Nox Composites Zolder Tubular Rim
The Nox Composites Zolder is the cyclocross tubular rim from Knoxville, Tennessee, named after the Belgian World Cup course and built for the riders who still glue their tires on because nothing else runs at 20 psi through a muddy corner without burping or pinch-flatting. It is disc-specific, light and stiff, and it carries the lifetime warranty.
This page covers the Nox Composites Zolder Tubular Rim in 29in. The Zolder is sold here only inside a wheel we build: choose the hub, spokes and nipples in the configurator and the finished wheel ships from Georgia, laced, tensioned and trued by hand.
Design and construction
The Zolder is a carbon tubular rim with a concave tire bed shaped for a glued 33mm cyclocross tubular and a shallow profile that keeps the wheel light and gives a little over rough ground. Because a tubular rim has no bead hooks the layup can be lighter and stiffer than a clincher of the same depth, which is the point of a tubular for racing. External nipples, standard J-bend spokes, disc only, lifetime warranty on the rim.
One thing to know about buying a Knoxville rim bare rather than in a factory wheelset is that you choose the hub, the spokes and the spoke count, and the rim is happy with all of it. The company publishes tension limits and offset figures for every rim, which is more than most carbon brands do, and the rims arrive with the nipple washers they need. We build them to those numbers.
How it rides
A Zolder wheel with a good cross tubular is the racing setup: 20 to 25 psi for grip in mud and sand with no risk of pinch flats, light enough to shoulder and remount all day, and stiff enough to sprint out of a corner. On the road with a 25mm tubular it makes a very light climbing wheel.
If you would rather run clinchers or tubeless, the Nox Citico is the equivalent clincher rim. We build the Zolder with 28 spokes for most racers and 24 for lighter riders who want the quickest possible wheel, and we can glue and cure the tires here so the wheelset arrives ready to race.
Specifications
| Wheel size | 29in |
|---|---|
| ERD | 591 (29in) |
| Inner width | 23 mm |
| Depth | 27 mm |
| Drillings | 24h, 28h |
| Weight | 325g (700c/29in) |
| Material | Carbon Fiber |
| Tire type | tubular |
| Brake | Disc |
| Nipples | External |
| Finishes | black |
This version
This version is the Zolder tubular in 29in, drilled 24h, 28h, about 325g, 23mm inside, 27mm deep, disc. Where the same rim is sold in another size or brake type, that is a separate listing with its own page.
This is the disc-brake Zolder tubular: plain sidewalls, no brake track to wear, a touch lighter. It fits any disc-brake bike and it is the version most of our customers now build; the rim-brake version is a separate listing.
Sizes, fit and compatibility
The Nox Composites Zolder Tubular Rim comes in 29in and 24h, 28h drilling. It is a disc-brake tubular rim for glued tires. We build the Zolder on Industry Nine SOLiX and 1/1, DT Swiss 240 and 180, White Industries CLD and Chris King R45 hubs, usually with Sapim CX-Ray or Laser spokes or DT Aerolite, and brass or alloy nipples.
It takes 700c tubular tires from 25 to 35mm. Pick cyclocross or road as your bike type in the configurator and it recommends a spoke count and lacing pattern.
Put it in a custom wheel
Build a custom wheel around the Nox Composites Zolder Tubular Rim — the link drops you into our Custom Wheel Program with this rim pinned, ready for you to choose the rest. It is set up for gravel and road disc, mountain bike and MTB single-speed builds.
Spoke head is decided by the hub, not the rim: this rim builds equally well with J-bend or straight-pull spokes, and the configurator only offers the spokes that match the hub you pick.
How Nox Composites tests its rims
Nox Composites is based in Knoxville, Tennessee. Nox states that its products are designed and tested there, that the rims are produced by a partner manufacturer in Asia using Nox's molds and layup schedule, and that the carbon is Toray fiber from Japan; wheels are handbuilt in Tennessee. Nox states that "manufacturing and quality control is held to extremely high standards including regular destructive and nondestructive testing." The one published figure is spoke pull-through strength, which Nox states is "somewhere north of 880 Lbf." Nox publishes no impact-joule or fatigue-cycle figures and cites no ISO or UCI protocol.
Warranty: Nox's website states its wheels and rims are guaranteed free from defects in materials or workmanship for as long as the original owner owns them, non-transferable, with proof of purchase and rim serial number required; older printed instructions state a 2-year term. A rock-strike policy covers rim replacement for the first two years, judged by Nox engineers, and a lifetime crash replacement program offers a reduced-price rim or rebuild to the original owner.
From Nox Composites
Certifications
- Lifetime warranty (original owner) — Defects in materials or workmanship for as long as the original owner owns them; 2-year rock/road strike replacement; lifetime crash replacement (source)
- Designed and tested in USA — Nox states products are designed and tested in Knoxville, TN; rims produced in Asia with Toray carbon; wheels handbuilt in Tennessee (source)
Sources on Nox Composites's site:
- Lifetime Warranty | Nox Composites
- Technology Behind Nox Composites Rims
- FAQ | Nox Composites
- Instructions for Wheels and Rims (PDF)
- AM-275 Rim Instruction Sheet (PDF)
Nox Composites publishes those results; ProWheelBuilder builds the rim into a wheel and does not test it in a lab.
Building it at ProWheelBuilder
Nox makes the Zolder tubular; ProWheelBuilder is an independent wheel builder in Georgia, not the manufacturer. Spokes are cut from the ERD we measure on the actual rim, the wheel comes up in stages on a tensiometer, and it is stress-relieved and trued before it goes in the box; tape and a valve go on if you ask.
The configurator filters to what fits, crosses out what is not made, and prices the build as you go.
Warranty
Manufacturer's warranty. Nox Composites warrants this product against defects in materials and workmanship. The duration, conditions and claim process are set by Nox Composites and can change without notice, so ask us and we will confirm the current terms before you buy.
ProWheelBuilder. Lace this into a wheel here and the finished wheel gets our own one-year warranty as well as the maker's. For twelve months we replace broken spokes however they broke, and the work on the wheel is on us - truing, re-tensioning, a rebuild where it is needed. If the rim or hub is covered by its manufacturer we put the claim in and chase it; if it is not, we supply an eligible replacement rim or hub at 25% off the current retail price. Carriage both ways is the customer's, and this does not cover wheels built from parts you send in.
Full terms are on our Policies & Warranty page.
Zolder Tubular Rim questions
What tire width suits this rim?
23mm inside is the all-road and gravel width. Think 32 to 45mm tires: wide enough to support a gravel casing properly so it holds its shape at low pressure, narrow enough that a 30mm road tire still sits right if you swap wheels between bikes.
Is the Zolder a clincher?
No. It is a tubular rim for glued-on tires. For clinchers or tubeless choose the Nox Citico.
Can you glue my tires?
Yes. Send them with the order or buy them here and we glue and cure them before the wheel ships.
What tubular tires fit the Zolder?
700c tubulars from 25 to 35mm; 33mm cyclocross tubulars are the most common pairing.
Why choose a tubular for cyclocross?
Very low pressure without pinch flats, a supple casing and a lighter wheel. It is still the racing standard.
Is ProWheelBuilder the manufacturer of the Nox Composites Zolder Tubular Rim?
We are not. Nox Composites manufactures the rim; ProWheelBuilder's part is the wheel: measuring, lacing, tensioning and truing it here in Georgia.
Is it tubeless-ready?
Nox Composites lists the Zolder Tubular Rim as tubular. Ask us about tubeless conversion if you need it.
Not sure? Text or leave a voicemail on 470-253-0929 or email info@prowheelbuilder.com — you will be talking to the people who build the wheels.
