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So looking at upgrading the wheels on on my Transition Spur which is used for XC and light trail riding, currently fitted with my trusty 29in DT Swiss EX1501 enduro wheels which were DT's top of the range alloy wheel a few years ago, they weigh approx 1900 grams (240 straight pull hubs and basically a EX511 rim)
So looking for a set of carbon wheels that fit the following criteria
Price 1k max
Weigh 1500 grams or less
6 bolt hubs
Reliable hubs with readily available spares/easy to work on, prefer a ratchet style engagement but would consider pawls (can only think of DT and Hope that meet that criteria and are the only hubs I've ever really run)
I've looked at the Hunt Proven Race Carbon XC wheels for around £900 (although no 6 bolt only centre lock) and for some reason they don't seem to feel/look special to me, I'm sure they are very capable and have a good warranty but they just don't seem to interest me
So what else is out there that meets or comes close to my criteria for 1k?
Cheers, they look good for the money, not overly keen on the hub design (reminds me of 80's Suntour large flange hubs)
Will look into them a bit more but I think I really want DT hubs
Edit. just had a look and it seems you need to remove the ratchet ring to replace the bearings, that's a big no for me, had to do that once before and it was a right bastard to remove, i made sure when i bought my DT and Hope hubs i could replace the bearings without removing the ratchet ring
Reserve 30? Carbon rims with DT350 hubs and a lifetime warranty. Merlin had them on sale recently?
Edit, sorry... just checked... only front wheels left. I'd still be tempted though... find the rear elsewhere?
I'm afraid we're into strong/light/cheap territory again. Sub 1k is unfortunately 'cheap' for a carbon wheelset.
Hunt come in below that but the fact they're not 'special' is reflected by the budget I'm afraid. You're looking at 1500+ for something like WAO/Reserve and 240s/i9s etc. 1500g is a light wheelset.
Another idea... buy two of THESE Then re-lace one of the rims onto the rear hub of your choice?
Is exactly what I've done. The rims won't build into a sub 1500g wheelset though. I weighed mine at circa 520g. SC will warranty the rims even if rebuilt onto other hubs though.
I'm afraid we're into strong/light/cheap territory again. Sub 1k is unfortunately 'cheap' for a carbon wheelset.
That's not quite true for carbon wheels. You can have all three but you have to sacrifice warranty support so in effect you're not paying for the rims you may or may not break upfront. There's quite a few Chinese OEM's now offering DT Swiss style ratchet hubs now the patents have expired and pretty much every carbon rim is also made there. The Chinertown forum is well worth a look for recommendations.
For example £546 will get you a 1450g set from Serenade
Freewheel are doing the DT EXC 1501s for £999 a pair, basically the updated carbon versions of what you have.
I think theyre centrelock but otherwise they tick every box.
If we are in re-lacing rim territory, why not buy some directly from Light Bicycle and build up a wheel set?
I'm a big fan of Nextie.
But, they're sort of round and black, so may not look/ feel special enough.
9velo MT30's? You can buy spare freehub bodies and bearing kits on their site (you could get one of each now and still be under £1k). I think my gravel GV45 wheels from them took 3 weeks to arrive but happy with them so far.
Newmen Phase Trail are 1450g, available for just over 1000 Euro at German sites, and are a development of their Advanced wheels that Paul Aston was beating the hell out of. I have the older enduro versions, they've been excellent despite me being over 100kg
They also do a VONOA version with carbon spokes that drops the weight to 1220g for an extra 300 Euro
Freewheel are doing the DT EXC 1501s for £999 a pair, basically the updated carbon versions of what you have.
I think theyre centrelock but otherwise they tick every box.
The DT EXC's weigh in at 1700+ grams if I remember correctly and the normal Reserves a similar weight, you need the Reserve XC SL to get under 1500 grams and they are over budget
Will take a look at the others that have been suggested, the Serenade look like a bargain if they are reliable, I can over look the special feel for a £500 saving
Anything left at Stif of interest?
