I’m building my Surly KM frame back up over the hols. My wife has got me lots of black XT kit for xmas to get it back up and running.

I’m wanting to put XT wheels on it too (just to make it all match). Question is, has anyone got any experience with XT 29″ wheels?

I’m unsure about the straight pull spokes that thread into the rim, and the lack of them on each wheel…

I’m also quite a big lad at just over 100kg… 😳 Think the XTs will be ok?

These are what I had in mind – link-o!

Would appreciate any reviews from any owners on here. Thanks.

I ran some over the summer as a stand-in for some Easton Havens I was waiting for a freehub for. They were actually great, very happy with them. Switched back to the Eastons now for the lower weight as the XTs were quite portly but the rims were really pretty tough.

Thanks for that. Is the inside face of the rim blank (no holes)? Seems nice and easy to set up tubeless…

They do seem a bit heavier than I’d expect. I think XT hubs on something like DT X470 rims would be a similar weight if not lighter, but with easy to source spokes.

Yes the rim is hole free so easy to run as tubeless, no rim strip needed. I am running mine tubeless with a set of normal folding Conti X-Kings tyres.

I have no complaints with my XT 29er wheels but I am 30kg lighter than you.

Shimano hubs? Wouldn’t touch ’em with a bargepole. I don’t know where you ride, but if they’re regularly going to be coated in filth then I’d go for anything other than Shimano. You want/need sealed cartridge bearings

*sits back and awaits being told I’m wrong, and they’re great, by people who clean, degrease, re-grease, then adjust them after every ride. Then strip and reassembles them every fortnight*

I currently run the 26″ XT wheels on my norco and think they’re great. I’m not the most gentle of riders and weigh about 110kg kitted up but I’ve never even had a slight buckle and thats after 14months of using them on uplift days, DH runs and a week in the Alps.

Currently looking to buy another front at the moment though after ‘misplacing’ mine at Rivington last week 🙁

Don’t forget trail centre mincing!

Goes without saying that one, Andy. 😀 These wheels are AWESOME for trail centre mincing.

I’ve only ever ruined one set of cup and cone hubs, but the faff of servicing it was enough to put me off ever buying one again.

Having said that, I’ve got Shimano wheels on the road bike and they’ve been great. I have also not serviced them in 5 years.

binners – Member

You’re wrong

OHHHHHH NOOOOOO I’M NOOOOOOOOOOT

Life too short to drink cheap wine or service Shimano hubs.

Servicing hubs? Seriously? Its the 21st century! 😀

I have some 29er XT wheels which have been on for about six months and so far have been absolutely fine especially as I got them at a good price from on one. I have run XT hubs of one sort or another for about ten years with no problems and no, I am far to lazy to strip and grease constantly. Every couple of years I might slap some grease and possibly new balls in at minimal cost. I have just sold a pair I have had for eight years which still spin freely and would still be on one of my bikes if a change of forks hadn’t rendered them obsolete
My one real problem with XT hubs is that all different models seem to have different free hubs which can make sourcing a replacement a problem. Still they will always be cheaper than Hope etc.
I see whacking out sealed bearing with suspect drifts no longer counts as servicing!

Binners, you are correct, fit and forget hubs are easier.

I’ve serviced plenty of cup and cone bearings in the last 15 years, not that much of an issue for me, as I like to work on the bike anyway.

Bearings in my hope hubs on the SC last a year or so, and cost quite a bit to replace (I’ve tried cheap bearings, they wear fast and have play from the off in the 15mm axle fork!). Cup and cone costs nothing but grease and time, I’m ok with that.

I’ve got 26″ XT wheels

They are absolutely bulletproof, proper UST so really easy to run tubeless.

Only criticism is that the hubs won’t accommodate different axles sizes – no adaptors

EDIT

I actually quite enjoy servicing them too, there is a certain amount of satisfaction to getting them running really nice. Which banging in a new cartridge bearing can’t replace!

