[Closed] 26" wheelset recommendations £150ish

Superstar do their AMX wheelset for £150 i believe and you can choose your axle standards....On-One currently have several sets of cheaper Shimano MTB wheels on their site for less than your budget too.

edit-double post

shameless plug Alternatively you could by my Mavic XM719 on Pro 2 hubs (blue) running tubeless with stans rim strips and On-one Smorgasboard tyres for £175 ends shameless plug

Get some second hand 717's built onto Hope with nice spokes, should be on your budget in decent knick (even if they come through with knackered bearings its just a matter of liberally apply t'ammer then popping new ones in, costs about £15 for both ends). Will last forever.

You're not light, but as long as you've been OK with XC rims in the past - I'd give these a whirl, they are nice hubs which are easy to work on and good quality rims...
[url= http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/switch-evo-wheelset-sentinel-26--clearance.htm ]http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/switch-evo-wheelset-sentinel-26--clearance.htm[/url]

Or these if you want something a bit wider...
[url= http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/switch-evo-wheelset-pacenti-cl25-26--clearance.htm ]http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/switch-evo-wheelset-pacenti-cl25-26--clearance.htm[/url]

Have I just been called a fat git????? lol

So a few suggestions all around the same price, but I have no idea which is best so anyone willing to give a definative answer on which of the superstar builds is the best for me? Also are the superstar wheels better quality than the cheaper Shimano wheels?

With regards to XC rims, the only mtb wheels I have ever used are the ones that came on the Boardman and I have had no problems with the rims that im aware of, only the hub.

Im not adverse to buying 2nd hand if I am getting substantially better wheels, the problem is how do I know they are in good nick before buying given im a numpty?

Cheers for the help so far.
Rob

I bought lightly used Crosstrails for £130, seems to fit?

Superstar for pricepoint but wouldnt recommend them mind. They dont seem to like picking up phones and theyre C service is something which leaves a nasty salty taste in your mouth according to many.

Try on-one definitely or go on hunt for some previous generation hope/stans wheels for £150 would be where my money would go.

I have Superstar AM490 rims build onto Switch hubs on my Boardman hardtail.

I'm also around the 16st mark, and have yet to trash these wheels.
The front could do with truing up, but that is because I got a branch jammed through the spokes.

You can specify different adaptors to allow you to run Superstar solid axles (9mm rear and 10mm front I think) I found these were well worth it, as they stiffened both ends up a fair bit.

You won't get hope/stans for less than about 175 unless very used or very lucky, I've been searching for a while now.

If I was buying 26 inch wheels, it'd be used- I sold my last set for basically what the hubs are worth.

Merlin's custom builds are worth a look, you could get slx centrelock hubs (QR), xm319 rims, and double butted black spokes for £165 a pair. Their builds are good, and that spec wouldn't be too heavy either.

Rob, I have some 26 inch wheels for sale. Rear is shimano xt on mavic 717, used once, as new. Front is a fulcrum red metal. Both for £70.00 and both are qr. the shimano comes with a new xt qr skewer.

Email steph dot madde @ o2 dot co dot uk

Should I be looking at anything with less than 32 spokes given my weight?

Have I just been called a fat git????? lol

I was assuming it was all muscle, honest.

Also are the superstar wheels better quality than the cheaper Shimano wheels?

Yeah, sounds like you'd be OK with the Sentinels then - they are excellent for the money.

Customer service ain't as good as Hope I'm sure, but for the £130 they are unbeatable IMO.

I can't guess your weight by the tone of your typing, but standard 32 is good and strong. It's not the be-all and end-all, as some (like Fulcrum) have fewer but thicker spokes.

Second hand is a very good bet at the moment, lots of quality wheels on the cheap.

You dont need to guess - my bulk is mentioned in the origional post 😀

Second hand is a very good bet at the moment, lots of quality wheels on the cheap.

Agreed...

shameless plug Alternatively you could by my Mavic XM719 on Pro 2 hubs (blue) running tubeless with stans rim strips and On-one Smorgasboard tyres for £175 ends shameless plug

I'm also around (or a bit over) the 16st mark and these have been bullet proof 🙂

[url= http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/1651406/ ]

I am selling a set of QR wheels custom built DT Swiss Rims & DT Swiss Competition spokes on Superstar Hubs rear hub more expensive Trizoid 120 pickup engagement

Whilst great rims and mine have been bombproof (better than later Crests which I bent) the Olympic rims in your original post I think have an advisory weight limit, they are very light race rims
Cracking price for them though

Worth remembering Shimano hubs are loose cup and cone ballbearings, most others will be cartridge bearings if that is a consideration for future maintenance/bearing replacement

Not mine but a quick search revealed...

http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/1643017/
http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/1597646/
http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/1660568/
http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/1536406/

Buying wheels shouldnt be this hard, especially coming from the no name generic stuff I was using!

Given all the info above and having done a bit of reading I have narrowed things down a bit. I think im right in thinking cartridge bearings need less attention, and so they are for me and Shimano stuff is off the list.

I also dont want to buy new rotors so i need 6 bolt hubs.

Im still torn between new from superstar or better wheel second hand, what risks am i running getting 2nd had ones? Is there a chance they could die within weeks and leave me back where i am now or would it be a case of new bearings and good to go again?

Finally how much difference is a few 100g going to make in reality?

Cheers,
Rob

The golden rule of superstar is to think of it as basically a wheel kit that happens to come assembled. Maybe it'll be a good enough build to ride on, maybe it won't, but as long as you always planned for that likelihood it's good.

That sounds pretty snarky but it's basically how I did it- I got one functional wheel and one bad wheel, but I couldn't have even got the bits at the price I paid. So I ended up pretty satisfied.

Another option is to go for basic Mavic wheels, if you want new. Crossride I think. Merlin knock them out cheap.

Have been fine on my hardtail and i am near 12.5 stone. Hubs are easy to service, they have sealed bearings that pop out. 6 bolt usually available.

What about a set of these all the way from sunny Germany

http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/red-power-xl-disc-6-bolt-54307/wg_id-507

I've got a set (albeit 29er version) and they've been brilliant for the money

Ok, I realise I am probably getting annoying now but I like to learn about what I am buying so I can make an informed choice. Just so happens I have never bought wheels before (or serviced a set) so I know nothing!

Anyway, I think I am probably going to buy a wheelset from Superstar but there seems to be 3 choices of hubs, Switch EVO, Switch Ultra or Tesla Evo. Anyone know the difference or which is best?

Cheers,
Rob

There you go!
http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/WPSHOEMT66/shimano-wh-mt66-centrelock-wheelset

Just buy something from Superstar, that's clearly what you want despite the much better suggestion of getting some s/h pair of Hope/Mavic.

Thank you Sunday jumper - a most insightful and helpful post!