What mtb rims?

[broster]

I have a focus Raven 5 hardtail and currently have some hope tech xc wheels on it, they are good but at only 19mm internal feel they are a bit narrow. I have a set of 2.35" magic Mary tyres and think I would benefit from wider rims. I would keep the hope hubs. I don't want anything to heavy but not wanting to spend millions, I have around £200 to spend on rims and spokes, what would people recommend? Mainly xc riding, nothing to extreme, maybe the odd trip to the peaks and Cannock.

[Herman Toothrot]

Easton ARC27

[broster]

Forgot to add, 29" wheel.

I'll have a look now at the arc 27.

[broster]

Herman, do you think I need to go that wide? I see they do a 24mm would this be better suited or is the 27 worth it?

[Herman Toothrot]

On a 29er I'd go 27mm internal for sure, even XC main riding type as they are not significantly heavier than the narrower version and will support the tyre better and build a stiffer wheel with less lateral flex.

I run ARC27 on my do it all 650b bikes with Magic Mary 2.35s front / Nobby Nik 2.35 rear and I like them, I also have Hope Tech DH which are 28mm internal they are heavyweight rims though I only use on the rear when visiting DH tracks. Hope Tech Enduros on my old 26" bike which are 23mm internal are fine, but it's such a smaller wheel there is less flex to deal with.

[broster]

Ok, sounds like a good way to go. Any suggestions where to purchase?

[Herman Toothrot]

I got mine from CRC

[paulmon]

I've got the ARC 27 and in my opinion they are OTT for the riding you plan to do. I use them for more technical/aggressive terrain with higher volume tyres. One thing you would need to check is to make sure you have enough clearance on your frame particularly at the rear as the ARC27 will push the tyre sideways instead up so the tyre may foul the chainstays/seatstays/front mech.

I also have a set of Stans Crest/Superstar Switch hubs and these a significantly lighter than the ARC 27 but still have the width to give you the volume you are after as long as you get the either the Crest 2 or Crest 3 rims. Tyres play a big difference in weight and feel and the Magic Mary is a beast of tyre in 2.35. The bike you have is an out and out XC bike and whilst fitting gnarly tyres will help you through the clag of winter fitting lighter tyres and going tubeless will transform the bike. I have Maxxis Icon 3C/EXO/TR (29 x 2.2 rear and 29 x 2.35 front) fitted to the Stans Crest and they are perfect for trail centre and XC stuff.

http://singletrackworld.com/2016/04/stans-wheels-w...

[broster]

Thanks for that Paulmon.

I know the bike is out and out xc, hence I have the hope xc wheels and I use an xc tyre on those, also tubeless. But feel it may hold me back a bit with trips on rocky terrain. I know the bike isn't fully suited to this kind of riding but I'd rather get some better wheels to suit and then maybe carry those to a new bike build at a later date.

Would the arc 24 be more suited in your opinion? It's 5mm wider than I currently have

[paulmon]

broster said:

Thanks for that Paulmon.

I know the bike is out and out xc, hence I have the hope xc wheels and I use an xc tyre on those, also tubeless. But feel it may hold me back a bit with trips on rocky terrain. I know the bike isn't fully suited to this kind of riding but I'd rather get some better wheels to suit and then maybe carry those to a new bike build at a later date.

Would the arc 24 be more suited in your opinion? It's 5mm wider than I currently have

Hard to say to be honest. Both wheels will work but you might have to change your tyres to a 2.2 which will probably give you the same volume that you have now.

Here are three images with tyre widths that you can use to measure the clearance at the back end of your bike. The first is a Maxxis Icon 2.2 mounted to a Stans Crest Mk2 rim. The second is a Maxxis Minion DHF 2.3 mounted to a Arc 27 and the last is a Maxxis Ardent Race 2.35 mounted to the Arc27. All tyres are running around 20 psi.







Get a tape measure and check the distance between your chainstays and seatstays at the narrowest point and you should then have a good idea of what will work.

P