As above for a project that maybe in the pipeline. Your comments please.

you can't go wrong with Hope Pro 2s with either Mavic or DT Swiss rims .Not the lightest out there(nor the heaviest) but definitely reliable and bombproof.Some good deals around at the moment as well.For a bit more cash and a bit lighter Pro 3s .

you building yourself or buying?
Build it yourself with xt hubs from on-one, dt comps from crc and xc717's from wherever is cheapest

Or get merlin to build you 717's on hope.

Or those hope hoops via wheelpro are excellent value.

Budget and requirements please ???? 😀

As above for a project that maybe in the pipeline. Your comments please.

What about the XT wheelset thats on offer at on-one, £250 and they look pretty good too

What about the XT wheelset thats on offer at on-one, £250 and they look pretty good too

They do look good, and they are good, until you break a spoke.
I've been waiting for two months for the poxy little nut that goes on the inboard end of one of the spokes. I broke a spoke, the replacement comes with nipple but no nut! Doh

Bontrager X Lite wheels are great. I'd recommend them. I bought some second hand ones off here (center lock with DT swiss hubs, tubeless). I've raced them for two seasons, and they're perfect.

Hopes offer good reliability, light weight and ability to use different axles, I also prefer cartridge bearings to the cup and cone faff of Shimano. Have a look at Lex's website they are doing hope hoops with stans rims for £250.

Hope pro II's on Stans Olympic under 1500grams and under £400 the pair. Not the lightest but tough for xc and general rides.

I'd agree with mt, although with Hope Hoops now coming on 355s I'd take the slight weight penalty for the substantial cost reduction.

Stan's rims wee all over 717s or 4.2s.

Another who would agree with mt although, as njee, I'd take the weight penalty and go with the Hope Hoops with 355s.

355s are surprisingly tough given the weight and I was slightly nervous of sticking a 355 on the front of my PA with 20mm and Pike forks but Roger (Wheelpro) reassured me and they have taken everything I've thrown at them.

I was about to post a similar question, I'm looking at building my own with hope II hubs and mavic en321 rims? Any idea how they compare to the above suggestions? I'm a total newbie when it comes to this, trying to build up a hardtail from spare bits after my full susser got nicked last week.

EN321s are very heavy rims for an XC wheelset at 570g. For reference an XC717 Disc is 395g, and can be had for only a couple more pounds.

My mate who suggested the EN321's reckoned the 717's would be a bit too lightweight for what we usually ride: Welsh trail centres and lots of natural stuff, not adverse to getting two wheels off the ground and the odd uplift day at cwmcarn so yeah prob not 'XC' requirements but something I can ride all day?

not 'XC' requirements but something I can ride all day

Is XC only short periods of time then!?

The EN321s are good rims, just pretty weighty. I wouldn't worry about using a lighter rim at a trail centre, it just depends how heavy you are and how 'heavily' you ride.

Stan's rims wee all over 717s or 4.2s.

Hmmmmm, 717 are £38, and personally never really had any difficulty with them, perfectly decent rim, lightweight, strong, been everywhere I have etc etc. ZTR 355 are £75 each. save a bit of weight…Interested to know how that "wees" all over them. Not interested in tubeless so struggling to see an advantage…

"Is XC only short periods of time then!?"

Of course not, I guess I mean "all mountain" rather then XC – however you want to define it. Will the 717's handle the abuse of a few cheeky downhill runs including maybe 1 to 2ft drops?

I was only joking krag, don't worry!

Like I said, it depends how light you are/how you ride. If you want a wheelset which is primarily tough, I wouldn't get 717s.

nick I was thinking more in the realms of Hope Hoops where there's no next to no price difference. Stan's rims don't dent as easily, weigh a fair bit less and are far easier to set up tubeless than Mavics. For the same money, that's a no-brainer to me!

I agree at the point at which you're paying double the price and you're not interested in tubeless (strange chap!) there's less advantage.

Stan's rims don't dent as easily, weigh a fair bit less and are far easier to set up tubeless than Mavics.

…plus, if comparing 717s to 355s, the 355s are also internally wider helping to support the tyre better. Found I could run tyres at far lower pressures with Stans.

Are they the same price built onto hope hubs as the Mavic ones then? Blimey, assumed they'd be more…Damn just ordered some 819…

Are they the same price built onto hope hubs as the Mavic ones then? Blimey, assumed they'd be more…Damn just ordered some 819…

Pretty much the same price whatever rims you go for (bit of variation here and there from different shops but not much), hence its a no brainer to go for anything other than the Stans. Sorry nickc…

Mleh…. 😳

Ah well, at least I get to play with some X819. Always wanted to see what they were like to build (he said, desperately looking for an up side). And I re-use my hubs, so feeling slightly less consumerist…

You ordered a heavy, difficult to build UST rim and you have no interest in tubeless? It's an odd choice for sure!

They are pretty tough at least.

Hmmm, should have clarified, not interested in tubless when faffing about with rim strips and the like. Had some UST Mavic factory rims before, so going the "proper" route…Hopefully any extra weight (a whole 100g) over 717 currently running will be gained back with lack of inners…

But yeah, mostly just interested in seeing how they'll build… 😳 That's pretty sad huh?

personally I would avoid the XT wheelsets, as you will need to factor in the price of sending them back every couple of months.

They especially don't like it anywhere hot, as it seems to thin the grease down and kill the freehub very very quickly.