So I had a bright idea which has fallen at the first hurdle.
New bike came with WTB Proterra tough i30 mx wheelset with Verdict & Judge tyres. The wheels seems about average weight for an i30 wheel set and the tyres are great... but they seem pretty slow. They are absolutely what I would use when the focus is pointing down steep things but maybe not for the mellower loops.
My bright idea was just pop my existing hunt trailside v2 mx wheel set in with my fairly zippy Vittoria Mazza tyres on. Which would be great, if both the rotor and the cassette didn't have just enough difference in position that changing wheels would mean fettling with calibers and gears. That's a hard no.
As far as I am concerned the multiple wheelset idea is the best way to make sure most of my saddle time is on the bike I need to be most comfortable riding... so I am left with a choice.
1. Pick up a second set of the WTB wheels - I can get them for £275 - and then sell the Hunts on.
2. Sack off the WTB wheels and buy another set of hunts
3. ???
Is there a better option that just going for matching wheels with different tyres? Can anyone advise if the WTB wheels are going to be a better prospect than another set of hunts? The WTB wheels seem nice enough, but I can't find much info about their durability. I've had OK experience with Hunt although my current rear went out of true pretty quick after fitting (subsequently fixed).
In an ideal world I would just save for a nice set of wheels then do the same again in a few months... but here we are. I'm leaning towards another set of the WTB and take it from there - would that be a terrible idea?
I have those ‘tough’ wheels… and they are. Also using the Verdict on the front (DHR2 rear). Great for anything. They replaced Hunt Trail Wides, which absolutely weren’t as ‘tough’, but were lighter. I’d say just ditch that rear tyre for all but the sloppiest of rides. If you can get it off…
Pick up a second set of the WTB wheels - I can get them for £275
From Airdrop?
£247.50 with the code you get when you sign up to their mailing list.
Get some brake disk shims?
I got mine from
No idea why the link won't post
Anyway google shims and cxracer
Just live with it. I’ve had spare light wheels in the past with matching hubs and it’s still no guarantee that the rotor will be in the right place. Gears usually are but means swapping the cassette every time otherwise you risk the least used cassette not meshing well with a worn chain. I got to the point where I just never swapped them over.
If you’re really set on it, then just get a rear. The back wheel makes most difference to rolling feel anyway.
I have a two pairs of hope hubs, they don't swap in and out without a caliper alignment. Same discs and amount of wear, gears are fine as they run to a greater tolerance.
I'd take option 3. Buy "do it all" tyres for the i30s and live with the compromises for the sake of less faffage.
I think the two wheelset thing can work but it is (IME) seldom as simple as a 2 min swap and away you roll.
You either spending the time up front Shimming Rotors and Cassettes to be in the right position on one wheelset to match the other or you factor in tweaking time (realigning callipers and rear mech) whenever you swap over. having the same hubs (and make of cassette/rotor) on either wheelset helps but isn't a guarantee of perfect alignment each time you swap.
It really comes down to how frequently you think you'll be swapping, if it's going to be a couple of times every week I'd be keen to have the same hubs and parts and make sure any mismatch had been shimmed out for minimal faff (there will be some), if you'll primarily be running one wheelset and maybe once or twice a month using the other then I think I'd live with the need to spend half an hour realigning callipers and mech.
I’ve got four wheel sets, all with same DT Swiss hubs (but not exactly the same model) and SRAM cassettes I use between two gravel bikes and they all line up perfectly for shifting and braking. Only takes a few mins to swap wheels over.
Thanks folks, plenty to mull over here. All replied read and appreciated. Decent challenges about how often I will actually change and it is probably not that often - I'll want the heavier tyres a couple of times a month at a guess. But my peak rides can be quite short notice so extra faffage can be the difference between going and not going.
I'm probably not helping myself by using a shimano cassette on a sram drivetrain so no suprise it doesn't line up quite so well.
I originally ruled out shims but that is because I was being short sighted and failed to realise I could shim the existing wheels once I line everything up for the Hunts.
To keep the hunts I would need to pick up an XD freehub and axle adapters anyway and once that is paid for my man maths after selling the hunts puts me pretty close to the new wheelset anyway.
As for the things lining up or not - I've got two sets of hunts and have borrowed a third in the past. Some centre lock, some six bolt. I've always had everything line up perfectly when swapping wheels about. So I will admit I am basing the feasibility of that on my experience. It's pretty wild to me that two hubs from the same manufacturer have different rotor positions.
Getting another set of WTB need you to invest in a set of tyres.
Hunt wheels won't need new tyres and will also mean you can sell your almost new WTB wheels.
It sounds like it would end up being a cost neutral decision, if not cheaper, to replace your WTB wheels with Hunt wheels. That will come at the expensive of having to faff with two bikes when you want to swap the wheels.
Getting another set of WTB need you to invest in a set of tyres
Not sure I understand. I've already got tyres as I would take them off my hunt wheels. Those are the tyres I want to be the main ones that I ride and they still have plenty of life in them.
That will come at the expensive of having to faff with two bikes when you want to swap the wheels.
This is all for one bike - I want zippier tyres for the majority of my riding and the chonky tyres for the things that demand it.
I bought an ex demo bike so unfortunately the WTB wheels on it are not nearly new.
This is all for one bike
I'd misread. I assumed the Hunts were on another bike.
Then it's really a heart/head decision then so purely dictated by your wallet.
Or find a set of middleground tyres and stop the wheel swap faff all together?
