Race Face ARC Offset Heavyduty 30 Rim
The Race Face ARC Offset Heavy Duty 30 is the ARC 30 built for gravity: the same 30mm inner width and 4.5mm offset spoke bed in a deeper 22mm section with thicker walls, about 595 grams, and a downhill rating that Race Face compares to its World Cup-proven Atlas rim. It is the alloy rim for downhill, bike park, hard enduro and e-MTBs, where a standard trail rim would dent or crack.
This page covers the Race Face ARC Offset Heavyduty 30 Rim in 29in, 27.5in. The ARC Heavy Duty 30 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 ARC range shares one profile in four widths: 25, 30, 35 and 30mm 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 Heavy Duty 30 wheel is built to be pointed downhill and left alone. It takes the flat landings, square-edged rocks and braking loads of park and downhill riding, the offset rear stays true under it all, and the 6069 alloy resists the dents that end a softer rim's life. On an e-MTB it gives the rear wheel the margin a motor's torque demands. It is heavier than the ARC 30, which is the point.
For trail riding the ARC 30 is lighter; for downhill, park and e-bikes, the ARC Heavy Duty 30 is the Race Face rim we recommend.
Specifications
| Wheel size | 29in, 27.5in |
|---|---|
| ERD | 596 (29in), 558 (27.5in) |
| Inner width | 30 mm |
| Depth | 22 mm |
| Drillings | 32h |
| Weight | 601g (700c/29in), 565g (650b/27.5in) |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Tire type | clincher tubeless compatible |
| Brake | Disc |
| Spoke bed | Offset 4.5 mm |
| Nipples | External |
| Finishes | black |
This version
This version is the ARC Heavy Duty 30 in 29in, 27.5in, drilled 32h, about 601g, 30mm inside, 22mm deep, disc. Where the same rim is sold in another size or brake type, that is a separate listing with its own page.
The disc version of the ARC Heavy Duty 30 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 Heavyduty 30 Rim comes in 29in, 27.5in and 32h drilling. It is a disc-brake rim. We build the ARC Heavy Duty 30 on Race Face Vault hubs, DT Swiss 350, Industry Nine Hydra and 1/1, Hope Pro 5, Onyx Vesper and Chris King MTB hubs, usually with Sapim Race, Strong or CX-Sprint spokes or DT Competition and Alpine III, and brass nipples.
Tire range on the ARC Heavy Duty 30 is 2.4 to 2.6in. Pick downhill or e-bike 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 Race Face Arc Offset Heavyduty 30 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 tandem and e-bike, 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.
How Race Face tests its rims
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
The figures, certificates and media above are Race Face's own. ProWheelBuilder does not run these tests; our part is the wheel we build on the rim.
Building it at ProWheelBuilder
Race Face makes the ARC Heavy Duty 30; 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
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.
ARC Offset Heavyduty 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 is the difference between the ARC 30 and the ARC Heavy Duty 30?
Same width and offset. The Heavy Duty is 22mm deep with thicker walls and a downhill rating; the standard ARC 30 is 20mm deep and lighter for trail.
Is the ARC Heavy Duty 30 e-bike rated?
Yes. Race Face designed it for gravity and e-bike use; pair it with e-bike-rated spokes, which the configurator does when you pick e-bike.
Is the ARC Heavy Duty 30 tubeless?
Yes. It is tubeless-ready with a strong retention bead; we tape and fit a valve on request.
How does it compare with the DT Swiss FR 541?
Both are alloy downhill rims around 30mm wide. The Race Face is offset and 6069 alloy; the DT is welded with PHR washers. Both build into excellent gravity wheels.
Is ProWheelBuilder the manufacturer of the Race Face ARC Offset Heavyduty 30 Rim?
No. Race Face makes the rim. ProWheelBuilder is an independent custom wheel builder in Georgia that builds it into a finished wheel to your spec.
Is it tubeless-ready?
Yes. Race Face lists the ARC Offset Heavyduty 30 Rim as clincher tubeless compatible; we tape and fit a valve when you choose the tubeless option.
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.
