Can anyone give me a shortlist of things to search for on eBay?

Light XC use by a pre-teenager so I can go light to save weight which should help with motivation on longer than 20 min rides

Disk brakes compatable as his current frame has the mounts and I would like to upgrade them at the same time

TIA 🙂

What’s your budget? Building a messabout bike that you expect to get battered, or a nice keeper?

Look for a set of Crests on Hope Pro 2’s – paid £165 for a pair with tyres just after Christmas.

Hope hubs on the old 355 or current crest rims would be serviceable
Sun single black flag pro’s are also light

Both run tubeless

Had both with no particular problems – the black flags are on my daughters bike now.
May have a hope/355 rear hung up in the garage but no matching front

Hope hubs on the old 355

^ This. Still using a set myself and intend to pass them down to my lad when he goes to 26″. Great wheels, underrated imo so go for cheap as chips on the classfieds

http://www.bikeinn.com/bike/mavic-crossone-26-pair-intl-2014/108999/p?utm_source=search
New but pretty good price, just bought for my son’s build – seem nice and lightish.

Hope hubs on the old 355

two sets here 🙂 Pro 3 24 spoke on 355s (light) and Pro 2 Evo on 36 spoke 355s (less light).

I liked how the Maxis tires I was using fitted on the 355s, whereas the crests were bloody tight.

I’ve got some black flags and while they’ve been fine I wouldn’t buy second and hand ones unless I knew I could get spokes for them. I’ve not looked into it but as they are 24 hole and straight pull I bet they are as common as hens teeth.

I am selling a pair of Shimano Deore XT wheels. Front is great conition, Rear was great until my rear mech snapped and ripped out 4 spokes. Looking for £85 delivered for the pair. Would not cost much to have the rear rebuilt but I have too many sets of wheels already.

Well worth asking if anyone on here has any ??
I have 3 good sets I`m not using at the moment from £80 ..
Mavic Crossrides – 80
DT Swiss – new freehub – 90
Hope xc hubs with Mavic 317 rims – just rebuilt – 135
Collection not a problem , post at cost if needed

All used but good wheels with no issues , I need the space !
More detail – lasty40AThotmailDOTcom – located west THAT London ..

Stans mmx rims are going cheap. One of the lightest xc rims ever and used to cost £90 each rim only
Be about 35 ish each now add some Dt hubs from Poland on eBay or novatec.

There’s tons of choice so I’d start out ruling out anything with stupid spokes, anything with less than excellent and adaptable hubs… I sold a DT240-on-olympics wheelset last year for basically the cost of the hubs, you’d only save a few quid going with cheaper hubs too. And that gives them more of a future because you could be using really good hubs for the rest of time (or until the thrice-becursed bike industry changes all the standards)

It gets weird with cheap wheels because you can get some stellar deal and then it costs half as much again to get tubeless valves or axle adaptors or such

I’ve got 3 sets for sale,
Hope Pro3 SP XC3 hubs on Crests under 1500 grams – brand new
Hope Pro2 on Crests & Hope Pro3 XC6 on Stans ZTR 355
Email in profile if interested.

I picked up a set of Specialized Rovals a couple of years ago very cheap, they’d only be cheaper now. Dt Swiss internals and light, if you can find a set I’d recommend them.

Seriously – at that price range – go Superstars.
Brand spanking new ones, 1500grs’ish the pair £150.

If I read right though they need to be rim brake, merely with an option to upgrade to discs in future…?

Personally I’d do both now, with Podium rims. Bargain at £35

@njee, he said he’s upgrading to discs at the same time

So he did. Not sure how I misread that 😕

Podium rims at £35 seem a bargain then. I built mine onto A2Z hubs with Revolution spokes – 1240g for about £250.

Another suggestion:

717’s on XT. Old tech so cheap, and if you find XT hubs a few years old that feel good then they were set up correctly from the factory [some aren’t] and will probably last years more.

The hidden advantage here is that IF you do need to service them in the future it could be a job you share with spannering/mechanical sympathy lessons to be learned therein.

I’d pay about 50-80 quid a pair.

Ideally find the later XT Hubs with a chrome axle and oversize cones [this may only be the front one, I forget, but I know those can last years without a service]

Happy Hunting.