Advice on XC Mountain Bike Wheels
Discussion
Jimbo. said:
Factory wheels are a PITA, so go for a set of hand built wheels from Merlin Cycles: Shimano XT (or Hope Pro 2 if you're prepared to spend a tiny bit more) + Mavic XM719 (or XM819 if you want UST tubeless) with DT Comp. spokes. Sorted.
Thanks for the response Jim, mines a 2011 26 inch wheel bike so what sort of price would the Merlins be?Simple question, whats the budget? Certainly, if you are thinking of something like £200 per wheel some of the custom wheel builds are very good value, but as you come up towards say £400 per wheel the "factory" wheel sets start to look good. I've got 2012 SLR's on my race bike, so far, so good ;-)
996 sps said:
Thanks for the response Jim, mines a 2011 26 inch wheel bike so what sort of price would the Merlins be?
- About* £225-230 for the Shimanos/719s. I say about as they don't list a 6 bolt XT front hub so you may have to ring them and check if it's still available. Other wheels may be "bling-er", lighter etc, but provided you service them every now and then (easy), then XT hubs are durable and fast-rolling. The rims are tough, and Merlin's wheel builds are excellent. Best of all, they use off the shelf parts, so spokes etc. are easily sourced from any shop. Try that with a set of factory wheels!
I've got Hope hubs and Mavic 819 UST rims and they roll amazingly! Only had the bike a few months but a mate has the same on his 5/6 year old bike and they've been fine.
It's incredible just how well they roll, it feels like I probably pedal half as much as my old XT hub and Alex rims combo.
It's incredible just how well they roll, it feels like I probably pedal half as much as my old XT hub and Alex rims combo.
996 sps said:
I'm looking to lighten the wheels on my Giant Anthem X3, it will be for racing and the odd trail centre, i've looked on Wiggle but so much to choose from, any ideas or advice anyone has would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
I've just bought a new set of forks for my new frame but they're 20mm through axle up front, meaning I'll be selling a set of Mavic Crossmax SL's with traditional skewers front and rear, 6-bolt hubs and UST... Just saying, like.. Thanks in advance.
.Adam. said:
You can get a set of Hope Hoops(Pro 2 Evo Hubs + Stans ZTR Crest rims)for £264 from Winstanleys, or a bit more from Chain Reaction.
That is a bargain! Unfortunately I can't think of a use for them for myself...That was the combo I was going to suggest. I refuse to buy Shimano wheels until they start using cartridge bearings, so Hope all the way for me. Quite impressed with Stans Arch rims on my 29er so imagine the Crest to be good too.
I've always believed Stans rims to be quite light, which is why I went for the Stans 355 Hoops, having a quick look on Chain Reaction, the Crest rim is listed at 340g, and a Mavic XC717 is 395g.
I don't know how the Hope hubs compare weight wise, but I wanted them because they always seem to get great reviews, their after sales service is always raved about, plus they're British.
If you wanted to save more weight, you can also get the Hope Hoops with the Pro 3 hub.
I don't know how the Hope hubs compare weight wise, but I wanted them because they always seem to get great reviews, their after sales service is always raved about, plus they're British.
If you wanted to save more weight, you can also get the Hope Hoops with the Pro 3 hub.
.Adam. said:
I've always believed Stans rims to be quite light, which is why I went for the Stans 355 Hoops, having a quick look on Chain Reaction, the Crest rim is listed at 340g, and a Mavic XC717 is 395g.
I don't know how the Hope hubs compare weight wise, but I wanted them because they always seem to get great reviews, their after sales service is always raved about, plus they're British.
If you wanted to save more weight, you can also get the Hope Hoops with the Pro 3 hub.
Pro 2s are slap bang in the middle of the light-cheap-strong triangle. Perfect I don't know how the Hope hubs compare weight wise, but I wanted them because they always seem to get great reviews, their after sales service is always raved about, plus they're British.
If you wanted to save more weight, you can also get the Hope Hoops with the Pro 3 hub.
Just don't point them freehub-down unless you want to be playing "find the pawl spring" on a gravel driveway at 3am the morning of leaving for Morzine...Jimbo. said:
Shimano XT (or Hope Pro 2 if you're prepared to spend a tiny bit more) + Mavic XM719 (or XM819 if you want UST tubeless) with DT Comp. spokes. Sorted.
Well, what Jimbo said. But don't bother with Shimano hubs, go for Hope as they can take anything our British winters can throw at them, whilst the Shimano will have had a many freehub bodied need replacing, so cheaper for the long term. Get water injest into a Shimano hub, and it will be a dead sooner or later with damaged cups, so throw away. The Hope's have sealed bearings, so easy to replace when the time comes. The only broken body I saw (worked in the trade years ago) was on a old XC hub, because some cock had over tensioned his spokes a stupid amount, and jumped off a roof or something equally as daft. It was replaced under warranty, but I saw about every make have the odd broken hub body every once and awhile. Some were unlucky, some had been road into the ground, most due to stupidity.
Plus, Hope backup and service is top notch, parts cheap, and buying it keeps UK people in jobs! Once I misplaced my disk bolts (they have a shallower head than your normal Allen head bolts), rung up hope, told them I had lost them and they send me a set for free. Found the bolts a week later...
I have XC hubs on Mavic 717's on my XC bike I built up 9 years ago, and apart from a clean and regrease every so often, nothing on the hubs has been replaced.
Here is what people say on Singletrack World:
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/hope-or-sh...
I have thre bikes and I;ve deliberately - for reliability and ease of service - kitted them with Hope hubs.
My only slight gripe is the grease in the sealed bearings (not Hope's fault per-se) - they standard issue is a meagre, bogey-wip of insipid aspic-like stuff. Flip the seals out and stuff with decent quality grease prior to installing replacement bearings. Other than that, top notch. Hope website is very helpful and all parts are easily available.
My only slight gripe is the grease in the sealed bearings (not Hope's fault per-se) - they standard issue is a meagre, bogey-wip of insipid aspic-like stuff. Flip the seals out and stuff with decent quality grease prior to installing replacement bearings. Other than that, top notch. Hope website is very helpful and all parts are easily available.
a11y_m said:
That is a bargain! Unfortunately I can't think of a use for them for myself...
That was the combo I was going to suggest. I refuse to buy Shimano wheels until they start using cartridge bearings, so Hope all the way for me. Quite impressed with Stans Arch rims on my 29er so imagine the Crest to be good too.
I just picked up a set of hope hoops via wiggle Stans Crests / ProII evo hubs for £260 for both wheels (15mm/qr fr qr r) and got 3% cashback from topcashback.That was the combo I was going to suggest. I refuse to buy Shimano wheels until they start using cartridge bearings, so Hope all the way for me. Quite impressed with Stans Arch rims on my 29er so imagine the Crest to be good too.
Happy with that.
...just need the bloomin' 6 bolt discs to turn up from CRC now...
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