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Hi all,
So I'm the nice position of buying myself some new bike bits. Firstly, to get rid of the OEM wheels off my 2016 Giant Reign. I'm been looking at Stans S1 Flows, Hope hoops and the new Halo Vortex. Just found a great deal for the Flows so will most likely go with them. I currently have a dual ply HR2 on the back, and a standard HR2 on the front, both 2.35". I'll be going tubeless for the first time ever, so expecting it to be a mess. I ran the dual ply at the back so that it was puncture resistant basically. I have ran HR/HR2's at the back over the last few years, and Minion on the front. I'm considering looking at alternatives. Anyone got good experiences with anything else? It's a mixture of riding, from the lakes, the peak, to Wharncliff etc.
Secondly, new groupset time. Finally ditching my old school 36t cassette and 34t chainring for something a little easier on the climbs with either the SLX 1x11 or XT 1x11.
I really rate the Butcher Grid tyre. If your going tubeless what about a Huck Norris style insert on the rear to avoid going dual ply again?
SLX 11 speed is decent kit, some recommend the Sunrace cassettes for a better gear spread but mine seems not as slick to shift.
My wheel choice would be Flows on Hope.
For the tyre, stick with the Minion up front but go to 2.5 WT 3C version or Magic Mary.
As for the back, stick with the HR or maybe go for a DHR...
Maxxis are the best tyres to set up tubeless in my experience.
Groupset-wise - go for whatever's on offer.
Thanks chaps. Yea, I've never had a problem with SLX stuff, but the XT groupset is very close on price.
I can get the Flows for £250 a set which I think is great value. Not sure I'm good enough to run noisy Hope hubs 😉
I wouldn’t panic about tubeless setup straight away, it’s not necessarily as bad as you think.
Ive got some DT Swiss wheels with Maxxis tyres and it’s been easy tonseap them without too much trouble at all.
Ive also recently setup some wtb i25 rims with On One tyres and they went up without a drama either.
Just make sure you use the correct width tape and wrap it very tightly round the rim. I use a cheap ish airwave pump from CRC that has an air pressure chamber for tubeless and normally a couple of blast seats the tyre. I then pop the bead slightly and pour in the sealant and re inflate with the airWave pump.
Spin and shake the wheel round a bit to distribute the sealant and go ride it.
As others have said Flow MK3's on Pro 4's will be ace, I've been running Arch MK3's with Pro 4's for 18 months and they haven't missed a beat. Would also check out Hunt's new MTB wheels, the Trail Wides are light and sound pretty tough, or if you really bombproof the Enduro Wide's would be a good bet. Tyre wise I'd go Minion 2.5WT up front and an Aggressor 2.5WT on the rear, seems a popular combo on complete bikes next year. Groupset wise it's hard to look past GX Eagle, I've been on X01 Eagle for close to 2 years now and it is just incredible. GX feels 90% as good but is far, far cheaper. If you want the best of both worlds you can mix and match, the X01 shifter is 3x the price of GX but is way nicer and feels better to use, likewise the X01 chains are seemingly smoother shifting than GX. Either way, you can't go wrong with Eagle, it's become the benchmark for a reason.
Thanks again.
Stupid question, the Flow Mk3 on Hope is obviously a custom build, where is the best place to go for them?
I have SRAM on my hardtail, basic NX though, and i find it a bit clunky, worse than the basic shimano. Been great in every other respect though.
GX Eagle is nothing like NX, in fact it's nothing like any 11-speed Sram gear I've ridden! I've ridden a number of 11-speed Sram setups, from NX through to XX-1 and it all feels the same. Cheap. Nasty. Clunky. I was not convinced on Eagle at all when I bought my T130. I was swaying towards ripping it all off and going for Shimano, but honestly it has blown me away. Its incredibly smooth, the shift action is amazingly light, but it still feels very positive. It also seems crazily durable. I'm nearly two years in and have done nearly 1500 miles and still on the original chain/cassette. Very, very impressed!
DT Swiss EX1501 wheelset (30mm internal) with Specialized GRID tyres (Hillybilly/Butcher in winter, Butcher/Slaughter in summer)
The new Gription compound is pretty sticky and in 2 years i've not had a puncture yet (touch wood) with the GRID carcass.
I run 21psi in the front and around 25psi in the rear (i weigh 81kg)
Easy to set up tubeless - the Specialized tyres will inflate with a standard track pump.
The wheels are light, quick to engage and have just the right amount of "flex" to give you a comfortable ride.
I agree with the sentiment on GX Eagle, i switched from XT and much prefer the SRAM kit. Make sure you take your time setting it up though - especially the b-tension as this can cause shifting to be a little tempremental if not done properly.
As others have said.... tubeless isn't a drama... its just a new way of doing stuff.
First time and without a airshot or similar I'd say follow everything....
1) Do it dry first.... don't worry if it's bleeding air until you get the seating ... then you can always inject through the valve or pull a bit off... it makes any messing less messy and cheaper.
2) Do remove the valve core and do use some washing up liquid to lubricate
3) Good luck 😀
If you are otherwise happy at least try your current tyres...
I haven’t used eagle yet - I’ve got a perfectly serviceable gx 1x11 speed transmission on my fs bike and a 1x 10 gx / x9 one on my ht.
The 10 speed one is ok, but the 11 speed one I find quick and positive to shift and I’m very happy with it. I doubt I’ll replace it until something like a derailleur or shifter breaks.
The Shimano 2 x 11 on my racer is very quiet and very vague as far as I’m concerned. Have got no desire to move either mtb to shimano.
Been a Maxxis fan for a very long time but have been running the new Michelin Wild Enduro on the front and it's fantastic.
If you like Maxxis try a double down on the back. Lighter than DP but very tough. The Tomahawk is proving to be a really good back tyre.
"Not sure I’m good enough to run noisy Hope hubs"
They're brilliant for when pesky protective dads with their daughter slow up your run...
So, sitting here trying to justify paying almost twice as much for the Stans Mk3s on Hope hubs over the Stans Flow S1 wheelset.... I'm not sure they will be 40% more performance wise....
I personally wouldn't go for Hopes cos I don't like the loud clicky.
Here's the spiel on Stan's hubs "https://www.notubes.com/technology/neo-durasync-speedsync"
Sound decent enough to me.
Yea, they are the same rim anyway effectively, so I'm only paying for the priviledge of Hope.
Think I'll go with the S1's.
I’ve just bought a set of mk3 crests on the stans hubs. They are nicely enough made. Also a decent chunk lighter than the hopes if that floats your boat. You sure you need flows? Not crests? How often do you smash wheels?