The Ribcage is the first NEW product from Gsport since merging with Odyssey. Check this drawing out for everything you need to know about the new rim. It is exactly what you would expect from George.
“I always wanted to do a rim. Some of these concepts have been floating around in my head for over ten years. The primary aim of the rim is to be VERY strong, a rim that will take the harshest riding, while remaining close to the weight of some the lightest rims that are currently available. Another aim was to try to put a stop to pinch punctures once and for all. While a puncture caused by glass or nails is down to the tyre; pinch punctures are all about the rim. By carefully detailing the design of the rim section, we hope that a properly installed tyre and tube will be almost impervious to pinch flats (A properly installed tyre should be well inflated, with chalk between the tyre and tube). A lot of thought also went into the spoke positioning. For many years I have called for spokes to cross to the opposite hub flange, so obviously when the chance came up to design a rim I incorporated this feature, but I also wanted the spokes to have a really solid seat to avoid cracking around the nipple. The traditional way to reinforce spoke holes is with eyelets, but eyelets do nothing for the overall strength of the wheel and leach a small amount of precious weight. Instead we developed the “ribs” that this rim is named after. These ribs run all around the inside of the rim section and serve to strengthen the wall of the rim against cracking. In addition to improving the rim’s overall strength, the ribs also incorporate angled shoulders to help create a precision seat for the spoke nipple, thus further distributing the load from the spoke. By keeping the spokes and the ribs close to each other at the centre of the rim we have created a “spine” that runs all the way around the inner circumference, and this consolidates the entire structure of the wheel. The rim is now in the final stages of testing and should be available in 36 and 48 hole towards the end of this year (if not sooner). More information will follow at a later date.” — George French
