What wheelsets are recommended for going up bills and bouncing down the other side of them (AM?).
Budget? 300 absolute max.
Are you expecting to get spokes with them?
Hope Hoops and just pick the rim that suits.
Easton Havens would be a good bet, about £320 ish from CRC at the mo.
Spokes would be nice I suppose, but if I dont need them, it would be pretty light.
. Rims? I havent a clue about them. Forever, it feels, I've juts used Mavic XC717, just wondering if things have moved on and that I should be thinking of something else.
At the risk of a flaming, I like superstar wheels, never had an issue with them.
slx and some med-weight mavic rims. 717s are still good, more xc than Am, stans can be lighter/wider.
So you want tough wheels but are considering using 717s again? What type of riding is it for? As tough wheels I would recommend hope hoops with 721s but I think your definition of tough might differ to mine. Maybe your better off looking at 719s if you want tougher than you currently have, these will also give your tyres a better shape.
What about Mavic Crossline's?
Well, I seem to bend my 717s regularly (but nothing a spoke key cant fix), the terrain I ride on is pretty rocky and I'm not very graceful. Wider rims is definitely something I'm looking for.
I'll look at the suggestions above, cheers.
Easton Havens would be a good bet...
...if you like collapsing bearings and exploding hubs. Doesnt really fit into the definition of "tough". Search on here or MTBR, theres a current thread on them. Not worth the money even at half price.
717 are decent enough but Stans are newer/better/fashionable (delete as appropriate), and are not what I would consider in a "tough" wheel build.
Agree with toys19 superstar am wheels,custom built .chunky and strong and not too heavy.
Hope pro 2s with flow rims?
Not sure why 717s keep getting mentioned, 719s are more fitting for these requirements.
I've got a set on superstar hubs, been doing very well for the last 6 months it so. £200ish for the pair, around 1800g total iirc (my figures)
Hope Hoops with Stans Flows... Reasonable weight (lighter than the 819 equivalent), excellent width, tubeless ready if you want it. Not the strongest of the big rims though... Mine are on the dh bike now and though they're still round, they've picked up a lot of little dings/bruises. Most Mavics definately seem harder, if not neccesarily stronger.
717 is strong for what it is, but as a result is also very heavy for what it is- a skinny XC rim. Not what you want here IMO. 719 would be more appropriate but still not competitive. Mavic know how to make great, competitive rims, but they keep them for the wheelsets these days.
Stans crest or flows on Superstar Switch hubs. £200. Got a pair for the singlespeed, can't fault them.
http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=496
The 717 is an xc rim so not suitable for the OP. Also i dont get why people say its very heavy. There are not many lighter rims of the same strength and price out there.
Price, sure, but a 717's only 5g lighter than an Arch Ex. No contest at all there tbh.
also look at the sun ringle rims - eq series. i'm just rebuilding a pro2 wheelset with these. eq 31 are lighter and wider than mavic 721. they were 17.50 a rim at on-one. if you tried you could pay 50 quid a go! doubt they're terribly trendy though. 😛
Price, sure, but a 717's only 5g lighter than an Arch Ex. No contest at all there tbh.so how many rims are much lighter than 717's for the same price and strength?
5 grams heavier doesnt really make them 'very heavy'.
mjsmke, that's 5g of difference to a sturdy am rim, not another XC rim. A Crest is 60 grams lighter than a 717 and does the same job. Now IME the Crest's more dent-prone but still more than strong enough for the job at hand.
Price does matter but when you're spending £300 on a wheelset you don't need to penny-pinch. And none of this makes them any more appropriate for the OP.
Agreed. It just seems silly when people slate the 717's saying they are very heavy when there really is just one other rim (crests) that are stronger and a similar price. Note: im talking about xc use. For the OP i know the 717's are not the best choice.
Del, I've just done same replacing some flat-spotted DT5.1s with winter camo EQ31s, which crc were selling off.
Sun Ringle charger pros? £307
I'd say Halo Freedoms - they'e on the slightly heavier side but I've been nothing but impressed.
Hope hoops with 719 rims (or stans arch) go to Merlin