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Hi
I could do with some advice on a new wheelset for the bike I'll soon be building. I'm happy to buy a complete wheelset or buy parts and have them built.
I mostly ride trails and cross country stuff and my most local trail is Lee Quarry which is pretty rocky. Also, I weigh about 95kg kitted up so need something fairly strong. That said, I would like to keep the weight to a reasonable level too.
Budget wise I am not really sure but I don't want to go silly. Value for money is important and if there's a relatively cheap solution that ticks all the boxes then great. I do want good quality hubs but am not overly concerned by brand.
ZTR Crest with Hope hubs have been suggested. Any thoughts on these and other options given my requirements? I'll need 15mm front axle for fox forks and to be honest I'm not too sure about the different options for the rear so advice on that and 32/36 spoke would be helpful too.
Thanks
Dan
I'd go Hope and Stan's although I'd pick the Flow rim for a bigger rider.
That's what I was wondering but I'm also conscious of saving weight, particularly wheel weight. I'll have a look at the difference. Are there any lighter but strong alternatives I ought to consider even if a bit more costly? Could I save weight through spoke choice and still retain the strength?
I don't run the wheels on my current bike tubeless but do use fairly light tyres and ligh Schwalbe tubes. How much weight does tubeless save about?
I run tubeless for performance gains, there's no real weight saving. For your size, which is similar to mine, I wouldn't go any lighter than DT comp for the spokes, especially on a bigger wheel. The Flow rim isn't a heavy rim and the other thing it does is give you a nice wide platform for the tyres. I find this makes them feel more stable in hard corners.
For someone your size and with that kind of riding I'd recommend Hope or Shimano hubs with Flows tubeless and 14/15G spokes, 32h. The only thing lighter and still as strong (or stronger) is carbon, but they are significantly more costly.
Flows will see you right - they are a great balance between strength and weight. Rumours of Hope Hoops in 29er are getting boring now - I asked them a long time ago and they said 'no' but perhaps they will.
I saw a brochure & an caption in What MTB? this weekend that stated Hope Pro II/ZTR Crest - £300 (the price was stated in What MTB? not the Hope Brochure).
I think I'm just about to put my money on a pair of wheels from Superstar Componets - Switch Evo hubs on ZTR Crest for £229 - unless someone can change my mine. I think the hubs can be changed with adaptors like Hope to suit your axle size.
I was conidering the Superstar wheels too as they do look great value. What rear axle choice should I be looking for?
I just tried a bike with MAvic TN719s on and they didn't seem too heavy and are about the same weight as ZTR Flow so I'd probably go for flows out of those. DT Swiss X470 are a bit lighter but I've not read any reviews on them yet and what about Stans Arch? They're between Crest and Flow weight wise but I don't know about stiffness and strength.
I'm going with stand arch on mine with hoe pro 2s and sapim strong spokes!
i have the tn719s with xt hubs on my 29er. they are pretty light, but they are also pretty narrow. the 2.2 mountain king on the rear comes up more like a 1.9 if that's gonna bother you? (i like a wide tyre base to carry my ample girth 😳 )
given the choice i'd go with flows. great in 26" flavour so i wouldn't think they would be any worse in 29"
Will Crest's be too light for a 29er wheelset?
I think TN719s are about the same weight as Stans flow (15g less). I've not seen a lot of info on Arch. I was hoping to get to around 1800g to 1900g as I think my current wheels are 1900g and they feel light enough. I am also thinking that I'll probably go for Hope Pro 2s. I tried a demo bike with a Chub hub on the front but apparently they've had problems with the bearings.
I believe Crests are fine but I'm not sure for my weight and use.
The 2011 American Classic all mountain look good (well actually they look too bling for my tastes) but the spec looks good. They're not out until February though.
Thanks for the advice. My major decisions are now made. I am pretty certain I'm going to go for Stans Flow rims and probably Hope Pro 2 hubs (or similar). I was thinking I might go for DT Super Comp spokes but don't really know so thoughts welcome. I'm also not sure about brass vs alloy nipples. Regarding the rear axle, should I go for standard q/r, 10mm bolt through or 12mm bolt through? I have no idea. Any ideas on good places to get these from?
Alu nipple are much lighter, round easier, cost a lot more.