Ascent Polaris wheels

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AscentBikes
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by AscentBikes

Hello all, I'm excited to announce the launch of Polaris 42, our all-condition road wheelset. Polaris 42 was designed with 28mm tires in mind, with a 32.5mm external width and 23mm internal width. We spared no expense in making the rim as high performance as possible, resulting in a rim that weighs just 380g each, and a wheelset weight of 1300g with DT Swiss 240 hubs and CX Ray spokes.

Thank you for your support so far! Please check out the launch materials we have made for you.

Regards
Qing Xiang (QX) Yee
Founder
Ascent Bikes

Image

Polaris information here: https://www.ascent-bikes.com/polaris

Launch video:


POLARIS 42: CONFIDENCE TO RIDE, CONFIDENCE TO WIN

As leaders of carbon wheel design in Singapore, Ascent is excited to announce Polaris 42: An all-condition road wheel that inspires confidence in riders, and helps them push their limits. Tested in the forests of British Columbia in Canada, the hills of Golden, Colorado in the USA, and even the brutal climbs of Lorong Sesuai in Singapore, the Polaris 42 climbs like a beast, carves into corners with ease, and deftly handles crosswinds while providing ample comfort for rough roads.

OMNIBALANCE DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
From the experience gained with Polaris 69, Polaris 42 is built upon our Omnibalance Design Philosophy, which states that in addition to aerodynamics, steering stability, traction, comfort, and responsiveness are important factors in improving a rider’s confidence.

NO-HOLDS-BARRED
The Polaris 42 is the product of thousands of hours of CFD analysis, with steering stability under adverse wind conditions as a priority. To maximize comfort and cornering performance, we chose a generous internal width of 23mm, perfect for 28mm tires. To maximize responsiveness, we use ultra-high-modulus carbon fibers and optimized the carbon lay-up to reduce rim weight where appropriate, resulting in a wheel that weighs just 1300g with DT Swiss 240 hubs.

HAND-BUILT IN SINGAPORE
Every Polaris wheel is expertly hand-built in Singapore by our partner, BuiltWheels. By hand-tuning the tension and dishing, we ensure that your wheels track straight, and that they will go the distance for you.

LIFETIME WARRANTY AND PARTS CRASH REPLACEMENT
All Polaris wheels come with a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects, and parts crash replacement for the original owner. If you are involved in a crash that makes the wheels unrideable, we will provide the replacement parts at no charge - you only have to pay for shipping and labor. This way, you’ll be riding and racing with confidence, knowing that we have your back.

PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
The Polaris 42 is available at 2499 SGD, with special pricing of 1999 SGD until Nov 30, 2022. The Polaris 42 will be available in-store, on our website, and from our dealers.

by Weenie


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Aeo
Posts: 668
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by Aeo

Need pics of the raw finish, rim bed, rim profile schematic

Very good weight for a rim with these dimensions, your marketing has been going well, this should be a successful product
Giant TCR Adv Pro Disc '17 · BH Lynx Race Evo '19 · Seraph GR029 '21 · Canyon Inflite AL '14

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AscentBikes
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by AscentBikes

Aeo wrote:
Sun Oct 16, 2022 3:12 am
Need pics of the raw finish, rim bed, rim profile schematic

Very good weight for a rim with these dimensions, your marketing has been going well, this should be a successful product
Hello Aeo,

Raw finish picture here. As with all handmade rims, there is a possibility of slight cosmetic variances, but they do not affect the strength or function of the rim.
Image

Rim internals here. Sorry we do not have a high-quality borescope, but the image here should show that the inside is relatively smooth.
Image

I'm sorry, but we do not publish schematics of our rims, as this would make them trivially easy to copy.
However, here is a picture with Vittoria Corsa N.EXT 28mm mounted. The rim expands slightly from the tire interface to its widest point of 32.5mm, and tapers down to a sharper point at the bottom.
Image

