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A few of us run Hunts - either enduro or trail wide. I bought a pair of the 30mm trail wides when there were on offer (although Hunt is like DFS, there's always some kind of sale on!). Been really impressed with them so far, hubs seem good, wheels are well built, decent engagement from freehub, still round and not obviously dinged yet.
I think in our riding group, we've had one failure where cracks appeared near the spoke holes and they were way out of warranty, but Hunt did a decent-ish deal to replace them. And that one was on the back of a sportily ridden hardtail 😉
I really like the Newmen wheels on my other bike but costs/spares are way too much now.
Having been a Hope fan in the past who has now switched to Hunt for cost reasons it's so far so good from me ?
I’ve not used them but planning on getting a set of Blue Flow wheels. They look nice, handmade and lifetime crash replacement.
I looked at Hunt wheels but their carbon Enduro set seems to be heavier than a bog standard wheelset…??
Is anyone else getting an annoying video that keeps playing whenever you’re on the forum??
Anything I look to buy i first google 'problems' and how easy they are to fix or replace bearings/internals, and availability of those parts and what do they cost.
Some freehub internals can be more complex than others or require specialist tools. So theres a few things in the equation.
I've pretty much always used Hope from about the mid nineties, currently on pro5's. But all parts are available going back a fair few years, like the 2007 pro 2. they still do all the parts for them.
DT Swiss EX 511 32 hole rims on 350 or Hope hubs would be my alloy choice of wheel
Have a look at Fitwheels ebay site. There build is good as is the prices and there are loads of combinations to chose from
My EX 511s have been faultless and now installed on to No2 Skipperlet’s bike as I couldn’t bring myself to sell them! I have them on some equally faultless XT hubs which are still buttery smooth after several thousand miles. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of love for XT hubs generally but mine have been great.
I was thinking of upgrading from EX511s - can save about 500g with Blue Flow carbon wheels and Hope Pro 5’s…maybe I should just keep them…!
Hope rims have split on me twice. Hunt rims split on me twice. Both sorted to a satisfactory conclusion. DT Swiss on three bikes no issues. I know aluminium rims do give up the ghost eventually but both the hunt and hope went too quick!
Any reports on Blue Flow??
I’ve just done the maths and could save 440g with Blue Flow on good hubs, more with Bitex but think I’d go with Hope, question is whether it’s worth £979…? And will they last for 10 years like my Dt Swiss Flow EXs on my last bike?
Lifetime crash replacement is attractive though…
I still have a set of blueflow wheels Hope Hubs/WTB rims I think from when 27.5 Plus was a thing! Ran them on my Mojo 3, then in an early FlareMax and now on my lads 27.5 HT. Broke one spoke, never serviced the hubs and still going strong. Nice fella that builds them as well (Assuming it's the same person, mine are at least 8 years old).
Also had a set of EX511 on Hope Hubs from Fitwheels. Bit of confusion in the build process but when they arrived, I was very impressed.
Hopes hubs are fully rebuildable with a rock 😀 , DT hub (350/240) bearing seems to last longer between needing servicing, have one awkward bearing, but that needs changing very infrequently. DT specializes in Rim's, so anyone would struggle to beat their options & reliability. Had Hope 35's, dinted the rim, but they don't have the greatest rep, now have a 30mm on Pro5 & it's solid. These would be the ones I choose between. when looking for new wheels.
Be aware of the DT EX511 weight limit of 130kg, if your a bigger e-bike rider, the HX531 might be a safer option
Damn just noticed you mentioned the 1900 wheelset, this is there basic cheap & cheerful build with the 370 more basic hub
Any recommendations? Alternative s?
I've been very happy with my Shimano XT M8120 wheels. Faultless so far, nice and quiet, and were cheaper than the other options (at the time, 3 years ago. Not checked recently but I think they're still good).
I have Bitex hubs with XM481/EX511 combo which I’ve been very pleased with.
I’ve just ordered my new bike with Hope Pro 5 and the same rims (I would’ve happily gone for the Bitex hubs again if they were an option).
Hope Fortus are heavy I think?
And I’ve read too many bad things about Hunt to choose them but they might mostly be about their previous version.
Hope.
I’ve got Hope 35W (same as the Fortus range) on Pro4 hubs and Hope 20Five rims again on Pro4 hubs. Both have been excellent and faultless, even with a great lumbering gorilla abusing them.
I would have gone for Pro5 hubs but the 20Five wheels were an absolute bargain.
follow on specifically for a 120mm bike for your wife?
