# Let's hear opinions on Kinlin rims.



## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

I hear Kinlin rims mentioned around here frequently. Let's hear what you think of them and, hopefully, why you think the way you do. "They're great" means nothing. If you sell &/or build with them let's hear your perspective too. I don't give a rat's buttocks if some people think you're "spamming" - of you give constructive comments and info then you're going by forum acceptance.

I see they're a pinned joint. My only knowledge of pinned joints comes from years ago when those joints were the cause of many braking irregularities. Are the Kinlins subject to this? Are welded joints better? I see that their pinned joint gives a real heavy spot.

What's with the "pulsing" I've read about with them? Is this from the pinned joint?

How are their actual weights compared to advertised weights? How about production tolerances as related to weight?

Any heavy boys having good luck with their 200 rim?


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## ergott (Feb 26, 2006)

Weight is pretty consistent.
The joint can produce a pulse, but it's quite rare.
The rims are tough and stand up well to regular use.
The rims are stiff (27mm and 30mm) and work well in lower spoke counts.
They are used in a lot of wheels (from Easton to Neuvation and tons more).
They are probably the best choice for most alloy wheel applications.
Lateral true is easy to get with even spoke tension.
Radial true is sometimes at the limit of my preferences with even spoke tension, but not a rider issue at all.
I'd prefer if colours were more readily available.
I'd prefer a 22-23mm wide rim option for either the 27mm or the 30mm rim.
I do like the internal shape of the Stan's notubes rims better, but that doesn't take away from the functionality of these rims.

-Eric

PS If I think of more, I'll let you know.


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## strathconaman (Jul 3, 2003)

The Kinlins on my EA70x wheels are ok, but the alloy is a little soft. It wears quickly and I have dented 2 rims on various CX races. The good thing was I found them on sale for $30 a rim and bought 3 fronts (24) and 3 rears (28).


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## tantra (Jan 8, 2008)

*Kinlin XR-200's*

I weigh 180 lbs and have been riding XR-200's for almost a year now. No problems so far! I did go with high spoke counts (28f/32r) for strength and stiffness. With Extralite hubs, the wheelset came in under 1300g. Built-up nicely by Zen.


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## rruff (Feb 28, 2006)

Good comments by Eric and I'll add some more:

Best features of the Kinlins is that they are light, with consistent weights, and seem very resistant to spoke hole cracks even with high tension. A surprisingly large number of heavier rims have issues with cracking. 
The XR200 and 300 are quite narrow at only 18.5mm wide, the XR270 is 19.5mm wide. 
I've only found radial roundness issues with the XR300 that were bad enough to replace them. I've rejected some XR200s and XR300s for a wobble at the joint which ended up making the build too unstable. The XR270 has been the most trouble free IME. On average I do not give the Kinlin rims high marks for straightness or roundness.
The "pulsing" issue is usually a change in width somewhere near the joint. I don't think it is a problem with the sleeve necessarily, because I've seen this on welded rims too.


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## mikagsd (Mar 22, 2008)

I have a set of the Kinlin XR300's, 32r/28f. Since I got them around the beginning to middle of April, they are approaching 1,000 miles on them. They are laced to CK Classic hubs and I weigh in at 235. I do not have any brake pulsing issues on my rims at all. I know from reading other posts this seems to be an issue but I am not currently experiencing that with my rims. I think these rims are just a tad bit lighter than the 2010 Aksium Race 20f/20r that came with my Roubaix. 

I'm not a wheelbuilder but just giving some feedback from an everyday rider/users perspective. I have had the pre-load adjusted on the hubs once by my shop now that they are broken in and they checked for true and the rims are still good. 

I know its probably not all the technical stuff you wanted to hear but just thought I would put something out there from an avg joe. Thanks again to rruff & fallzboater for the advice to me when I was looking for a rim choice, it has worked out very well for me.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

mikagsd said:


> I know its probably not all the technical stuff you wanted to hear but just thought I would put something out there from an avg joe.


