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Derby Rims Custom Hand Built Wheels

The ProWheelBuilder workshop

Custom Wheels on Derby Rims, Built by Hand

Pick a Derby rim, choose your hub, spokes and color, and we lace and true the wheel ourselves, one at a time, in our Georgia shop.

Why build your wheel around a Derby rim:

  • Eight carbon disc rims: TR and DH in 30i, 35i and 40i, plus CX and BX 25i
  • Build for road, cross and gravel, mountain bike, MTB single speed or fat and plus
  • The builder only offers parts that fit together
  • Laced and trued by hand, one wheel at a time, in our Georgia shop
Read more

Build your custom Derby wheel for:

Road / Cross / Gravel→Mountain Bike→MTB Single Speed→Fat Tire / Plus Bike→

Start with the rim

The Derby rims we build with

Each card opens the builder with that rim already chosen. Scroll for all 8.

Derby Carbon DH 40i Disc RimCarbon DH 40i Disc RimBuild with this rim →Derby Carbon BX 25i Disc RimCarbon BX 25i Disc RimBuild with this rim →Derby Carbon DH 35i Disc RimCarbon DH 35i Disc RimBuild with this rim →Derby Carbon Tr 40i Disc RimCarbon Tr 40i Disc RimBuild with this rim →Derby Carbon Cx 25i Disc RimCarbon Cx 25i Disc RimBuild with this rim →Derby Carbon DH 30i Disc RimCarbon DH 30i Disc RimBuild with this rim →Derby Carbon Tr 30i Disc RimCarbon Tr 30i Disc RimBuild with this rim →Derby Carbon Tr 35i Disc RimCarbon Tr 35i Disc RimBuild with this rim →

See all Derby rims →

How it works

From parts bin to your doorstep

  1. Pick your parts1

    Pick your parts

    Choose a Derby rim, then the hub, spokes and nipples. The builder only offers parts that fit together.

  2. We measure and prep2

    We measure and prep

    Rim and hub are measured here: real ERD, real flange geometry. Spokes are cut to the length your build needs.

  3. Laced by hand3

    Laced by hand

    One builder laces your wheel on the stand. No machine builds, ever.

  4. Tensioned and trued4

    Tensioned and trued

    Brought up to even tension, stress-relieved, trued round and true, and checked again after it settles.

More about Derby custom wheels

Specs, pairings and FAQ

Custom hand built wheels with Derby rims

Derby makes wide carbon rims for trail and enduro use, with profiles intended to be forgiving of the impacts that crack lighter layups.

We lace Derby rims to the hub of your choice and build the wheel by hand in our Georgia shop - tensioned evenly, trued flat and round, and stress-relieved before it ships. You pick the hub, spoke gauge and color, nipple material and lacing pattern; we make sure the combination is one that can actually be built.

Why Derby rims are different

  • Width was the starting point. Derby Rims began in 2012 after its founder found that 25mm carbon rims lost the stability and cornering traction of 30mm aluminum rims. The goal became a wider carbon rim that kept the low weight and added that traction back.
  • Thick hookless walls. Derby rims use hookless walls 3mm thick in a parabolic profile, and Derby says the shape was chosen for load-bearing strength. Because there is no separate hook, the thick wall itself holds the tire.
  • Ridges that hold the bead. A retention ridge forms a channel for the tire bead, which Derby says secures tubed and tubeless tires and prevents burping. A deep center channel eases mounting, and Derby says tubeless tires air up with a floor pump.
  • Spoke holes angled to the hub. Every Derby rim has holes angled alternately toward the left and right hub flanges, so each nipple starts out pointed along its spoke.
  • Water drain holes. Since 2015, Derby has drilled small drain holes beside the valve and added reinforcing layers inside. Water spins out as you ride, instead of sitting in the rim, where Derby says it adds rolling weight and corrodes alloy nipples.
  • The same shape in different layups. The 29 x 35i comes in a trail layup at about 515 grams with a 225 pound rider limit, and a downhill layup at about 630 grams with a 300 pound limit. You choose how much strength to carry for how you ride.

The Derby rims we build with

Every Derby rim we build with is carbon. That gets you a stiffer, lighter wheel, and it means the rim is a lifetime part rather than a consumable - provided the wheel is built to an even tension so no single spoke ever loads the rim bed on its own.

Internal width is the number that decides your tire. The Derby rims we carry sit mostly in the 25.0-39.5mm band, and that band is what determines the tire sizes that will take a sensible shape on the rim - too narrow and a big tire rolls on the sidewall, too wide and a small tire is left square and harsh. Tell the configurator what tires you run and it will steer you inside the right band.

What to pair with a Derby rim

A wheel is a system: the rim decides the tire and the braking, the hub decides the drivetrain and the axle fit, and the spokes have to suit both. Start from whichever end matters most to you and the configurator will keep the other end compatible.

Popular Derby rim and hub pairings

Hubs our customers build with each Derby rim, led by the pairings they choose most often in our build records since 2009. Every hub listed is in the builder today in a drilling and brake type that fits; tap a rim to start that build.

Every model of both brands that fits, on one page: Derby wheels with Onyx hubs, Derby wheels with Industry Nine hubs, Derby wheels with Hope hubs, Derby wheels with SON hubs, Derby wheels with Bitex hubs, Derby wheels with Chris King hubs, Derby wheels with DT Swiss hubs, Derby wheels with White Industries hubs, Derby wheels with Boyd hubs, Derby wheels with Paul hubs, Derby wheels with Phil Wood hubs, Derby wheels with Shimano hubs, Derby wheels with Velo Orange hubs, Derby wheels with Velocity hubs, Derby wheels with Wolf Tooth hubs

Popular hubs brands for these builds:

Want to check spoke lengths for a Derby rim before you order? Our free spoke length calculator has the measured dimensions for it.

Derby custom wheel questions

Can you build a wheel with a Derby rim I already own?

Yes. Choose the supply-your-own rim option in the configurator, ship it to us, and we will lace it into a new wheel with new spokes cut to the right length for that exact rim. You pay for the parts you need and the build labor.

What tire width suits a Derby rim?

The Derby rims we carry are mostly 25.0-39.5mm internal, which covers most modern tire choices for their intended use. Tell the configurator what you ride and it will keep you in a sensible tire-to-rim ratio rather than leaving you to work it out.

Is a carbon Derby rim worth it over aluminum?

It buys stiffness and lower rotating weight, and the rim itself should outlast several aluminum rims. The trade is repairability: an aluminum rim can often be trued back from an impact that would end a carbon rim. If the wheel is for winter training or loaded touring, that matters.

How many spokes should a Derby wheel have?

It depends on your weight, the terrain and the rim, not on the brand. The configurator recommends a count from your bike type and rider weight, and will not offer a count that cannot be laced to the parts you picked.

How long will my Derby wheel take?

Build time comes down to parts availability rather than bench time. Your estimated ship date is shown in the configurator before you check out, so you know the date before you pay.

Not sure what to pick? Email info@prowheelbuilder.com (fastest) or leave a voicemail on 470-253-0929 — you will be talking to the people who build the wheels.

Not sure which rim or hub?

Tell the Build Assistant how you ride and what you want to spend, and it ranks complete builds for you.

Open the Build Assistant →

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