You absolutely do not need ex511's. xm481's would be more than strong enough
I had the same dilemma and went hope on both my gravel and enduro bikes
They just work and they are both orange 🙂
Wouldn't touch Hunt with someone else's.
Hope hubs are fine (but unless you MUST have fancy colours, not all that special). The rims seem both heavy and sodt.
DT 240 & 350 hubs are lovely and just work, but aren't cheap. DT rims are just plain good.
If I was after a cheapish off-the-shelf set of generic components built into wheels, I'd look at Just Riding Along, as their build quality is spectacularly good. (they're basically the same idea as Hunt - but without the marketing bull and with a LOT more attention to detail). I've got 3 sets - 2 road ones that haven't been touched in 10 years, and a carbon gravel pair that have been smashed round the peaks for 12 months and are still unmarked,
Otherwise, depending on budget, handbuilt Hope/Dt350/Dt240 hubs laced up to appropriate DT rims with Sapim D-lights. If she's a smooth/light rider, I'd probably go 28H rather than 32.
DT wheelsets don't generally feel like the best value but you absolutely can't go wrong with the component parts, their rims and hubs and spokes are all class leaders, they are superb.
That said, loads of people make good rims and hubs and spokes now so you don't need class leading, good enough is good enough.
Hope hubs so you know what they are and where they're from, UK made and you're fully supported for spares while supporting British manufacturing, DT ex511 rims cos of their solid reputation, Sapim D-light spokes are my fave spoke but basic double butted will do. Ive also been using Spank hubs and rims without issues.
Alternative s?
Tairin Silent Shogun + DT XM481
DT XM481.
Hubs of choice (hope...).
The XM481 is strong enough for everything this side DH and Enduro racing, no need to go for the EX series in my experience
A lot lighter too. They build really nicely.
Buy a jig and do it yourself, it's fun.
I do fancy a bling set of carbon wheels. The more I look at the various options the more I think of I was spending that sort of money I’d rather just get DT Swiss XMC 1200 or 1501s than the various other ‘custom’ options.
Hunt, Blue Flow and others are still pushing a grand for a set, and it’s very difficult to tell what quality of carbon runs they are using, or where they get them from (presumably China).
The only hubs I've bought have been hope.
So any custom wheel set would have hope hubs.
Rims either Chinese carbon or DT swiss aluminium
I've currently got a couple of sets of Hunt TrailWide v2 wheels, bot cost me under 300 quid new.
The first set has been faultless for getting on three years, which is why when I was ready for a second set they were an easy choice.
I see a lot of online comments about how bad they are but no-one has been able to really articulate why their current wheels should not be considered. All I know is they are a good rolling wheels set that feel nice to ride and are a chunk of change cheaper than I would need to spend to fully support british manufacturing.
I'd recommend DCR Wheels for a build.
They built me Bitex 211 hubs on Stans Arch MK4 i28mm rims with Sapim CXRay spokes & Torque adapters which weigh in at a genuine 1700g taped and with valves.
They've been on my short travel FS for the last 2.5yrs and not been touched.
I tend to use lighter weight 2.4" XC tyres, particularly in summer, used Wolfpack previously and Bonty XR3 currently.
Hunt are fine, but you can likely do better for the money. I seem to have mangled mine in a variety of unexpected ways. They're still turning, but only just
Get some Hope hubs built with DT rims
....or, have you seen that Race Face now offer lifetime crash/ride damage warranty on their rims. No idea how much of a pain claiming will be, but it seems pretty comprehensive.
I run a set of the DT Swiss 1900s - don't know which one, there seem to be several variants - and they're just super solid, fit and mostly forget wheels. Not the lightest or the s****iest or most hyped, but they just work in a tough, reliable way. Also have various of their hubs which have proven to be long-term bombproof.
I don't have any experience of Hunt. The big plus of Hope stuff ime, are the infinitely adjustable hubs.
I have a old set of Hope Hoops Crest 29er on Pro 2 Evos that seem to have been able to conform to about four difference standards - QR, 15mm front, 20mm front, boost, 12mm road using different adaptors - the only thing wrong with them is that the rear rim is now pretty much hexagonal after being hammered to death and, occasionally, things go wrong with freehub bodies and I can't remember what length spokes thy use. I'm not sure how many more wheel standards the industry can come up with, but Hope'll probably accommodate them if they do.