Mika your input is appreciated as I'm an average joe too (well, a bit below average really) plus the great inputs from the builders & other users. Keep it comin'. I'm just interested what all the fuss is about.

Let's hear about some failures too if anyone has any.


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## ergott (Feb 26, 2006)

Mike T. said:


> Let's hear about some failures too if anyone has any.


I replaced 2 XR-200 rims early on due to uneven brake surface. The replacements were from a newer batch and solved the problem.

I have a wheel here with a 27mm rim that I have to check out for a customer. I will report back anything unusual.

Other than that, I haven't seen any of the other wheels with Kinlin rims that I've sent out the door. 

-Eric


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## jnbrown (Dec 9, 2009)

I have been building my own wheels for a number of years.
Mostly I use Velocity rims because that seemed to fit my needs at the time before Kinlin existed. The appeal of Kinlin is it is slightly lighter than most anything else and come in various rim depths. Earlier this year I needed to build a wheelset for a new tandem and decided to use Kinlin XR-270. Both wheels had brake pulsing so bad I had to take apart the wheel and return the rims. The brake pulsing is to due to rim width variation. From what I understand, not all Kinlin rims have brake pulsing. I replaced the rims with Velocity Fusions which have no brake pulsing and I think better suited to a tandem application. I recently built a wheel set for a new road bike and again had to decide on a rim. Weight and durability were my primary factors. I was tempted to try Kinlin XR-220 for the weight savings but decided to go with the slightly heavier Velocity Aerohead. The difference in weight for wheelset is probably around 75g. I have had several wheelsets using Aeroheads and Fusions and never had a problem with them so I continue to be a Velocity fan. I also like that Velocity has a facility in the U.S. and you can actually talk to somebody. Kinlin AFAIK doesn't even have a web site.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Another question for you Kinlin experts. Do you have trouble fitting & removing tires compare to other rims? How are they compared to, say, Open Pros?


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## rruff (Feb 28, 2006)

No problems fitting any of the tires I've tried. They seem about perfect in that respect... tight, but not too tight.


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## Ventruck (Mar 9, 2009)

Been using Performance's/Forte Apollo. I've heard they're the Novatec Speedy's which list their rims as XR-300 - presumably therefore being Kinlins.

I beat on them regularly on a bumpy hill. Every week I re-true the front (20 hole, not sure what brand spokes), but it's nothing major. I just get anal about borderline-perfect true. Regardless of what part of these wheels are responsible for that, the rim hasn't bent or anything. Did have a braking surface issue once (on the front again), but had the wheels replaced and saw no more of the issue.

I don't have Mavic OPs, but Aksiums. FWIW, mounting the same Conti GP4000's (25) was roughly the same, yielding the need for irons only on cold days/fingers.

Maybe at one point, I will carry the rims to a new build. But I plan to make the most of the set as-is with their warranty.

I'd be pooped and sorry if Kinlins actually aren't used on this set. "My bad", in that case.


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## TimV (Mar 20, 2007)

I recently built up a set of Kinlin XR-300 rims to Chris King R45 hubs using Sapim CX-Ray spokes. I've been on them for about a month or so and they have been great. They built up nicely and feel really good out on the road. The main reason I chose them was for their combination of low weight, good strength and stiffness, aero profile, availability with low spoke counts (20-F-Rad / 28-R-2x) and reasonable price. We'll see in a year or two how well they hold up. I weigh 175 and went through two Mavic Ksyrium rear rims in only a few years.


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## SEK82089 (Dec 19, 2004)

Can you get them in any drilling's? I'm looking for a 22 hole drilled rim to replace a cracked Campagnolo front rim.


