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I want new wheels for my diverge for all sorts or riding, I saw superstar have some good deals at the moment and like the look of the Essential Switch SP wheelset,
I cannot find much info about the Arc 31 rims. Would they handle a bit of abuse? Not CX rocky racing but rough cycle paths, potholes etc? I currently run a 30mm CX tyre on the bike so would want to run that on these, I am not too wise with road wheels so any advice would be great.
I would save up a bit and get these
Yeah they look good and did look at the hunt wheels but the superstar ones are 150 and that makes them very attractive to me.
If it was for my best bike I'd probably be more drawn to the hunt ones.
We've a set of Superstar Alpine wheels in the house.
They have stayed true despite much hard use. The free hub makes an angry bee noise (I find annoying, others like).
The hub is a slightly shonky thing - the end caps are so loose the cassette falls off when you remove the wheel, so losing all the pawls and springs. It also seems the spacer between bearings is a tad undersized - push everything home firmly like my Hope's and there is a gap/space left on the free hub side.
As above, save for some Hunt Wheels. I had a set of Switch MTB hubs a few years back and the bearings were not great. Not a bad wheelset, but not great either.
I’ve had a few sets of superstar road wheels, all fine. They’ve handled my 85kg bunny hopping stuff no problem. For that kind of riding just get some big volume tyres 32mm or as wide as the frame will take and you will have no bother at all with pot holes or light off roading.
The only problem I’ve ever had was a new mtb wheel spokes loosening and needing a LBS to sort (cheaper and quicker than getting SS to do). Even if you pay £20 to a local shop to check spoke tensions the wheels are ridiculous value.
The bearings are sealed SKF now so very good I thought.
Thanks for all the responses. I have had superstar wheels before and I agree with what people are saying. I like the fact that Hunt can be adapted for most frame types which makes it easier if ever change frame.
I will have a clear out of unused stuff and then see how affordable the hunt wheels look then!
Wheelset weights from 1900-2150g approx depending on build.
That's quite a lot of weights for a road wheelset... the hunt ones above are over a pound lighter, which is a lot for a wheelset!
I had a pair of Superstar Switch wheels - some good things, some bad............... Mavic rims on Switch hubs.
The front wheel is still going fine - excellent build and the hub is excellent.
The rear wheel was a tad problematic. Two major issue for me:
Firstly, the ratchet ring is made of cheese, so when the pawls started to go a bit squiffy, they rapidly destroyed the ratchet. Wouldn't have been a problem if I'd kept on top of the maintenance, but they do not have the ability (like Hopes) to get to the point where they still work when filled with soil and then can be perfectly cleaned up and recovered.
Secondly, the rear axle is also made of cheese. You are better off getting a steel one (there are steel axles available from another manufacturer as the hubs share componentry with other brands. Twice I took the wheel out of the bike to pop back in the car post-ride and the whole cassette just fell off with the axle broken clean in two.
If you stay on top of maintenance and replace the alloy axle with steel, you'll be fine for an acceptable length of time, though.
Never had a problem with my switch hubs, despite being my winter special SS specific wheels for the last couple of winters. Bearings on the front went a bit crappy last year, so replaced them at the weekend - <30 min job with no specific tools needed and new bearings are easily available (6804 2RS if anyone's reading this) off the usual sites for under a tenner.
Not sure if the wheels have Superstar's new UK-made hubs on or not, but they look really good (and have switched to a Hope-esque spring under each pawl). I'd happily ride those instead of Hunts.
Nice one theotherjonv!
Not sure if the wheels have Superstar’s new UK-made hubs on or not, but they look really good (and have switched to a Hope-esque spring under each pawl). I’d happily ride those instead of Hunts.
If they have moved to individual pawl springs, that would be a good step up - my issue was caused by (I think) odd pawls getting gummed 'down' and thus causing uneven load that caused pawls to start 'rocking' and cutting a groove down the middle of the ratchet teeth. The problem came on very quickly and went from 'occasional freehub slip' to 'pedals rotating manically with no forward momentum'. The ratchet was a total mess when I opened it up - there was a v-shaped groove through the middle of all the teeth! As I said, I may have messed up somewhere along the line - I think superstar tell you to run the pawls and teeth 'dry' apart from a little light oil. I greased mine like I would a Hope hub........
Replace the cheesium rear axle with the steel variant on buying the wheels and you would probably have a very good set for the money.
Hunt wheels use Novatec hubs too, so even *if* they put different bearings in there the freehub will be the same as the Superstar wheels FYI.
If you’re not in a massive hurry it’s worth keeping an eye on Hunt’s returns/refurbs page. Picked up some 4season gravels for £180 last month, front was basically brand new, rear had use but you could barely tell (and for some reason arrived with both XD and Shimano freehubs). Warranty etc the same as new.
https://www.huntbikewheels.com/blogs/news/the-nearly-new-sale
199 euros with code RCZMM (no idea about delivery as I have never bought from them)