Building up a 29er hardtail as a jack of all trades bike. Will be destined for general XC, gravel biking, mixed road use and odd bit of touring with panniers.

Want a decent set of wheels that won’t smash the bank.

So far I’ve found:

Superstar seem to have a bewildering array of options on offer at the mo which with the 25% off brings them into budget.

Actionsports have DT Swiss 466d on XT hubs for 170odd euros.

And Merlin have Flows on Deore hubs for only £95.

Any recommendations from the singletrack hive mind are welcome.

Second hand hopes?

Might have an odd pair (Crest front and Arch rear for not much more than your budget if it’s any use.. (mail in profile)

I’m in the same boat, I’m considering mavic crossrides, seem to be pretty robust and a decent weight

Planet X have some Gipiemme 29er/700c disc wheels for £55 in their sale.
I’ve had Gipiemme wheels before and they’ve been good quality. 19/24mm rim diameter, QR only, but look like they’re great value for money!
wheel linky

Ajantom – would those wheels fit a 9 speed cassette and 28mm tyres? Looking for an upgrade from current Alex DP17 and they seem to be a bit lighter and for not much money!
Cheers

They’ve got a standard freewheel on, so will fit 8/9/10 speed cassettes. Internal width is 19mm, so should be good for tyres of 25c or more.

Thanks very much! think they will last long? if not I will just use them as a summer/sportive wheel.

Also from Merlin you can get a set of the chosen hubs on Alex rims for about 150, this is what I’ve just bought

Hmm those PX Gipiemmes look interesting. 19mm internal width sounds narrow though. Would a 2.2 Conti X King be too wide on that rim?

my flows on deore from merlin are heavy , good solid wheels though, I’ve just bought stand arch rims with superstar switch hubs which were about 160 for the pair with 25% off ,not ridden them yet but impressed with how light they feel and for the price i thought they were a bargain arch on switch hubs

Just built a touring wheelset for approx £150 using Novatec 771 / 772sb MTB hubs. Bought from Spokesman wheels as the hubs are widely available online but since they are based in the far east it’s nice to speak to a dealer in the UK who has a regular supply line. They’re available with a choice of QR or thru axle end caps, are lighter than equivalent priced Shimano and bearings seem good. Also road 11sp compatible. Spares freehubs easily available too.

Novatec 771 / 772sb hubs: £95 from Spokesman wheels
Mavic A119 touring rims: £15 from eBay
64 Alpina double butted spokes: about £20 from LBS

You could get a set of new Mavic 29er rims for around £40, or try the Exal rims sold by Spa cycles.

In fact, Spa will hand build a set of Deore wheels for £150 – I’ve got some and they’ve never needed truing, but I’ve become more a fan of cartridge bearings and Spa seem to mostly build on Shimano hubs…