Anyway, for affordable, no-nonsense wheels, the DT Swiss ones will work fine. I'm sure the Hunts will be lighter for the same price and work okay. Or as above, get some wheels built with DT Swiss rims and spokes with hubs of your preference, which for me would also be DT Swiss.
Thanks....re fit wheels EU we had a set of wheels from them pre Brexit, very good but put off via Brexit taxes and shenigans.
So, most 30mm wide alloy wheels are what ~1.8-1.9kg and £400-£450? Both of those seem like a lot to me.
Go and watch Mapdec on YouTube for his thoughts on wheels. Basically DT Swiss or Hope for any chance of getting parts in the future...
Having been stung by a set of RaceFace wheels before where the pawl springs died in 4 months use and there were no spares ever available, I personally will always do for a repairable set now.
I've got 2 sets of Hunt Trailwide. Never had any issues with either that weren't entirely my own fault (managed to somehow crank a nipple on the front. Probably a rock?)
I bought the last set for my ebike. They weren't my first choice but I needed something quickly and cheaply after the derailleur tangled itself in the original back wheel and pulled a spoke out. I was planning to get some XM481s on 240s but the Hunts were immediately affordable at £300.
If I'd have spent (at least) double on the DTs, all I'd have got would have been a bit of a weight saving. I'm not sure the bike would have really ridden any better. I like the idea of the ratchet drive but the 54t isn't exactly renowned for it's durability and I don't tend to get on with 36poe hubs. I quite fancy a set of Silt to see what they're like. Similar money and weight to Hunt.
Speaking of weight, the 29 trailwides came in way heavier that advertised. Like over 10% heavier so I guess that's a negative.
Never really understood the love for Hope. I know everyone says the customer service is great and they come in pretty colours but they're heavy and 36t engagement is lame.
Hubs: Hope or DT
Hope are a bit easier to work on, and have lots of option for freehubs/caps etc. DT have the ratchet system which is better, but are slightly harder to work on, and sometimes require extra tools. I used to run Hope but I've transitioned to DT over the last 5 years.
Rims: DT
That's all there is to say.
In terms of real weight of wheels I weighed my DT 370 LN wheels with EX511 rims, 29er boost.
Front wheel was 2503g, rear 3020g - total 5.523kg - this is complete.
As far as I can work out:
Tyres are 1.08 & 1.16kg
Sealant 200g
Valves 20g
Tape 10g
Cassette XT 1x12 470g
Rotors and bolts 251g
Microspline 124g
Total 3.315kg
So my wheels weigh 2.21kg as far as I can tell - unless I’m forgetting anything? Lightest all mountain = DT XMC 1200 - 1529g so virtually 700g saving.
In terms of performance and durability my current wheels are great - the question is whether 700g is worth £1300 or so - £2 a gram!
DT spoke calc suggests 2123g for ex511 on 370 IS jbend hubs (latest version) using champion (plain guage) spokes.
Ok so close enough then…!
Time to start saving for XMC 1200s…
anyone fancy a nearly brand new set of 370 EX511s??
Did anyone already ask the OP what riding the wheels are for?
And what bike to go on?
Did anyone already ask the OP what riding the wheels are for?
And what bike to go on?
Looks like they are for a Stage Evo
Https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/bike-rims-explain-width-differences-and-benefits/
A nice light bike that I probably wouldn’t be putting EX511 rims on unless I had a very specific requirement. Personally I’d go for XM481 on Hope or DT hubs and I’d probably lean towards Pro5 but that is very much because I swap stuff around and like the ease of adapting Hope hubs for not ridiculous amounts of money and them being easy to know which variant of hub you have
Ah right.
Luckily, I ride a Stage Evo myself.
Usually a Hope / EX471 rear wheel and whatever front hub (brand is way less important) with a mid-weight 30mm rim (XM481 would be fine).
This is for fairly hard riding though. If for lighter duty, the 25mm XM421 rear rim would be a great choice. Or maybe get those both ends if only running 2.4in tyres.
Alternative s?
Nukeproof Horizon Pro's - running true and ding free (had some painful sounding knocks) after over 400 miles of Peak rockiness on my Big Al HT. The hubs are lovely things - if you want silver. Not heavy either
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XM421, XM481 if you really must have 30mm rims.
5000 miles on my xc bike (I'm 90kg) and it gets urban xc, trail centres thrown at them. Rear had a nail go through the rim, its patched up with superglue and has been fine for the last 750 miles...
Hope hubs, dead easy to look after and are reliable.