Wheel dilemma

[SuperHangOn]

I have an excellent pair of XT hubs but worn out old rims. Is it worth getting new rims fitted in a bike shop to make use of the hubs or should I just get whole new wheels?

I'm not after anything fancy, just basic wheels to use on trails.

Cheers

[CoolC]

Sounds like the perfect oportunity to learn wheel building to me

I suspect it would work out cheaper to buy new "budget" wheels, but if the XT hubs are in good nick with good bearings then it would be a shame to not use them.

NOS rims (Mavic et al) often come up on Ebay at good prices, you could even keep an eye out for a good set of wheels with knackered hubs and build one good set from the two.

[P-Jay]

Sadly probably not worth it - by the time you buy rims, nipples, spokes etc the bill will usually be higher than a factory built set - plus if they're old hubs, chances are your old XT trickled down to LX, then Deore and maybe even off the bottom (depending on how old is "old").

Last time I looked Merlin were selling a pair of Deore pre-built wheels for £80 for disc braked bikes, rim braked ones were even cheaper.

[SuperHangOn]

Cheers all. I really can't be arsed wheel building, I just want to get the bike working and start losing my belly

Are these the wheels you mean? http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/wheels/mount...

Are cassettes standardised fit? I'll need to find one to fit the hub and work with the old 8spd XT.

[P-Jay]

Yeah they look good. Not the ones I saw but they'll be good. 8sp cassette will fit fine.

The Fulcrum wheels discounted to £100 from £200 are probably better vfm if you run discs.

[SuperHangOn]

Ordered the 505 wheels, new cassette and puncture proof tyres. Its an old 90's steel thing with v-brakes I bought on ebay, the amount I've spent on all these new bits means I should have just bought a new bike though. Usual story.

I found cheaper wheels but apparently the cheapo hubs don't have extra seals (or something) meaning they self destruct when added to mud.