custom wheel builds - feedback

Juz1970

Likes Bikes
Hi folks.
Am looking to build a custom wheelset for my 2019 Pivot Trail 429. Am based in Sydney and am keen to hear from anyone who's had both alloy and/or carbon custom wheel sets built. I am looking at either I-9 or DTSwiss 350 hub due to the SuperBoost rear end on this bike but keen to hear feedback on the various rim choices people opted for. Riding is primarily trail-based in Northern Beaches and south coast (tathra) and also Canberra/Southern Highlands occasionally. I weigh between 95-100kg depending on season! Should also say it is XT/XTR 1x12 (MicroSpline).
 

Oddjob

Merry fucking Xmas to you assholes
Superboost is bullshit. Just get a normal 157mm dh hub. That way you can run a normal rim and have even spoke length and spoke tension.



Given that its a 429 trail you're probably not going to go hucking to flat so carbon would be ok. Reynolds black label and Praxis are the best rims I've seen. For something cheaper I like Nextie and a lot of people on RB like Light bicycle. If you get a regular rear rim and an asymmetric front rim you could have one spoke length for the wheelset.

As for spokes and nipples, I like Sapim. The race is my standard spoke and you can get packs of 100 with nipples from bike components for very reasonable prices. For max weight weenie look at the cx-ray spokes.

If you get DT 240 hubs with Nextie rims you could get a sub 1400g wheelset that would be plenty tough.

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slimjim1

Fat boomers cloggin' ma leaderboard
I have this bike with the factory Pivot/Reynolds wheels (i9 hubs) and they are lovely...haven't been touched in 3000kms, straight as and roll awesome.

Just another option...
 

frenchman

Eats cheese. Sells crack.
Dt Swiss 400 / 500 series if you ride hard, fast on a budget and don’t mind having to true your own wheelset more often. Or go the nextie, LB, enve etc if you’re slow or have disposable cash.
 

EsPeGe

Likes Bikes and Dirt
So I have built both Carbon and Aluminium wheels myself. As far as the building process goes I've not noticed any difference. Durability wise I've had a mixed bag with Carbon. I had a set of Lightbicycle Carbon enduro rims that I loved. I fucking hammered those wheels and they stayed true and solid. I then broke both rims on a Toblerone rock at Thredbo during practice for the super enduro. It was terrible, I sent the rock garden at the Kareela hut and as I landed there was an almost simultaneous crack/crack and that was it, rims rooted. I don't blame the wheels this was super shit luck and there were around 15 other rims busted on the same rock that day.

Lightbicycle gave me a crash replacement which was good. I then got their "newest and greatest" enduro rim and I even got the DH weave to really make sure they would be tough. First ride out I hit a small rock doing a chainless race on easy street at Thredbo, crack, rear rim fucked. They would not replace it on warranty. There was no way I hit anything hard enough to break a rim. They tried to get me to pay for a crash replacement which In was not willing to do given it should not have broken. They kept dropping the crash replacement price but I wasn't willing to pay for a new rim if was going to break so easily.

So as I said mixed bag with carbon. I'm starting to move away from carbon for another reason though, when you travel, which I do a a lot with my bike it's much easier to get replacement alloy rims like DT or spank overseas. Just something to think about.

As for the hubs I've got no idea. I like silent freehubs so I run Onyx.

Cheers Scott.
 

Oddjob

Merry fucking Xmas to you assholes
You guys are way more hardcore then me. I'm fat and slow so need all the help I can get.

I ride pretty much the same sort of terrain as the OP and have carbon wheels for riding around and a mix of Dt 471/511/Syntace alloy rims for racing.

It really depends on what the OP is planning to do, but given that the 429 trail is light, not cheap and unlikely to be doing full on enduro racing, carbon wheels would be ok.

Ps avoid Enve. The internal nipples are a royal pain in the ass.

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T-Rex

Template denier
Hi folks.
Am looking to build a custom wheelset for my 2019 Pivot Trail 429. Am based in Sydney and am keen to hear from anyone who's had both alloy and/or carbon custom wheel sets built. I am looking at either I-9 or DTSwiss 350 hub due to the SuperBoost rear end on this bike but keen to hear feedback on the various rim choices people opted for. Riding is primarily trail-based in Northern Beaches and south coast (tathra) and also Canberra/Southern Highlands occasionally. I weigh between 95-100kg depending on season! Should also say it is XT/XTR 1x12 (MicroSpline).
I9 for Northern Beaches. The narrow angle of engagement makes a big difference on the technical climbs.
 

Oddjob

Merry fucking Xmas to you assholes
I9 for Northern Beaches. The narrow angle of engagement makes a big difference on the technical climbs.
+1. I run I9 torchs, P321 G3s, Hopes and Dt 240s. The step up to the I9 and P321 is really noticeable.

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the drizzle

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I've run hope hoops the past with 2.5 tyres but found I kept singing the 35w rims on every rock I found.

I bit the bullet and got a set of nextie am carbon hoops built up on i9 hubs and have not had any issues.

