wheelset

TonyC

Active Member
I have a friend that needs help deciding on what hubs/rims to purchase.
What would you guys/girls do.

$$$ hubs w/ $ rims
or
$ hubs w/ $$$ rims

please help
thx
Tony
 

mtn_goat

Member
$ hubs and $$$ rims.

Rims/spokes are what seem to bend/break/egg/chip/etc... first, at least my experience.

Not sure of what your price range is for $ and $$$, but I got a set of Mavic x823 rims with XTR hubs and Center lock discs for $299, super strong rims with decent hubs, I use them on a Giant Reign (6 inch travel) and no issues with them at all.

They are not heavy either, slightly heavier than my older set of Bontrager Race Disc rims, which I need to get them respoked and trued since I was breaking a spoke almost every ride.
 

743power

Shop: Bicycle Pro
Shop Keep
what kind of riding does he do and how heavy is he?

http://www.bicyclewheelwarehouse.com has some $$$ hubs and rims for $ prices.

You can argue your case 2 ways here. Lighter rims will have a bigger effect on performance, but smoother more precise hubs give the bike a better feel and potentially less rolling resistance.
 

dirty bert

Banned
Cold Cash

I have a friend that needs help deciding on what hubs/rims to purchase.
What would you guys/girls do.

$$$ hubs w/ $ rims
or
$ hubs w/ $$$ rims

please help
thx
Tony

find out how much he's willing to spend. also it would help to know what type of riding he mostly does. DH? FR? XC? I personally like them pre-built wheels, like Mavic or FSA. Stan's looks sweet and so does the Industry Nine.
 

TonyC

Active Member
find out how much he's willing to spend. also it would help to know what type of riding he mostly does. DH? FR? XC? I personally like them pre-built wheels, like Mavic or FSA. Stan's looks sweet and so does the Industry Nine.


Ok guys, I have to admit my friend is me. I was just playing "I have a friend" hypothetical question routine.

I can't decide if I should get Hope Pro 2's with Arch or Flow rims or up a bit to King hubs with lesser rims. Both solid choices, IMO.
The wheelset will go on a 29er full rigid and I'm 210.

I'm tired of researching, hubs/rims choices. Help me narrow my decision.
 

743power

Shop: Bicycle Pro
Shop Keep
how do those mavic crossmax29 wheels compare to your options? They seem to be popular and you can get the sweet mavic warranty with them
 

dirty bert

Banned
Mavic

how do those mavic crossmax29 wheels compare to your options? They seem to be popular and you can get the sweet mavic warranty with them

i know nothing is cheap but the prices for these 29er wheels are just crazy.
anyway, I heard a lot of people are using them Mavic 29er set. But what about American Classic 350 29er Wheelset. Weights 1485 g while the Mavic Crossmax 29ER Wheelset, weights 1745 g (front: 815 grams / rear: 935 grams). i guess the lightweight may be an issue, would it?
 

anrothar

entirely thrilled
hope proIIs are really good hubs. even if the bearings aren't as good as kings, it's not that difficult or expensive to replace sealed bearing, and you can always upgrade them to ceramic or something. i say hope proII, dt supercomp, arch.
 

jdog

Shop: Halter's Cycles
Shop Keep
I have been building a lot of DT hubs on Velocity Blunts and Salsa Delgado's.

I built a set of Blunts for a guy who is 290 lbs on a full rigid.


I have had King hubs and I found them to be no better than DT's. But they did cost more. King's are great if you want to look pretty.

Dt also has an inexpensive Rim called the 470. They are a bit softer then the other 2 but they still build up nicely.






 

jdog

Shop: Halter's Cycles
Shop Keep
I also just noticed that DT is making a 26" Carbon clincher rim.

That would fit into the $$$$$$ category but they do look sweet.

Now if they would just make em' in 29er.

I know that Bill couldn't resist these.
 

jdog

Shop: Halter's Cycles
Shop Keep
Thanks Pixy. I guess you want me kicked out of my house. :hmmm: $1000 for a wheelset is way out of my price range.

Jdog,
I was looking at the blunts, but not to many reviews. Nice and wide. I'll be running wide tires.
How do they hold up?

I am satisfied with the durability of the Blunts for sure.

If you want wide than you need to look in to the new GORDO from Salsa.

http://www.salsacycles.com/images/zoom_rimGordo29.jpg


To be honest 29er rims seem to fair a bit better than 26. It could be that 29er riders jump less. It could also have something to do with the longer spokes allowing the rim to flex. Maybe the other wheelbuliders on her can speak to this as well.

It could be bad luck but the only rims that I have seen issue with are the WTB's and the Stan's.
 

FFT

Gay & Stuffy
Correct me if I'm wrong, but arnt Kings real loud? I find that sound to be annoying. I like a quiet ride, no chain slap, no creaking, and most of all no loud ass Kinger hub. ($.02 non-refundable.) But then again King does make quality stuff.
 

lancerracer

Active Member
From a durability and weight perspective...Mavic Crossmax 29 (or whatever they are called) or handbuilt Dt 240's with Salsa Delgados???
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Correct me if I'm wrong, but arnt Kings real loud? I find that sound to be annoying. I like a quiet ride, no chain slap, no creaking, and most of all no loud ass Kinger hub. ($.02 non-refundable.) But then again King does make quality stuff.

I raised the same sort of objection once, and someone told me offline that the only people who find the noise annoying are the people who can't afford them.
 

ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
My take on this is that there is greater parity in the rim quality vs. price equation. The price difference between various levels of rim is less than between various levels of hubs.

Hubs that use proprietary freehubs cost a lot more, but they have quicker engagement (hence the noise) and generally last longer. I think the Hopes are the best compromise between price and quality.

Good hubs can outlast several sets of rims and spokes.

Don't forget the importance of a quality build as well- this can make more of a difference than the components you choose.
 

don

Well-Known Member
Correct me if I'm wrong, but arnt Kings real loud? I find that sound to be annoying. I like a quiet ride, no chain slap, no creaking, and most of all no loud ass Kinger hub. ($.02 non-refundable.) But then again King does make quality stuff.

There is no better sound than of tires and freewheels going thru a long run of doubles.

I have Profiles on my DJ rig and it sounds similiar to my King hubs on my sussy bike. I love hearing them clicking away. The Hope Pro II's have a good/loud sound to them as well.
 

don

Well-Known Member
My take on this is that there is greater parity in the rim quality vs. price equation. The price difference between various levels of rim is less than between various levels of hubs.

Hubs that use proprietary freehubs cost a lot more, but they have quicker engagement (hence the noise) and generally last longer. I think the Hopes are the best compromise between price and quality.

Good hubs can outlast several sets of rims and spokes.

Don't forget the importance of a quality build as well- this can make more of a difference than the components you choose.

Agree. I think more $$$ on a hub than the rim is always the way to go - unless you are destroying hoops on a regular basis.

I also think the Hope Pro II's are a good compromise. I had a pair for a build but never got around to use them on a real ride (parted the bike out) but the engagement felt good and the overall quality was nice. It was a SS hub and I liked the allen bolts and the rings for the freehub. There is a few threads on the Pro II's on mtbr.com

Kings are great but they are a lot of money. Luckily I got mine years ago when they're cost weren't too much more than most of the hubs out there. I think the Kings are twice the cost of Hopes and are about $100 more than what I paid for my (talking rear only).

And like Chris said - the most important part of the wheel is the build itself.
 
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