15mm through axle vs QR for 29er?

[mr HED]

It all depends on how technical the stuff is that you ride, if you do normal XC with the odd peace of singletrack then no you wont notice a difference, If you like the rough stuff then you can see one hell of a difference.

 

Well in my humble opinion at least. I am now sitting with a choice to either get upgrades on the cheaper QR version wheelsets and forks, or pay more for customized wheelset and limited choice in 20mm forks for XC bikes. Im rather spending the money I can see a major differnece especially in rocky rough singletrack on how my front end tracks and behaves. Its worth the money in my opinon.

covie, using it for epic next year. thats the main aim

[covie]

i currently have a steel 29er with xt 2012 and fox fork (qr). so wanted to move all of this onto me new bike and to build up the steel bike as SS.

 

if i want to go 15mm i need to buy new fork and keep the old one on my SS. (although i prefer to go rigid fork for front on my ss). can you convert your rear AM classic to 12mm rear?

 

American Classic X-12mm Thru Axle 142mm Conversion Axle http://www.buycycle.co.za/skins/austere/customer/images/icons/delete_product.gif

CODE: 15014390

Qty: 1 x R289.00 = R289.00

[covie]

covie, using it for epic next year. thats the main aim

 

I think on the epic you will notice a difference yeah some sections are quite rocky and rutted and you hit them at speed.

[Nimby]

i currently have a steel 29er with xt 2012 and fox fork (qr). so wanted to move all of this onto me new bike and to build up the steel bike as SS.

 

if i want to go 15mm i need to buy new fork and keep the old one on my SS. (although i prefer to go rigid fork for front on my ss). can you convert your rear AM classic to 12mm rear?

 

No - don't think so

 

It all depends on how technical the stuff is that you ride, if you do normal XC with the odd peace of singletrack then no you wont notice a difference, If you like the rough stuff then you can see one hell of a difference.

 

Well in my humble opinion at least. I am now sitting with a choice to either get upgrades on the cheaper QR version wheelsets and forks, or pay more for customized wheelset and limited choice in 20mm forks for XC bikes. Im rather spending the money I can see a major differnece especially in rocky rough singletrack on how my front end tracks and behaves. Its worth the money in my opinon.

Fair enough - looks like your current fork / setup is bothering you anyway

[Nimby]

American Classic X-12mm Thru Axle 142mm Conversion Axle http://www.buycycle.co.za/skins/austere/customer/images/icons/delete_product.gif

CODE: 15014390

Qty: 1 x R289.00 = R289.00

Oops - my bad

[mr HED]

American Classic X-12mm Thru Axle 142mm Conversion Axle http://www.buycycle.co.za/skins/austere/customer/images/icons/delete_product.gif

CODE: 15014390

Qty: 1 x R289.00 = R289.00

thanks! was battling to see if this adaptor was for the classic mtb wheelset, by the way, how are the wheels? great price on buycycle, i heard some people complain about hub servicing etc but they got 4,5 out of 5 on bikeradar

[covie]

AM classics are known to be soft, i.e not the greatest for heavier riders. But thats probably more opinion than anything else, my problem is the 20mm upgront, need to have a wheel rebuild with a 20mm AM specific hub, which made the AM wheelset much more expensive than ZTR crest hope hubs and woodman spokes.

 

Hence im skipping the AM classics and going with a custom build.

[mr HED]

guys thanks for all the input! clearly not a black/white issue (no reference to FHM models here!).

 

what it does say is that the benefits are not dramatic but when building a new machine for heavy use they should be done.

[Iwan Kemp]

...and to future proof it.

 

20mm will be gone for trail / XC use (AM and up only) and it looks and sounds like 15mm will take over XC / trail duty.

[RockCoach]

AM classics are known to be soft, i.e not the greatest for heavier riders. But thats probably more opinion than anything else, my problem is the 20mm upgront, need to have a wheel rebuild with a 20mm AM specific hub, which made the AM wheelset much more expensive than ZTR crest hope hubs and woodman spokes.

 

Hence im skipping the AM classics and going with a custom build.

 

Why not use the 20mm conversion on the Hope hubs? Or am I not reading your post correctly?

[covie]

Why not use the 20mm conversion on the Hope hubs? Or am I not reading your post correctly?

 

I first wanted the AM classics but the factory wheels you can only convert to 15mm thru axle, if i want 20mm then I have to buy another AM classic 20mm hub and have the front wheel rebuilt. Too much effort and works out kind of pricy.

 

So im opting for a custom build ZTR crest rims, woodman spokes, hope hubs. to accomodate 142/12 rear and 20mm front.

[RockCoach]

 

 

I first wanted the AM classics but the factory wheels you can only convert to 15mm thru axle, if i want 20mm then I have to buy another AM classic 20mm hub and have the front wheel rebuilt. Too much effort and works out kind of pricy.

 

So im opting for a custom build ZTR crest rims, woodman spokes, hope hubs. to accomodate 142/12 rear and 20mm front.

 

Makes sense. I like the fact that with Hope you can switch between 9, 15 and 20mm quickly and easily.

[Nimby]

Little off topic but does anyone know where I can buy American Classic hubs - want to build them up on some Stans Arch EX rims.

Cheers

[Dicky DQ]

Marketing K@K!!!

 

All this talk about having too low tire pressure and all. HOGWASH!! the big reason for going big wheels is to get an even lower tire pressure.

