Lightweight StructureAt first glance the Birdcage looks like a fairly conventional aero style rim, but there is more to it than that. The first clue comes from the name; birds have hollow bones to save weight whilst retaining as much strength as possible,
At first glance the Birdcage looks like a fairly conventional aero style rim, but there is more to it than that. The first clue comes from the name; birds have hollow bones to save weight whilst retaining as much strength as possible, and the Birdcage rim has a hollow bead for the same reason. The rims hollow bead is still big and chunky to help reduce the chances of pinch puncturing or flat spotting the rim, but by creating a tiny hollow cavity inside it,GSportwas able to to keep the weight down andmake the Birdcagetheir lightest rim available.
The next innovation was to adaptGSport’s cross-lacing design to the narrow inner wall of the rim.GSportmanaged to squeeze a few extra millimeters of spoke offset out of the design to help increase lateral wheel strength, and by carefully tailoring the rims cross-section, they managed to match all the angles to the nipple so that the walls of the rim section act like the ribs inside the Ribcage rim, which helps to support the spoke nipples as much as possible.
Traditionally, the greatest flaw in aero rims has been the valve hole. Aero rims position a lot of very efficiently utilized mass in the base of the rim to support the spokes and give the rim good strength, then a huge hole is drilled through it for the valve stem and a massive weak-spot is created. With the Birdcage,they’ve offset the valve hole so that this section can retain its strength. A handy side-effect of this is that fitting a pump is now more convenient.
Aside from these original features,GSport spent a lot of time sweating the small stuff.They’ve ensured that the deep center allows for easy tire removal and fitting, and weve made sure that the sidewalls, while slimmed down, are still suitable for brake use.
The end result is one of the most high tech rims to date. With a weight of just440g (15.5oz) it outperforms most rims weighing 20-30% more, and the weight saving from the rotational mass of the wheel feels fantastic.
Sizes: 20″ only
Drillings:36 hole
Weight:440g / 15.5oz
Width:34mm
Height: 21mm
ERD:383mm
U.S. Patent 7,427,112
Need help choosing the right part? Message us on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, or TikTok.
All parts ship fast from 5150BMX.com support core BMX.
View all GSport products
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.