Hi,

I am looking to build my first rear wheel which is comparable to my Hope Pro 2 on Stans 355 rims combo I have at the moment. I have looked at another pro 2 but wondered what else is out there around the same quality that I could try.

Answers on a postcard

ND

Dt swiss 240,much nicer than pro 2 and super reliable but more expensive

Hope Evo 2, can’t go wrong.

Hopes are pretty solid in my experience.

I bought an Octane One on sale at CRC last year to build my first set of wheels. They’ve had a year of being abused on my on/off road commute. The rear hub has been faultless, and very quiet 🙂

Throw some money at a Chris King hub? Then people will look at you as you pass and think you’ve got a stick stuck in your wheel.

DT240S does the exact same job as a Hope, but a bit better at everything. Much better bearing life, more durable, lighter. The main downside is the price, obviously- it’s kind of impossible to justify considering the difference. (I’d never buy a new one… But buying used wheels and refurbishing the hubs works. Bizarrely it’s cheaper to buy a pair of used wheels than a pair of used hubs)

Oh, also changing the centremost bearing is a pain in the arris. But that’s OK as it hardly ever needs done- I’ve been running one set for 3 years, they’ve had a couple of sets of outer bearings but the inner one is so well protected it’s still going strong.

The other thing though is Hope Hoops- they’re very well priced for what you get, I’d find it hard to justify buying a pro 2 hub separately.

I’ve always had good experiences with Ringle hubs and they make a nice noise (or at least the ones I had did).

I’m not really a Hope fan, but it is hard to look past the price of Hope Hoops. I’ve got a set on my BFe because they were cheap and they do seem really well build. It’s just a shame that the rear hub is so noisey!

I’d echo the comments that complete wheels are really good value these days, although less so if you build your own wheels.

Thanks for the comments, lots of food for thought. I suppose it will come down to how confident I am that my first wheel will stay true and in turn how much to invest in this little project :O)

If it’s to practice building up a wheel and you want cheap why not just get some shimano hubs?

Ignore the self build and just get a Hope Hoops Pro 2 on Stans rim?

Shimano SLX and up.