How have they held up for you? Considering them but I’m a relatively clumsy 80kg+ full sus rider, but generally not hard on wheels. Also how flexy are they?

Flows are the next option but another 130g a rim, OK its not that much but…

Is it not the width that’s the difference and the rim strength is simlar? So I have been told any how………..

I think flows are supposed to be a lot stronger than crest.

maybe you need the in between option – arch. held up well for me. Shame you cant get them factory built by hope though

Yeah don’t see the arches offered on many prebuilt wheels.

I’m 80kgs and thinking about putting some on a 150mm full sus bike, but built with heavier gauge spokes, not the weenie sapim or DT revolution ones.

crests working fine for me so far – 75kgs and I dont hang back on the descents – I wasn’y sure which to choose, but glad went for the crests

Hmm well maybe I shall just go for them then. ta

I don’t think a Flow rim is 130g heavier than a Crest.

Is the Crest not the replacement for the Arch?

I have Flow on my DH bike and Arch on the rest. I’ve dinged the Arch on the back of my HT in a couple of places but my riding style has all the grace of a gorilla on crystal meth.

ETA: I’ve just checked and the Flows are that much heavier.

Is the Crest not the replacement for the Arch?

Is this the case? I don’t get the Stan’s range from looking at the website.
The Flows look man enough for DH and have a 22.4mm bead width.
The Arch looks like a narrow version of the Flow but is only 19mm.
The Crest is much lighter and looks it in profile but is 21mm wide which would take bigger tyres than the Arch

So which rim is for what?

I thought that the Alpine and Crest rims were the 2nd generation of the system to replace the 355, Olympic and Arch rims. But it seems they’ve decided to keep the Arch.

I think the range runs Alpine, Crest, Arch, Flow (xc – DH).

For a Trail / AM FS bike I’d use the Crest. For a Trail / AM HT bike I’d use the Arch.

The Crest isn’t a replacement for the Arch, people got confused with that because the external dimensions are so similiar but they’re not in the same role.

I bought some Crest/Pro 2’s for my Trek EX and was a bit disappointed with ’em, didn’t seem as stiff as my old 355/Pro 2’s, so went back to Flow/Pro 2. They’re all Hope Hoops, so guess should be same level of spoke tension(?) – For info., I’m just over 90kg in full riding kit, and most of my riding is Dark Peak area.

Northwind – Member
The Crest isn’t a replacement for the Arch, people got confused with that because the external dimensions are so similiar but they’re not in the same role.

Well that’s the question. The Arch has a 19mm bead, but the Crest which is lighter has a 21mm bead which in theory supports a bigger tyre and therefore more DH oriented than the Arch

The Arch and the Flow have an extra arch (hence the name) piece in their cross section which makes them a good bit stiffer than the Crest/355 etc. Also why they are heavier. Crests are pretty stiff for a 340g rim but nowhere near as stiff as an Arch (420g) or Flow (470g) and hence is definitely not a DH rim.

All three rims will happily seat big tyres though

CaptainMainwaring – Member
“Well that’s the question. The Arch has a 19mm bead, but the Crest which is lighter has a 21mm bead which in theory supports a bigger tyre and therefore more DH oriented than the Arch”

Nah, Stans are just a bit more forward thinking than Mavic etc and are making wider XC rims. It supports a bigger tyre if you want, which is good since it’s a while since xc meant narrow tyres, there’s plenty of big volume fast rollers out there now… but it also gives more volume from a skinny tyre. And some say stability though I can’t say as I’ve ever noticed that.

Not wanting to start a rather pointless back and forth, my comments came from me reading on the Stan’s site about the new rims being developed and the three rims being replaced. Although this was a few years back!

That was before the rims were released so, as Northwind points out the intended uses, they may have changed tact in development.

So Crest is for XC then. Hhmmm I may choose them over the Alpines as replacements for the XC HT (currently got XC717’s on it but want to run 2.2’s).

you were tempted by these too eh then bigjim – I have been contemplating them since I got back.

am indeed big chap, was going to wait and see how sam got on with them – if they are good enough for him there, then they are more than good enough for me wheezing around the pentlands and glentress! But I don’t want them to sell out so might just grab some anyway and be sad if I fold them. Was thinking of building my own mind you…

do it….I would if I had any skill, don’t like the colours of the hubs on offer (that’s what happens when you live in the south!)

OK, so to round this out, never having had Stans, but fancying a weight reduction (and the best wheels I can get for the money), how does the Crest compare to XC717s or XM719s for holding up under clumsy biking, flexiness etc?

Colours? They’ll be brown within one ride and probably stay that way so doesn’t really matter to me 😆

Oh well i seem to have bought them so we’ll see how they go!

Where’d you get ’em? good deal?

I got the superstar wheelset, crests on their (well, Novatec’s) switch evo hubs, good offer for the cash, includes sealant etc too. Was also initially looking at hope hubs/hoops but I can’t stand the noise, and anyway they are waaay too expensive for me.