.
Also, since the front wheel is for rim brakes
and has no rotor mounting tab (ocho),
there's no left/right offset difference in the rim holes
on the inner circumference either.
From that standpoint too, the blue arrow
doesn't specify the rim's left/right orientation.
That rim brake rim was different from this TNI Light rim—
its outer edge holes had no offset.
In short: Follow the normal rim orientation instruction,
and then you can definitively identify the rim's left/right
by looking at the outer edge hole offset or
the brake zone machining,
so you should be able to figure it out.
If there's none of that,
either orientation works,
（in which case I think you'd align
the inner circumference valve hole sticker direction
between the front and rear wheels）.
For the Nomu Lab Wheel No. 9 price using the TNI Light rim:
The cheapest option with silver spokes + silver nipples is
¥205,880 after tax,
and the most expensive with black spokes + color nipples is
¥213,080 after tax.
Since the rim price is the same regardless of rim height,
we'll call them things like "No. 9 in 32mm" or "No. 9 in 45mm."
We look forward to your orders.
By the way, regarding articles where I wrote incorrectly
that "the blue arrow specifies the freewheel side,"
I don't intend to correct them,
but I won't link to those articles either.
Since they don't use the terms "blue arrow" or "blue sticker,"
they won't come up in a search.
The reason is that not only the blue arrow
but the "spoke direction goes this way" sticker
on the rim's inner circumference
is the exact same thing,
and the TNI stick-on sticker is similar,
applied under clear coat that can't be peeled off—
it's a rim from that OEM source,
or shares an OEM source with it,
and there's no benefit to our shop in revealing that.
We look forward to your orders, or whatever,
but we're obviously not going to tell you that
↑wow this guy sucks
＼ （→Click here） For Your Viewing！／
＝＝（Ｖ）＝〇＝＝〇 （Ｖ）
Sixth Generation Wheel Information Disclosure
Unscrupulous Crustacean Asserting Civil Rights
↑Stop that!
the president of Tri Sports and the sales department manager
came to our shop.
During a business trip to Osaka where the president came along,
it seems the sales manager wanted to visit our shop,
and he happily said things like
"Is this the place where you always take photos of wheels
（the corner of the shop）?! Holy pilgrimage! Holy pilgrimage!"
So I replied,
"Nomu Lab fanatic, gross."
Anyway, moving on,
around the end of this year or beginning of next year,
TNI was planning to release under the brand name "Aegis"
ultra-lightweight carbon tubeless ready rims
with inner widths of 23mm and 25mm,
and they asked me to share my opinions
and showed me spec sheets.
But wait a minute before that.
TNI is supposedly a company called
Technology Needs Idea (TNI) in America
that plans OEM products,
and I thought Tri Sports was importing their brand products.
So I asked about that,
and they told me
"It's a Tri Sports brand."
Well, okay, if that's how it is.
Back to the Aegis rim.
The 23mm inner width version comes in
rim heights of 32mm, 45mm, and 55mm,
plus 65mm and 80mm (I think) options,
while the 25mm inner width version comes in
38mm and 48mm rim heights—
a lineup where rim heights don't overlap
between the two inner widths.
That's what they told me.
At that point I said,
"Starting next year, UCI regulations will set
the rim height limit at 60mm（※）for road racing,
so wheels with rim heights higher than that
probably won't sell very well,"
※It was 65mm
Thank you for the comment
I don't think that decided it,
but in the actual final product,
55mm is the maximum rim height.
"We'd be happy to have you use this rim for Nomu Lab wheels!"
the sales manager said,
so that's what we're doing.
And just a few days ago,
the rim was officially announced.
It's already in stock at distributors.
The rim name isn't Aegis but rather
LIGHT rim,
with only 23mm inner width (to be precise, 23.5mm)
and rim heights of 32mm, 45mm, and 55mm
in the lineup.
I don't know if the 25mm inner width version was canceled,
or if it's coming later,
or if they'll release it under the name Aegis when they do—
none of that is clear.
The rim weight, from actual measurement of samples
that arrived at Tri Sports, is
273g for the 32mm height,
319g for the 45mm height,
and 354g for the 55mm height.
They really are light!
The price is ¥66,000 before tax / ¥72,600 after tax
for all heights.
On the shop-only website it says
something like "we worked hard on the price!"
but half a year ago they told me
the planned price would be around ¥90,000
（I'm not sure if that was before or after tax）,
so they really did work hard.
I stocked a 32mm height rim for my personal use.
The reason is I wanted to know what it feels like
when building wheels.
The rim is unmarked, and
comes with a sticker that you can apply around the valve hole if you want,
but...
Whether it's for reinforcement or to support
the tubeless valve nut on a flat surface,
the valve hole's inner circumference is rounded and raised,
but the sticker's hole is sized exactly to the valve diameter,
so it doesn't look like it'll apply cleanly as-is.
