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Need some replacement wheels. Tried Merlin but doesn't look any cheaper than normal.
Seen any elsewhere?
Superstar have some xc and am sets £100
Would have been spot on with the am wheels, but sold out 🙁
CRC have a bunch of Ringles, not sure if they're good deals or not tbh but might be worth a look.
Piss poor hubs, I'm led to believe. I was tempted by them.
Just got a set of easton havocs for £330 with vouchers. Over 50 percent off! I'm chuffed! Havens are cheap to is you want lighter
Dantesw13 - I've been running Black Flag experts for 2 years without touching them in all conditions.
Nevertheless, have a look at these OP:
Always thought that Ringle hubs were pretty good. The one that came with my Demo 9 frame was bloody ace and made a great noise. The bearings lasted for ages.
I bought the cheap Havoc wheels in April and have been really happy with them. They're pretty light, pretty strong and easy to swap to different axles etc.
[i]Just got a set of easton havocs for £330 with vouchers. Over 50 percent off! [/i]
But you could've just bought Hope Hoops at RRP instead.
http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=690 there only £136 if you want all black
I've had ringle hubs used them for dh an they were fine no problems an as said nice click still survived a few heavy landings
Ok - I looked at the Ringles, and the reviews said poor freehub reliability, so I steered clear. Don't laugh, but I went for the Superstar Tactic tubeless on Tesla hubs.
spotted these,
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161177239598?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:VRI&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2661
Easton EA90XC wheel set
Sheesh Dan, did you not read the reviews do the Tesla hub? They were on my list (mainly for the engagement) until I read about the issues people were having. How have you found them so far?
But you could've just bought Hope Hoops at RRP instead
I could have... but since I already have flows and aren't all that happy with them, I'll give these a go!
Hope hubs are ace granted... but stans wheels are very good CHEAP rims... I'll probably get flamed as everyone seems to love them, I have a set myself, and I'll keep them as they will do on next years winter hardtail and for spare. but they are soft, and don't carry any spoke tension as they have no eylets...
You can't have cheap and light without giving up somewhere...
Havocs look like proper wheels to me, the odd bearing issue which they seem to have sorted aside. Granted I wouldn't pay full price for them in a month of sundays but at the same money as hope hoops if you factor in the tubeless kit you don't have to buy as they are UST, seems a no-brainer to me!
On my 4th set of stans rims and never had any of the above problems with any of them Olympic, 355, Crest or Flow
Hope hoops come with the tubeless kit (least mine did) so that argument is out the water too
Not heard anything good bout the Easton Hubs though, bearing issues where a but more regular than 'odd' where they not?.....
And I've never seen them for sale at over £650 they've been cheaper than £300 in the past
On my 4th set of stans rims and never had any of the above problems with any of them Olympic, 355, Crest or Flow
so they don't run significantly lower spoke tension than most other wheels due to a lack of eyelets? that sir is a fact.
as is the fact the alloy is soft (i can show you a battered flow if you like its in the garage).
As is the fact that they are not UST.
I'll take the above all day at a small premium. although I admit they aren't worth near rrp, but were talking £330! the bearing issues are sorted, its well documented...
I have no issue with stans, I have a set.... but the way people bang on about them, you'd think they're carbon enve's!
I have a set of pro 2s on mavic en521s to sell? Very good nick, I can send you some pics if you like? 200 quid delivered. Email in profile.
oakesy2001uk - Memberso they don't run significantly lower spoke tension than most other wheels due to a lack of eyelets? that sir is a fact.
Nope, it's that other thing, a "not a fact". Max spoke tension for a Flow (or Flow Ex or Arch Ex) is 125KgF, which is higher than the 110KgF Mavic are willing to recommend for any of their current mtb wheels or rims, or Ringle (110kgf). Not so sure about Fulcrum, highest I see is 110KgF, could be higher.
Stans lowest max is 95kgf which is higher than the 90kgf maxxis recommend for their standalones.
Damnit, Mavic not maxxis!
Found one that has higher maxes than Stans, Enve go up to 140kgf.
and I'll take the lighter weight, stiffness, wider rim profile standard spokes and easy conversion and widely available and easy to maintain/replace bearings/parts of Hope/Stans any day
Each to their own
If you want soft rims, try DT Swiss
The Tesla reviews seemed pretty positive - especially the second generation. They have a 2 year guarantee, which hopefully I won't need. I know it's a dirty word, but they are 29er too!!
The Tesla reviews seemed pretty positive - especially the second generation. They have a 2 year guarantee, which hopefully I won't need. I know it's a dirty word, but they are 29er too!!
