MTB Wheelsets, Choices, choices..

[schizo]

HI

 

I'm hoping you can point me in the right direction on which wheelset to go for

I have Jalco 29'er rims with shimano hubs that came standard on my Merida Big 9

I'm currently using tubes still and want to convert to tubeless, the wheelset with hubs weighs around 2.3kg, I don't have exact weight as there isn't much information online, so I've weighed the front rim, minus weight of the rotor to get an estimate.

I'm been looking at the ZTR Arch and the Mavic Crossride rims, which are around 1.7k and 2kg respectively.

 

There is a price difference between the two, but I want to make sure I get the right one. I'm about 82kg so could go for a middle of the range, light and strong.

 

I could just convert my current rims to tubeless, but will the crossride rims give me that much of an improvement and in turn with the ZTR Arch rims even give me more of an improvement?

 

Thanks

[rouxtjie]

Believe it or not, the easiest choice will be rims. Hubs, now that is a different kettle of fish and where the money layout sits

 

You can do a lot worse than ZTR arch on Hope Pro II, DT spokes and brass nipples. They might be boring, but oh so reliable

[hboli4]

I have exactly what Rouxtjie said...can't go wrong imho.

[Fabian46]

Believe it or not, the easiest choice will be rims. Hubs, now that is a different kettle of fish and where the money layout sits

 

You can do a lot worse than ZTR arch on Hope Pro II, DT spokes and brass nipples. They might be boring, but oh so reliable

Rouxtie, whats so important about the hubs? I got new rims on my bike but its got a X9 hub on the rear....was thinking of changing it but not sure what difference it will make. I cant change my front coz its 20mm bolt thru, and is like chicken teeth to find

[rouxtjie]

Rouxtie, whats so important about the hubs? I got new rims on my bike but its got a X9 hub on the rear....was thinking of changing it but not sure what difference it will make. I cant change my front coz its 20mm bolt thru, and is like chicken teeth to find

The "mechanics" of the wheel sits in the hub, so your pawl system, seals, bearings, weight, spoke options and configurations all come into play with the hub.

[MarcBurger]

The Arch on Hope combo is great value, look good, work great.

I am a proud Mavic fan, however, other wheelsets on the market do offer better value nowdays. It all depends on what kind of riding you're keen for.

ZTR crests are great. Also have a look at the American classics, I recently did a fair bit of reading up on the wide lightnings and they seem awesome and not too expensive (although I'd also like other people's opinions on them)

[CAAD4]

IMHO you can't compare a factory made wheelset i.e. Mavic, to a Hope hub with an Arch or i23 hoop with decent spokes, brass nipples built up by a good wheel builder. 

[Wolfie1]

Novatec dragons on novatec hubs.

Mine have been running a year now with no issues.

Free hub on the novatec hubs have a anti bite guard that prevents the cassette from biting into you free hub body

 

1606g per set 

[Daniel J Méssem]

Rouxtie, whats so important about the hubs? I got new rims on my bike but its got a X9 hub on the rear....was thinking of changing it but not sure what difference it will make. I cant change my front coz its 20mm bolt thru, and is like chicken teeth to find

 

Unless its broken, there is nothing wrong with the hubs 

 

Personally I prefer cup and cone hubs to 'sealed' bearing hubs - I have a XT rear hub, and the grease is always clean when I service it, my hope front hub tends to get dirt in the bearings. 

 

The only reason I am running hope on the front is for the 20mm thru axle, couldn't find a 20mm shimano at the time 

 

here are some reasons for my choice:

 - sealed bearings are not really sealed. Sure they are sealed against dust at high speed, but we don't run them anywhere near the speed required, and we throw mud at them occasionally. 

 - the seals on higher end shimano hubs are excellent

 - I don't mind servicing cup and cone hubs occasionally, prefer this to sourcing stainless steel bearings for hope hubs

 - mass produced hubs are forged, this is cheaper and stronger than CNCing from a forged billet like hope does. So I figure I am getting better value 

 

The loud clickers on hope hubs are pretty sweet I won't lie, and probably longer lasting than the shimano ones, but 2k vs R500 for what I consider a better hub

 

weight saving on a hub is no better than anywhere else on a bike (unless we argue about unsprung mass vs CG) rim and tyre weight count for a lot though 

[rouxtjie]

Unless its broken, there is nothing wrong with the hubs 

 

Personally I prefer cup and cone hubs to 'sealed' bearing hubs - I have a XT rear hub, and the grease is always clean when I service it, my hope front hub tends to get dirt in the bearings. 

 

The only reason I am running hope on the front is for the 20mm thru axle, couldn't find a 20mm shimano at the time 

 

here are some reasons for my choice:

 - sealed bearings are not really sealed. Sure they are sealed against dust at high speed, but we don't run them anywhere near the speed required, and we throw mud at them occasionally. 

 - the seals on higher end shimano hubs are excellent

 - I don't mind servicing cup and cone hubs occasionally, prefer this to sourcing stainless steel bearings for hope hubs

 - mass produced hubs are forged, this is cheaper and stronger than CNCing from a forged billet like hope does. So I figure I am getting better value 

 

The loud clickers on hope hubs are pretty sweet I won't lie, and probably longer lasting than the shimano ones, but 2k vs R500 for what I consider a better hub

 

weight saving on a hub is no better than anywhere else on a bike (unless we argue about unsprung mass vs CG) rim and tyre weight count for a lot though

How does three years without having to replace a bearing grab you...the only thing i am religious about is not bringing degreaser near my bike and no direct water streams(pressure washers and hose pipe) near the hubs.

