Race Face ARC Offset 25 Rim
The Race Face ARC Offset 25 is the cross-country and light-trail rim in the ARC range: 25mm inside, 20mm deep, about 450 grams in 29in, extruded from 6069 alloy for strength at low weight and drilled with a 3mm offset spoke bed that balances tension on a Boost rear wheel. It is the rim for riders on 2.2 to 2.4in tires who want an alloy wheel that is light, stays true and does not cost carbon money.
This page covers the Race Face ARC Offset 25 Rim in 29in, 27.5in. The ARC 25 comes from us only as a finished wheel: pick the hub, spokes and nipples, and we lace, tension and true it by hand in Georgia before it ships.
Design and construction
The ARC range shares one profile in four widths: 25, 30, 35 and 25mm inside, 20mm deep, with the spoke bed offset 4.5mm on every width except the 25, which gets 3mm. 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 against the non-rotor side. The result is a wheel that goes out of true less and can be built to higher, more even tension.
How it rides
An ARC 25 wheel is quick. The rim is light enough that a cross-country wheelset on it accelerates like a much more expensive set, and the 25mm bed keeps a 2.35in tire round and fast-rolling on hardpack. The offset rear holds true through a season of racing in a way symmetric alloy rims do not.
For trail riding on 2.4in and wider tires the ARC 30 is the better bed; for cross-country and down-country, the ARC 25 is the Race Face rim we recommend.
Specifications
| Wheel size | 29in, 27.5in |
|---|---|
| ERD | 600 (29in), 562 (27.5in) |
| Inner width | 25 mm |
| Depth | 19.5 mm |
| Drillings | 28h, 32h |
| Weight | 450g (700c/29in), 428g (650b/27.5in) |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Tire type | clincher tubeless compatible |
| Brake | Disc |
| Spoke bed | Offset 3 mm |
| Nipples | External |
| Finishes | black |
About this listing
Version notes. 29in, 27.5in, 28h, 32h, about 450g, 25mm inside, 19.5mm deep, disc. The other sizes and brake versions of the ARC 25 have their own listings; this page is for this one.
The disc version of the ARC 25 has no brake track, so the sidewall is a plain extrusion that saves a little weight and never wears; it is the one to choose for any disc-brake frame. The rim-brake version, listed separately, has a machined sidewall.
Sizes, fit and compatibility
The Race Face ARC Offset 25 Rim comes in 29in, 27.5in and 28h, 32h drilling. It is a disc-brake rim. We build the ARC 25 on Race Face Vault and Trace hubs, DT Swiss 350, 240 and 180, Industry Nine 1/1 and Hydra, Hope Pro 5 and Bitex BX 211 hubs, usually with Sapim Laser, D-Light or Race spokes or DT Competition, and brass or alloy nipples.
Tire range on the ARC 25 is 2.1 to 2.4in. Pick your bike type and weight in the configurator and it recommends a spoke count and lacing pattern.
Put it in a custom wheel
Build a custom wheel around the Race Face Arc Offset 25 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, track and road single-speed, touring, mountain bike, MTB single-speed and fat bike 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.
Testing, standards and warranty at Race Face
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 ARC 25; 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 ARC 25's measured ERD and offset; every ARC 25 wheel is tensioned in stages with a gauge, stress-relieved and trued before it ships. Tubeless tape and a valve are fitted on request.
Only compatible hubs and spokes appear in the configurator, impossible combinations are struck through rather than hidden, and the price is 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. Any wheel we build on this part carries ProWheelBuilder's one-year warranty in addition to the manufacturer's. Broken spokes are replaced for a year whatever the cause, and all wheel-side labor is included - truing, re-tensioning, rebuilding. Where the maker covers a failed rim or hub we handle that claim for you; where they decline, an eligible replacement comes at 25% off current retail. The customer covers shipping in both directions. Components supplied by the customer are not covered.
Full terms are on our Policies & Warranty page.
ARC Offset 25 Rim questions
What tire width suits this rim?
25mm 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.
What does offset mean on the ARC 25?
The spoke holes are moved 3mm off center, which evens out spoke tension between the two sides of a disc or geared wheel. The ARC 25 stays true longer and can be built stiffer.
Is the ARC 25 tubeless?
Yes. The ARC 25 is tubeless-ready with a strong retention bead; we tape and fit a valve on request.
Is the ARC 25 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.
Which spokes suit the ARC 25?
Sapim Race or D-Light, or DT Competition, with brass nipples for most riders; the configurator recommends from your weight and bike type.
Is it tubeless-ready?
Yes. Race Face lists the ARC Offset 25 Rim as clincher tubeless compatible; we tape and fit a valve when you choose the tubeless option.
Which spoke count should I choose?
It depends on your weight, terrain and the hub, not the rim alone. The configurator recommends a count from your bike type and rider weight, within the drillings this rim is made in.
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.