Nope, it's that other thing, a "not a fact". Max spoke tension for a Flow (or Flow Ex or Arch Ex) is 125KgF, which is higher than the 110KgF Mavic are willing to recommend for any of their current mtb wheels or rims, or Ringle (110kgf). Not so sure about Fulcrum, highest I see is 110KgF, could be higher.
sorry, I'll admit that is a misconception on my part... but the easton wheels I'm talking about are double eyeleted to allow exceptionally high tension (I have no idea what this is) so I'm certainly willing to give this a try..
and I'll take the lighter weight, stiffness, wider rim profile standard spokes and easy conversion and widely available and easy to maintain/replace bearings/parts of Hope/Stans any day
Each to their own
If you want soft rims, try DT Swiss
Ill be honest I expected the flaming challenging the king of all wheelsets, but this is ridiculous.....
Flow ex IRD - 23mm
easton havoc - 23mm
My flows weigh in at 1877g with rim tape on digital scales
easton havoc - 1750g claimed
For the final point above, the havocs use straight pull sapim spokes... easy enough to get hold of I have 5 spares ready and waiting if needed, which seems unlikely judging by how strong these rims are...
Look up bearing replacement/service on a easton m1 hub, its a piece of cake, easier than any hub I have ever seen. not only that, but because they have updated the axle/bearings that they use to improve their life (a common compliant with these wheels of which I am well aware), they give you a spare set of the new stuff, and the tool to change them with.. for free! plus they have a 2 year warranty!
I haven't made this purchase lightly, I have done a lot of research, and wanted to share the fruits of this research with someone after a good deal on some wheels... I should have just listened to all the people saying hop/flow FTW!!!! Even though I have a set of battered Flows in the garage that have been OK, but not great, hence me looking for something better without breaking the bank! a wheelset should last over 12 months, and mine simply haven't. I wouldn't be buying new ones if they had...
I also have a very good friend, who rides hard and is heavy admittedly, who has destroyed hope/flow ex's in under 6 months, bent, flatted, dented, with a couple of cracked eyelets. Thee easton havocs also scored the 'most wanted' in a recent mbuk wheel test citing the improved bearings and standard available spokes for 2013 as the main reason for their increase in score from previous versions.
also their main benefit being the stiffness offered by their high tension spokes... a high tension allowed by their unique double eyelet design...
I shall keep my mouth shut next time, and be quietly happy with my purchase rather than question the people who'd rather talk about bikes than ride them...
I was sad enough to weigh my Havocs and they came in bang on the claimed weight. They super easy to set up tubeless as well.
I thought about some Hopes on Stans but the rip strip put me off, it just seemed like extra faff. I can't comment on how tough they are, but they must do something right given the following they have. As I said previously, I've been really happy with my Havocs so do far and at £300 or so, I reckon they're good value.
When I looked into the Tesla hubs earlier this year there were numerous people on here and on other forums have real issues with the freehubs giving up the ghost and then being left at the mercy of Superstars hit and miss service. Shame really because they look good and the engagement sounds great.
Ill let you know how my Teslas go !!
Flow Ex is 25.5 internal width btw, not 23mm, I think you're mixing it up with the old Flow maybe, it was just under 23mm. Agreed stans aren't the most durable, having said that while mine dent a bit easier than I like, it took a lot of abuse in the dh bike before I finally killed a rim- much better than my old Mavics, which were "tough", straight and dent resistant, until they cracked all to buggery.
FWIW, the yellow tape is almost indestinguishable from UST once applied- inflates and stays inflated exactly the same, and tbh Stans wheelbed shape is better for tubeless than Mavic or Fulcrum UST, goes up easier. It's possible to damage the tape when changing tyres, but rare, especially if you do a good job of fitting the tape (learned this by doing a bad job!). It's a good way to do it, I think on balance probably better than UST just because it reduces the amount of metal used to make the wheel airtight, and lets it be used for other stuff.
People will be down on the Eastons as the hubs used to be bloody awful, but it seems like the redesign finally fixed that (and at least they gave people the upgrade for free, unlike Hope). Few years too late for some people, maybe, memories are long.
I'm grumpily sworn off "wheel systems" now because it always ends in some sort of hassle, whether it's expensive proprietary parts or just plain unobtainables, but they do seem like good wheels.
I thought about some Hopes on Stans but the rip strip put me off, it just seemed like extra faff.
really? I've just taped up a pair of wheels in under 10 mins whilst watching tv.
...and if OP still haven't found what he's looking for than I'd recommend quick trip to on-one as they do 15% off their wheels today!
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