New wheelset vs bought wheelset

[Greggo]

Hi all.

 

Advice please.

 

Standard Easton Haven 29er rims or custom built ZTR stans arch rims with XT hubs.

Custom are about R600 more. Which combo would be better?

 

 

Thanks all

Edited July 8, 2013 by Greggo

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Havens without a doubt. VERY good rim, and if you're going custom I'd rather go for Superstar hubs or Hope Pro 2 hubs. Far better option than the XT hubs which are prone to degradation over time if not properly serviced.

 

Hope & Superstar, you can replace the bearings. If an XT's cones & cups become pitted... new hub time.

[mad bout mtb]

The upside of having a custom wheelset is you get to build a 32 spoke wheel with j-bend spokes which you are more likely to find at any good bike shop should you have the misfortune of breaking one. Brand spesific spokes ie. mavic, easton, crank brothers etc. are rarely kept in stock and can be quite costly. My vote is for custom but save up for decent hubs. XT's are a waste of money imho

[the nerd]

I agree with the above. Stay away from these built hubs not from a stength or performance point of few but from a "we live in SA and **** is often hard to find" point of view. Both my brother and myself ride hope pro 2s on velocity blunt sl's and haven't had a single issue.

[Santa C]

Got a set of Mavic SLR and a set of Easton Carbons...

 

never had a problem with either.

[Bat-ass]

Got a set of Mavic SLR and a set of Easton Carbons...

 

never had a problem with either.

 

No, you wont have a problem with them, they good wheels, BUT.... if on a Saturday morning mtb ride, you get a stick in your spokes and break one... you wont be riding on sunday!!! Chances are, you wont be riding those wheels for a month while waiting for a very expensive replacement spoke..

 

However if you riding custom wheels with normal "j" bend spokes and you get a stick jammed in your spoke and break one, even at a stages race..... a) your 31 remaining spokes tend to keep the wheels pretty straight to get you home.. and B) b. When you get to the race village, you will almost certainly find another spoke for about R10 at the first mechanic guy find...

Edited July 9, 2013 by Bat-ass

[Greggo]

Havens without a doubt. VERY good rim, and if you're going custom I'd rather go for Superstar hubs or Hope Pro 2 hubs. Far better option than the XT hubs which are prone to degradation over time if not properly serviced.

 

Hope & Superstar, you can replace the bearings. If an XT's cones & cups become pitted... new hub time.

Thanks Cofba, will stay away from XT hubs

[Greggo]

The upside of having a custom wheelset is you get to build a 32 spoke wheel with j-bend spokes which you are more likely to find at any good bike shop should you have the misfortune of breaking one. Brand spesific spokes ie. mavic, easton, crank brothers etc. are rarely kept in stock and can be quite costly. My vote is for custom but save up for decent hubs. XT's are a waste of money imho

Fair point, thanks so much

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Thanks Cofba, will stay away from XT hubs

 

No worries dude. Check out www.superstarcomponents.co.uk for some seriously good hubs at seriously good prices if you're building a set of wheels. Modeled on hope pro 2 evo and tough as nails. Come in cool colours as well.

[Greggo]

Are novatec hubs worth the extra R1000, apparently sealed bearings and almost bullet proof.

[gongmech]

Easton for sure, but the replacement rims are specific and expensive at best. Definitely prefer Eastons over Xt though. Have a set of XC ones and brilliant for years.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Are novatec hubs worth the extra R1000, apparently sealed bearings and almost bullet proof.

 

Novatec vs what? Xt? Almost surely. But have a look at superstar. Do yourself a favour. Prob cheaper than xt and you can have them built here.

[Hairy]

I was lucky enough to convince The Crow to sell me his wheelset with superstar hubs laced to stans arch ex rims. What a nice wheelset and the treaty hub is the trizoid hub in the range that is light yet tough enough for dh, it also has 120 point engagement that pics up exceptionally quickly.

 

One of the outstanding features from this brand is that the hubs as very easily and quickly convertable to any format, 9mm qr to 20mm thru axel and the rear can also very easily go from 135mm spacing to 142mm in a a few seconds.

 

So far so good for these hubs!

[Johan Bornman]

Are novatec hubs worth the extra R1000, apparently sealed bearings and almost bullet proof.

 

Just about all hubs, except those sold on bikes at Makro, have sealed bearings, including Shimano hubs. Before you decide on any hub, first ask the price of:

 

a) pawl

b pawl spring

c) Freewheel body

 

This little exercise will reveal whether the importer keeps stock of what are essentially consumables on hubs. Do not buy a hub for which you cannot source spares locally.

Edited July 10, 2013 by Johan Bornman

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

 

 

Just about all hubs, except those sold on bikes at Makro, have sealed bearings, including Shimano hubs. Before you decide on any hub, first ask the price of:

 

a) pawl

b pawl spring

c) Freewheel body

 

This little exercise will reveal whether the importer keeps stock of what are essentially consumables on hubs. Do not buy a hub for which you cannot source spares locally.

 

Sorry Johan bit that' last bit is bs. I can get any and all spares shipped from superstar in the uk within 4 days (often 3) which is often faster than getting local suppliers to send something to an lbs. the bearings are also standard bearings so there's no problem with replacing one.

Edited July 10, 2013 by cpt armpies mayhem

[Johan Bornman]

Sorry Johan bit that' last bit is bs. I can get any and all spares shipped from superstar in the uk within 4 days (often 3) which is often faster than getting local suppliers to send something to an lbs. the bearings are also standard bearings so there's no problem with replacing one.

Captain, this was not an attack on your favoured brand. I have never seen those hubs so I have no opinion on them. I wanted to give the OP a method for selecting reliability. If he considers the source to be good, spares readily available and is prepared to put up with 4 days plus shipping, then all's well and fine.

 

I specifically didn't mention the bearings since they will almost certainly be standard cartridge bearings available anywhere I the world.

 

I don't see where my advice is BS.