Race Face AR Offset 30 Rim
The Race Face AR Offset 30 is the rim that introduced Race Face's offset spoke bed to the alloy trail market: 30mm inside, 20mm deep, about 525 grams in 29in, with the nipple holes moved 4.5mm to one side so drive-side and non-drive-side spoke tension come close to equal on a Boost rear wheel. It is tubeless-ready with a strong tire-retention bead, and it has been one of the most popular alloy trail rims we build for years.
This page covers the Race Face AR Offset 30 Rim in 29in, 27.5in. The AR 30 is built to order here. Choose the hub, spokes and nipples in the configurator; the wheel leaves Georgia laced, tensioned and trued.
Design and construction
The AR range shares one profile in three widths: 25, 30 and 30mm inside, 20mm deep, with the spoke bed offset 4.5mm on the 30 and 35 and 3mm on the 25. Offsetting the bed toward the non-drive side narrows the difference in bracing angle between the two sides of a rear wheel, so both sides sit near their ideal tension; on a front disc wheel the same trick balances the rotor side. The result is a wheel that goes out of true less and can be built to higher, more even tension.
The AR 30 is a welded double-wall aluminum rim with a tubeless bead whose retention lip keeps a tire seated at low pressure. Standard nipples, J-bend spokes, disc only. Race Face's newer ARC 30 uses the same design in a stronger 6069 alloy.
How it rides
An AR 30 wheel is a wide, stable trail wheel. The 30mm bed gives a 2.4 to 2.6in tire a square, supportive shape at low pressure and the offset rear stays true far longer than a symmetric alloy rim. It is a sensible weight for its width and takes normal trail abuse without complaint; for park and downhill the ARC Heavy Duty 30 is stronger.
For cross-country the AR 25 is lighter; for plus tires the AR 35 is wider. For trail and all-mountain riding on 2.4 to 2.6in tires, the AR 30 is a Race Face rim we still recommend.
Specifications
| Wheel size | 29in, 27.5in |
|---|---|
| ERD | 600 (29in), 562 (27.5in) |
| Inner width | 30 mm |
| Depth | 19.5 mm |
| Drillings | 32h |
| Weight | 545g (700c/29in), 514g (650b/27.5in) |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Brake | Disc |
| Spoke bed | Offset 4.5 mm |
| Nipples | External |
| Finishes | black |
Which version this is
What this listing covers: the AR 30 in 29in, 27.5in with 32h drilling, about 545g, 30mm inside, 19.5mm deep, disc. If you need it in another size or for the other brake type, it is listed separately.
This is the disc-brake AR 30: 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 Race Face AR Offset 30 Rim comes in 29in, 27.5in and 32h drilling. It is a disc-brake rim. We build the AR 30 on Race Face Vault and Trace hubs, DT Swiss 350 and 240, Industry Nine 1/1 and Hydra, Hope Pro 5, Onyx Vesper and Bitex BX 211 hubs, usually with Sapim Race, D-Light or DT Competition spokes and brass nipples.
Tire range on the AR 30 is 2.3 to 2.6in. Tell the configurator your bike type and weight and it suggests a spoke count and lacing pattern to suit.
Build a wheel around it
Offered for tandem and e-bike, mountain bike, MTB single-speed and fat bike builds in our Custom Wheel Program. Start with the Race Face AR Offset 30 Rim and the configurator pins it for you, then checks each choice you make against it.
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.
Race Face's testing and certifications
Race Face publishes no impact-energy, fatigue-cycle or standards figures for its rims. Its ARC Offset, ARC HD Offset and Turbine alloy rims are made from 6069 aluminum, which Race Face states gives "superior strength" and a better strength-to-weight ratio than its earlier ARC rims; the asymmetric nipple bed is intended to balance spoke tension. The ARC Carbon rim uses a unidirectional carbon layup at 24mm height with 4.5mm offset. Turbine and Era rims carry the Anvil Edge, a wider 2.5mm rim edge that "disperses the energy of a pinch flat across a broader, flatter surface."
Press coverage (Flow Mountain Bike, Bikerumor) reports that the Turbine and Era wheels were lab tested at Fox Factory's facility in Scotts Valley, California, including impact and fatigue protocols; Race Face's own pages do not publish those results. Race Face refers buyers to a Rim Pressure Chart for maximum tire pressures, and lists a 140 kg (306 lb) system weight rating and 65 Nm maximum drive-assist torque for Era wheels; no rider weight limit is stated for rims sold alone.
Certifications
- Lifetime Warranty, Crashes Included — Wheels and ARC/Turbine rims covered for riding failures including crashes; 10-year term in countries such as Germany (source)
- System weight rating (Era wheels) — 140kg (306 lbs); eMTB maximum drive assist torque 65Nm (source)
Sources on Race Face's site:
- Explore Lifetime Warranty – Race Face
- Warranty Information – Race Face
- Turbine is the Alloy Answer to MTB Wheels – Race Face
- ARC Offset Rim – Race Face
- ARC HD Offset Rim – Race Face
Race Face publishes those results; ProWheelBuilder builds the rim into a wheel and does not test it in a lab.
Building it at ProWheelBuilder
Race Face makes the AR 30; ProWheelBuilder is an independent wheel builder in Georgia, not the manufacturer. Offset rims need the spoke lengths calculated per side, which we do from the rim's measured ERD and offset; every AR 30 wheel is tensioned in stages with a gauge, stress-relieved and trued before it ships. Tubeless tape and a valve are fitted on request.
The configurator shows only hubs and spokes that match the AR 30 drilling, strikes through combinations that are not made, and prices the wheel live.
Warranty
Race Face's warranty. Race Face's lifetime warranty covers many of its hard goods, wheels included, and extends to parts broken while riding. Products outside that program are covered for two years, or longer where local law requires. In countries that restrict lifetime warranty claims the term is stated as ten years.
ProWheelBuilder. Our one-year wheel warranty applies to any wheel we build around this part, alongside whatever the manufacturer offers. Inside that year, broken spokes are replaced no matter how they broke, and the wheel labor is ours - truing, re-tensioning or a full rebuild. A rim or hub failure that the maker covers, we claim for you and see through; one the maker declines, we answer with an eligible replacement at 25% off current retail. Shipping both ways is yours, and components you supply yourself fall outside this cover.
Full terms are on our Policies & Warranty page.
AR Offset 30 Rim questions
What tire width suits this rim?
At 30mm inside this is a trail width, sized around 2.1 to 2.4in tires. That is wide enough to stop a modern trail casing rolling under you in a corner without pushing the tread so flat that it wears down the middle.
What does offset mean on the AR 30?
The spoke holes are moved 4.5mm off center, which evens out spoke tension between the two sides of a disc or geared wheel. The wheel stays true longer and can be built stiffer.
AR 30 or ARC 30?
The ARC is the newer rim in stronger 6069 alloy; the AR is the earlier generation with the same offset design. Both build well; the ARC is tougher for its weight.
Is the AR 30 tubeless?
Yes. It is tubeless-ready with a strong retention bead; we tape and fit a valve on request.
Is the AR 30 e-bike rated?
For light trail e-bikes with the right spokes, yes. For heavy e-MTB use Race Face makes the ARC Heavy Duty 30.
Is ProWheelBuilder the manufacturer of the Race Face AR Offset 30 Rim?
We are not. Race Face manufactures the rim; ProWheelBuilder's part is the wheel: measuring, lacing, tensioning and truing it here in Georgia.
Is it tubeless-ready?
Race Face lists the AR Offset 30 Rim as a clincher rim. 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.
