Best wheels?

Suss

Cannon Fodder
hey i ride XC and im looking to upgrade my wheels looking to spend around $600

looking for something that looks awesome and is awesome.

any ideas.

cheers
 

jaseh

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I've got Shimano XT's, can't fault them at all, light, strong and look very nice. Early models had issues with the freewheel blowing but the later ones have been fixed. I got mine from OS for less than $600.
 

Suss

Cannon Fodder
i was looking at Easton's and dt swiss wheels. i know they are pretty nice brands but are they a decent wheel.?
 

k3n!f

leaking out the other end
What do you weight? Are you hard on parts or a smooth rider? Hardtail or full suspension? Tubeless? Centrelock discs or 6 bolt? What wheels do you currently have?

For $600 I would look for either of the following:

Shimano XT
$550
~1650g
Tubeless
Cup and cone bearings
24 spokes
Centrelock
http://chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=20794

Custom XTR Hubs with Mavic 717 Disc rims
$550
~1550g
Not tubeless (require rim strips for tubeless setup)
Cup and cone bearings
Full 32 spokes
Centrelock
http://chainreactioncycles.com/Kits.aspx?ModelID=2579

Custom Hope Pro 2 with Mavic 717 Disc rims
$450
~1650g
Not tubeless (require rim strips for tubeless setup)
Cartridge bearings
Full 32 spokes
Very loud freehub
6 Bolt disc
http://chainreactioncycles.com/Kits.aspx?ModelID=7599

In terms of performance I think all these wheels would be a fantastic upgrade. I would probably go the custom route if I was buying new wheels at the moment, they are far easier and cheaper in terms of finding replacement parts. That being said, the XT wheels are a very tidy package that are pretty hard to argue with for the price.

I don't know much about Easton wheels really, but DT Swiss make fantastic hubs, though a little pricey. I am not really a fan of DT Swiss rims, I found them to be a little soft compared with the Mavic alternative. That being said, some people have very good luck with them and rave about their quality.

There are several specific wheel threads in the XC part of the forum that you might find useful before you make your decision. Good luck :)
 
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Captain Sensible

Likes Dirt
Are you running standard quick release, or through axles on the front? Make sure you buy the right hub width. I would go for the second deal above (XTR hubs) but if at all possible I'd find a 32-spoke EASTON HAVOC wheelset, although this might be a bit pricey. Otherwise look for something from DH Swiss, your second-best bet in my experience. Steer clear of SunRingle.
 

Oracle

Likes Dirt
What do you weight? Are you hard on parts or a smooth rider? Hardtail or full suspension? Tubeless? Centrelock discs or 6 bolt? What wheels do you currently have?...
All good points from k3n!f. I decided to go down the 15mm front hub and centrelock disc options for my new bike so ended up purchasing a Shimano XT wheelset. I'd have considered XTR if Shimano sold these as a 15mm front hub wheelset.

Anyhow I'm ~75kg geared up and ride fairly agressively. That said I've had to tighten two or three spokes and the rear cone nuts once in two months. IMO the XT rear wheel rolls with much less friction than the Mavic Crossrides on my hardtail so I'm pretty happy with them. :cool:
 
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jimnobob

Likes Bikes
+1 for the XT wheelset. Just got mine from CRC a few weeks ago and very pleased with them. I had a look at a lot of wheels and wanted something that looked good, was tubeless, relatively light, strong, well priced, easy to service, and didn't use expensive or hard to source parts. I went round in circles (hehe) trying to decide and every time I thought about what I really wanted the XTs were the only ones that clearly ticked all the boxes.

Only mistake I made was buying xt centerlock rotors to replace my avid ones not realising the avid brake pads don't have enough clearance. I've sinced discovered I can snip off the tabs used to pull the brake pads out and everything is working well. In fact, I'm amazed at the difference in braking power with the new rotors with the front wheel locking up on more than one occasion.
 

Viv92

Eats Squid
Hope Pro II/DT comp/Stans ZTR Arch

That's my XC wheelset and it's been pretty good so far. Light, easy to run tubeless and strong. Probably way under $600 online too.
 
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