Wheels wheels wheels!

[timrob]

Hello All,

I'm wanting to get a new set of wheels, upgrading from my stock scott/shimano hubs on alex 44 rim combo. The hubs in these wheels are driving me nuts! so I'm wanting to up to cartridge bearings, as well as shave a few grams of the weight! intended use is for XC, i tend to ride fairly hard so something that is not going to collapse under me! (i weigh 75)

Ive been mooching around looking at a variety of wheels from custom builds to stock builds. I dont have an arm and a leg left to spend but i would like some quality wheels.
So far on the drawing board is:

Fulcrum Red Metal 5
Hope Pro 2 on .... maybe a Mavic rim?
Hope Pro 2 on Stans

I was looking at maybe upping to the Fulcrum Red Metal 3 wheels, but im not sure if the added cost is really justified!
The option to run tubeless is pushing me towards spending money, are you better off getting tubeless specific rims? ie Stans, high end mavic, high end fulcrum?

any recommendations, thoughts and reviews would be greatly appreciated. even if you have a second hand set kicking around let me know!

Cheers Tim

 

[McBain]

Stans aren't toobless specific, but work pretty well.

ProII on Mavic 819 or Stans Arch/Flow is a pretty solid allround xc setup.

 

[BT180]

What about a Shimano XT All Mountain set?

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=20792

 

[timrob]

XT's look pretty solid, but are also quite heavy for the cost, $100 extra and i could land a Fulcrum RM 3 set which are a good 300g lighter!

 

[wagga]

I have just swapped my Alex DP20/shimano wheels for a set of Bontrager Racelites with DT Swiss hubs. These have cartridge bearings, are tubeless ready and saved about 600 grams of weight.

With the reduced weight and cartridge bearings the bike roles alot better and I am finding myself about 4 minutes quicker than average around my local XC track.

Cost around $950 a set.

Daniel

 

[evObda2]

Id be keen to see how the Fulcrum's go.
There pretty popular in Europe i believe, and look nice as hell!
Stans rims are pretty nice too. Seeing them crop up more and more now, with people saying there pretty good.
Go with something different from the usual mavic/hope and see how you go.

 

[Viv92]

I have Pro II on ZTR arch for XC and Pro II on 5.1 for harder stuff (and Pro II on MTX for DH bike , need more Pro IIs).

The arch rims are fairly good but you still need to true and tension them once in a while if you ride hard. Pro II on 5.1 is super strong and pretty light but probably overkill. I'd try Pro II on Flow...

 

[Ivan]

XT's look pretty solid, but are also quite heavy for the cost, $100 extra and i could land a Fulcrum RM 3 set which are a good 300g lighter!

Fulcrum RM 3 = 1685g http://www.fulcrumwheels.com/jspful...p?productid=11&varid=18&lang=en&world=offroad

Shimano XT XC WH-M775= 1677g http://shimano.com.au/publish/conte.../product.-code-WH-M775.-type-wh_mountain.html

Maybe you have the XT XC WH-M775 wheels confused with the XT AM WH-M776 which are wider and heavier?

Anyway, The Shimano's can be had very cheap if your an astute shopper, but if it were me I would try and stay away from proprietry spokes.

 

[timrob]

Yeah the XT wheels were the all mountain version that i was looking at, my apoligies.
I do like the fulcrums, i ride them on my roadie and apparently the internals of the hubs are the same for the Red Metal range.
I might start snooping around and looking at the XT range, are they sealed bearings?
thinking i might give the low end Fulcrum RM 5 set a go, at $270 a set of CRC. see how much abuse they can put up with!

 

[BT180]

Sorry, my fault; I linked you to the all mountain versions, but that's because you said you ride fairly hard.

I guess you need to weigh up strength vs light weight or spend more and get both.

 

[Ivan]

I might start snooping around and looking at the XT range, are they sealed bearings?

No, they're cup and cone.

The Shimano wheels are good quality, and the rims are sealed for tubeless, but the proprietry spokes and lack of sealed bearings are a negative. As much as I bag them, I have a set of WH-M776's on my Heckler and they have been faultless.

 

[timrob]

ah ok, definitely a negative about the hubs, my current 545 shimano hub has been driving me insane, im more inclined to go for a sealed cartridge bearing.

 

[Misplaced]

im a fan on conventional build wheels, the type it doesnt take $60 and 5 days to get spoke for.

i say go the pro IIs and the stans. you can make a normal rim ust but you cant make a ust normal.

 

[timrob]

might go and have a chat to the LBS and see how much it would cost them to get a Fulcrum spoke in (i know the road ones are a bitch) . Be a good indicator for a through life cost estimate! if its ridiculous pricing ill opt to join the crowds in a Hope Hub Stans/Mavic build

 

[jaseh]

Massive difference between 545 and XT hubs. I think I read somewhere the Fulcrums are cup and cone as well. It all comes down to how good you are at adjusting cup and cone.

Personally I would prefer cup and cone over cartridge, I have never had a set of wheels roll as good as mt XT's and they are far superior when dealing with cornering loads compared to cartridges. That is why you don't see cartridges in anything that has a side load.

You can run UST rims with tubes and tubed tyres. My XT's are set up like that now.

 

[Newton]

XT's look pretty solid, but are also quite heavy for the cost, $100 extra and i could land a Fulcrum RM 3 set which are a good 300g lighter!

Fulcrum 3's 2009 = 1853g per pair
Fulcrum 3's 2010 = 1685g per pair (no skewers)
XT's M775 UST = 1677g per pair (no skewers)

Much the same weight with skewers, where did you get the 300grams from ?

Picked up some XT UST wheels (near new - $280 a pair fleabay, yes my brag for the day), and they are fantastic wheel.

 

[craigl]

I would give TWE a call you can find them on the net or ebay.
The guy that builds the rims was great to talk to and could build a set for me for a pretty good price. The weight was around 1650 grams for a 32h WTE hub and rim set. I tip the scales at around 88kg and this was a light set of wheels that would go the distance.
I already had a set that I purchased before I talked to the guy, but I will give them a go for the next set of wheels I buy.

http://www.twowheelsenterprises.com.au/

 

[timrob]

Much the same weight with skewers, where did you get the 300grams from ?

was looking at the AM version, check posts above

yeah i had a look at TWE wheels, but there about $700 a set (for a ~1500 g set), although they probably are some quality wheels, not sure that im up for forking out that sought of money right now! unfortunately money only stretches so far!

 

[Firemanmikey]

wheels

I'm with craigl, TWE wheels are great.. Greg has more knowledge regarding wheels than anyone around!
He built a set up for my daughter (1440g) (she is 52kg) and they are the ducks guts. When i put them on her race bike she is overwhelmed at the difference in weight from her xt wheels.
Again, didnt break the bank and really easy to deal with.

 

[Landon]

XT M775 All the Way

Massive difference between 545 and XT hubs. I think I read somewhere the Fulcrums are cup and cone as well. It all comes down to how good you are at adjusting cup and cone.

Personally I would prefer cup and cone over cartridge, I have never had a set of wheels roll as good as mt XT's and they are far superior when dealing with cornering loads compared to cartridges. That is why you don't see cartridges in anything that has a side load.

You can run UST rims with tubes and tubed tyres. My XT's are set up like that now.

This is absolutely correct. There is nothing wrong with adjustable, and properly sealed, cup and cone hubs like the XT's. They're a fantastic set of wheels. The hubs are nothing like the cheaper Shimano units.