nick_the_wheelbuilder

They've seemed to have reinforced the spoke bed in the new rims to address the cracking issues - only time will tell, but I'm looking forward to building up some of these new rims....

I sent you a PM

Shoot me a message and we can chat about saving you some weight. A strong carbon enduro wheelset can easily weigh 1800g - an alloy set will be over 2000g (strong 30mm inner width rims) Choosing carefully, you can drop the wheelset weight close to 1600g or lighter, but you'll be paying over R20k for the set. Best value for money is getting lighter tyres - you can save 200g per tyre easy.

That trainer tyre in the pic is for a 29er (622 means 700c/29er rim)

It works great until you have to remove the tape for any reason. Gorilla tape leaves huge chunks of adhesive on the rim surface, making re-taping very untidy. I use a tape similar to Gorilla, but with a much thinner adhesive layer - I get it from Rush Sports, same guys who import Maxxis and Santa Cruz. Cheap as chips too.

If using tubeless-ready tyres and tubeless-ready rims, a normal floor pump should work 90% of the time. If you struggle, remove the valve core and attach the pump tubing straight over the valve stem to get enough air volume into the tyre. I work on lots of wheels and tyres and I am 99.9% successful seating tyres with my normal Lezyne floor pump. Clogged valves make this harder.

The most important thing when going tubeless is to make sure your RIMS are designed for tubeless use. If they're not, you risk the tyre becoming unseated when you do get a flat due to a large puncture and even if you're able to plug the hole, you won't be able to inflate the tyre again on the trail, meaning you'll be putting in a tube anyways. The risk of burping the tyre is also there if the rims aren't right. You can tell by looking inside the rim at the shape. See pic below. Also check out these articles: https://wheelbuilder.co.za/3-ways-make-tubeless-better/ https://wheelbuilder.co.za/rims-how-wide-is-too-wide/ Entry-level Scott bikes don't have great wheels, and this should be your first upgrade when the time comes. I make this statement not to bash the brand, but based on how many Syncros wheels come into my workshop needing new rims. Based on the website spec you provided, it seems like your rims have a 20mm inner width - 25-30mm inner width is better for the 2.4" tyres you wish to run. I hope this helps.

The DT Swiss XM481 is probably the nicest in-stock rim in 30mm ID available at the moment. They sell for around R2300-2500 per rim, making them properly premium priced, but they are superb. I see that Rapide now has their 30mm rims back in stock and is the best option by far, at their price point of R1049. The Spank 350 is great, but stock is tricky. Raceface ARC30 offset are awesome, but no stock. WTB KOM Tough i29 also nice, no stock.

How gorgeous are these hubs from French machinists Aivee?

Very nice indeed!

Firstly, 32-hole is going nowhere. It's only straight-pull hubs which come mainly in 28h. Secondly, you can lace a 28h wheel 3-cross. Many OEM wheels come in 28h these days, but I see around 50/50 32/28h in MTB wheels these days. Oh, and it's becoming difficult finding any stock in decent rims and hubs these days, regardless of spoke count. A wheel with 24 spokes can only be laced 2-cross, (or radial, if it's a rim brake front wheel)

The Speeder Cycling rims work out to around R4500-5500 per rim, depending on shipping. Similar to Nextie, which I import a lot of. The rims with the best warranty and support today are South Industries. Love those rims!

Great question! Yes, the 23mm inner width rims are too narrow for WT tyres. Yes 30mm rims will be great. My recommendation would be to go with Spank 350 or DT Swiss XM481 rims. Both are currently available in SA and both are just over R2000 per hoop. WTB KOM Tough i29 rims are another solid option at around R1850 per hoop. Going this route let's you perform a sensible upgrade without over-capitalizing on the bike. Those DT 370 hubs are fine and should last forever anyways. Remember to factor in the cost of the wheel rebuild and possibly spokes.

Pluck the spokes like a guitar string - they SHOULD all sound alike. If there's a big variance, get the wheel looked at by a pro. 1mm lateral or vertical deviation from true won't make any difference on a disc brake MTB, so don't stress. Get your wheel looked at when you're breaking spokes, the wheel has 2mm or more wobble or if the spokes have wildly varying tensions.

DT Swiss EX511 (enduro) or XM481 (trail) (30mm) DT Swiss XR391 (25mm) Light weight XC Spank 350 / 350 Vibrocore (30mm) Spank Spike Race 33 (28mm internal) for DH/enduro/trail WTB KOM Tough i25 / i29 (25/29mm) WTB KOM Light i25 for light weight XC Raceface ARC Offset 25/30mm Raceface ARC30 HD for enduro/e-bike Alexrims EXR30 30mm (excellent rims if you're on a tight budget, just on the heavy side)

Then you better follow my fishing handle: @gardenroutefishing

I have this conversation often. The sweet spot for most MTB riders is 25mm. This works really well for all tyres between 2.1 and 2.4". Some guys want something more aggressive or durable, then 30mm inner width rims have some benefit, and work well with tyres 2.25 - 2.6" There's not a really wrong answer - 25-30mm inner width rims will work well in 99% of cases. Don't overthink it. Would I ever build a new set of MTB wheels with rims narrower than 25mm? Nope. Will you benefit moving from 23mm or narrower rims to something wider? Yup.

Thanks for the punt!

Putting out a feeler.... Would anyone be interested in a size small Cotic Solaris in duckegg blue? White Crest rims on white Novatec hubs, white SID fork, 1x10 Shimano ZEE drivetrain with silver Shimano LX cranks. Carbon seatpost. Shimano Deore brakes with white hoses. Pic is from a few years ago when I built the bike. Wife's not riding anymore due to neck surgery. Bike currently has a Spez Fast Trak rear and racing Ralph front tyre. I'm entertaining any sensible offers. I'd consider parting it out if someone wants frame only.

Excited to be able to ride there again, hopefully soon! Winter is the best time of year to ride there.

Ever wondered why having the correct length spokes is so important? I was asked about it, so wrote an article on it, which you can find here: http://www.wheelbuilder.co.za/how-to-calculate-spoke-lengths/

I'll PM you.

I'll send you a PM.

OK, let me chime in I see a LOT of carbon road wheels in for repairs and maintenance. The most typical issues I see are rims which delaminate due to overheating from braking and wheels suffering from going out of true and broken spokes. I won't mention any brands here, but the cause of the latter issues is almost always poor build quality control. The delamination issues are generally rims which are poor quality overall - from reputable brands commonly available locally. If your target is around R15k, then get in touch to discuss some options before you spend money on something else, even if just for some ideas and advice. I find that the slim design hubs used by most affordable brands are a major source of flex, causing wheels to touch the brakes when sprinting. I've found this is avoided by using more robust hubs like Hope RS4, DT Swiss 240 and 350, and the hubs by Aivee. For the past 2 years I have been importing premium Nextie rims directly from the factory, and building them locally with DT Swiss, Hope or Aivee hubs, using bladed and round, j-bend and straight-pull spokes by DT Swiss, Pillar and Alpina. The feedback I've received has been stellar and (touch wood) not a single issue with regards to rim failure due to heat or anything else. For reference, I can hand-build you a set of premium Nextie rims on Hope, DT or Aivee hubs for between R15 and R17k, depending on options. Shameless plug: I guarantee my workmanship, spokes and nipples for LIFE. Anyways, hit me with questions and comments, I'm here to help.

When replacing the spoke, tension it up slowly, and pluck it like a guitar string. Compare its sound to the spokes next to it on the SAME side of the wheel. Once it "sounds" like the spokes on either side of it, you should be good to go, and the wheel should be fairly true, assuming it was built properly originally.