Shopping CartFAQ
1. Is there a weight limit on your rims or wheels?
The XCR rims have a recommended weight limit of 240 lb. There is no recommended limit for the AM rims.
2. Where are your rims made?
Nox Composites is based in Knoxville, TN and all of our products are designed and tested here. We work closely with a manufacturer in Asia to produce rims using our molds, layup schedule and proprietary production techniques. The carbon for our rims is sourced from Toray in Japan. Manufacturing and quality control is held to extremely high standards including regular destructive and nondestructive testing to ensure quality and safety. We're excited to be able to offer rims of this quality at lower price points than was previously possible.
3. Can I send in my own hubs?
Yes!, simply select the configuration from the drop down menu that says "w/ YOUR OWN HUBS." After you place the order, you will be emailed an order confirmation including an order number. Then send your hubs to Nox Composites, 205A Perimeter Park Rd., ATTN: Your Order Number, Knoxville, TN 37922.
4. Will you build my wheel with brass nipples?
Yes, just ask. Although the alloy nipples we use are very high quality and resistant to all types of corrosion. We do 95% of our builds with alloy and believe this is the best choice for most riders since it saves substantial rotational weight. Corrosion of alloy nipples with our rims has NOT been a problem.
5. Do you have a crash replacement policy?
Yes, we expect our wheels or rims to be used training hard and racing harder. If you crash and damage a rim, then we're glad to give you a price break to help get you going without having to buy a new wheelset or rim.
The cost to repair a wheel by replacing the rim is $320.
The cost to replace a rim damaged in a crash is $275.
These costs include all parts and labor but do not include shipping to us or back to you. Crash replacement is only available for the original owner.
6. Can I get another color of hub?
Yes! Hub color choices are available when you configure your wheel build on the product page.
7. How soon will you ship my wheelset after I order?
All wheelsets are generally built to order. The time to ship the wheels to you can vary quite a bit depending on rim availability, hub lead time and our build queue. We will do our best to keep you updated with accurate shipment estimates once you place your order. In general wheels ship in less than 2 weeks unless there are unusual lead times on a particular component. Rims will generally ship within 2 days of receipt of payment. Check the product page for updates about any rims that may be backordered.
8. How do I handle the rim offset when calculating spoke lengths?
Our rims have a minor offset (2.4-2.6mm) which does effect spoke length calculations. We have our own spoke calculator you can use to ensure your spoke length calculations are as accurate as possible. The spoke length calculator is available online here: Spoke Calculator.
9. Why do you use Sapim CX-Ray bladed spokes? Are bladed/aero spokes really necessary for mountain bike wheels?
We don't use them because of aerodynamics, we use them in order to minimize rotational wheel weight while keeping the wheel durable. Simply put, bladed spokes are more durable than a round butted spoke of the same weight. Bladed spokes go through an extra forging process, which makes them cost a bit more, but this process also gives them extra strength and durability. The CX-Ray is a very lightweight spoke but has proven durable enough for almost all mountain biking applications, including downhill racing! You can read more about spokes and other wheel building information in our Wheelbuilding section.
10. Are there certain tires which won't work?
Yes, you may find certain tires which won't work because the bead is too tight. Let us explain why: There is quite a bit of variation between the bead seat diameter of different tires. In some cases, tire manufacturers have made their beads smaller or less compliant in order to provide a more secure fit when ran tubeless on "standard" rims. However, at the same time, many rim manufacturers (especially those focused on tubeless applications) have increased the bead seat diameter a bit to help secure the bead of "standard" tires. So as rim designers it puts us in a tight spot. In the end, we decided that a secure bead is critical for initial inflation and to prevent burping. So, we've followed the trend of most other tubeless rim manufacturers, and designed our rims on the large side of the ISO standard. We've tested tubeless setups with most major tire manufacturers including Continental, Maxxis, Schwalbe, Specialized and others with no problems, however you may come across a tire that is on the small side of the ISO standard or which has a reinforced bead that prevents it from popping into the rim bead seat. If this happens, try soap and water to help lubricate things and the bead may slide in. If you still don't have success, the only solution would be to use a different tire.
11. Are your rims compatible with Boost hubs?
Yes! Boost hubs are wider flanged hubs (110mm in the front and 148mm in the rear) which have become a popular option on 2016 frame and fork models. The advantage of Boost hubs is that the hub flanges are spaced wider apart, which increases the spoke bracing angle which in turn provides a "boost" in lateral stiffness and improves the chainline. While we understand new hub standards are annoying, this new standard does provide real, tangible improvements in wheel stiffness as well as improving frame/fork stiffness and providing more clearance for wider tires. While Boost hubs are an improvement, wheels built around these hubs still have dish or an imbalance in spoke tensions between the left and right side. Our asymmetric rims work to equalize this imbalance just as they do with other hubs standards. Note that Boost hubs change the spacing of the hub flanges and the location of the disc brake mounts. For those reasons you cannot generally user spacers/etc. with older hubs to adapt to the new Boost frames and forks. If you have an older wheelset and want to reuse your rims to build a new Boost wheelset, we can help you with that. In most cases the spokes can be reused as well.
