Hi guys
Recently got hold of a tallboy Ltc and decided its going to be my one bike for the future! I have currently specced some crappy wheels I bought off a friend but I want to buy a wheelset that will do justice to the frame.
I want something strong, stuff, tubeless ready and sub 1800g.
Currently looking at:
Easton haven from crc. 370 quid and seem to be a pretty good deal. I have heard issues with hub durability? Also not a fan of the mag colour scheme but that's only minor.
American classic 29er wheelset. Only heard good things but they are a bit more expensive than the havens.
Mavic crossmax ST. Again pretty expensive but seem to be very durable.
Hope pro 2 with stans arch/flow?
Any opinions on the above or any other suggestions would be great. Oh and need to be 15mm front 142 rear!
Thanks in advance
I was tempted by the cheap havens, colour put me off too.
I'm going to be building either a set of new pro2 or used 240s (if I can find some!) with some light bicycle carbon rims. Should weigh in under 1600g and cost around 450-500.
Hi dave
I will be very interested to see how you get on. I have to say I have been tempted by those carbon rims but I think I'm going to end up going for a factory set rather than something custom built!
I've got ST's.. Gert lush they are... 8)
I've been using Pro II Evo/Stan's Flow on my 29er HT. I like the look of those Easton's but a mate had some and did have freewheel issues. Fixed now I believe. MoonGlu/Merlin doing Arch EX/Evo for about £340-£360 which is going to get you a set of really nice wheels. Not sure on the weight tho
Merlin built Pro II with brass nipples on Arch EX weigh 1900g/ pair
Crossmax ST 29 almost exactly as per quoted figure at 1712g on same scales
Much prefer the ST's but they are nearly twice the price
Check out the Spank Oozy Evo's
http://m.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/category/components/wheel-sets/product/review-spank-evo-oozy-wheelset-13-47137/
Those oozys look really good value! Definitely going to look into those.
As expected the ST's seem popular but I suppose its a case if weighing up performance against cost, and are the ST really twice as good as a hope/stans set up?
ST's made a big difference on my Cotic 29er compared to the Hope/Arch EX wheels. Noticeably stiffer and accelerate quicker. The Hope Bearing seals create quite a bit of drag compared to Mavic's which I guess adds to freewheeling feel of the ST's as well.
I do not regret buying the Mavic's. ( but having stumped up the cash I would say that....)
The linked review is for the 26" Oozys by the looks of it, CRC claim 1800g for the 29ers. Would be a bargain if they are the same width rim.
Not an easy thing to Google at work 🙂
[url= http://bikemagic.com/gear/spank-oozy-26-evo-wheelset-review.html ]http://bikemagic.com/gear/spank-oozy-26-evo-wheelset-review.html[/url] - ooh, that said, there's the 29ers.
Similar sizing to Pacenti TL28s, wonder how they'd compare to some [url= http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=40&products_id=657 ]Tesla + Pacenti wheels[/url]. The 26" weight is similar.
I’ve just built up a set of Pacenti TL28s (450g) on Hope Pro 2 Evo 20mm Front and DT 240 Rear Hub with 32 x ACI Alpina Spokes (which weigh about the same as supercomps) and ally nipples. They come in at about 1730g which isn’t too bad for a trail 29er wheelset with a 23mm inner diameter (as per Flows).
However I also recently build up a set of the Light Bicycle 26er Wide Carbon Rims on Dt 240s Hubs (28 x Revs spokes and Brass Nipples) and they came in about 1400g. They made a great wheelset so far, very snappy acceleration and still stiff enough with a the same 23mm inner width for good footprint even from my Mountain Kings.
I would love to build a set up for my 29er (Fireline Evo) but trying to resist as its only my second bike!!. They should come in around the 1500g mark I imagine. Despite my efforts to resist I do also wonder how a 28 spoke build would work out on a 29er wheel. Imagine it’d be ok as many factory wheels use the same and sometimes less spokes with the stiffer carbon rims!
Incidentally the WTB i23 KOM rims have come out recently and they’re about 425g and 23mm inner width again!. (Circa £53 if ya shop around)
Currently running ST's but have previously been running Hopes with Arch Ex built by er me.
The ST's are more responsive, lighter and make for a faster ride. Hope Arch haven't let me down but are more springy and easier to fix. I have heard good things about the Light Bicyle carbon rims and would be very tempted to buy some. Should be the same weight as the ST but more repairable and slightly cheaper.
I'd like some industry nine torch wheels but they're a tad pricey. I think about 1700- 1800g is the norm for a decent set of 29er wheels at a reasonable price
Rovals don't seem too bad value these days:
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/ftb/wheels/roval-mtb-xc-trail-/roval-control-trail-29
1800g, tubeless with yellow tape, decent convertable hubs (DT350 internals), high spoke count, 21mm rims, decent warranty for £500. Loads of other options too, the top end £1200 carbon, sub 1600g ones are far too tempting.
Even the XC version has 32 spokes and a 19mm internal rim:
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/ftb/wheels/roval-mtb-xc-race/roval-control-29
I am lovin my Stans Crest Wheelset with Stans 3.3 Hubs.
Had em about a year. Light n fast. About £375 at wiggle.
I have just picked up my wheels up they are 32 hole wide light bike 29er carbon rims,lefty front hub dt 240 rear and cx-ray spokes 1480g
tbh I really can't see the point in looking at anything other than Hope Hoops for 'general' decent quality wheels.
They work well, are easily fixed/maintained, parts are readily available, are a known (very good) quality, lots of rim options and a good price.
Anything else you need to be lucky with, or spend lots more (and still be lucky).
tbh I really can't see the point in looking at anything other than Hope Hoops for 'general' decent quality wheels
This really, loving my Hoops with crests - they've taken a beating so far and haven't needed any tweaking.