In Tri Sports' sample images,
it was applied on the opposite side of the valve hole.
That's definitely not the intended design.
Here's the measured weight of this particular rim.
With a 32mm rim height and 31.5mm outer width,
it's shaped like something carved out of a square.
It's not an offset rim,
but the rim holes have a strong lateral offset
with clear left and right distinction.
There's a sticker next to the valve hole on one of the rim holes
that says "spoke direction goes this way."
Following this instruction means "build it as a normal rim orientation,"
but if that's all it meant, then following this instruction
you could have the spoke point either toward the freewheel side
or the non-freewheel side—meaning there'd be no left/right attribute.
But actually, although this rim isn't offset,
it is left-right asymmetrical and does have left/right attributes.
I threaded a 14-gauge plain spoke and nipple
through the hole that has the offset instruction sticker.
If I orient the spoke so its weight makes it tilt
opposite to the sticker's direction,
it looks like this, but
when I flip the rim to match the instruction,
it looks like this.
The rim holes clearly have left/right offset difference.
Since this rim alternates between holes with large offset difference
and holes with small offset difference,
the holes with large offset difference need to connect
to the flange on the non-freewheel side (left) for rear wheels
or the non-rotor mounting side (right) for front wheels.
How to tell the difference is:
by looking at the hole offset on the outer edge.
The image above shows the rim holes on both sides of the valve hole,
but the outer edge holes alternate between
"centered" and "offset to the side,"
and the hole that had the sticker earlier
is one of the "offset to the side" holes.
↑In the range shown in the image, from left:
centered, offset to the side, centered, ...
↑In the range shown in the image, from left:
offset to the side, centered, offset to the side, ...
Even in the rim holes where the outer edge is centered,
there is left/right difference in the angle the spoke hangs,
but it's not as pronounced as with the offset holes,
so you might be able to get to the point of a trial wheel assembly
even if you make a mistake.
However, when you do, the spoke going through the offset hole
would be forced to bend from its natural straight line
toward the flange,
so the wheel shouldn't actually build.
I've built a wheel before
with this blue arrow sticker on the rim,
and on that rear wheel, the arrow pointed toward the freewheel side.
With this rim, the same arrow points
toward the non-freewheel side.
So this blue arrow doesn't specify freewheel or non-freewheel side.
As I marked with tape in the image above,
it's just that on the inner circumference of the rim,
there's a sticker saying "spoke direction goes this way"
（meaning build it as normal rim orientation）
and on the outer circumference,
the same meaning is conveyed with a different-looking marker,
that's all.
The front and rear wheels I built before
with the same sticker are for rim brakes,
and since they had machining on the brake zone
with left/right attributes,
the blue arrow pointing to the freewheel side
wasn't wrong.
Also, since the front wheel is for rim brakes
and has no rotor mounting tab (ocho),
there's no left/right offset difference in the rim holes
on the inner circumference either.
From that standpoint too, the blue arrow
doesn't specify the rim's left/right orientation.
That rim brake rim was different from this TNI Light rim—
its outer edge holes had no offset.
In short: Follow the normal rim orientation instruction,
and then you can definitively identify the rim's left/right
by looking at the outer edge hole offset or
the brake zone machining,
so you should be able to figure it out.
If there's none of that,
either orientation works,
（in which case I think you'd align
the inner circumference valve hole sticker direction
between the front and rear wheels）.
For the Nomu Lab Wheel No. 9 price using the TNI Light rim:
The cheapest option with silver spokes + silver nipples is
¥205,880 after tax,
and the most expensive with black spokes + color nipples is
¥213,080 after tax.
Since the rim price is the same regardless of rim height,
we'll call them things like "No. 9 in 32mm" or "No. 9 in 45mm."
We look forward to your orders.
By the way, regarding articles where I wrote incorrectly
that "the blue arrow specifies the freewheel side,"
I don't intend to correct them,
but I won't link to those articles either.
Since they don't use the terms "blue arrow" or "blue sticker,"
they won't come up in a search.
The reason is that not only the blue arrow
but the "spoke direction goes this way" sticker
on the rim's inner circumference
is the exact same thing,
and the TNI stick-on sticker is similar,
applied under clear coat that can't be peeled off—
it's a rim from that OEM source,
or shares an OEM source with it,
and there's no benefit to our shop in revealing that.
We look forward to your orders, or whatever,
but we're obviously not going to tell you that
↑wow this guy sucks
＼ （→Click here） For Your Viewing！／
＝＝（Ｖ）＝〇＝＝〇 （Ｖ）
Sixth Generation Wheel Information Disclosure
Unscrupulous Crustacean Asserting Civil Rights
↑Stop that!