I'm after a new lightweight wheelset and will most likely go with Hope Hoops as they've worked for me in the past on other bikes.

DT 4.2 or Mavic 717 on Hope Pro 2's looks like the obvious choice, but i'm also looking at the Pro 3 options (Stans 355's / DT 4.2's).

Are the the Pro 3 Hoops much lighter / better / worth the extra £100 or so?

Working out the weight differences seems complicated as different websites are saying different things, and are the rotor weights included?

I run Hope brakes so using the 3-bolt rotors wouldn't be a problem.

Most of my riding is all day epics on the South and North Downs with 3 or 4 weekends at Afan, CyB, Brechfa etc per year thrown in. I weigh 76kgs and generally avoid jumps / drops etc unless I have to.

Any advice from the STW collective wisdom would be much appreciated 😀

I went through this recently and decided that there was too little advantage in the Pro 3 to make it worth giving up standard spokes and rotors. I opted for 355s on Pro2.

Got a pro 3 sp front with a 355. Very light and stiff with tight spokes. You get a couple of spare spokes with them and they're either Sapim or DT.

I've got a set of Pro2s on DT4.2 and a set of Pro3s also on DT4.2, although the static weight difference is not huge, in practice the Pro3s accelerate noticeably quicker and change direction quicker. Had mine for about a year, they tend to be brought out for racing only but have done a good lot of miles at the Keilder100, Solo at Sleepless, Dyfi, couple of Meridas etc etc… They have been absolutely faultless, and well worth the money. Buy them… you can also get a standard 6 bolt version now too.

I think that the SP3 won't take a 20mm front axle, if that's relevant to you.

Hope do advertise these wheels very much as lightweight, low impact race rims… Combined with the weight limit. COnsidering that, say, a traversee wheelset isn't massively heavier and much more durable, I'm glad I went with those personally but the extra weight loss could be worth the tradeoff for some. Even if you're not a hard hitter, accidents happen…

I suppose it depends on what Hope class as low-impact riding. I'm pretty sure my local South-East riding is low-impact, but what about the odd Whytes Level or Beast loop at the Welsh Trail Centres?

Anyone use the Pro 3 Hoops regularly at trail centres or lakes riding etc?

I currently use QR Fox Talas forks and would probably go with Fox again so wouldn't need 20mm front axle.

I recently considered this too, but in my eyes the pro 3's weren't worth the extra cash.

In the end I went for the Pro 2 straight pull version to add a bit of variety to the standard pro 2's I already run.

Definately recommend Hope Hoops though, very impressed so far.

Why don't you consider the stans options on the Pro 2?

I'd like to improve acceleration and rolling speed, particularly on climbs where shorter bursts of speed are needed. The Pro 2's will definately do the job, i'm just interested in how much better the Pro 3 Hoops perform given the extra cost.

Anyone know the actual weight difference between a pair of Pro 2 and Pro 3 Hoops, same rims, both running 160mm rotors, but with the Pro 3's running the 3 bolt version?

Also are the 355 rims better than the DT4.2's? (I'm unlikely to be running tubeless as i've moved back to tubes :D)

I've got SP Pro 3's (with 6 bolt hubs, no fancy new fangled rotors needed) on Stans 355 rims and ride mostly around Afan.

Had them since August with regular (couple of times a week) riding with no dents or going out of true and have been the single best thing I've upgraded on my bike, however a spoke broke on the rear wheel today.

Being SP it was nice and easy to remove said spoke and carry on with about a 1/4" dish, if that, in the wheel. If in doubt get them from Wheelpro so any defects from the machine build are tweaked out before reaching you.

Anyone use the Pro 3 Hoops regularly at trail centres or lakes riding etc?

I do; 355s and the 3 bolt 160mm rotors (with XTR M960 calipers). Most of my riding is in the Lakes and they've not given me any problems at all.

Stevestunts

Interesting, I think they'll work for me.

