Light, reasonably priced, strong - pick 2 (looking sexy would also help)
Oh and can I have silver hubs please?
Seems to be a bit of a minefield finding what fits the bill. Thinking I might even have to go for a custom build to get the hubs.
Trying to build up my new frame with a tough(ish) but fairly light build - some of the carbon offerings don't seem any lighter than Alu - yes, I know there are other benefits.
I've always stayed away from carbon, but the Rovals on my Levo seem to be holding up ok
What inner width are you after?
WeAreOne Triad on Hope Pro 5, I paid £1365 (reasonable when compared with the, £800 more, Enve M8) from The Custom Bicycle Company. Reasonably light (though I don’t have exact figures to hand) and held up to being smashed down BPW for a couple of days straight without complaint last week.
Newmen's outgoing Advanced range are light (1450 for the X.A 30 set, 1650 for the A 30) and came stock with silver centrelock hubs
I have the heavier ones, still pretty light, and have held up even under my weight
The "Phase" range that are replacing them have black hubs stock
Erase Components do silver hubs also, I think
I have several pairs of light bicycle wheels, built on hope and dt swiss hubs, the oldest being about 7 or 8 years old, and I can't even remember breaking a spoke on them, and I weigh 130kg.
I've had success with Nextie over the past 8 years or so. I've got four sets now, all have been reliable. The ones on my big susser in particular have been hammered pretty hard for three years now with no issues.
I just took delivery last week of my latest set, 29mm inner width built into Nextie own Rollingstar hubs.
Silly light. The hubs are DT Swiss 240/180 ripoffs and feel very nice. Time will tell on long term reliability. £800 the pair with bladed spokes.
They are on my new lightweight susser, and are exactly two pounds lighter than the Bonty Elite 30 carbons that were on the bike when I bought it.
I have several pairs of light bicycle wheels
If I wasn't overwhelmed with confusion and choice with zero explanation to the offerings, now I've looked at their website, I definitely am.
And for the custom wheel build, the first question I get asked is am I a professional, a beginner, or a commuter???
Nah
I recently bought some of the Hunt xc ones. They suckered me in with a discount code, got them for about £750
I looked at quite a few alternatives and couldn't get anywhere near that price/weight, plus the warranty is good
Actual weight 1523g, a smidge more than advertised, but a significant weight saving over the previous Hope ones that I can offset with extra cake
Happy so far but only had them a few weeks
Trying to build up my new frame with a tough(ish) but fairly light build - some of the carbon offerings don't seem any lighter than Alu - yes, I know there are other benefits.
And there are more downsides too...
Honestly... On an MTB? Unless you're chasing a headline XC race weight wheelset, then just don't bother... Alloy rims ride nicer in general, are more forgiving and afford more tyre grip, there's generally not much of a weight disadvantage and there's an obvious price advantage too.
And yes... I've ridden and owned a fair number of MTB wheels...
There's still a worthwhile advantage for high speed road use from deep section carbon rims, but if you look at the MTB world and what the pro's are running, more often than not they're running alloy rims again despite budget not being a constraint...
I'm with mboy on this 🙂
So - what light, reasonably priced, strong and sexy alu wheelset - with silver hubs? 🤣
Please not DT Swiss - they ugly, I don't care if they are good
Silt ? Mavic?
Halo Vapour 35?
I was going to suggest DT Swiss XM 481s on some hubs of your choice, maybe Hope Pro 5 as they come in silver. But then you said no DT Swiss.
DT Swiss and take the stickers off?
This.
The halo vapour 35 is pretty good and built up nicely but the DTs are nicer. It does have a gloss finish rather than matt of the DT range.
How about something from Just riding along? They do silver hubs iirc.
It'll be worth the effort of taking the stickers off the DT rims, because they'll last you a long time.
I like the EX471 rear and XM481 front.
Unless you are riding 2.5+ on the rear, you won't need a 30mm rim and the EX is lighter than the XM.
I like the EX471 rear and XM481 front.
^ this. Great combo for a tough but light(ish) build.
Get them on Hope Pro5s in silver with silver spokes, and remove the decals (or replace with 'stealth' decals from Slik if you feel the need, but it's an added expense). Hope hubs aren't the lightest but I value reliability over weight, plus being at centre of wheel has less effect that a heavy rim.
DT's, they are far better than anything else out there. XM Series if you don't kill wheels, FR if you are hopeless at line choice, EX is somewhere in the middle.
I have a pair of XM481's with over a million feet of descending on them, brass nipples, sapim spokes. They've been bomb proof.
DT Swiss XM481.
Its not a coincidence we are all reccomending the same thing!
Sorry to join the derailment, but I'm yet another owner of XM481s on silver Hope Pro 5s. They probably are all I'll ever need from a wheel set.
I've been running some Reserve 30's on Hope Pro 4s since 2019. I think I might have just about broken even now from not having to buy any replacement wheels over the last 6 years.
Halo hubs should not be overlooked, they spin forever. Bitex is another option. DT Swiss rims and Sapim CX Ray spokes. Sorted.
I've been running some Reserve 30's on Hope Pro 4s since 2019. I think I might have just about broken even now from not having to buy any replacement wheels over the last 6 years.
Haha, excellent bikeonomics.
I reckon some of my DT alu rims are coming on for the same kind of lifespan, but tyre inserts may have played a part in that longevity as well.
Have a word with STRADA wheels, they will help you out.
I've got a set of Blue Flow wheels on silver Hope hubs. I am not a graceful rider and am just nudging 100kg so the fact they're coming up to 8 years old and still trucking means they get my vote. About £900 for the equivalent set going by their website.
I've got a pal in Northern Ireland that swears by Silt wheels that were mentioned above.
