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Decided I can't afford to go fit my Soul with superlight rims, are 717 discs pretty good?
Tried a search but not much came up. I won't be doing drops of a few feet on them, maybe one foot at the most, so more of a dip than a drop, I weigh 11.5 stone at the moment.
Am thinking i'd probably be better off staying a bit fitter from riding more and spending the money on something else.
Ta,
Tim
they're good rims. you'll be fine.
They're good rims, but there are now better rims about. For example Stan's rims are lighter for a given type and reportedly as strong.
They're a bit, well, skinny. If you want to run tyres over 2.3in maybe have a look at the 719s? Stans and DT are also good. If you already have the 717s then I wouldn't bother changing though, tbh.
Had 717's on my Cotic for 3+ years, no problems at all with them. Only needed to have the rear straightened once in all that time after I binned it.
I'm around 10.5 stone and don't go particularly heavy on them, not shy in throwing the bike around a fair bit though I guess it's all relative.
They've also converted to tubeless with no great dramas if you that's something you might be doing/thinking of doing in the future.
If I were buying now then I'd probably consider something more current, no regrets in buying these though and I'll be happily sticking with them for the foreseeable...
e2a - 2.25's on mine
Mine laced onto Hope II's have lasted without a single issue despite my ham fisted attempts to kill them (14st in my kit)
I think you#ll be completely fine at that weight whatever you do to them
You'll be fine and i'd have thought it'd be how fast you ride through rock gardens rather than drops that'd cause problems for the rims.
I've smashed two XC717's. Both rears. One was about 2 weeks old. However, I should quantify that by saying that I weigh the same as you, plus a fair sized sack of spuds, and I'm also a right clumsy bugger!!
They're fine, no complaints here. I switched to Crests in the end to because they're a bit lighter, and they do plump up the tyre better, but I'd have no hesitation recommending XC717s.
Mine came on a second hand bike and were amazingly straight considering the abuse I gave them. There were some signs of hairline cracks at the eyelets, so I fitted them to the GF's bike. That set of wheels must be over nine years old though.
They are really good rims if built properly. Dne 2-3 foot drops on them and they've barely moved. I've sworn by them for years but I've got some Stans ones at the moment and they are just as awesome. Less spoken and seem just as stiff but the build is a little lighter.
Love mine, seems far tougher than my DT4.2, although that might just be because the Mavic is on the front. Nice and light, very stiff if well built.
They're a bit, well, skinny. If you want to run tyres over 2.3in maybe have a look at the 719s? Stans and DT are also good. If you already have the 717s then I wouldn't bother changing though, tbh.
The 719 has a recomended max tyre width has a max tyre width of 2.3" The 717 has a max tyre width of 2.1" I think. These are Mavic recomendations and I happen to agree with them after having tried wide tyres on narrow rims and the same tyre on wider rims.
For the 717 rim I would not go any wider than 2.0" as I work on rule of thumb for MTB tyre max tyre width = 3x internal rim width.
For Road tyres I stick to max tyre width = 2x internal rim width. Some may think this too concervative but it seem to work.
On my Rigida Snypers another 17mm internal rim width I run 1.7" tyres but that's more mud clearance. Not many choice for narrow tyres now though.
The reason is narrow rims do not properly support the sidewalls of wider tyres so you get more sinkage (more sinkage will increase rolling resistnace a bit) and tyre squirm. While you could run a 2.3" on a 717 it will not handle as well as a 2.3" on a 721 rim for example. I have tried this.
I think the 717 rims are fine as well so are the DTswiss rims.
excellent rims. I run em on my two ht xc bikes. both of which I hit pretty big doubles and drop offs on. if they are built right they'll last for ages. even run em ghetto tubeless and work perfectly
They were the default/class leader for light weight rims but have been around years and Stans are newer/trendier/better.
i run 2.2 tyres on mine no problem and im quite lardy and ride silly things on them
🙂
'They were' is definitely the key word! Stan's are better in every respect bar cost IMO. Alpines or Crests, you won't go wrong.
There were some signs of hairline cracks at the eyelets, so I fitted them to the GF's bike
😆 don't you like her anymore or something? do you ride along behind her. waiting..waiting..and SMACK!!!! No more teeth for you, you bitch!!!....
You play the long game.... 8)
lol.
yeah pretty good i guess. plenty strong but just not really wide enough now a days. running a 317 on the front of my bike for a couple of years and its still running straight as the day i bought it. its never seen a spoke key in that time either and im no mincer. maxxis minion 2.35 fits on there nicely size wise.
I just ordered Rubber Queen 2.2s, if they fit on my 717s I'll be a happy man, and they are supposed to be quite a wide 2.2
the 2.2 rubber queens on my mates 819's didn't seem any wider than my nobby nic 2.25's on 719's. I think they'll be fine.
Thanks 😉
My 717s say 2.3" max on the side. Fitted some 2.25 Nobby Nics and they are fine.
I have been using Mavic 717 rims with Hope hubs for years, just last and last, perfect for my needs. A great blend of strength and lightness.
I've had 717s on a couple of bikes and always found them very tough and reliable despite being fairly light and skinny. The current set were built by Merlin in XT hubs and have only needed truing once in 2 years.
Re: the tyre size Mavic state 2.1 on their web site but the rim sticker says 2.3. I think this is a bit of marketing ploy to differentiate from the 719. I run 2.25's on mine and they are fine.
That all said, if i were buying now I'd be looking at Stans Crest or the bargin 355's that seem to be kicking around at the moment.
I've been running a hand built set paired with Hope 2's for the last 2 years on my H/T. I run them with Kenda Nevegals 2.1's and never had a problem. They've been brilliant, and never needed trued. Although mine aren't the disc specific ones, and I sometimes get a little brake judder off the front, but disappears when feathered. I mainly ride Cross Country, but have done numerous runs down the Nevis Red Downhill without any issues. I weigh around 11 stone with kit. I fully recommend them.
I ran a set for 18 months and they were very tough but my style of riding changed to the point I swapped to stans flows.
Strange thing is my hope hoops build of flows are 50g a wheel lighter than the 717's were? My biggest problem with them was I couldn't run a big tyre (well 2.25 nobby nice) at low pressures as they felt like they were going to roll off the rim in the corners. They were also near impossible to run tubeless as being so narrow they burb unless rock hard.
If i was looking for a really light xc rim then it would be stans crests for me, lighter and I can't get over how much difference a wider rim makes to the profile of the tyre and the confidence it adds in the bends. I am also a convert to tubeless and hope never to use tubes again.
i run 717 discs on one bike and stans crests on the other... both are fine
I would recommend them. They are tough for their weight (compared to DT Swiss which must be made of cheese).
I've got a two sets of XC717's on hope hubs from Merlin and they have lasted ages