Since when did Hope Hoops get so spenny?

Hi all,

I just totalled my back wheel on a rock — the rim is so bent it won’t hold the bead and one spoke is loose. I checked Hopes online and rear wheels are 340 euros where I live! I’m sure I got a pair in 2018 for around 300 quid :/

Any recommendations for something decent that won’t break the bank?

With a bent rim, can I just stick in a tube and carry on riding?

Cheers,

FM

What about just getting the rim replaced.

How bent is the rim? I’ve used pliers, hammers, rocks and all sorts to batter rims back into usable condtion when I’ve been in the middle of a trip somewhere.

Can you get the existing hub rebuilt?

I’ve a son with a destroyed Hope hub and an intact rim…

Maybe, I’ll see what the LBS says — labour isn’t too expensive here.

Failing that, any solid, ‘fit and forget’ rear wheels? More interested in durability than weight.

Anything DT Swiss

Fit an insert, will save you a few quid in rims IME.

Keep the hub, rebuild on a DT Swiss rim.

Hope rims are a bit cheesy IME.

Keep the rest, build it back up with DT Swiss for probably the best.

I don’t know if they are even still a thing, but I’ve got a Spank rear rim and it seems to be incredibly resilient.

an insert you say????

I bought a pair of Hunt Trail Wide Wheels recently for £320 , I know there’s a lot of haters out there but I’m impressed so far .

It’ll bend back with an adjustable spanner and something flat to push against.

I did the same to a hope fortus the other day, it seems OK now.

I’ve definitely fixed worse rims than that! Top tip though is to pick a suitable DT Swiss rim and replace with that.

I’m also a fan of inserts. My rims used to be battered and now they’re in mint condition.

Since when did Hope Hoops get so spenny?

340 euros where I live!

Probably something to do with us “taking back control”, sorry about that…

It always used to be that the hope hoops wheels were really aggressively priced, I remember my flows on pro 2s were barely more expensive than buying the rims and front hub, there was absolutely no way I’d have bought them as a collection of parts. But equally back then the hubs were really pretty expensive for what they were, they feel a bit better value now (I think because there was relatively little competition? They had to be cheaper than a DT240S but other’n that they could price them pretty much how they wanted)

Stick a new rim on it though, why get rid of a good hub? If you can find a rim with a similiar erd and offset you can reuse the spokes (don’t reuse the nipples, you <can> but there’s no point, they’re so cheap). If you’re reasonably handy and you’ve trued a bent wheel before, it’s surprisingly easy to diy- much easier than straightening a wheel because you’re not fighting all the old stresses, you’re just dealing with what you put in. And in the end if you fail you can still chuck it at your LBS and say “Yeah I ****ed this up, make it good” and you’ve not lost anything.

Thanks all — any more info on these inserts?

I’ve got Rimpact Pros. I used to regularly ding rims and split tyres and since I’ve had the inserts I’ve had zero failures. I never, ever hear the dreaded rim on rock clang anymore.

There’s no way around it though, they’re an absolute PITA to fit and it’ll put you you off switching tyres so often. They’ve been a source of much heartache and blue language in my house.

Do you still earn the same as in 2018?

Just get it re-rimmed.

Hope rims are a bit cheesy IME.

Keep the rest, build it back up with DT Swiss for probably the best.

I agree with this, but OP appears to have a cacky WTB ST series rim, which were probably worse than Hope rims.

And has OP said he already has a Hope hub, or is it a cheap OE one? If so, new wheel might be the better option.

Sellotape the new rim to the old. Swap the spokes over one-by-one. Take it to a bike shop and get them to true it up. Easy.

If you swap to a diferent rim, make sure the ERD is the same. or within 1mm.

Eldest used to destroy a couple of rims a year. A move to Nukeproof or Cushcore inserts and burly sidewalls on the rear has led to barely a dink in 4 years now.
He has destroyed the hub. But the rim is good.

Hope stuff has always ben spendy, hasn’t it?

Standard rimpact is decent and a lot easier to install than the much tighter and stiffer pro version. The pro version is a fair bit tougher though.

If you use the dustbin technique then it’s a lot easier.

If your hub is ok I’d just get a DT Swiss EX511 r relaxed onto the hub with new spokes.

The EX511 is a strong rim – much better than the Wtb rim you have on there. If it was a freak case of damage then I probably wouldn’t put an insert in. If you often hit rocks hard etc then a standard rimpact in there will help avoid rim damage but they are a bit of a PITA sometimes to fit etc. I find the rimpact valves can clog with sealant after a while too.

Might be better off just running a heavier casing rear tyre if you’re currently on exo or exo+.

That ding doesn’t look too bad from the photo. I fixed my hooligan son’s Bontrager rim with one of these –

.https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wolf-Tooth-8-Bit-Remover-Multi-Tool/dp/B09JFC441T

(Then he really trashed it, now he runs Nukeproof inserts in a Deemax.)

The current wheelset is just the OEM stuff that came with the bike (Big Bro 2019).

I don’t think they’re particularly good or bad.

The rim is toast actually, just saw several fractures in the rim around the spokes.

rimpact, there is definately a technique, do it on a hot sunny day and leave the tyres to warm up first, i stuck on a DHR with rimpact pro in under 5 mins, a few weeks back i was amazed, two friends have got it to a tee, the trick is to get one side seated, stick in the foam then roll your knuckles over and over the tyre with fingers pushing the bead into the centre of the rim, you can then easily pop over the second bead, i didnt even require levers..

ones before that gave up after broken levers, fingers and sweating for an hour..

just saw several fractures in the rim around the spokes

Sticker?

If you want a cheap wheel get a Novatec (or similar) hub off AliExpress, Shop about for a DT rim and get some ACI spokes from cyclebasket, you can build a rear wheel for under £100 quid, much less if you reuse your existing hope hub.

Will I die if I throw a tube in and ride around on those rims?

Will I die if I throw a tube in and ride around on those rims?

The dent wouldn’t bother me too much but that crack is a bit worrying and will add stress to the surrounding spokes. Fine for a bit of XC and riding round the woods. Massive hucks to flat maybe not so much.

yeah, there are cracks around the eyelets for 3-4 spokes, but the one pictured is the most unsightly.

That’s definitely new rim time then. If you want a pootle this weekend you’ll probably get away with it if you go easy but I wouldn’t do much more than that.

sounds sensible, thanks.