Really like the Zipp 1Zero HiTop wheelset. Correct weight, correct price. Been really reliable. No complaints.
I have the 'normal' version. if you want to go a bit lighter and spend a bit more you can get the 'S' version.
https://www.sram.com/en/zipp/mountain/series/1zero-hitop
Reserve XC 28s on Industry 9 1/1s for £1200. Admittedly apparently 1 ride old ex demo but they're still saying lifetime warranty remains. Not sure on weight but they're regular J-bend spokes which makes future replacement cheaper.
I've got the 1/1 hubs with Reserve 30 HD rims and happy enough. They make a lovely noise, thankfully fairly quiet though.
Merlin also have Reserve 28 XC front wheels - according to the Reserve website you could build the rims up sub-1500g with DT 350/240/180 hubs.
Roval control ?
I absolutely *love* my Zipp Hitop wheels - the quality is excellent, and they have a lovely comfortable, springy, compliant feel - like you get when you run really big super stick tyres. I've used them way outside of their intended use case, and they are holding up well, and the support from Zipp (SRAM, basically) seems good.
You might get the regular Hitop S ducking under £1000 with a bit of looking. I wasnt particularly bothered about the TyreWiz.
The hubs (marked as dtswiss one/1 in red or grey) of your current wheels are worth reusing. They are lighter than normal 240 hubs, the front is essential a 96g 180 hub without the ceramic bearings. It's not carbon but using those same hubs I built a sub 1500g set using alloy xr391 rims. Using carbon could have gone lighter than that! Maybe talk to a decent wheel builder, like Just riding along, and see what they could offer re-rimming your current hubs.
Merlin have a couple of Mavic wheelsets you might find interesting.
https://www.merlincycles.com/mavic-crossmax-xl-r-boost-carbon-wheelset-29-307532.html
Not sure if these would be up to little trail use.
https://www.merlincycles.com/mavic-crossmax-sl-ultimate-25-boost-carbon-wheelset-29-335764.html
Specialized Roval Control SL V 370 - Specialized Concept Store
these?
Lovely. Having said that I bought the alloy version of the Controls on 350 straight pull hubs for £333 from Tredz. 1695g on my kitchen scales. Carbon may have other benefits (?) but 100g (or less) doesn't sound like a lot for three times the price with downgraded hubs and 2mm narrower internal width rims.
So the Roval's Control's are too heavy even if you opt for the more expensive SL version with DT Swiss 370 hubs (1590 grams with valves and tape)
Not interested in the Mavic's as the SL's are over budget and the XL's are over weight
The Zipps are hard to find under budget and I'm not that keen on them
After a bit of research and shopping around I've managed to get a brand new set of Reserve XC 28's with Hydra 1/1 hubs weighing in at 1497 grams with valves and tape for £900, paired with a set of Maxxis Rekon Race 2.4 tyres for £65 and some centre lock adaptors
The hubs (marked as dtswiss one/1 in red or grey) of your current wheels are worth reusing. They are lighter than normal 240 hubs, the front is essential a 96g 180 hub without the ceramic bearings. It's not carbon but using those same hubs I built a sub 1500g set using alloy xr391 rims. Using carbon could have gone lighter than that! Maybe talk to a decent wheel builder, like Just riding along, and see what they could offer re-rimming your current hubs
The DT Swiss EX1501 wheels are going to be my spare set for my E-MTB which currently has a set of Hope Fortus 30 triple cavity wheels with Maxxis DD Assegai tyres which are perfect for downhill/enduro days, the EX1501 with Maxxis Rekon and Dissector tyres will be perfect for trail riding and days out with some E-MTB mates who are into easy rides which include roads and pub stops!