 

So do the math, the lower the tire pressure the more the sidewalls will flex, period!

 

I got all the new bits, tapered head tube, through axle, and what ever else. All a lot of cods wallop I say.

 

Bottom line, you cannot take certain components out of a closed loop and say this or that is better XYZ. You have to consider the closed loop in it's entirety. The rest is marketing hype period!

 

Another example is the "....." from Fulcrum Wheels with 2:1 spoke lacing. WTF! More spokes, heavier wheels, and why? is the drive side and/or the braking side not attached to the hub which will evenly distribute the force across the hub's width. Or do the "new through axles" make the hubs weaker so that there is now a twist some where???

 

What a load of.....................

Edited May 8, 2012 by Dick

[Goodbadugly]

Marketing K@K!!!

 

All this talk about having too low tire pressure and all. HOGWASH!! the big reason for going big wheels is to get an even lower tire pressure.

 

So do the math, the lower the tire pressure the more the sidewalls will flex, period!

 

I got all the new bits, tapered head tube, through axle, and what ever else. All a lot of cods wallop I say.

 

Bottom line, you cannot take certain components out of a closed loop and say this or that is better XYZ. You have to consider the closed loop in it's entirety. The rest is marketing hype period!

 

Another example is the "....." from Fulcrum Wheels with 2:1 spoke lacing. WTF! More spokes, heavier wheels, and why? is the drive side and/or the braking side not attached to the hub which will evenly distribute the force across the hub's width. Or do the "new through axles" make the hubs weaker so that there is now a twist some where???

 

What a load of.....................

Always difficult to distinguish between marketing and the real thing. Unfortunately money and marketing speaks the loudest in this world. "The all new BMW X9.6.5. Now with 365kw raw power....blah blah blah." Last year's model only had 359kw. So how is Joe average going to "feel" the 1.715334% extra? Remember the Ford XR6 INTERCEPTOR? At that stage of my life I did not even know what that fancy word meant.

 

In the last few years we heard about:

1. Rotor rings.
   
2. Q factors and stiffer BBs. Thus a load of new "standards". Shimano's internal GXP PF92, BB30. WTF more.
   
3. 20mm maxle. Being an overkill for 99.9% of riders (Not lots of downhillers in this world)
   
4. 15mm. Fox and Rox. "lighter but just as stiff"
   
5. And at the rear not the 135mm but an amazing new 142mm standard. With TA! And a 150mm for the downhillers.
   
6. Ceramic bearings in the rear derraileur.
   
7. Wheelsizes galore.
   
8. Shifters that are 13.33679% smoother.
   
9. Wonderful cables that not only weigh less, but is smoother.
   
10. Tires with negative rolling resistance. And some of the older tires with rolling resistance of over 50 watts!!!! So now Mr Average will complete his 70km marathon in 5:30 and not 5:30:02.
    
11. And 2X10speed. My first bike had only one speed. And one of my palls had a THREE speed Chopper. We saw 3,5,6 7,8,9 etc speeds. And tripple chain rings. To give us more choice. Now maths has improved so much that they could tell us that there are too many overlaps. So less. But the idea was not even "the new standard", when the 3X10 came out. Not sure how a 3X10 is better than 3X9?
    
12. And stiffer frames giving a softer ride. "Stiff, yet compliant"
    
13. And do not forget all the wonderful powders and potions sold at prices close to that of rhino horn. Stuff "proven" to make you 17.33002% faster and 34.698% faster recovery. _{(results may vary)}
    
14. Compression stockings.
    
15. And up to this day I see guys with power balance bracelets.
    

Rant over.

Read the above as a sarcastic outlook at the confidence merchants, marketeers and "researchers" churning out useless data.

 

My opininon on 15mm Thru axle? If you have a weenie fork (SID), it might help. But not if you have a 1.45kg 29er wheelset with 24 skinny spokes and tire pressures of 1.5 bar. If you do downhilling and have wheels with 36 2.3mm spokes rims that weigh 750 grams, go for it.

I see somewhere in a post somebody mentioned the Epic. Consider this: If you stuff up a wheel and a bike store must help you out, what are the odds of them having a 15mm TA wheel in 100mm (or is that 110mm???) versus a qr9 wheel? Same goes for 142mm TA.

[covie]

Marketing K@K!!!

 

All this talk about having too low tire pressure and all. HOGWASH!! the big reason for going big wheels is to get an even lower tire pressure.

 

So do the math, the lower the tire pressure the more the sidewalls will flex, period!

 

I got all the new bits, tapered head tube, through axle, and what ever else. All a lot of cods wallop I say.

 

Bottom line, you cannot take certain components out of a closed loop and say this or that is better XYZ. You have to consider the closed loop in it's entirety. The rest is marketing hype period!

 

Another example is the "....." from Fulcrum Wheels with 2:1 spoke lacing. WTF! More spokes, heavier wheels, and why? is the drive side and/or the braking side not attached to the hub which will evenly distribute the force across the hub's width. Or do the "new through axles" make the hubs weaker so that there is now a twist some where???

 

What a load of.....................

 

Highly entertaining to say the least, Im sure you can backup these statements with your miriad of engineering degrees and real life tests as well as mathematical evidence?

 

How much is the bet you have never tried a thru axle or a 29'er for that matter..... BTW 29'ers have absolutly nothing to do with lower tyre pressures as tire pressures are dictated by your weight and not the diameter of your wheel.

 

sheeeez........ No more words.