*sits back and awaits being told I’m wrong, and they’re great, by people who clean, degrease, re-grease, then adjust them after every ride. Then strip and reassembles them every fortnight*

🙂
The XT wheels on my (occasional jet washed) 2009 bike;
– Front hub – never touched it.
– Rear hub – I’ve cleaned/greased the bearings twice when they got a bit rumbly. Only the bearings on the drive side where some LBS muppet broke the dust cover have ever been dirty.

Also, if you don’t enjoy fettling cup n’ cones you are a heathen.

Also, if you don’t enjoy fettling cup n’ cones you are a heathen.

Agreed. I remember the BMX wheels wouldn’t get done until the wheel would barely turn when I was a young-un. Was a satisfying job to get them then dialled in just perfect though. 🙂 (Despite the bloody knuckles!)

I see whacking out sealed bearing with suspect drifts no longer counts as servicing!

In the spirit of throwing money at a problem to make it go away…

I bought the drift tools to go with my hub. So the one time in the last three years I felt the need to change my sealed cartridge bearings, it was a quick, clean and easy job.

I personally did not enjoy the faff of cup and cone bearing hub. This fit and forget business is much nicer.

I bought mine in an emergency expecting to faff with them for 6 months. But I never actually touched them. And they were very easy to tubeless- no rim holes, proper UST.

My hub servicing programme is the same as my anything-else servicing programme

1) Drop off at LBS (Hi Damian!)
2) Pick up from LBS

Sorted 😀

I think I’m sold on the full XT wheels. I’m bidding on some NOS XT hubs on fleabay. If they go over I think I’ll buy a set of full wheels from CRC. If I win them, I’ll build them onto some nice rims.

Thanks for the advice from those of you that are running them.

I’m a big XT groupset fan, having run nothing else since my first MTB in 1998. Never had a problem with their hubs either. In fact, my original 1998 hubs, which still run freely without any play, are about to go on Retrobike Forum soon. 🙂

Not XT but I got an ’emergency’ pair of MT15 wheels from Merlin for £80 quid or so, erm, still true, no play int’bearings, still spin smooth. A bit lardy and slightly narrow however. I wonder how they will fare after a winter on the West Pennine bog? Cheap enough, they costs less than it does to fill my car with fuel, cant complain.

I’ve been running some older 26 XT wheels for a few years. Never had to touch them for a couple years and when I did service them, all I needed to do was add some grease and put them back to together. Actually took less time than hammering out the cartridge bearings and pressing in new ones on the other wheel set.

Pretty easy to get running tubeless even if you don’t use UST tyres. They are also quite strong too they are not afraid of taking on the old drop or two. Spares are easy to get hold off too.

I donot know if XT would be the same ,but I broke one spoke on an XTR 24 spoke rear hub & it immediately taccoed.

Life too short to drink cheap wine or service Shimano hubs.
Servicing hubs? Seriously? Its the 21st century!

But when you DO need to service cartridge bearings, it’s a lot more expensive and quite often more involved. And you have to fanny around getting the right bearings.
Both hubs have their merits, and it would be wrong to think cartridge bearing hubs are maintainence free paragons of reliability.
A decent hub like an XT only needs touching once a year, it’s nothing like you describe at all. But you know that already. 🙂
I’ve go DT240s on my main bike, but they need a special tool to get the star drive out to change one bearing. I built some touring wheels a couple of months ago. They’ve got XT hubs. I just don’t trust lightweight high end hubs for touring.
The trick with cup and cone is to open them up from brand new and add some decent grease, double check all the locknuts and adjust them properly. Anything with a half decent seal (M525 and upwards)!will last many years with very little maintainence after that. 🙂

UPDATE:

XT wheels arrived last night. Very nice bits of kit. 🙂

Will see how they get on over the xmas hols, but the rims and spokes look reassuringly strong compared to what I was going to build (DT X470 rims with DT comp spokes).

Sound choice. I did this to my XT rims recently with a big hit on a tree root. Wheel didn’t even go out of true and I bent the rim back into shape with some pliers and a UST tyre still makes a perfect airtight seal without sealant. They get the thumbs up from me.