Bombproof 26" MTB Wheels

[Cuppa Bru]

I don't care about weight. Want to build the tuffest wheelset possible. What to get?

CRC selection:

Rims: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/za/en/rims?f=2258

Hubs: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/za/en/hubs?f=2258

[DR ◣◢]

A wheel is only as strong as the person who built it so whoever builds it should know what he is doing.

 

Spank Spike rims on Hope hubs. Light and strong. You won't be disappointed.

[Brighter-Lights]

Check out Superstar Components as well.

 

http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/

[Chro Mo]

MTX 33s on Hope Hubs.

 

Beastly strong combo.

[gummibear]

Mavic XM 719 on XT hubs.

I have been riding mine for 4 years and they still perfect.Hubs get grease every now and then when i remember.

Spent the last few day in the mountains on them and no problems.

[Guest Omega Man]

Mavic EX823. A truly bombproof rim. Not light tho. And Hope hubs.

[Capricorn]

Like oh mega man suggested, you really want indestructable and BOMBPROOF, then EX823 is your first port of call.

 

If you want something a bit lighter, but super strong, try the latest Mavic EN821. It's the 'cheaper' version of their new enduro specific rim.

 

The XM 819 looks like a cheaper, but slightly heavier version of the Crossmax rims.

 

The EN 821 however, offers a slightly wider profile which will do grip a world of wonders, but weighs the same as the XM 819. I'll the EN 821 is a very attractive option.

 

All the mavic's mentioned here are UST compatible, so you score ito tubeless.

 

edit: fixed my bs.

Edited November 3, 2013 by Capricorn

[Guest Omega Man]

Like oh mega man suggested, you really want indestructable and BOMBPROOF, then EX823 is your first port of call.

 

When I had 823's if I flatted at Tokai I'd just roll down the road to the cars on it. I even did that little double on my roots with a flat. Dingless!

[LazyTrailRider]

You can't go wrong with Atomlab Pimp DH rims either (on Hope hubs, as has been mentioned). They're massive beasts and could probably handle regularly rooftop hucks without issue.

 

These puppies: http://www.atomlab.com/rimsplite.html

Edited November 3, 2013 by MH for short

[Cuppa Bru]

Hoops:

The atomlab pimplites look great (and good reviews), but probably going SunRingle.

Mavic EX823 are too pricey @ R1.2k each (about same weight as MTX33).

MTX33 36H looks good at R600.

 

Hubs:

Hopes are great, but saw a Shimano TS30 36H hub for R72(!).

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/za/en/shimano-ts30-rear-hub/rp-prod83940

Trying to find more info on this hub as that'd make my build a lot cheaper.

[Capricorn]

I see you are not going after full UST compliance. Bit of a pity IMO. That shimano hub is gonna work loose. It's why i went with the mavic+hope hub wheelset replacement. The stock Giant branded rims were taking teh beating i was handing out, but the shitmano hub was the weaklink.

 

Bombproof means everything else: tyres, spokes, nipples, beading and hub. Dont spend cheap now and pay later.Continuously pay. If you choose wisely, you can take rims and hubs out of the short to medium term maintenance and/or replacement costs. If you go tubeless, you take the cost of patch kits, snakebites, reduce riding time and replacement tube costs and hassles out of the equation as well. The only thing you have to save up for is replacement tyres.

 

If you ride really hard, stump up the $$ now, and never spend major dime on your wheelset for the next few years. That's honestly the service life you will get out of the bombproof mavics and some hopes, or anything similarly comparable.

 

i know i'm harping on about it a bit, but i've seen this before, with guys who want to build the best gaming PC like EVA, with the best processor and/or GPU, but then skimp on the PSU just to 'make things cheaper'. So when they overload the PSU, it runs under frequency and over amped, often blowing the mobo. Short sighted cheap assness costs bigger in the longer term. Same with wheels. It's the thing that hits the dirt all the time. Dont skimp. Buy smart,but dont buy cheap. You gonna pay in the end.

Edited November 4, 2013 by Capricorn

[Hairy]

EN 821 ..... rough estimate on cost per rim?

[YUMEYA]

A wheel is only as strong as the person who built it so whoever builds it should know what he is doing.

 

AMEN!

[TimC]

Also take a look at the WTB frequencys...I had some WTB i23's laced for me. They are a trail rim...so heavier than the XC version but still not too bad. Pretty tough. Being good for me so far.

[Capricorn]

EN 821 ..... rough estimate on cost per rim?

 

just spoke with Action Cycling: no pricing just yet, and availability 3 weeks hence.

[Cuppa Bru]

LMAO off at your bestevvar gaming PC analogy and my cheapie Shimano hub thinking.

 

Long-term price and convenience were what drove me to search for bombproof wheels.

 

Read that SunRingle supply Stans rims, only difference being that Stans look for the lightest rims and SunRingle prefer sturdier rims. But of course this ensure that a MXT33/39 rim will hold a tubeless setup equally well as a Mavic UST rim.

Didn't think that the full UST-compliance was so important as I'd ghetto with duct tape to close any spoke holes. After all, the DH tyres (eg. Conti Kaiser) I've considered don't even come in UST flavours.

And the wider the rim, the less likely a tubeless tyre is to roll of in a turn at a given tyre pressure.