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## Lance_work (Nov 12, 2004)

I had a pair of XR270 rims built up with American Classic hubs and CX-Ray spokes summer of 2008. The front is 28h (2x) (640 grams), rear is 32 h (3x) (800 grams), for a combined weight on 1440 grams. I weigh 200 lbs. One minor truing after the first week, and perfect thereafter. They are my everyday/training and event wheels. No pulsing issues.

I've been very pleased with them, and will definitely recommend them to anyone.


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## iliveonnitro (Feb 19, 2006)

The rims are great. I've owned them for 3 years now, only ruining one in a crash that also took out 16 of my 20 spokes.


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## Wines of WA (Jan 10, 2005)

I'm an ex-Cat3, now 42 years old and weigh 180#. I still have enough power to stress my wheels. 

I have XR-300's 20f/24r with CX Ray spokes on my Ligero wheels with his triplett lacing pattern (8 spokes rear NDS, 16 spokes DS). Troy additionally added his ceramic brake track coating. 

After a few thousand miles so far, zero issues. They are still completely round and true. Best wheels I have ever owned...and I have owned a lot.


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## cfoster (Dec 20, 2007)

We gave up on using Kinlin rims several years ago. The primary issues were wavering sidewalls and "soft" rims. If you held a rim (not wheel) at a 30 degree angle three or four feet off the ground, like you were carrying it in your hands for example, and dropped it, the sidewalls would typically bend inward. Last but not least, the rim joints had varying types of issues which made them undesirable for our purposes. All that was several years ago, other than playing with a few 270s and 300 a year ago as part of a research project, I'm not really familiar with their current production quality. My past history with their rims sort of left a sour taste in my mouth.

I think they're popular now-a-days due to their relative ease to acquire, and the company's proactive interest to develop in this market. If the 270s and 300s are quality, that's good to hear. Sounds like things are taking a turn for the better...


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## Zen Cyclery (Mar 10, 2009)

cfoster said:


> If you held a rim (not wheel) at a 30 degree angle three or four feet off the ground, like you were carrying it in your hands for example, and dropped it, the sidewalls would typically bend inward.


 I usually test my frames by going to the top of a skyscraper and dropping to the cars below. The last one I tested cracked. What a P.O.S. I'm applying for a warranty frame as we speak. It left a very bitter taste in my mouth


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## rruff (Feb 28, 2006)

cfoster said:


> We gave up on using Kinlin rims several years ago.


Who is making your house rims?


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## tom_h (May 6, 2008)

rruff said:


> ...
> The XR200 and 300 are quite narrow at only 18.5mm wide, the XR270 is 19.5mm wide.
> I've only found radial roundness issues with the XR300 that were bad enough to replace them. ..


These web pages are claiming the width of XR270 & XR300 are both the same: 19mm
http://fairwheelbikes.com/kinlin-xr270-clincher-rim-p-1215.html 
http://fairwheelbikes.com/kinlin-xr300-clincher-rim-p-1216.html

Reason I'm nitpicking, is I'm tring to figure out what rim I should use for a Powertap training wheel ... I could go either xr270 or xr300, but I'd _really_ prefer the xr300.

My existing Campy Shamal rear wheel is spec'ed at 20.5mm wide , and I would not want go _too_ much narrower ... I'd imagine a wider rim provides a more stable base for the tire, when cornering at high speeds, just as with cars.

Maybe diff between 18.5 & 19.5 mm width isn't worth worrying about ??


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## Zen Cyclery (Mar 10, 2009)

tom_h said:


> These web pages are claiming the width of XR270 & XR300 are both the same: 19mm
> http://fairwheelbikes.com/kinlin-xr270-clincher-rim-p-1215.html
> http://fairwheelbikes.com/kinlin-xr300-clincher-rim-p-1216.html
> 
> ...


Your are right in the last sentence. The width difference is extremely minimal and has no noticable effect when it comes to cornering. I would advise you to go with the XR270 rim over the Xr300. The Powertap hubs are heavy as it is so you may as well try to make the wheel a tad bit lighter by going with the 270.


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