How much do you weigh out of interest? 😉

I'm 11 stone of racing snake 🙂

I wouldn't say I'm heavy on kit, and years of hardtail riding means I pick my lines carefully rather than relying on the springy bike to get me out of trouble.

That said, 'the wheels might not take it' has never even crossed my mind when I've been rattling through rock gardens, etc. If anything, they're actually more confidence-inspiring than the wheels they replaced, which would flex and break spokes for fun.

I also meant to mention; I went for the Pro 3 option because I wanted to drop some weight off the bike. £375 doesn't seem such a bad price for a significant upgrade that should last a long time.

Cheers Steve, i'm a bit closer to 12 stone but still well below the weight limit Hope suggest for the Pro 3 wheels. I'm seriously tempeted now!

Interested that Paulio had a spoke break today .My Pro 3s are 9 months old .Had 2 spokes break in as many rides .Hope have had them back and rebuilt them .Apparently older versions had 1.8mm nipples now Hope have changed mine to 2mm .I guess if you are buying new they will have the slightly beefier nipples ?I think they also have a weight limit of 80 odd kilos ?

They're not that light, they're hardly likely to fold under you!

I'd personally get Pro 2s, or if lightweight is what you're after then get something like Roval Controles, or build some AM Classics on ZTR Alpines.

Pro 3s seem neither one thing nor t'other to me.

Anyone know the main differences between the lightweight and standard 3 spoke rotors?

One has 6 bolts and you can use what you want, one has 3 bolts and you have to use their rotors…

From Hope:

The 3 fixed arms on the hub help to create a stiff mounting point for the rotor, reduce weight and help to dissipate heat effectively.

Weights of SP3 with rotors:

Front: 765g
Rear: 888g

SP6 without rotors:
Front: 663
Rear: 800

SP6s for me…

I see what you mean, I already have Hope Floating Rotors so the Pro 3 SP6 Hoops might be the way to go.

Do Stans 355's work as well with tubes as without them?

Hi Paceman, interesting discussion. I have Pro 2s on Stans 355s (well I've just sold them with my bike 🙁 I ran them with tubes as I never got around to setting them up tubeless. They work fine with tubes – no problems at all.

With a view to racing next year I've been looking at lightweight wheelsets (but not touching!) and have been quite tempted by the Pro 3s as they seem excellent value. At only 47 kg when fit though I reckon I might go with njee20's advice and go for American Classics on Stans MMX rims – though saying that they're almost double the price, so I might not!

Oh and btw, a friend of mine is a hope sponsored rider, around your weight, and has been using the pro 3s on DT XR4.2 this last year (with straight pull spokes) and hasn't had any probs at all.

Roval Controles are a fair bit cheaper than the Podium MMX wheels and still reasonably light MM. Or get the rims from JRA for £97 and your choice of hub/spoke. Pro IIs with Revolutions would probably still only be 1350g or so.

Edit: exactly 1350g according to this chart.

Thanks njee – cool chart! Shame you can't seem to buy the Hope Pro 3s in disc version… although as Paceman said at the beginning, its difficult to actually ascertain how light the pro 3s are… I might email you with a few more geeky weight-weenie questions re wheels, if that's okay? (Don't want to bore everyone else!) Cheers!

Yep, email away, at work at the moment, so reply may be a bit later!

The Pro 3s don't weigh that much less than Pro 2s basically! Look at the weights of the SP6 vs the Pro 2 Hoops on 355s.

Thanks. Yeah, it does seem marginal doesn't it. I guess my main question is whether American Classics are that much better than Hope pro 2/3s?

(Sorry Paceman for hi-jacking your thread a bit!)

They're lighter, but they are less reliable, they have smaller bearings, but it's the price you pay I guess!

Weights from the Hope Website:

Pro 3 SP XC6 with Stans 355 Rims: Front 663g Rear 800g

Pro 2 with Stans 355 Rims: Front 765g Rear 888g

Weight difference is:-

102g front
88g rear
190g as a wheelset

Just under half a pound difference in rotational weight 😀