Hi all,

Got Mavic EX721s (well, theyre D521s) on my hardtail, front is on a Hope Bulb 20mm and rear is a DMR Revolver bolt up.

Bike is on a bit of a diet, and would like to get some lighter wheels.

Riding wise, bit of a range, XC rides every now and then (not too often), but mainly jumping/messing about, trail ragging etc. Lots of riding at Glentress and similar locations if that’s any indication.

Smoothish rider (I know how to jump), hence not tooo worried about going for slightly lighter/less tough wheels.

Been recommended 719s on Pro2s. Light, strong, hubs are “flexible” (axle wise).
However a) pretty expensive (not overly fussed about having a fancy brand, and really don’t want to spend £200 on new wheels), b) and can’t seem to find many for sale.

So surely there must be a fair few options for similar rims, and likewise for lightish but half decent (cartridge bearings) hubs?

Rims from Halo? DT? Superstar? Sun? Shimano?

I’m kind of out of the loop with regards to this “category” of biking gear, hence asking 🙂

If anyone has any rims or wheels they’re looking to sell (or do some kind of deal with mine), please let me know 🙂

Any thoughts/input would be appreciated 🙂

Thanks, Duane.

(I know about “light, strong, cheap, pick two. I’m just trying to defy that 😛 )

819s

They’re even more expensive than 719s :/

Duane get the flows, stronger then the 719s but more importantly they are wider.

In order of importance: –
Pick your builder
Pick your rims
Pick your spokes
Select hubs that fit what’s left in your budget.

You might be as well looking in the classifieds for some second hand hope hoops the likes of pro2 hubs on dt swiss EX 5.1 or ex500, you should be able to get a decent pair for £150 -170

dt rims are really soft, i wouldnt buy them 2nd hand, what onzadog said is spot on, have you looked at Merlins sale wheels?

Stans ZTR Flow or Arch would be my choice. The Flow would probably be overkill for that riding but are more widely available.

If budget is an issue, why don’t you buy the wheels in stages?

Start with the rims and spokes, assuming that your hubs are in good nick and do the hubs last. I’ve still got a Bulb on the front of my second bike doing sterling work, all it’s needed is one change of bearings since 2005. I’ve struggled to find any meaningful difference between it and the ProII on the front of my other bike.

719s here, they just seem to cope with everything.

Rusty Mac – classifieds/second hand is the plan. Just that I don’t know what the options are. Hence this thread 🙂

Onzadog- second hand kinda negates most of that :/ I imagine I don’t want to spend much more than £150 in total though.

PJM1974 – cos I want em now 😛

Ha! I’ve been there and no doubt will be there again real soon!

The only other thing I can suggest is one of the Superstar wheelsets, which have had good reviews for hub and rim quality but mixed reports about the quality of the build. Plus they come with God-awful graphics. I’ve never used them myself mind, so your mileage may vary.

Maybe give Merlin a call and see what they can do?

check out my fulcrums on classifieds . . .

Selling some Pro2’s on Stans Arch rims on the classifieds at the moment. £200 though… 😕

These for one hundred and sixty scoops?

I know some on here scoff at them or have had bad experiences, but I’ve had a set on my miniDH for nearly 2 years. They’ve been battered something shocking and still run true. Only had to take a spoke key to them recently. Maybe I got lucky and got a good pair. A lot of wheel for the money.

Now don’t laugh, but I’ve ragged some Alex DP17’s (& I’m a 16st heffer), & they have remained good & true. They come up regularly for sale, as OEM on Spesh I think. They tend to have crap hubs, but saying that, I pack them with grease twice a year & they have lasted well. Also, for a bit more strength, stick a solid nutted axle in them. Not that heavy either. Just a thought for a cheaper solution.

I’d probably recomend Flows too
That is IF they weren’t massively over priced considering Tubeless actually doesn’t work (especially for hard riding) so like me you’ll probably end up drilling them out so you can stick normal (cheap) tubes in them and the fact they don’t even have single eyelets or any AFAIK fancy manufacturing processes.
unsurprisingly (no matter how many people tell you they are stronger than 721s) they don’t build up as stiff as a 721, probably closer to a 719 (not that i’ve ever had a huge amount of time on 719s but I have certainly had more than most on 721s)

I’m sure you’ll hunt out a good deal on a used flow wheelset at some point down the line.

BTW RE: light/cheap/strong – pick all 3 does still exist in DH rims and spokes – Alex supra Ds (if you can find them) and ACI DB SS spokes. I have no idea what defies the rule in the sub 500g rim category tho, sorry.

Superstar switch evo hubs with their AM rims are a good solid reasonable weight wheelset, can definitely recommend these as I have a set .

I’ve got a pair of ex5.1d rims on black pro2. 20mm front. qr rear. If you’re interested send me a mail.

Andy