Hope this helps!
Regards
QX

spartan
Posts: 1747
Joined: Fri Sep 03, 2004 2:52 am

by spartan

impressive weight but what about lateral stiffness. i build up a pair of farsports feder with carbon ti hub. it was lite sub 1300gm and flexy. too flexy. do you have numbers vs you other wheelset?
Current Rides:

2023 Tarmac SL7 Di2 9270
ex 2019 S-works SL6
ex 2018 Trek Madone SLR Disc
ex 2016 Giant TCRAdvanced Sl
ex 2012 Trek Madone7

Aesch
Posts: 332
Joined: Tue Sep 15, 2020 10:09 pm

by Aesch

AscentBikes wrote:
Fri Oct 14, 2022 12:59 am
Aesch wrote:
Thu Oct 13, 2022 7:13 pm
@ QX, will you sell rims only and in 28h version? Thanks!
Aesch, yes we sell rims only. If you're interested, just drop us a message at contact@ascent-bikes.com please. Unfortunately, only in 24H. Our carbon fiber placement is optimized at the holes, so we can't just drill 28H - we'd need to redo the entire carbon layup for that.

Regards
QX

Polaris 69
Standard: S$800 each
Raw: S$950 each
ERD: 507mm
Holes: 24H

Polaris 42:
Standard: S$700 each
Raw: S$850 each
ERD: 555mm
Holes: 24H
Thanks!

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AscentBikes
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by AscentBikes

spartan wrote:
Sun Oct 16, 2022 4:49 pm
impressive weight but what about lateral stiffness. i build up a pair of farsports feder with carbon ti hub. it was lite sub 1300gm and flexy. too flexy. do you have numbers vs you other wheelset?
Hmm I don't have those numbers, but I believe Peak Torque has a test setup and is cataloging them. Stiffness wise, I don't think you'll have any issues, as the hubs and spokes are well-known by this point. The rim, with its wide profile, doesn't flex much laterally, and holds the tire in place for better cornering performance.

Of course, if you'd like, I would be happy to build a set for you with Sapim CX Sprint spokes, which are 30% stiffer, but weigh a little more.

Hope this helps!
QX

TobinHatesYou
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by TobinHatesYou

spartan wrote:
Sun Oct 16, 2022 4:49 pm
impressive weight but what about lateral stiffness. i build up a pair of farsports feder with carbon ti hub. it was lite sub 1300gm and flexy. too flexy. do you have numbers vs you other wheelset?
How did this translate into the ride?

I have a strong suspicion the Carbon-Ti hub was the biggest source of slop in your wheel build.

spartan
Posts: 1747
Joined: Fri Sep 03, 2004 2:52 am

by spartan

when you put down the power you feel the rear end flex. sorry don't know how to describe it.

for drivetrain stiffness current ranking from my road wheelsets.

dura ace c50 tl 2022 model rank first. shimano understand how to build a pro tour level wheelset. heavy at 1490gm. aero matches dt/roval according to tour mag. i don't feel any penalty on speed vs roval/winspace.

roval rapide clx 1420 gm less stiff than shimano but a minor complaint. best stability in side winds. amazing lifetime warranty.
winspace lun wheels solid but too harsh ride with carbon spokes.


i will wait for the full review from peak torque. he does very good in depth reviews.



TobinHatesYou wrote:
Sun Oct 16, 2022 10:09 pm
spartan wrote:
Sun Oct 16, 2022 4:49 pm
impressive weight but what about lateral stiffness. i build up a pair of farsports feder with carbon ti hub. it was lite sub 1300gm and flexy. too flexy. do you have numbers vs you other wheelset?
How did this translate into the ride?

