WTB Frequency Team i29 TCS Rims: Customer Review

Here in this review, one of our customers Glen Carter absolutely loves his WTB rims. Glen says he has been on WTB rims for the last 23,000 miles of mountain biking! Here Glen talks us through his WTB Frequency Team i29 TCS rims, which feature a 29mm internal width, giving your tire a nice wide stance and added air volume. Check it out!

Overview

Day two of the Tour Divide mountain bike race found me bombing down a remote Canadian pass on my mountain bike. My chunky 200 pounds of tired body, and 55 pounds of gear and bike rolled on WTB rims; a WTB Frequency Team i29 TCS in back, and a WTB Speed TCS All Mountain (21mm) up front. I heard my riding partner shout, “52 miles an hour!”, but I was trying hard not to check my GPS for speed, my attention taken by the sharp curves, ruts, and loose rocks in the dirt road.

Fortunately for my piece of mind, my rims are WTB. Earlier that year I decided to run wider tires, and laced up my rear wheel using the WTB Frequency Team i29 TCS rim, replacing a narrower WTB rim. I’ve been using WTB rims for the past 23,000 miles of mountain bike riding, from the i19, Speed i21, i23, and now the Frequency Team i29 models. WTB rims have taken me more than 3,000 miles on three attempts on the Tour Divide race without a hitch. This race is tough and rugged, and wheels endure both rider and gear weight. These rims have to be proven stout, lightweight, and I’ve never had to deal with defects or excessive retruing.

Installation and Performance

As a wheel builder, I appreciate rims that are actually round, and don’t have flat spots, such as at joints. Lacing wheels with the WTB rims is made easier and faster by not having to deal with other built-in defects such as warps or an oval shape. The Frequency Team i29 gives an advantage when using wider tires; having a 29mm inner width, it increases the tire width as well, giving better traction and more tire volume. The difference from the previous i23 model to the new Frequency Team i29 on my rear wheel resulted in a gain of 5.4mm in tire width. Wider tires hook up faster, and keep traction longer. As a result of trying the Frequency Team i29 on the rear wheel, I was sold on the increased traction, so I ordered another WTB Frequency Team i29 TCS rim for my front wheel from my favorite rim supplier, Worldwide Cyclery. Again, tire width increased, this time by 6mm. The difference with the new Frequency Team i29 up front is flat out amazing!

Final Thoughts

Piece of mind comes from having good gear, and in my experience, from fire road riding to rocky single track abuse. Wheels are more than the sum of the parts. Starting with a great foundation like the WTB Frequency Team i29 TCS results in a great wheel!

Rider Profile

Glen Carter Vita: Retired geologist, Mountain biking for 22 years, riding bikes for over 60 years. Avid bikepacker, have toured and raced the Tour Divide mountain bike race three times for a total of 3,000 miles of self supported dirt and gravel road travel. I average > 4,000 miles per year riding and training. I do all of my mechanical work, including lacing my wheels and building up bikes from a pile ‘O’ scrap (restoring vintage bikes).