I purchased these rims to prepare for the asphalt climb of the Colle dell'Agnello (2744 m a.s.l.). The goal was to have less friction, and therefore less fatigue, on such a demanding route. Once the experience was over, I went back to using the traditional rims on my Trek MTB, which allow me to tackle off-road terrain. No defects of any kind are evident. They were used with a Shimano XT groupset.