Help me figure out which wheels to buy

[doosh]

My Felt Q820 has just had some road tyres put on it for commuter duties. They're wire beads and a pain in the arse to put on/off, so I'm looking at getting a second set of wheels with my weekend tyres on them.
Trouble is, when it comes to the technical side of things with mtbs, I'm clueless. I can adjust my brakes & gears, lube up everything in sight, but other than that I have no idea what is going on. I had a look for some wheels and was (a) blown away by the goddamn price of some of them and (b) blown away by the variety.

I had a look at the tech specs for my bike but I'm none the wiser.
Could some kind chap/lady help me out with what I should be looking for?

eg. I see something like this: Shimano SLX Trail WH-MT68 26" 15mm TA Centrelock Front Wheel 2013 Black, it's clearly a 26" rim but how do I know if it is compatible or not?

FYI my rims and hub specs are:
F/HUB
Shimano FH-M475, 6-Bolt Type Rotor Mount, 32H, with Quick Release
R/HUB
Shimano FH-M475, 6-Bolt Type Rotor Mount, 9 Speed Cassette 32H, with Quick Release
RIMS
Mavic XC-117 Disc Doublewall, 26 x 1.5 x 32H, 23mm Width, Presta Valve, DISC Brake-Specific, Black Anodized

 

[wicked-n-lazy]

Cassette & Rotors

A little off topic but you will have to buy another cassette (~$50) and rotors (~$25ea) for the new wheelset, unless you are planning on swapping those each time.

 

[wombat]

A little off topic but you will have to buy another cassette (~$50) and rotors (~$25ea) for the new wheelset, unless you are planning on swapping those each time.

Also, try to get the same hub if possible. Unfortunately there's no real standard for cassette positioning relative to the frame, so sometimes changing wheels requires adjustment of the rear derailluer limit stops and cable tension too.

 

[moorey]

Also, try to get the same hub if possible. Unfortunately there's no real standard for cassette positioning relative to the frame, so sometimes changing wheels requires adjustment of the rear derailluer limit stops and cable tension too.

Rotor/calliper is a bigger problem for me, even though swapping hope evo wheels for other hope evo wheels. Baffling.

 

[wombat]

Rotor/calliper is a bigger problem for me, even though swapping hope evo wheels for other hope evo wheels. Baffling.

Yeah doesn''t suprise me, tolerances are pretty tight on that side I guess. I see the gear issue a lot on roadies though. Did one on Friday where the bloke was switching from DA carbon tubs to Zipp clinchers, and the cassette was out by almost a full gear; derailluer would happily jam the chain down in between the lockring and the frame. Thankfully he didn't just switch them over and try to go for a ride straight away.

 

[imago]

I've got the same set of stock wheels as you, mounted with my slicks, and a weekend set for dirt. As people have mentioned above, there may be some tiny differences in the wheel construction that cause shifting issues, but I haven't had this cause me major dramas.

Not sure what prices you've found but Merlin Cycles is pretty good for wheels. You can get a set of Shimano MT15s here for $126. Add on the cassette and rotors you should be looking at roughly $200 all up. These wheels are centrelock discs that fit onto the wheels differently, but all that means is your brake rotors won't be interchangeable between the wheels.

Another option is to spend up for a set of wheels that come setup for tubeless. The MT66's at Merlin are currently $270, they have gone on sale for $170 before, this way you can run these as your tubeless dirt wheels, and the old set commuting. This is a pretty cheap option when you consider the cost of buying a tubeless conversion kit for a wheelset.

 

[The Duckmeister]

FYI my rims and hub specs are:
F/HUB
Shimano FH-M475, 6-Bolt Type Rotor Mount, 32H, with Quick Release
R/HUB
Shimano FH-M475, 6-Bolt Type Rotor Mount, 9 Speed Cassette 32H, with Quick Release
RIMS
Mavic XC-117 Disc Doublewall, 26 x 1.5 x 32H, 23mm Width, Presta Valve, DISC Brake-Specific, Black Anodized

Let's start with a breakdown. Although in ages past there were different (and therefore incompatible) rim diameters labelled as "26-inch", 559mm Bead Seat Diameter has been the standard 26" wheel size for somewhere approaching 40 years now. So "26-inch" rims are all the same diameter, but width varies depending on how the manufacturer expects them to be used, and the tyres to suit (DH rims are quite a bit wider than XC, for example).

Hub specs: The front is HB-M475, not FH (that's code for Freehub, which is specifically rear). 6-bolt refers to how the brake rotors attach to the hub, 32H is the spoke count (H = Holes - 16 spoke holes in each side of the hub, 32 in total), Quick Release = 9mm axle.

FH-M475: Only thing that needs expansion is that "9-speed" is also 8- & 10-speed compatible.

eg. I see something like this: Shimano SLX Trail WH-MT68 26" 15mm TA Centrelock Front Wheel 2013 Black, it's clearly a 26" rim but how do I know if it is compatible or not?

15mm TA (through-axle) is an immediate stopping point. It will not fit in your fork that's made for 9mm Quick Release. You will need to look for the 9mm Q/R option. Centrelock is a different rotor-mounting system. There are adaptors which allow you to fit 6-bolt rotors, but for a second set that you'll be swapping around, you may as well just get Centrelock rotors to suit.

 

[doosh]

Thanks guys, seriously informative and you've helped heaps. Duckmeister, that breakdown of the jargon is fantastic - I was looking at wheels last week and gave up, now I actually feel like I might be able to find something!

 

[DESPICABLE ME]

Love the breakdown Duckmeister, I've got to replace my rear wheel, I asked the shop to write down the specs so I could go shopping but I'm none the wiser cause I have no idea which specs are important/not and/or interchangeable.

Size: 29
FT/RR: Rear
Type: TLR/Clincher (what the ???)
Speed: 10/11 ( if I find wheel with SRAM 10/11 speed can I change over ?)
OLD Front/Rear: 135/142mm (What the ???)
Axle OD: 12mm (guessing 12mm axle is not negotiable?)
Holes: 28
Butting: 14/15/14 (what the?)
Brake rotors: Whats compatible/not

Let's start with a breakdown. Although in ages past there were different (and therefore incompatible) rim diameters labelled as "26-inch", 559mm Bead Seat Diameter has been the standard 26" wheel size for somewhere approaching 40 years now. So "26-inch" rims are all the same diameter, but width varies depending on how the manufacturer expects them to be used, and the tyres to suit (DH rims are quite a bit wider than XC, for example).

Hub specs: The front is HB-M475, not FH (that's code for Freehub, which is specifically rear). 6-bolt refers to how the brake rotors attach to the hub, 32H is the spoke count (H = Holes - 16 spoke holes in each side of the hub, 32 in total), Quick Release = 9mm axle.

FH-M475: Only thing that needs expansion is that "9-speed" is also 8- & 10-speed compatible.


15mm TA (through-axle) is an immediate stopping point. It will not fit in your fork that's made for 9mm Quick Release. You will need to look for the 9mm Q/R option. Centrelock is a different rotor-mounting system. There are adaptors which allow you to fit 6-bolt rotors, but for a second set that you'll be swapping around, you may as well just get Centrelock rotors to suit.