Looking at either Stan’s Arch MK3 or DT Swiss XM421 wheelset, both with Hope hubs. Both have a similar weight (Stan’s slightly lighter) both have similar internal width. Will be used for trail riding, no jumping.

Any preferences??

Cant comment on the Stans but I have a pair of the XM421’s that I bought from a member here. They seem strong and Maxis 2.3 tires seated tubeless first time with a track pump.

DT Swiss for me. I went xm481 30mm internal. Perfect for 2.4-2.8 tyres.

I can’t comment on those exact Stan’s rims, but I found The XM421 a breeze to fit tyres, where as the Stan’s Crest mk3 were an absolute pig.

I’ve seen too many reports of cracked Arch 3s to consider them, though I’ve a pair of older Arch EX that have been just fine.

Cheers Guys. I’ve had Crests in the padt and remember how hard it was to get the tyres on those.

After considering Arch mk3’s for a bit I went with XM481’s

Hope they won’t be too wide for my 2.3 tyres.

XM401’s have been great.

My flow mk3 are great. Massive improvement on the hope enduros I had beforehand. Light and strong with great width that makes a noticeable difference on the tyre profiles.

XM481s for me.

bullet proof.

Check what hubs the DT’s have as you want 350 derivative as a minimum, if you don’t get those you’re stuck with pawl freehubs and not the frankly awesome star ratchet mechanism.

Other than that DT rims are awesome, having had Stans, DT & Mavic over the last few years I’m not going to have anything other than DT for off road again.

If you can afford it, I would go all in for a set of DT Spline One XM 1501 (25mm) wheels.

They’re strong and light, weighing in at under 1600g for the set with valves and rim tape installed. They use the XM421 rim but you’re also getting the awesome 240 hubs which have much quicker pickup than the Hopes.

You can get a set for under £640 if you shop around

I have Stan’s Arch Mk3 rims on Hope Pro 4 hubs and they are great.

They have been on the bike for about 8 months and have been faultless. Several trips to BPW, Llandegla and almost weekly thrashes around Cwmcarn haven’t had any ill effects. I had 2 spokes that came a bit loose on the rear wheel after the first month but they were easily tightened and no problems since.

Tyre fitting is easy – I have run Schwalbe and Specialized tyres.