I’m being tarty and want to build up a bike with matching coloured bits for once rather than whatever I happen to have lying arround, anyone know where I could get some?

Some places (18bikes) do it as a no-cost option (presumably they just order them custom from hope but sell them for £350 in the first place.

Others don’t offer it but only want £280 for the wheels.

Is there anywhere inbetween, i.e. that’ll order a custom colour but at anything other than full RRP?

Hmm.. check out Merlin.
http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/wheels/mountain-bike-wheels/custom-wheels-disc/rear-handbuilt-hope-wheels-disc.html

Can chose rims, spokes and hub colours. Very reasonable priced too!
From what ive been told they are good builders as well.

to get the coloured hoops you must be a bonefide hope dealer taking in a certain ammount of the stock and agreeing to their terms as oppose just ordering them pro forma.

18 bikes

EDIT: Didn’t read the op’s post properly…

I’m confused – as far as I know if you buy Hope Hoops you can have the hubs any colour you want from their range

I had this same thought a couple of weeks ago when I was buying some hoops, especially as I found the point on Wiggle that said ‘hand built in house’

swift e-mail to wiggle asking if as they could do them in red, and a response later saying they can only do them in black.

Makes me think they are produced en-mass by Hope (especially as they turn up in hope box, inside a Wiggle box) and they only make them in black…

I though hope hope were only made in black. If you want other colours then you have to get them custom built (you can use the same parts to get the same wheel, just without the hope hoops logo on the hub).

Just e-mailed one of the ebay sellers (for £285) and they said yes they can order them.

I was slightly bemused, fair enough if the £280 wheels are a sepcial price they’ve gotten for buying several pairs as stock (which I think is what the first shop I asked did), but the shops ordering them for customers surely it’s just incremental sales as if don’t order they don’t sell any (but dont lose any oney as they never had anything in stock), if I do order they do make money even at a low price, as they’ve not had to stock them/advertise them, or even unpack them fro the box!

Just waiting to see if the LBS comes up trumps before going for the ones off ebay.

i went down the Merlin route.

i wanted Arch EX rims which are currently not supplied via a regular Hope Hoops build (either Crests or Flows atm), with blue Hope hubs.

my spec ended up as:-
White Arch EX rims
Blue Hope Pro II Evo hubs (regular pull)
15mm front, QR rear
Black DT Comp spokes

that little lot came in at around £330 with the online discount etc.

do be aware that it will not come with a rear QR!

also… the wheels turned up within about 3 days of ordering… pretty damn good for a custom build!

try Leisure Lakes, they got me white Stans Flows, black spokes, Red hubs with free axle conversions at a really good price – mind you i did buy loads of other stuff at the same time 😉

to be fair, we’re £330 the pair, with free tubeless kit (tape, valves, sealant – we’ll fit valves/tape for free too) AND a free choice of colour!

Hope Tech shops have access to Hoops with coloured hubs (as pairs only) at no extra cost. We can also offer steel freehubs as a free swap for those who’d prefer that.

🙂

to be fair, we’re £330 the pair, with free tubeless kit (tape, valves, sealant – we’ll fit valves/tape for free too) AND a free choice of colour!

Website needs updating then 😛

http://shop.18bikes.co.uk/products.php?plid=m11b33s400p1425&rs=gb&vid=5917

white rims there – they are extra. try here for black