'Bargain' 26 XC wheels on superstar. Yay or nay?

In the process of building up a new 26 HT. (yes, yes, wheelsize zzz but I have everything to swap over even gaaasp, 3×9 set up)

Right, so current wheels (DP25 on very old proII) are a bit knackered and I think nearly 2kg worth.

Would quite like a new lighter set of wheels, can’t quite stretch to a 2nd hand pair of crests and proIIs which are £200+

Keep on coming back to these:

Alexrims Superdeal – Trizoid XC Supercomp
http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=40&products_id=798

+ Pacenti CL25 Superdeal – Switch Hubs
http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=40&products_id=656

Now putting aside some previous ‘comments’ about SS, let’s assume that the build turns up ok and switch hubs are solid but need a new set of bearings by the end of the summer…

Would either of these wheels be a good idea?

I don’t care about badge, just want some lightish wheels on a budget. The Alex rims I don’t know anything about. The pacenti’s there’s not much online but what there is seems positive and a 20mm internal bead sounds good.

thoughts folks?

Anything wrong with the proII hubs? Get them built onto nice rims, you invested in a hub that can be rebuilt easily.

hmm. good point.

That is an option to consider.

They’ve had a lot of use but got new bearings a few months ago and seem to be running fine.

I’ve got some one of the original ones that has been hammered and it still goes fine

See my similar thoughts a week or so ago

XC race wheels recommedation on a budget

I actually managed to pick up a pair of barely used CrossMaxs locally < £200, AND the Bontrager Race X Lite wheels mentioned in the thread for £120 (~1500g so not far off the Alex pair weight but with DT 240 hubs)

So big thumbs up for 2nd hand for me.

A well respected wheelbuilder told me Superstar wheels are crap quality. Id be rebuilding the Pro2s. Ive had one set since 2005.

Had a set of Superstar wheels on my hardtail for about 4 years now, they’ve been superb. Just bought another set for my touring bike. I’d say go for it if you don’t find a deal on something better/lighter.

Had a set of Superstar wheels on my hardtail for about 4 years now,

Which hubs are you using?

NOtice they have those new tesla evo but i’m also put off by all the bad reports of hub failures/bad bearings

Switch hubs were the only option at the time and I went for them again on the latest set. Fairly simple to swap the bearing when the time comes (got 3 1/2 years out of the first lot). I’ve also seen some bad reviews of the Tesla hubs, not sure what the trizoid ones are like.

I’ve had Superstar AM490 rims (made by Alex – it says so on the rim) built onto switch hubs (which are generic ‘far Eastern’ items anyway)
on my hard-tail for a couple of years now.
Front one could do with truing up, but I did get a branch jammed through it, and i’m pushing 100KG, so can’t blame Superstar for that.

I’d buy again… and will probably buy some roadie wheels from them at some point.

I’ve had (and have) several sets of SS wheels. They’ve all been flawless, and compared to the competition, they are excellent value for money. I’ve heard that some of the wheelbuilds were at one point of variable quality, but no idea if this is still an issue. All I can say is that my 4 sets have been flawless. Even if you factor in the costs of getting a pro wheelbuilder to look at them after 6 months and retention, it still costs in.

SS Switch with Mavic rims here. They’ve been hammered on my hardtail, still running true.
I replaced the rear bearings within weeks, but I was expecting too!

No complaints, very easy to service.

There customer service is a bit shit and I think the build quality of the wheels itself can be a bit hit and miss but the parts themselves are solid.

I have AM-490 Rims on Switch Evo hubs, a couple of weeks ago I badly pinched the rear towards the bottom of Jacobs ladder but I carried on with the flat no dents no dings still true.

The OH destroyed his rear SS Pacenti/AM switch after three week on the Glentress red, all the bearing blew up pretty much… Front wheel is still running fine though, no dings and is fairly tru even after a lot of abuse.

I’ve seen Superstar wheels that were as good as you could ask, and others that were bollocks. I seem to have one of each, from the Pacenti/switch superdeal funnilly enough, the 29er version- the front wheel’s out of true despite having only ever seen tarmac and canal paths, pretty dismal for a not-very-light XC wheel. The rear is absolutely fine, nice tension etc.

I look at it like a parts kit- I can take these wheels, change the bearings prematurely maybe, get a good lbs to rebuild them if need be, and they’re still well priced. And I got into it on that basis, so still pretty happy but if I’d expected top quality for peanuts, I’d not be chuffed I suppose.

TBF, it’s a buyer’s market for 26er xc wheels, I’d be buying used. Not just saying that because I have 3 sets of XC wheels to sell 😉

The Tesla hubs have had a lot of issues, but to be fair, I sent my broken Tesla wheel back (4 months old), and they replaced it with an upgraded Tesla Evo under warranty.

and how is the tesla evo? do you notice the better pickup? Are the seals better?

Couldn’t find any info on how much better it is to the normal tesla

Just fitted it today, so I’m riding it for the first time tonight!

To be fair to the original Tesla, after 4 months of riding in dreadful conditions, and frequent washing, the internals looked pristine, with clean grease, when it took it apart. The freewheel just stopped working, even though all bearings, pawls and springs were still perfect.

Couldn’t find any info on how much better it is to the normal tesla

It’s got a 17mm axle as opposed to the 15mm fitted as stock to the KT hub (Tesla hub is manufactured by KT and same as Nukeproof and a number of other OEM hubs), now a 36 point ratchet ring rather than 30 point and also slightly larger diameter ratchet ring as well. Should be stronger I reckon – although my original Tesla is absolutely fine after a full season of Enduro racing including EWS and SuperEnduro, plus muddy UK races so it’s hard to quantify in real terms how many issues there were as a percentage, or was it a vocal minority complaining online.

moonboy, you’ve got mail re a set of Crests on Pro2Evos that I’ll be selling.