From weekend hot laps to World Cup XC finals, the Control Carbon combines the low weight and strength found in our world-beating Control SL rim with the new DT Swiss 350 hubs. An unmatched level of durability, precision, and performance in this new Carbon Control wheelset that is purpose-built to open terrain, from gut-wrenching climbs to tear-inducing descents – a whole new era of riding. A high-performance wheel that excels everywhere from world cup xc races to your favorite weekend trail. The Control Carbon combines the low weight and strength found in our world-beating Control SL rim with the new DT Swiss 350 hubs and spokes. This level of quality, precision and performance has previously been found only on wheels costing twice as much.
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Rim: Control SL 29, 29mm Internal Width, Zero Bead Hook 4mm FlatTop Design, Tubeless Compatible, Compatible with Tire Inserts
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Spoke Pattern: 28-Hole Two-cross (1:1) Non Driveside Front and 28-Hole Two-cross (1:1) Rear
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Spoke Type: DT Competition Race Straighpull - Front Driveside 301mm, Non-Driveside 300mm , Rear Driveside 298mm, Non-Driveside 301mm
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Nipple Type: DT Swiss Hexagonal Prolock Alloy
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Hub: DT Swiss 350 Straight-pull, 6-bolt, 36t Star Ratchet System, 110x15mm & 148x12mm thru-axle compatible
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Weight: Set - 1450g w/ Tubeless Rim Tape
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Assembly Method: Hand-built
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Extras: 19 and 31mm OD end cap options included, Roval Spoke Kit, Tubeless Rim Tape and Valves, Lifetime warranty
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System Weight Limit: 275lbs / 125kg
From weekend hot laps to World Cup XC finals, the Control Carbon combines the low weight and strength found in our world-beating Control SL rim with the new DT Swiss 350 hubs. An unmatched level of durability, precision, and performance in this new Carbon Control wheelset that is purpose-built to open terrain, from gut-wrenching climbs to tear-inducing descents – a whole new era of riding. A high-performance wheel that excels everywhere from world cup xc races to your favorite weekend trail. The Control Carbon combines the low weight and strength found in our world-beating Control SL rim with the new DT Swiss 350 hubs and spokes. This level of quality, precision and performance has previously been found only on wheels costing twice as much.
Rim: Control SL 29, 29mm Internal Width, Zero Bead Hook 4mm FlatTop Design, Tubeless Compatible, Compatible with Tire Inserts
Spoke Pattern: 28-Hole Two-cross (1:1) Non Driveside Front and 28-Hole Two-cross (1:1) Rear
Spoke Type: DT Competition Race Straighpull - Front Driveside 301mm, Non-Driveside 300mm , Rear Driveside 298mm, Non-Driveside 301mm
Nipple Type: DT Swiss Hexagonal Prolock Alloy
Hub: DT Swiss 350 Straight-pull, 6-bolt, 36t Star Ratchet System, 110x15mm & 148x12mm thru-axle compatible
Weight: Set - 1450g w/ Tubeless Rim Tape
Assembly Method: Hand-built
Extras: 19 and 31mm OD end cap options included, Roval Spoke Kit, Tubeless Rim Tape and Valves, Lifetime warranty
System Weight Limit: 275lbs / 125kg
The SL's with 350 hubs are over budget, they were on offer for a while but I couldn't find any now for under 1k
That's moot point now anyway as I've bought some Reserve XC 28's brand new with warranty for £900
Where did you buy the reserve wheels from please?
For anyone is looking for something at the cheaper end, the Ghost C26s discussed on a previous thread are £425 on eBay at the moment (code FUN15).
https://www.merlincycles.com/dt-swiss-xmc-1501-spline-boost-carbon-mtb-wheelset-29-336682.html
These are not sub 1500 grams, they are 1600+ grams, I have now purchased some Reserve XC 28's which weigh under 1500 grams for £900
Where did you buy the reserve wheels from please?
For anyone is looking for something at the cheaper end, the Ghost C26s discussed on a previous thread are £425 on eBay at the moment (code FUN15).
As before, it's slightly cheaper still to add these separately as front and rear wheels due to the discount given for multiple purchases 😉
Bear in mind the DTSwiss warranty doesn't cover riding through loose rocks.