Looking to buy a new wheelset but unsure on what would be the best buy in terms of strength and durability. Am aware that the Kings have a higher PoE count, but is it really that much of a noticeable difference out on the trail?

I would have though EX721 was the rim to go for, or even a FlowEX..?

What’s it for? Proper DH stuff or trail centre mincing? 8)

Bit of both tbf lol, dont mind building big and having a bit of a weight penalty. Just unsure as to what is the best buy as I really like the idea of the zicral spokes on the mavic wheelset as opposed to J bend but Chris King are just… lovely

A bit of a weight penalty? 729s and even 721s are going to be a huge weight penalty of the crossmax SX. The 729 rim is 610g iirc and the 721 is 580g or thereabouts. Either way you’ll end up with a DH wheel when a trail wheel would be just fine.

I have king hubs and they’re lovely. They will last Longer than the Mavic ones but will need more tlc in the process. Mavic like hope will be a case of new bearings every year or sooner, which will be relatively inexpensive whereas the kings will need servicing with the same interval.

You might want to consider less expensive hubs and better quality spokes like sapim cx-rays, which will save you weight and be just as strong as DT comps.

How much are we talking for the cost of a service on a set of kings? and I see what you are saying about the weight penalty in all fairness, though I guess I could go with mavic 823’s and run tubeless and save a considerable weight?

I have some Crossmax SXs and think they’re brilliant wheels. Previously had 719s on Hope hubs and the crossmax are stiffer, lighter and feel faster. They come with insurance if you get them from the right shop as well (beware of where you get them from).

How much are we talking for the cost of a service on a set of kings

£8.95 for a bottle of lube.

It’s a piece of cake to do; King’s come to pieces simply and need a clean and relube. My oldest set are now well over 10 years old and still clean up like new internally.

I like Mavic SX’s. They are tough and light for their strength. Easy tubeless, too.

Flow’s I don’t like. Nasty things.

You won’t save considerable weight by going with 823s – what you lose through lack of inner tube you gain through more material in the rim, thicker wall tyres, and sealant. Weight’s not the main advantage of tubeless though, despite what some will have you believe. I run tubeless XM819s with Hope hubs and DT Swiss double butted spokes and they are still heavier than the Crossmax SXs (probably 100-200g more for the pair). The advantage over the SXs is ease of finding replacement parts. The XM819s are more than enough for hard trail use, the only disadvantage over the rim on the SXs is that it is slightly narrower (19mm vs. 21mm internal width). I run EX823s on my DH bike and while they are bombproof they are not light – they are more comparable to the Deemax rims than the Crossmax ones.

This thread is a bit weird, Crossmax SXs are a totally different sector to 729s, trailbike vs freeride. Deemax vs 721 would make a bit more sense.

729s are pretty mighty but, they’re not as tough as a 721 in some ways- the rim is a lot softer and easier to dent. Think it’s designed to bend rather than break. (I replaced mine with a set of Flows- Flows are pretty soft, but still not as soft as the 729s).

what rims would you guys recommend for an all mountain/once in a while DH wheelset if the 729 is overkill then?

Flows on Whatever is a good option. Crossmax SXs are fab, just expensive. 521s or 721s will do the job well too. Probably loads of others along those lines- Black Flags, Red Zones…

(I’d have SXs if I could afford it, but the Flows on Pro 2s in the DH bike and the Red Zone XLRs on the Hemlock combined cost less than a pair of SXs so…)

I got a pair of the new 521 rims as they were incredibly cheep and built them on to my old hope hubs. Not managed to bend them yet despite trying my best.

Although for normal trail center riding maybe something like DT 450’s? I had 4.2’s on my everyday bike and 470’s on my 29er and both took more abuse than I probably should have given them and lasted well.

I’ve got kings on 729s on my 160 mm am bike, theyre the second set I’ve had, the first being on a dh bike that did 2 weeks in whistler without and wheel based maladies. Ones I’ve got now have done everything from trail centre mincing to the megavalanche course, no dings, still straight.

If you’re riding is more XC based, there are many lighter options, though if its more towards the AM/DH then they are great, really solid and not thaaaat heavy if you don’t go mad with heavyweight tyres.

As of the PoEs, I always notice it on my bikes with lesser hubs, but that’s it.

Currently have a set of hope hoops and after using them over Stile Cop DH runs I managed to put quite a nasty buckle in my rim. Whether the wheels were just badly tensioned out of the factory or not I’m not sure but the fact that they buckled gives me reservations as to whether they are strong enough rims.

I should have mentioned, my rims are 521’s… that may help…