I really didnt read most of the post, but I will share my experience with them.... they suck....
I do not know how many damn sets of rims I have went thru, and sharmrock beadlock also, and just crush it like you can with a soda pop can....

All I use now is stock rims that comes with the quad, reinforce by welding on the standard ring or beadlock ring. I have had the same set on there for a while now and its still holding up beautifully..... I think I need a racing sticker saying "Douglas rims sucks"

thats my .02

 

I am begining to think that some of us dont really ride as hard as we think we do because if ya did your red labels without reinforcements would be done by now.

I have rode with people from all over the country and with all kinds of experience levels etc but even take the most experienced amature mx'r for a full throttle run thru the rock and boulder laden trails of pa and they have a new understanding of "riding hard" or rough terrain etc. I am not bashing on anyone here but rather pointing out that this is all relative to many things including rider experience, terrain, speed, suspension and a keen eye for missing thngs too.

I have seen people run the stock honda ex tires locally with zero problems and then rip them apart riding in the pa mountains, then I had run the stk fronts (w/ stk rims too) with out a problem running hard thru rocks also for allmost a year but then wasted a new set of kenda fronts in an hour at hatfield mccoys. I have seen many times that red lables are not for true XC type racing without the reinforcemets etc but they do bend back easily also.

The guy who said you have to get the right equipment for your ride type or style was right on in his comment.

Good luck on your warantee and better luck with the next set.

 

There is definitely a lot of good information in this thread.
However it seems that many of these posts, negative and positive leave out an important factor.
Tire and wheel size make a big difference.
An 18" MX tire on a 10" rim will be much more prone to damage than a 22" tire on a 8" wheel.
I would be very curious to know the tire and wheel combinations that go with each story.

 

i run 18 in on 8 " rims no probs also have 22 for my 10s i guess its a matter of luck

 

That is very true beersmurf. I had 18 inch fast trekkers on 10 wheels. I had to keep them pumped hard to keep from bending the rim, those tire are very low profile. Now with18 inch razrs on 8 wheels I do ok with reasonable pressure.

Not only does a big rim (on a 18 inch for example) give you a lower profile, it (the rim) is weaker due to more leverage because of it's size.

My problem is mainly with my fronts.

 

trx250rob, if you are going through .190's on gravel roads, something is very wrong. I have a set of 20" paddles on 10" .125 douglas blue label wheels. After taking test hill at the local sand dunes, flying 40ft through the air, and blowing out both left side tires when running moderate pressure, I dont have a single ding in them. The only problem i ever had was with a large root in a trail. I was running the paddles at about 3lbs and the .125's and i got a ding in the right wheel. took a hammer to it and its straight again.

 

What can I tell you, it happends to me. Also I just go some bead lock and 20" razrs for the front. Last week I hit something at speed or on a jump and got a 2 inch pinch flat. The tires where at 10 lbs. I have a new tire coming in tomorrow. The beadlock rim survived with a minor ding. The funny thing is that I don't even know when it happened. I noticed it when I was putting the quad in the trailer.