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Been preparing everything to build a fast and efficient aggressive XC (see, didn't say downcountry), bikepacking and light trail hardtail.
The frame is still not settled, but next in the pipeline are the wheels.
Had nothing but good experiences in the past with 350 hubs, so my natural inclination would be for DT Swiss 1700 series wheels.
The immediate option for a fast build would be the XR 1700, but how much abuse can they tolerate? I weight 85kg bate naked, before gear and a bikepacking load.
Would the XM 1700 be a better option?
Thanks in advance
... nobody?....
Biggest difference is that the XRs are 25mm internal while the XMs are 30mm. Apart from that they're much a likeness and the real world weight difference isn't that much.
It will probably come down to the tyre width you want to run but I'd personally go for the XMs and run a nice modern 2.35 / 2.4 tyre combo for versatility.
Yeah, was looking for tyres mostly between 2.25-2.4. Guess that on a light supple XC tyre like an Aspen a wider rim might help a lot
DT X1900 is another option. I have some on my rigid 29er/commuter/tour bike and they're nicely made and finished.
I posted something similar a while back. Never got round to buying anything. Bit worried about cost of living and parts shortages so keeping my money in case I really need it.
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/down-country-wheels/
Some answers in the thread.
If I did decide to buy now I'd probably go for justriding along or some DT swiss rims on hope hubs.
I can't remember the rims. I want to say 471? 25mm internal. Which was up until a few years ago a hard core rim for mahoosive tyres.
331 DT Swiss have been good for me. I picked up some cheap XR 1501 recently that are pretty light and have tolerated the small drops.
I was doing the comparison between the XR and the XM and indeed seems like the weight difference comes down mostly to the 25 vs 30mm rim width. Still having a hard time (and you can for sure call this vanity, prejudice, whatever) swallowing paying 500€ for a pair of wheels supposedly for a fast bike that weight over 1700g
Silt have some lighter carbon wheels than at 27mm and 1400g. They are expensive tho
Not run the XR series yet, had a set of XM421's on the smuggler for a year now, not trued them, they do 40miles a week, winter months spent bashing up and down steps on urban xc rides.
Just as an update, ended up buying the Hunt Trail Wides. I'm sure the XM1700 are slightly better quality, but couldn't justify the significant price difference and the Hunts are a bit lighter as well