Advantages of "upgrading wheels"

[Mountain Bru]

So what wheels do you have DJ84? I'm about 67kg's, but frequently run out of talent and bulldoze into rocks and stuff. Are the ZTR crests strong enough for my ""exuberant"" riding style?

[divernick]

Upgrade to Arch EX rims built on Stans, Hope or even XT hubs. Get them built by a good wheel builder. They will be infinitely stronger and more reliable than the Alex rims that you have now. My mate wrote off his Alex rims on his Scott within 30min of the beginning of his first ride at the PWC bike park. They're rubbish.

[Dustbug]

Go to a XCO race or one of the more demanding marathon races and have a look most of the top and up and coming riders are using stans rims because they are reliable , Patrick Morewood stipulates Stans ZTR Arch on the Pyga's because they can handle the work load and are reliable. just make sure you get the right rims for your use and weight ie: more weight more spokes for support , the tyres do also make a difference as the profile of a tubeless is flatter than a tubed tyre which relates across to surface contact area grip etc.. at your upper weight limits 90kgs and up you will be able to fit a non tubeless type tyre on the front but don't try it on the back go proper full ust tubeless. I at now 90kg but previous 3 years at 96kg ride stans rims with full tubeless crossmark on back at 1.8 to 2 bar pressure on the front I use Icons, xking protection plus and mountain kings protection plus at 1.8 to 1.6 bar pressure, I could probably go a bit lower with the pressure for more grip if I thought it necessary. as said by an earlier post the weight issue relates to your climbing - less weight = more effective climbing ability . heavy rims etc for faster downhill ??, downhill I have hit speeds up to 64kph on dirt track and forest roads and certainly don't need to go much faster as I would run a serious risk of running out of talent.

 

enjoy your riding.

[DJ84]

So what wheels do you have DJ84? I'm about 67kg's, but frequently run out of talent and bulldoze into rocks and stuff. Are the ZTR crests strong enough for my ""exuberant"" riding style?

 

I run XTR,

bulletproof wheels in my opinion.

I would personally go for the Arch but at your weight I think the crests should be fine even with some hard knocks.

[ianhoy]

to put it all simple:

 

1.Better stiffer wheels means that you have no flex, when you point at an obstacle and go over it to land where you where you pointed.

2.You loose no power in the wheel.

 

I cracked my ZTR the other day (my fault) and while waiting for my new ZTR to be build put the original wheels that the scott came with, I could physically feel the energy being transferred into the wheel due to flex.

[martinsnyman]

Sorry don't agree with this. Reading one of the bike mags it stated that for every kilometre of climbing you can make up 20 seconds for every 500grams you are lighter (sorry don't know what gradient they were taking about). Now I can't see you making that kind of time up on a down hill. I have race wheels AC Race and the standard Syncros that came with my spark 910 its a 1kg saving and I can tell you there is a huge difference. Routes that I normally ride I see a big difference in my times and that's all the proof I need.

So what would happen if I kept the wheels and lost say 5kg around the mid section?

[Helpmytrap]

So what wheels do you have DJ84? I'm about 67kg's, but frequently run out of talent and bulldoze into rocks and stuff. Are the ZTR crests strong enough for my ""exuberant"" riding style?

I'm 61kg and have put countless dents into my rear Crest rim (low pressures combined with a lack of staying loose or misjudging an obstacle). But nothing a shifting spanner couldn't bend straight again. After a year of riding the front rim is still perfect but a nipple did pull through the rear rim the other day. Sending my wheels in next week to be fixed or replaced (hope not) and the spoke tension redone.

 

So as long you don't go too low on the pressures you should be fine. I only had issues at 1bar with the front tyre and 1.2bar on the rear.

[Ceres]

So what would happen if I kept the wheels and lost say 5kg around the mid section?

 

Same story you would lose probably 3 minutes on a one kilometre climb. I find lighter wheels are also a lot easier when climbing technical climbs they tend to "pop" more easily over rocks.