I have a strong suspicion the Carbon-Ti hub was the biggest source of slop in your wheel build.
Current Rides:

2023 Tarmac SL7 Di2 9270
ex 2019 S-works SL6
ex 2018 Trek Madone SLR Disc
ex 2016 Giant TCRAdvanced Sl
ex 2012 Trek Madone7

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AscentBikes
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by AscentBikes

spartan wrote:
Mon Oct 17, 2022 2:53 am
when you put down the power you feel the rear end flex. sorry don't know how to describe it.

for drivetrain stiffness current ranking from my road wheelsets.

dura ace c50 tl 2022 model rank first. shimano understand how to build a pro tour level wheelset. heavy at 1490gm. aero matches dt/roval according to tour mag. i don't feel any penalty on speed vs roval/winspace.

roval rapide clx 1420 gm less stiff than shimano but a minor complaint. best stability in side winds. amazing lifetime warranty.
winspace lun wheels solid but too harsh ride with carbon spokes.


i will wait for the full review from peak torque. he does very good in depth reviews.



TobinHatesYou wrote:
Sun Oct 16, 2022 10:09 pm
spartan wrote:
Sun Oct 16, 2022 4:49 pm
impressive weight but what about lateral stiffness. i build up a pair of farsports feder with carbon ti hub. it was lite sub 1300gm and flexy. too flexy. do you have numbers vs you other wheelset?
How did this translate into the ride?

I have a strong suspicion the Carbon-Ti hub was the biggest source of slop in your wheel build.
Well, for what it's worth, during our initial testing, we asked one of our local riders to take our wheels on a half-Everest climbing attempt at our local hills.
(Face obscured for privacy)
Image
He broke the local record and took the KOM, while ascending/descending in a torrential downpour.
Image
His comments were "Wheels are f***ing solid" and "Sexy wheels, I'm keeping them". It took awhile for me to be able to get the test set back from him.

I don't believe you'd feel any significant lateral flex from the Polaris 42 wheels, but we can always build it with stiffer spokes as Shimano have on request.

Gotta ask PT to step up the testing then! ;) That guy is a busy man.

Regards
QX

TobinHatesYou
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Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2017 12:02 pm

by TobinHatesYou

spartan wrote:
Mon Oct 17, 2022 2:53 am
when you put down the power you feel the rear end flex. sorry don't know how to describe it.

for drivetrain stiffness current ranking from my road wheelsets.

dura ace c50 tl 2022 model rank first. shimano understand how to build a pro tour level wheelset. heavy at 1490gm. aero matches dt/roval according to tour mag. i don't feel any penalty on speed vs roval/winspace.

roval rapide clx 1420 gm less stiff than shimano but a minor complaint. best stability in side winds. amazing lifetime warranty.
winspace lun wheels solid but too harsh ride with carbon spokes.


i will wait for the full review from peak torque. he does very good in depth reviews.

I mean, keep in mind Laporte and WvA had their previous version C50s fail in exactly the same way at P-R this year. While we can make assumptions about strength and sitffness based on weight, it's obviously not a guarantee. Rim strength/stiffness plays a bigger role in radial/vertical compliance/stiffness than it does in lateral stiffness/flex. Spoke tension and bracing angles play a bigger role when trying to make a wheel stiffer laterally. And then of course any play in the hubs from ill-fitting endcaps, insufficient preload, worn bearings, etc.

The cup and cone bearings in the Shimano wheels mean you can always take up any play in the bearings, so maybe that's why your Shimano wheels feel so solid. With the White Industries rear hubs in my ENVE SES 5.6s, there is some play in the hub that I can't get rid of for some reason.

alanyu
Posts: 1503
Joined: Thu Jun 06, 2019 1:10 pm

by alanyu

AscentBikes wrote:
Sun Oct 16, 2022 7:18 am

Rim internals here. Sorry we do not have a high-quality borescope, but the image here should show that the inside is relatively smooth.
Image
What's the max psi your rim can stand, statically and under shock as in gravel path?

Your rim bed is extremely thin based on this image, much thinner than Shimano DAs/Roval CLX IIs/Farsports/LB/etc.
Remember Specialized reinforced their rims for tubeless?

I don't have confidence in your products if you don't publish a system test, or at least an FEA.

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AscentBikes
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alanyu wrote:
Mon Oct 17, 2022 8:31 am
AscentBikes wrote:
Sun Oct 16, 2022 7:18 am

Rim internals here. Sorry we do not have a high-quality borescope, but the image here should show that the inside is relatively smooth.
Image
What's the max psi your rim can stand, statically and under shock as in gravel path?

