New 29er wheelset or sealed bearing hubs

[Frans Rothner]

Hi hubbers

My son has a Scott Aspect 910 MTB with shimano hubs and Alexrims and he does MTBing as a sport at school.

I want to know which upgrade will be better a complete wheelset and if that which make and why or just replacing the hubs with ones with sealed bearings.

Edited April 21, 2014 by Frans Rothner

[johanpre44]

The Cost of rebuilding wheels is somewhat expensive (you may need to buy a new set of spokes as well - check with your LBS for a breakdown of the cost), I would suggest getting a new wheelset. Depending on your budget you can get something very nice and light that will be a huge benefit to your son (Mavic Crossrides starts at about R3000, with mainstream wheelsets getting to R6000)

 

CWC currently have special going on Crest Rims with Hope Hubs for R5800 (your son will ride these wheels for years), but you can also look at other brands like America Classic (very light especially the Race model)

[Frans Rothner]

Thank you Johan I've seen a few adds for Mavic Crossmarks & Crossrides lighter. Stronger but heavier Sunringle Black flag expert is also a choice. But which to get??

[David Marshall]

Always a difficult decision, buy a factory wheelset or get one made up? My 2 cents for choosing either. 1) get a strong rim - nothing wrong with the Alex on that set. 2) make sure that the wheel has standard J bend double butted spokes and enough of them (at least 32 for a 29er). I repair enough wheels with proprietary spokes to know what a pain it is sourcing them. 3) The choice of hub is secondary. Even the less expensive ones are more than adequate. Preferably you need one with sealed cartridge bearings and a brand supported by a local agent that keeps spares for the freehub. That said the rest is largely cosmetic.