I have a 2008 Kona Cinder cone, have recently upgraded to Reba forks and a new chain set but am looking to finish it with some nicer wheels. It currently has the standard sun ringle rims with a shimano 475 rear hub and a lesser kk hub on the front. I have come across the sale at Superstar reading through here and have seen some nice looking 26 options. However when I look at the adapter size front it says QR & 9mm but rear says QR out of stock. Would the 135 x 10 size be an option or would I need a QR adapter, I’ve never purchased wheels for my MTB so a bit unfamiliar with the specifics? Incidentally I am looking at the sentinel rims with switch Evo hubs or would it be worth the extra £20 for the pacenti rims?

You need qr front and rear .. Pacenti rims are nice and light but pretty soft(easy to dent)

The Sentinel rims should be spot-on for you.

I have the wider version (tactic) and it’s very nicely made and light.

You might be able to source the QR rear axle via a WTD advert, I’m sure someone’s upgraded from QR to through-axle on those hubs.

Thanks for the replies 🙂 yes i spotted the sentinel rims and am tempted on those. It could be tricky to source a QR adaptor though. I have been reading round about the Axel types and have read a lot of people have switched to Axel thru from standard QR. Would this be an option? Something like this http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/10mm-rear-qr-through-axle.htm?page=6#reviews or should I source some wheels from elsewhere? I did check some good deals at rose bikes on shimano hubs. My rear is currently OK and a deore but the front is a kk and doesn’t roll as well but didn’t really want to run odd wheels.

Yes if they have the axle for the 135x10mm QR then that will fit fine in normal QR dropouts. The SS 10mm QRs are quite nice actually.

How do the switch hubs compare to say some Shimano Deores? I have always ran shimano for 20ys (lx/xt/deore) always been very happy. I noticed when looking at the factory shimano offerings they are centre lock as standard which is hassle when needing 6 hole. I’ve seen these at rose bikeshttp://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/mtb-wheel-set-26-mavic-xc-717-disc–shimano-deore-xt-756/aid:575539 would the superstars be similar. I’ve not weighed my current pair which are black eye rims but guess they are heavy though pretty durable. The front hub is poor and doesn’t run like the rear as its a cheap kk which is main reason for upgrade and to get a bit lighter and better running hubs 🙂

I am looking to keep the price to around the £100 mark. I have seen some XT Hubs on Mavic 319 rims – would they be comparable in quality to the superstar offerings around the £150 mark? I have seen a few other offers here and there. Still want to keep some strength in there but would like a bit less weight than the ones factory fitted as I think they are weighty.