this has probably been discussed before so sorry for any repetition. As the title says im after an all mountain wheelset preferably around the 500 pound mark. so far looked at the sun ringle charger pro and the easton havoc both of which seem ideal just after some opinions on real world usage. looked at the crossmax st too but a bit pricey for me i think. cheers

Crossmax SX from bike-components.de might just sneak into your price range, and they are fantastic.

Crossmax SX is the all-mountain set isn’t it? I’ve got a pair from 2009 and they are ace – pretty light but also strong enough to ride DH.

The going rate seems to be £600, but I’m sure if you bide your time or buy from Germany you could get closer to £500.

Personally though, I’d go for the ubiquitous Hope Hoops with Stans Flow rims, which you can get for less than £300.

Crossmax SX from bike-components.de

Or get a set from a UK retailer and two years of crash damage cover for a quid 😉

http://www.mavic.com/en/mp3-program-at-1euro

Personally though, I’d go for the ubiquitous Hope Hoops with Stans Flow rims, which you can get for less than £300.

This. Lighter than most and cheaper. Though it depends if you actually mean “All Mountain” or just normal trail riding, in which case Stans Arch may be the answer.

Another vote for Hopes with Stan Flows, just ordering a set myself.

SX’s are plenty light. Theyre not perfect but the are bloody strong and stiff.

I’ve a pair of crossmax xl £170 posted

have a set of silver mavic deemax used for 1 week looking for a new home
like these
http://www.bikeinn.com/bike/mavic-deemax-ust–pair-/8489/p

What about Mavic 521 rims on Hope hubs with some Sapim Race or DT Swiss comps. These won’t cost you £500 which surely must be a bonus.

Never tried stans rims which is why I am not suggesting them at the moment.

I have a set of hopes on 721 rims with Sapim race spokes and they are fine wheels, very strong and durable, had them 7 years now they do everything including DH.

I bought a set of 2012 crossmax st 2 weeks ago, bloody love ’em.
Light, strong, fast pick up, look awesome and sound better than hopes imo. Paid £550 ish from crc, really have made my bike feel very agile and responsive. The st’s are what mavic call their all mountain wheels, the sx are slightly heavyer and wider, more aimed at freeriding and enduros.

i got both st and sx crossmax.. love in a wheelset 🙂

DT 240S (or maybe even 440S) hubs on Stans Flows should be achievable for 500 quid. Agreed for under 300 quid the Hopes on Flows blow most everything else out of the water VFM wise, personally I massively prefer DT hubs though for a few reasons and if I had 500 quid to spend on wheels that’s what I’d buy.

Oh I love DT Swiss hubs too there freewheel mechanism is just sublime.

240’s on DT Swiss M480 with 28 or 32 holes and DT swiss comps, front laced 2x (or 3x for extra stiffness) and rear 3x DS and 2x NDS would make a lovely light wheelset. Have not worked out the cost though.

240’s on DT Swiss M480 with 28 or 32 holes and DT swiss comps, front laced 2x (or 3x for extra stiffness) and rear 3x DS and 2x NDS would make a lovely light wheelset. Have not worked out the cost though.

DT Swiss rims are soft, expensive and a PITA to get tyres on. Mavic or Stans every day. The hubs are the best in the business though.

And no point in doing anything other than 3X all the way round, on old school V rim braked wheels ok fair enough for the minor weight saving, but 2X on the disc side of a 32 spoke MTB wheel is subjected to any amount of abuse is going to mean the spokes will fail a lot sooner than if laced 3X due to the much higher stresses they will go through. Hardly worth it for about a 10g weight saving IMO.

“in which case Stans Arch may be the answer”
Stans Arch EX are lighter/wider

“Mavic 521 rims”
Arch EX’s would be the same width, but 140-145g (per rim) lighter
Flows would be 2.something mm wider and about 70g (per rim) lighter
I too have not had any stans rims, am maybe on the cusp of getting one of the above 2
Ive had XM719s for ages, though narrow and heavyish (if you include the eyelets, which I believe mavic don’t in their claimed weights?), they seem pretty tough

How hard are you on wheels, is the question? I’ve been very happy with my 2 sets of Roval Traverses- I’ve knocked one pringly and broken a couple of spokes but they’ve had more than enough hammer to justify it. Otherwise- surprisingly strong for their low weight, tubeless ready, and built with DT240S hubs.

But they’re definately not as strong as some of the alternatives mentioned.

iv got king hubs with mavic 521 rims ,bomb proof and fairly light wieght.

I hadnt actually seen the crossmax st, someone mentioned the sx so skipped straight to them. I used to have a set of pro 2 on mavic rims and they were really nice cant remember the weight or the rim model though. will be mainly for trail riding though so probably dont need full on dh wheels or anything like that. i ride maround north wales area such as cannock, llandegla and the other wales centres. currently have the original sun ringle ryde xmb dtc wheels which are nice but just after something lighter to help speed up a bit.

Hope hoops with Stans flow rims for me, had them 2 weeks and love them, know a few people that run them when they go to Morzine, so definitely a good solid option….

I went for Halo 4XRs, the pair weighed in at under 1900 grams, seem tough, accelerate quickly, been doing full on dh tracks with them and they are still true. Freehub sounds pretty cool too!

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/components/wheel-sets/product/review-halo-4xr-wheelset-11-45050

Just a thought!

Friends with Haven’s have had issues with the freewheel mechanism and the bearings, and when I ran Crossmax wheels they spent months at Mavic for broken spokes, rims, and cracked hubs (old versions of the wheels but I still bear the mental scars of being without my bikes… I’m much happier if I can get the parts and fix my own stuff… or send to someone in the UK who is great with warranty/service).

For a budget of about £500 I would buy two pairs of Hope Hoops with Flow rims… one for my hardtail and one for my FS… then I can run different tyres and swap the wheels back and forth as I like/need.

Which… funnily enough is what I’ve done. I could go Arch (EX?)on one set to drop the weight further but I’m addicted to big tyres so the Flow rim works for me. I need to replace the front rim on one set sometime as I’ve bent it but at least with two sets it won’t keep me off the bike.