NOBL TR33 Rims – Review
I think we can all agree that mountain biking can be an expensive hobby for most of us, especially when it comes to upgrades. But if we want to enforce a level of control on our spending we need to focus on the important upgrades that will give us the biggest handling improvements, and what defines a bicycle more than anything else? The wheels. Fortunately, NOBL knows a thing or two about making great wheels.
NOBL make incredibly beautiful carbon wheels designed to withstand the forces thrown at them from all disciplines of cycling, mountain biking, gravel, and road. We were very lucky to get our hands on their classic TR33 rims. These are a thing to behold. Carbon may not be for everyone but you cannot deny the beauty and craftsmanship of these hoops.
Who is NOBL?
NOBL headquarters are based in Comox Valley, British Columbia surrounded by mountains, and the world-class trails of Vancouver Island. NOBL wheels are composed of composite experts, cycling industry veterans, and trail builders who are passionate about the development and delivery of their products.
What began as a hobby for its founder, who blended his background in aircraft composites with his love for mountain biking, has become a mission to produce the toughest and best-performing carbon wheelsets on the market today. NOBL started its wheel-building journey back in 2012 with rims sourced from a variety of manufacturers and began experimenting with different layup tweaks to create the foundation for the development of its own products.
Success arrived in the form of their first unique and proprietary rim, the 27.5″ TR38. It was quickly announced to the masses and would become a favourite amongst riders with its burly, stiff, and hookless design, and would prove to be a game changer for aggressive riders looking for that competitive edge.
NOBL continues to design and build rims for all types of riding and continues to push the boundaries in engineering with strength and compliance technology, front and rear-specific rims, and their visually mesmerizing unique sinewave design with the TR32, TR37, and TR41. The range continues to expand from downhill, enduro, and XC into gravel and road, as well as their proprietary Onyx branded hubs. Read more about the NOBL story here.
No fingers were harmed in this review. Set up was super-easy, probably the easiest tubeless swap out we’ve ever done, thanks to the narrower inner width and curved bead which helps seat the tyre pain-free.
The NOBL TR33 laced up to a set of Factor hubs and Maxxis Forekaster tyres.
NOBL TR33 Features
The TR33 is NOBL’s jack of all trades due to its wide range of riding uses. It features an inner width of 27mm and an external width of 33mm that work perfectly with tyres from 2.2 to 2.4 inch (and can push to 2.5 and 2.6) for XC race machines to all-day trail adventures.
The TR33’s are an incredibly adaptable rim that will suit a range of riding styles from XC, Trail and Enduro. The low profile design offers a balanced blend of compliance to reduce harsh trail feedback through the hands but is strong and stiff enough to handle the rougher trails thanks to the high-standard Toray T700 carbon fibre.
The TR33 has gone through some changes of late and the revised version has seen thicker sidewalls for increased strength, reinforced 2.5mm lips to provide more bead and impact support and a new resin manufacturing process that gives the rim a raw finish and a higher resistance against scratches.
An asymmetrical profile and hookless bead allow for a low and rounder rim design that improves impact reduction and reduces the chances of flats. It also features a slight ridge between the centre of the rim channel and the rim wall to reduce tyre burping when schralping through berms, further proof that the TR33 has been designed for a wide range of riding styles allowing you to push the boundaries.
Each rim weighs in at around 385 grams for 27.5 and 400 grams for the 29 version. The rims are tubeless-ready and come with rim tape and tubeless valves pre-installed. The rims are available in 27.5 or 29 with a 28 or 32-hole counts option.
Each rim is built in-house at the NOBL British Columbia warehouse on Vancouver Island and wheelsets are made to order, there are no off-the-shelf options. They also come with a lifetime warranty and local support if built here in Australia.
Specifications:
- Wheel Size: 27.5″, 29″, Tyre Size: 2.2″-2.6″
- Hole Count: 28h or 32h, Depth: 24mm,
- Outer Width: 33mm, Inner Width: 27mm
- Weight: 390g (27.5″), 405g (29″)
- Weight – 29″ 405g / 27.5″ 390g
- ERD – 29″ 592 / 27.5″ 554
- Hole Count – 32h or 28h
- Asymmetric Offset: 2mm
On The Trails
Set up was very easy, probably the easiest tubeless swap out we’ve ever done. This is partly thanks to the curved bead which helps seat the tyre. A single tyre lever and a once around-the-clock swipe got the tyre onto the rim and a standard floor pump inflated on the first attempt.
The TR33’s were laced to a pair of Factor hubs and a set of fresh Maxxis Forekaster 2.5 tyres. The beauty of these rims is that they can cater for tyres from 2.2″-2.6″, which is a pretty wide range.
If being green is a concern for you, NOBL is doing its part by using fewer chemicals post-production such as no clearcoat or other chemicals to produce a more environmentally friendly rim.
TR33s bring a level of stiffness that you’d expect from a carbon rim, but with a huge amount of compliance that makes them very responsive and forgiving. When the trails got rougher the rims never felt out of their depth and were easy to direct through rock gardens and equally precise and stable in the corners.
We tested the TR33s on a variety of trails. XC with flat turns, flow trail with high walled berms, and some aggressive gravity-oriented trails with some chunky, rocky sections and drops. The TR33s always felt poised and in control giving us the confidence to keep pushing further.
NOBL has given the TR33s the nickname the “Chameleon” and we totally understand why. We have been so impressed with the performance of these rims and their ability to handle such a wide range of riding styles and being pushed hard. We put them on our XC test bike and the difference from the previous alloy rim was night and day.
The handling characteristics changed the bike so much that trails we’d normally shy away from due to the lack of confidence in crumpling our wheels to taking on these trails with no fuss at all, and not being satisfied with that had us looking for even gnarlier terrain to keep testing the limit of these rims.
The confidence and ability to push the limits of your riding that a solid set of wheels can bring should never be overlooked. Trust us, these were not treated with kid gloves, and no punches were pulled during this test.
The low-profile rims allowed us to get lower and faster on flat corners with a ton of stability and grip with performance more in line with what we’d expect from a 30mm inner width rim. High-walled berms were equally as impressive with that balance of stiffness and compliance doing its thing.
The TR33s have gone through a revision and part of this was an improved bead design that refused to burp even though we pushed as hard as we could. There may be some dark magic at work here, and we like it. Other noticeable thumbs up from us were the lack of hand and arm aches which can often be felt with overly stiff rims. NOBL really has dialed that stiffness Vs Compliance balance to perfection.
Conclusions
With a balance of stiffness and compliance offering sniper accuracy and a level of control and dependability to handle the rough with the smooth when the trails get rowdy, the TR33s are a true all-rounder that sits comfortably anywhere between XC to Enduro. Ripping through corners or charging through the rough stuff, the TR33s offer an amazing package that can handle the majority of riding styles.
The TR33 rims have gone through some revisions of late and are now even better than the original version with improved rim design and manufacturing processes, and come with a lifetime warranty if built in Australia. If you’re looking to upgrade your current rims then you’d be a fool to ignore the TR33s.
Price / Where to Buy
- NOBL TR33 rims: $1999.00AUD (pair, inc valves) with an upgraded lifetime warranty and local support if built here in Australia.
- Get in touch with TwoUpBikeCo to discuss a custom wheelset build or to find your local Australian dealer