Your rim bed is extremely thin based on this image, much thinner than Shimano DAs/Roval CLX IIs/Farsports/LB/etc.
Remember Specialized reinforced their rims for tubeless?

I don't have confidence in your products if you don't publish a system test, or at least an FEA.
Alan, we have conducted internal testing till 140psi, with overload to 180psi without rupture.
This would be the static test you're referring to? The wheel was put in a cage and the we didn't dare to touch it after inflating it that high. It was left for over a week to deflate naturally.

Just as a paper calculation for a sanity check:
With a 30mm diameter cylinder of 0.5mm wall thickness, at 100psi, the hoop stress is about 20MPa (you would probably not load a 30mm tire to 100psi, but hypothetically) Hoop stress calculator

With a 6mm diameter hole drilled into it, the stress concentration factor is about 2.8. Stress concentration calculator (hole diameter 6mm, space between holes 80mm)

Even if you doubled that stress again to account for the rim bed shape, the maximum stress is only about 112MPa, well within the strengths of a carbon fiber composite laminate. For example, if you took a T700 laminate with 60% fiber fraction, the laminate strength is about 2550MPa. T700S datasheet

Even if we made really bad layup decisions that ended up making the resultant strength just 10% in the directions that we wanted (255MPa), there is still a safety factor.

For a 45mm cylinder at 60psi, 0.5mm wall thickness, the hoop stress is 18.6MPa
You would likely not run a 45mm tire at 60psi, so in terms of stress on the carbon, it's actually quite ok.

Are you aware of any gravel test protocols? We are selling this as an all-road wheel though.

I hope this helps!
Regards
QX
Last edited by AscentBikes on Wed Oct 19, 2022 3:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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AscentBikes
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by AscentBikes

Alan,
We have designed our rims with diligent engineering practice and rigourous internal testing. That is why we offer a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects, and have a parts crash replacement policy for the original owner. Looking at boroscope pictures doesn't tell you anything, it is not our practice to reveal our R&D laminate protocol ad-hoc to forum users.

Regarding Specialized: I cannot comment on them as I do not represent them. We do not share designs, layup, or engineering resources.

Regards
QX

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AscentBikes
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by AscentBikes

Hello all,
I wanted to provide more clarity on the internal testing we have done on the Polaris 42.
As these are the original test reports, there are some english translation errors, but I will elaborate on them here.

Static test:
Image
Ignore the uhh.. embryo weight - that's the weight of the bare rim without any decals applied.

Tire used: Schwalbe One TLE 28-622
Tire mounting: Able to mount without a tire lever (using fingers is sufficient)
Tubeless inflation: Able to inflate with a floor pump (but hey, being easy to cheer up is good too. Some rims are just hard to please)
Deflection after inflation: 0.15mm (max 0.3mm allowable)
Max static pressure test: 180psi (140psi passing criteria) - advantage of a hooked bead I guess.
The tire did not blow off the rim even at the tested pressure. HOWEVER, THIS IS ONE OF THOSE DO-NOT-TRY-AT-HOME THINGS.
ONLY USE THE TIRES TO THE MAXIMUM RATED PRESSURES. YOU MAY HAVE A BETTER EXPERIENCE WITH A LOWER PRESSURE THAN MAXIMUM.

Impact testing:
Image

Protocol:
Rim was impacted by the UCI-standard impactor at the same location consecutively using increased energies until failure.
The rim withstood 7 impacts with energies from 43J (exceeding UCI standard of 40J) to 66J, before finally failing at the 7th impact at 71.3J
The rim exceeds the UCI requirement of 40J.

I hope this data brings some clarity into the tests we do to ensure that our rims are safe to use, despite their extremely light weight.

Regards
QX

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MrCurrieinahurry
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by MrCurrieinahurry

Thanks for sharing this with us

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Formerly known as Curryinahurry

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Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
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