I like to ride reasonably big jumps and rock gardens regularly and whilst I have a few scuffs I have not had any issues, the carbon seems to deflect better.

Been on the same wheels for a couple of year now and if I break one would not hesitate to grab the same again.

Fwiw I run about 30psi in the rear and low 20's up front. Have always used some sort of rim protection. Was using ghetto kflex then picked up some nukeproof Ard but only in the rear now.

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EsPeGe

Likes Bikes and Dirt
If you are going to run I9 or Hopes then definitely check out the Onyx hubs. about $900 for a set so not much different from the other two, completely silent and literally instant engagement.
 

wkkie

It's Not Easy Being Green
If you are going to run I9 or Hopes then definitely check out the Onyx hubs. about $900 for a set so not much different from the other two, completely silent and literally instant engagement.
What's the maintenance / serviceability like on those?
 

bear the bear

Is a real bear
Hi folks.
Am looking to build a custom wheelset for my 2019 Pivot Trail 429. Am based in Sydney and am keen to hear from anyone who's had both alloy and/or carbon custom wheel sets built. I am looking at either I-9 or DTSwiss 350 hub due to the SuperBoost rear end on this bike but keen to hear feedback on the various rim choices people opted for. Riding is primarily trail-based in Northern Beaches and south coast (tathra) and also Canberra/Southern Highlands occasionally. I weigh between 95-100kg depending on season! Should also say it is XT/XTR 1x12 (MicroSpline).
First question, because everything falls out of that. What is the budget for the wheels?
 

beeb

Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
If you are going to run I9 or Hopes then definitely check out the Onyx hubs. about $900 for a set so not much different from the other two, completely silent and literally instant engagement.
I love the idea of Onyx hubs, but the classic model are heavy AF. The new model looked promising on the weight front, but the early reliability issues put me off big-time.
 

Juz1970

Likes Bikes
Thanks everyone for the replies. Budget is not massive (that went with buying the bike!). OddJob is right in that I am not hucking off high drops, etc. I am riding in the 2021 BC Bike Race but, again, that's not going to be full of jumps. Budget would be 1200-1500 I reckon (pending tax return). Noted on the Enve avoidance, too. Have eyeballed the optional Reynolds carbon hoops that are available on higher-end models of the Trail 429 so they're an option as well. Anyway, will keep you all in the loop and thanks again for the advice/responses!
 

Oddjob

Merry fucking Xmas to you assholes
Thanks everyone for the replies. Budget is not massive (that went with buying the bike!). OddJob is right in that I am not hucking off high drops, etc. I am riding in the 2021 BC Bike Race but, again, that's not going to be full of jumps. Budget would be 1200-1500 I reckon (pending tax return). Noted on the Enve avoidance, too. Have eyeballed the optional Reynolds carbon hoops that are available on higher-end models of the Trail 429 so they're an option as well. Anyway, will keep you all in the loop and thanks again for the advice/responses!
If you do go the Reynolds option make sure you get the Blacklabels, they come with I9 hubs. The standard hubs are nothing special.

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beeb

Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
If you do go the Reynolds option make sure you get the Blacklabels, they come with I9 hubs. The standard hubs are nothing special.

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Is the warranty still short with Reynolds? When I checked them out a couple of years back they were 3x the price of Nexties, with a shorter warranty. That was rim-only though, which is never a value proposition with "brand-name" rims.
 

Oddjob

Merry fucking Xmas to you assholes
Is the warranty still short with Reynolds? When I checked them out a couple of years back they were 3x the price of Nexties, with a shorter warranty. That was rim-only though, which is never a value proposition with "brand-name" rims.
No idea. They do lifetime in the US but no idea here.

The Blacklabel rims I have are T O U G H. Most carbon rims have 2-3mm thick walls but the Reynolds have 3mm running to 5mm at the nipple bed.

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EsPeGe

Likes Bikes and Dirt
What's the maintenance / serviceability like on those?
I've got 3 sets of them and have had zero issues. I have just replaced the bearing on the first set I got after 3 years or hard riding. They've been sweet and probably could've kept using them but figured it was time. They are super easy to service yourself and have a couple of good videos on how to do it.
 

EsPeGe

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I love the idea of Onyx hubs, but the classic model are heavy AF. The new model looked promising on the weight front, but the early reliability issues put me off big-time.
Yeah they are heavy on paper but I'm fucked if I've ever noticed when riding, especially when they get rolling. The issue I have with Onyx new vesper hubs is that they are more expensive here than their original hubs whilst overseas they are cheaper. And Fuck me they'll cost you about $1100 here in Aus. That is ridiculous. $900 was pushing it.
 

Scotty675

Cable thief
Yeah they are heavy on paper but I'm fucked if I've ever noticed when riding, especially when they get rolling. The issue I have with Onyx new vesper hubs is that they are more expensive here than their original hubs whilst overseas they are cheaper. And Fuck me they'll cost you about $1100 here in Aus. That is ridiculous. $900 was pushing it.
Got to agree that the extra weight isn't a disadvantage. With zero drag they roll so much better.
I'm not familiar with the onyx hubs but true precision stealth.
 
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