Bouwmeester Composites Tammar v4.8 wheels – first look

Bouwmeester Composites Tammar v4.8 wheels – first look

Australian-made, asymmetric, carbon Enduro 650B rims

Courtesy / BikeRadar

Published: January 6, 2015 at 12:00 am

Two years in development, the in-house-made BC Tammar v4.8 carbon enduro race wheels were recently released by Bouwmeester Composites, a design and manufacturing firm in Adelaide, Australia that claims to specialise in ‘low-energy consumption' advanced composite products.

Unlike double-walled designs borrowed from aluminium construction methods, the Tammar uses a solid profile. This single-wall construction is common in motocross and recent fat-bike rim designs and is said to provide increased impact resistance and spoke-hole strength.

Wide, strong, stiff, increased tyre traction and reasonably light - that's what the tammar v4.8's claim : wide, strong, stiff, increased tyre traction and reasonably light - that's what the tammar v4.8's claim - Courtesy / BikeRadar

A wide rim offers plenty of advantages on the trail

Combining a hookless bead design and a wide-rim platform allows a focus on tyre performance and torsional stiffness. And with this, the guys at BC believe to have created the perfect enduro/trail rim.

While not quite as wide as the likes of Ibis’s new 741 carbon rim, the Tammar’s 31.5mm internal width is no doubt on trend. For more on why wider rims are increasingly becoming more popular, read our Trail Tech column, 'Rethinking Rim Width'.

Interestingly, the rims feature front- and rear-specific carbon layups. An asymmetric spoke bed allows for more even spoke tension, with the nipple mounds angled to match the spoke path.

The tammar v4.8 rims are currently only sold as a complete wheelset out of australia: the tammar v4.8 rims are currently only sold as a complete wheelset out of australia - Courtesy / BikeRadar

The Tammar v3.8 rims are currently sold as a complete wheelset only

Currently the Tammar v4.8 rims are only available in a 650B (27.5in) size and as a complete wheelset built with DT Swiss 240s hubs and Competition double-butted spokes. The wheelset is priced at AU$2,999 (US and UK is unavailable, however, customers can currently purchase the wheelsets direct from Australia).

Specs:

  • Spoke count – 32 hole
  • Width – 38mm
  • Inner Width – 31.5mm
  • Depth –12.5mm (15.5mm to tip of nipple mounds)
  • Rim Weight – 480g front, 490g rear
  • Wheelset weight – 1,780g