 

I like fit and forget items, but they are very rare because of the nature of mtb'ing. Hope hubs are one of them....cup and cone hubs are not, but if its your bag then who am I to say different

 

PS if you think you pay 1500 more because of the clicking sound, I suggest you open a rear hope...it really is a great piece of engineering.

[johanpre44]

I like Fulcrums, have a set on my 26er and they have been running well. Will love to get a set of the new Red Power HP's for my 29er, but already have a set of Pro-lite wheels on there (Pro-lite's are nice, but not available in SA at the moment). Custom built wheels are probably the best, just a little pricey (CWC's Arch EX on Hope at R6000 is a very good deal).

 

I prefer cartridge bearing hubs for some peace of mind (if maintenance is neglected a bit you can just replace the bearing which should cost less than rebuilding a wheel after trashing a cup-and-cone hubs cups). Hubs with sealed cartridge bearings do still need an occasional clean-out to ensure everything runs at it should.

 

I can agree with Daniel on good value for money on cup-and-cone hubs, especially Shimano SLX and XT because they have proper seals. Only issue is that you need to learn how to properly lock the cups to ensure smooth operation.

 

If you decide to save some bucks and get cup-and-cone don't get anything other than Shimano SLX/XT. It sucks that the axles are not convertible, but I will take the 15mm Through axle at the front and make an "inner" axle for QR if its needed and stick to QR for the rear.

 

Both these types of hubs needs some maintenance, and I will suggest that pressure washers should stay far away if you want any bearing to last.

[Mr X]

The new American Classic Wide Lightning is strong with a rider weight limit of 107kgs but weight is the same as Crests, a bit less weight than Crests actually but stronger and stiffer. Included will be the AC hubs which is much better hubs than the Stans hubs.

[SCD]

I am riding the AC Wide Lightning since about 800km. Had Arch Ex on Hope before.

1) the WLs are notably lighter

2) even on super low pressure they feel stable when cornering.

3) they make your tyre one size bigger. So you can buy 2.0s and they feel like 2.1 or even 2.2s.

4) or you keep your 2.2s and enjoy the super wide tyre feeling :-)

 

Complaints: none so far

[schizo]

Thanks for all the feedback, I'll be investigating the Wide lightnings, but the general consensus seems to be, go with a decent rim and hub combo and it will be money well spent

[Brian Fantana]

Unless its broken, there is nothing wrong with the hubs 

 

Personally I prefer cup and cone hubs to 'sealed' bearing hubs - I have a XT rear hub, and the grease is always clean when I service it, my hope front hub tends to get dirt in the bearings. 

 

The only reason I am running hope on the front is for the 20mm thru axle, couldn't find a 20mm shimano at the time 

 

here are some reasons for my choice:

 - sealed bearings are not really sealed. Sure they are sealed against dust at high speed, but we don't run them anywhere near the speed required, and we throw mud at them occasionally. 

 - the seals on higher end shimano hubs are excellent

 - I don't mind servicing cup and cone hubs occasionally, prefer this to sourcing stainless steel bearings for hope hubs

 - mass produced hubs are forged, this is cheaper and stronger than CNCing from a forged billet like hope does. So I figure I am getting better value 

 

The loud clickers on hope hubs are pretty sweet I won't lie, and probably longer lasting than the shimano ones, but 2k vs R500 for what I consider a better hub

 

weight saving on a hub is no better than anywhere else on a bike (unless we argue about unsprung mass vs CG) rim and tyre weight count for a lot though 

 

 

• Shimano seals are not really better than the seals you find on cartridge bearings.  
• The seals on the latest XT and XTR hubs are really bad, and if you look at online reviews you will find many angry owners
• You don't have to fit stainless steel bearings in your Hope hubs when the original ones are shot, just install standard bearings, which will last even longer because they are hardened.  The stainless steel is just a marketing ploy by Hope.
• Hope hubs are mass produced as well, and they are forged before CNC machining starts.  Have a look at the photo below.  So yes, they are machined, but only partially.

 

I have used Shimano hubs for 7 years, I can service and preload cup and cone bearings with my eyes closed.  3 years ago I bought my wife a set of Hope Pro2 Evo hubs and had it built it up for her with WTB rims. I will not buy a Shimano hub ever again.  In 3 years I have not opened the hubs, because there was no need to.

 

http://chainreactionhub.com/images/news/hope/hope49.jpg

[rouxtjie]

• Shimano seals are not really better than the seals you find on cartridge bearings.  
• The seals on the latest XT and XTR hubs are really bad, and if you look at online reviews you will find many angry owners
• You don't have to fit stainless steel bearings in your Hope hubs when the original ones are shot, just install standard bearings, which will last even longer because they are hardened.  The stainless steel is just a marketing ploy by Hope.
• Hope hubs are mass produced as well, and they are forged before CNC machining starts.  Have a look at the photo below.  So yes, they are machined, but only partially.

I have used Shimano hubs for 7 years, I can service and preload cup and cone bearings with my eyes closed.  3 years ago I bought my wife a set of Hope Pro2 Evo hubs and had it built it up for her with WTB rims. I will not buy a Shimano hub ever again.  In 3 years I have not opened the hubs, because there was no need to.

 

http://chainreactionhub.com/images/news/hope/hope49.jpg

 

Cannot like this post enough....also had XT wheels somewhere..circa 2008 I think...had to service them after EVERY ride...I am convinced their seals were swiss cheese slices.

 

Life is too short to have cup and cone bearings when tech has moved on