I am looking to upgrade my wheelset. I am currently running Mavic 117s and shimano hubs which are on their way out. I want to go faster and was recommended Stan’s Crest rims with Hope hubs. Would this be a worthy investment ?

Ooooh yes 😀 -if you can afford it! Crest are wider than 117 so you get a bigger tyre profile for the same tyre, ‘hope hoops’ builds are often best value and by accounts on here (and my mates’ ones) are well built/tensioned.

Oh and if you get a pro2 front hub it weighs a smidge more than an xc but means you can change to a 15 or 20mm axled fork in the future for a £15 set of replacement cups/caps rather than a whole new wheel build.

Sounds good and i can feel a purchase coming up ! Has your mate noticed faster acceleration ? What tyres is he running ? Cheers C

mmmmm, faster acceleration also depends on:

-how fit you are
-tyre pressure
-how muddy/dry the ground is

One mate who has a set is very fit (as in he has a training plan and weekly ‘turbo-trainer club’ with these loons.) He uses mountain kings and has upgrade-itis, he would definitely say ‘faster’.

Other mate who has a set also has upgradeitis, doesn’t train at all and uses specialized ‘the captain’ and likes them for the tubeless/low pressure/no punctures thing. Not sure if he would say quicker than light-ish narrow xc rim, but certainly weight loss at the rim/tyre is better than anywhere else on the bike provided you are not doing 6 foot gaps and huge jumps to flat.

Thanks for the info. I am fit and looking to get more from my bike without having to buy new so sounds like the wheel upgrade would be next move.
Hopefully i can say faster like your mate although i will say no to the “turbo trainer club” !