The XCR rims have a recommended weight limit of 240 lb. There is no recommended limit for the AM rims.
2. Where are your rims made?
Nox Composites is based in Knoxville, TN and all of our products are designed and tested here. We work closely with a manufacturer in Asia to produce rims using our molds, layup schedule and proprietary production techniques. The carbon for our rims is sourced from Toray in Japan. Manufacturing and quality control is held to extremely high standards including regular destructive and nondestructive testing to ensure quality and safety. We're excited to be able to offer rims of this quality at lower price points than was previously possible.
3. Can I send in my own hubs?
Yes!, simply select the configuration from the drop down menu that says "w/ YOUR OWN HUBS." After you place the order, you will be emailed an order confirmation including an order number. Then send your hubs to Nox Composites, 205A Perimeter Park Rd., ATTN: Your Order Number, Knoxville, TN 37922.
4. Will you build my wheel with brass nipples?
Yes, just ask. Although the alloy nipples we use are very high quality and resistant to all types of corrosion. We do 95% of our builds with alloy and believe this is the best choice for most riders since it saves substantial rotational weight. Corrosion of alloy nipples with our rims has NOT been a problem.
5. Do you have a crash replacement policy?
Yes, we expect our wheels or rims to be used training hard and racing harder. If you crash and damage a rim, then we're glad to give you a price break to help get you going without having to buy a new wheelset or rim.
The cost to repair a wheel by replacing the rim is $320.
The cost to replace a rim damaged in a crash is $275.
These costs include all parts and labor but do not include shipping to us or back to you. Crash replacement is only available for the original owner.
6. Can I get another color of hub?
Yes! Hub color choices are available when you configure your wheel build on the product page.
7. How soon will you ship my wheelset after I order?
All wheelsets are generally built to order. The time to ship the wheels to you can vary quite a bit depending on rim availability, hub lead time and our build queue. We will do our best to keep you updated with accurate shipment estimates once you place your order. In general wheels ship in less than 2 weeks unless there are unusual lead times on a particular component. Rims will generally ship within 2 days of receipt of payment. Check the product page for updates about any rims that may be backordered.
8. How do I handle the rim offset when calculating spoke lengths?
Our rims have a minor offset (2.4-2.6mm) which does effect spoke length calculations. We have our own spoke calculator you can use to ensure your spoke length calculations are as accurate as possible. The spoke length calculator is available online here: Spoke Calculator.
9. Why do you use Sapim CX-Ray bladed spokes? Are bladed/aero spokes really necessary for mountain bike wheels?
We don't use them because of aerodynamics, we use them in order to minimize rotational wheel weight while keeping the wheel durable. Simply put, bladed spokes are more durable than a round butted spoke of the same weight. Bladed spokes go through an extra forging process, which makes them cost a bit more, but this process also gives them extra strength and durability. The CX-Ray is a very lightweight spoke but has proven durable enough for almost all mountain biking applications, including downhill racing! You can read more about spokes and other wheel building information in our Wheelbuilding section.
10. Are there certain tires which won't work?
Yes, you may find certain tires which won't work because the bead is too tight. Let us explain why: There is quite a bit of variation between the bead seat diameter of different tires. In some cases, tire manufacturers have made their beads smaller or less compliant in order to provide a more secure fit when ran tubeless on "standard" rims. However, at the same time, many rim manufacturers (especially those focused on tubeless applications) have increased the bead seat diameter a bit to help secure the bead of "standard" tires. So as rim designers it puts us in a tight spot. In the end, we decided that a secure bead is critical for initial inflation and to prevent burping. So, we've followed the trend of most other tubeless rim manufacturers, and designed our rims on the large side of the ISO standard. We've tested tubeless setups with most major tire manufacturers including Continental, Maxxis, Schwalbe, Specialized and others with no problems, however you may come across a tire that is on the small side of the ISO standard or which has a reinforced bead that prevents it from popping into the rim bead seat. If this happens, try soap and water to help lubricate things and the bead may slide in. If you still don't have success, the only solution would be to use a different tire.
11. Are your rims compatible with Boost hubs?
Yes! Boost hubs are wider flanged hubs (110mm in the front and 148mm in the rear) which have become a popular option on 2016 frame and fork models. The advantage of Boost hubs is that the hub flanges are spaced wider apart, which increases the spoke bracing angle which in turn provides a "boost" in lateral stiffness and improves the chainline. While we understand new hub standards are annoying, this new standard does provide real, tangible improvements in wheel stiffness as well as improving frame/fork stiffness and providing more clearance for wider tires. While Boost hubs are an improvement, wheels built around these hubs still have dish or an imbalance in spoke tensions between the left and right side. Our asymmetric rims work to equalize this imbalance just as they do with other hubs standards. Note that Boost hubs change the spacing of the hub flanges and the location of the disc brake mounts. For those reasons you cannot generally user spacers/etc. with older hubs to adapt to the new Boost frames and forks. If you have an older wheelset and want to reuse your rims to build a new Boost wheelset, we can help you with that. In most cases the spokes can be reused as well.
