Here we have the 3rd of 4 new 25mm internal width alloy rims that are in the news* now (*we have a strange definition of news): the White Industries G25A.
There are a few immediately notable things about the G25A. The first is the big offset - 3.75mm. With a fairly standard 28h front disc hub and standard lacing, you have an 88% tension ratio with them. That's slightly more than the RaceFace offset, and significantly more than HED's center drilled Eroica rim.
The second thing is the finish. The decals are perhaps a bit less refined than some out there, but the satin anodize finish and machined W logo look very - as my sister in law loves to say - rich.
The third difference between these and some others is the lack of a bead hook. For some, this is a fine thing, for others it's not so great. The lack of a bead hook means that WI recommends a minimum 40mm tubeless tire on these. That makes sense, and a 40 to call it 47mm tire will pair wonderfully with these. But a 35 won't, and we sort of expect some persnickety tire fits out there. The thing I don't really get is why they didn't use the hookless design to widen the rim lip, like HED did on their hooked design below. WI could have put more material inside, instead of sticking with the standard nominal 1.5mm thick lip.
The lip itself is on the slightly deep side of mid range these days, and the tire bed has a fairly aggressive bead lock bump that will keep your tires plenty secure from burping or becoming disengaged from the shelf if you flat.
Weight is a reasonable 490g in 700c (compared to 465 for HED and 460 for RaceFace), with a 650b option and full drillings from 24 to 36 in both diameters. That's nice, especially with 650b. HED and RaceFace both limit 650b drillings to 28 and 32 (which RaceFace also does in 700c) but a 650b wheel is inherently more stable per spoke than a 700c wheel because of the smaller diameter. Perhaps they guess that the 650b crowd is a little rowdier or pursuing more of the bike packing adventure type stuff and needs more oomph. And it's really a small potatoes difference anyway, but I just like that WI did that how they have.
Retail is $140 a rim, which is more than RaceFace and less than HED. We have some builds up and will put some more up in the next week. We have precisely 2 rims (a 24/28 700c set) on hand and with WI being under lockdown for the time being I don't know when we can get more.
Being a WI product, they sweated it until they got it right. The extrusion is gorgeous, and though we have to see some more before a final verdict, the quality appears to rival HED's.
Are they right for you? If using a minimum 40mm tire at low pressure suits what you seek, yup. They're good, they look nice, and not every Tom Dick and Harry you run into out there in the back country is going to have them. But the tire limitations could be problematic and will limit them to a certain range of uses. If you're within that use slice, congratulations your job of picking your ideal rim just got one harder.
There you have it. Tomorrow is something for fans of DC's famed 10am ride, as I was recently thinking back on my relationship with that ride over time, and how much I owe to DC's bike culture. There are A LOT of arrows you can chuck at life in DC, but cycling culture it has in spades.