Rims
Used road bike rims on Cranxs are listed by private sellers across the UK, in lightweight carbon and robust alloy. The rim sets the aerodynamic profile, the braking surface on rim-brake builds and much of the wheel's strength. Buying a bare rim lets you rebuild onto hubs you already trust.
What should I check buying a used rim?
Look closely at the spoke holes for hairline cracks radiating outwards, and at the seam or join for separation. Check the sidewalls for dents and flat spots from kerb strikes. On a rim-brake rim, find the wear indicator — a groove or dimple in the braking track — and replace the rim once it has worn away, because a worn track can split under tyre pressure. Run a fingernail across the braking surface to feel for embedded grit and scoring.
How many spoke holes do I need?
The rim drilling must match the hub. Road rims are commonly drilled 20, 24, 28 or 32 holes, with lower counts at the front and higher at the rear. Rims are also drilled either straight through or offset for asymmetric builds, so confirm which the seller has. If you are not rebuilding, a complete wheelset saves the build cost.
Do I need the ERD before I order spokes?
Yes. The effective rim diameter determines spoke length, and it varies between models even at the same nominal 700c size. Ask the seller for the ERD or the exact model name so you can look it up, and measure a sample spoke from an existing wheel rather than guessing.
Rim brake or disc rim?
A rim-brake rim has a machined or textured braking track on the sidewalls; a disc-specific rim has none, and its sidewalls are built thinner because they never take pad friction. Fitting a disc rim to a rim-brake bike is not safe. Check which you need before browsing wheels and tyres.
Hooked or hookless, clincher or tubeless?
Hooked rims have a bead lip that retains a clincher tyre; hookless rims rely on the tyre bead alone and require tubeless-ready tyres, with pressure capped at 5 bar. Internal rim width matters too — most modern road rims sit around 19mm to 21mm internally, which suits wider tyres. Tubular rims have no bead seat at all and need the tyre glued or taped on.