MTB wheel suggestions
Discussion
Looking to purchase an affordable wheels for my MTB and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions.
I have been looking at SRAM 406 and 506 wheel sets as they seem very affordable but I have been out of biking for a very long time so don’t know what’s worth buying these days? It’s a nice bike and well specced so I don’t want to bolt complete tat to it, but again its second hand and didn’t cost a huge amount so I also don’t want to spend out more than what I originally paid for the bike.
Does anyone have any suggestions on what to look at – wheel wise? Any brands to consider / avoid.
I use the bike for cross country, some rocky trails and going fast on the way down hill (circa 14 stone).
Got to be realistic, so price wise so looking 120 / 130 ish at most.
Suggestions appreciated.
I have been looking at SRAM 406 and 506 wheel sets as they seem very affordable but I have been out of biking for a very long time so don’t know what’s worth buying these days? It’s a nice bike and well specced so I don’t want to bolt complete tat to it, but again its second hand and didn’t cost a huge amount so I also don’t want to spend out more than what I originally paid for the bike.
Does anyone have any suggestions on what to look at – wheel wise? Any brands to consider / avoid.
I use the bike for cross country, some rocky trails and going fast on the way down hill (circa 14 stone).
Got to be realistic, so price wise so looking 120 / 130 ish at most.
Suggestions appreciated.
Justin S said:
Mavic Crossrides are a great all round wheelset. Have guys I ride with and they dont look after their bikes and the wheels is something they never have to worry about.
This. I've got them on my AM machine and they take a beating although I'm 70 odd kgs so not really a husky rider lol.
Pro 2 hopes sadly are not great hubs. I have seen too many cracked hub bodies, broken pawls, bearings full of mud, seized bearings to personally recommend them.Even with Hopes supposedly great support ( well they replaced 3 mates rear broken hubs FOC, but I had to build their wheels back up afterwards)I would still buy the Mavics.
Engineer1 said:
Being powerfully built and a bash through rather than go round rider I seem to spend to keep finding my back wheel slightly bent, the rims are DTswiss on a cheap ow brand (mondraker) hub, so would i be better with some DH or AM wheels that should take the hammering better.
in my experiance more often than not its the build rather than the componants that determines how much abuse a wheel will take. A decently built lightweight wheel will last longer than a badly built heavy duty wheel.Edited by james0 on Sunday 28th October 08:52
Never had an issue with Hope hubs. Had maybe 20 sets over the years. The six sets I currently have had been used, by me, for the last 5-years. Only had to change two sets of bearings. I'm not light, smooth on kit or meticulous about maintenance. Indeed, the Hustler still has mud from this years Morzine trip on it.
Mavic pre-built wheels are some of the very best out there, especially the likes of the Cross-Ride. They're built as very homogenous components that are definitely more than the sum of their parts (or many other wheels aren't the sum of their parts!).
As for the Hope Pro2, they're one of the best hubs out there although some of the earlier ones had issues with the axle being a little thin in the centre which caused problems when not used on a proper 12mm bolt through; standard QR and the tapered rear Maxle axles seemed to be the biggest cause of this. The thicker axle introduced in 2010 seems improved night and day over the originals and seem capable of taking a lot of abuse. I've certainly never had any issue with them on the trail bike or DH bike and they've seen a lot of action. Even my older hubs are still running the original axles, albeit on a true bolt through axle and now relegated to my spare wheels (they saw 25+ DH races in '10 though alongside a lot of European events and riding trips). Sometimes it's just an unlucky mixture of components that all transpire to cause issues that aren't apparant elsewhere. The new Evo version to me is the perfect UK hub as it's got the stainless steel bearings out the box, doesn't weigh much, is sealed well and is easy to strip down and relube when necessary. Unfortunately out of the question for £120 but if you keep an eye out on some of the sales boards and ebay you may be able to pick up a set in good condition on the older hubs for £150 - I sold a set which were virtually new on EX823's for £180 not long ago.
As for the Hope Pro2, they're one of the best hubs out there although some of the earlier ones had issues with the axle being a little thin in the centre which caused problems when not used on a proper 12mm bolt through; standard QR and the tapered rear Maxle axles seemed to be the biggest cause of this. The thicker axle introduced in 2010 seems improved night and day over the originals and seem capable of taking a lot of abuse. I've certainly never had any issue with them on the trail bike or DH bike and they've seen a lot of action. Even my older hubs are still running the original axles, albeit on a true bolt through axle and now relegated to my spare wheels (they saw 25+ DH races in '10 though alongside a lot of European events and riding trips). Sometimes it's just an unlucky mixture of components that all transpire to cause issues that aren't apparant elsewhere. The new Evo version to me is the perfect UK hub as it's got the stainless steel bearings out the box, doesn't weigh much, is sealed well and is easy to strip down and relube when necessary. Unfortunately out of the question for £120 but if you keep an eye out on some of the sales boards and ebay you may be able to pick up a set in good condition on the older hubs for £150 - I sold a set which were virtually new on EX823's for £180 not long ago.
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