Edited July 17, 2013 by Ceres

[DJ84]

I'm 61kg and have put countless dents into my rear Crest rim (low pressures combined with a lack of staying loose or misjudging an obstacle). But nothing a shifting spanner couldn't bend straight again. After a year of riding the front rim is still perfect but a nipple did pull through the rear rim the other day. Sending my wheels in next week to be fixed or replaced (hope not) and the spoke tension redone.

 

So as long you don't go too low on the pressures you should be fine. I only had issues at 1bar with the front tyre and 1.2bar on the rear.

 

That is soft,

I ran 1.6 front and back the other day,

felt as if my rim was touching every rock I road over.

 

I am using 1.7/1.9bar on 2.3/2.1 tyres.

[Helpmytrap]

That is soft,

I ran 1.6 front and back the other day,

felt as if my rim was touching every rock I road over.

 

I am using 1.7/1.9bar on 2.3/2.1 tyres.

I usually ride 1.2/1.4bar on 2.25/2.1 tyres. (On a 100mm HT)

 

If you're rims are knocking rocks at those pressures you need to loosen up! Elbows and knees bent outward and work the bike to absorb the trail.

Edited July 17, 2013 by Helpmytrap

[DJ84]

I usually ride 1.2/1.4bar on 2.25/2.1 tyres. (On a 100mm HT)

 

If you're rims are knocking rocks at those pressures you need to loosen up! Elbows and knees bent outward and work the bike to absorb the trail.

 

Im not the lightest rider I know, I think my bike thinks im a fatty.

Also on a 100mm hardtail.

Been working on riding lighter.

[Craigwt]

Sorry don't agree with this. Reading one of the bike mags it stated that for every kilometre of climbing you can make up 20 seconds for every 500grams you are lighter (sorry don't know what gradient they were taking about). Now I can't see you making that kind of time up on a down hill. I have race wheels AC Race and the standard Syncros that came with my spark 910 its a 1kg saving and I can tell you there is a huge difference. Routes that I normally ride I see a big difference in my times and that's all the proof I need.

 

I do agree with what you're saying.. and you're not disagreeing with me. I'm questioning the fact that many people believe that the weight you save on a wheel is far more important than weight saved elsewhere on the bike. In your scenario, loosing 500grams anywhere else on the bike would result in the same improvement. I also went from 2.2kg Giant wheels to 1.4kg AC race and felt no huge difference in my climbing ability (although there may have been a theoretical improvement).

 

So if I kept my heavy wheels, but dropped the weight elsewhere, we would still be on an even playing field

[Helpmytrap]

Im not the lightest rider I know, I think my bike thinks im a fatty.

Also on a 100mm hardtail.

Been working on riding lighter.

I also realised now that I thought you weighed 67kg instead of @The_Warthog.

[DJ84]

I also realised now that I thought you weighed 67kg instead of @The_Warthog.

If I dropped 8kg's I would enjoy the hills even more.

 

To the OP,

everything makes a difference when it comes to climbing and weight.

Change parts on you bike because you have to(old/damaged) or want to(have the spare cash).

 

I enjoy riding my bike because I do,

not because I made it lighter or because it has lots of bling bling (it doesn't)

[Skylark]

My vote is for for Hope Hubs(with free bee nest) + Stans ZTR Rims

 

What does rim flex feel like??

 

Have ridden many cr4ppy wheel sets, all I know is when I moved from a Medium Morewood Shova with budget WTB rims to a large Shova with ZTR Flows & Hope hubs the difference in basic rolling speed was huge, same frame virtually identical setup but different wheels - WOW!

Made me a firm believer in the power of good wheels.

 

But I can't say I recognize wheel flex when I ride borrowed bikes with junk wheels, how do you spot it?

Edited July 17, 2013 by Skylark

[MTBc]

the clicking sound of a lekker cartridge freewheel often distracts & intimidates other riders, giving you additional opportunities to pass.