XC/ endurance wheelset. Ck? Crossmax?

[sclyde2]

My 36t ratchets have done more than 10,000 km with zero issues including no freehub gouging (using thick SS cogs, XT and SRAM 1080 cassettes) ....

maybe my issues are from using the road cassettes, which have more non-carrier loose cogs on them. i dunno how the roadies get around this. i am now currently running a red cassette on the commuter, but it shifts crap compared to the DA cassette (and I even switched to road shifter/der to try to remedy it).

.... the 54t however are no good for high loading as the ramps are small

are there reports of the small ramps causing slippage? i do know that if you use too much grease or too-thick grease, the star ratchets don't properly mesh, which i'd imagine would more likely cause slippage on the ratchets with the more (smaller) teeth. i just wonder if it is more a user/maintenance error rather than a design issue that would preclude the 54t ratchets from being used in higher load situations.

.. Volar 23 rim...23 mm internal, 420 grams, tubeless compatible, $80 local price....
...
If I was building from scratch then (at the moment) I'd go with Hope hubs, Alex Volar 23 and Sapim spokes....for the OP's budget, he'd get two sets custom made...and with tyres. Spend twice as much and you'll only drop 150 grams and get...what?

i know that a 142x12mm/15mm wheelset with 28 hole 240s hubs, cx-ray spokes, brass nipples, and 22mm (internal) direct-from-china rims (which were within 5g of claimed weight, at 360g ea) weigh pretty much exactly 1400g (no tape, no valves). add 30g per rim to get the 2mm wider 24mm rims. subtract 20g per wheel if going with alloy nipples. i don't think they were anywhere near $2k, but exchange rates have since gone the other way.

how much do the alex-rimmed wheels that you suggest weigh? only 150g more than that? is that 420g/rim for the alex rim an actual weight? seems pretty light for an alloy rim, especially that wide.

the OP wants a wheelset for endurance racing, where even a couple hundred grams of rotational weight would make a difference. these days, if one was looking to do a custom wheelset for that purpose, it would be hard to not go for the stiffness:weight combo that a carbon rim offers, especially on a 29er for someone who isn't a whippet.

after riding carbon rims on my 29er hardtail and 26er trail bike for a while now, when getting the XC bike out and doing the odd xc event i am now noticing the flex of the alloy (stans) rims on my XC bike (26er FS). it is as if the spokes are loose, but i checked and they are done up pretty much to the limit of what those rims will handle. I don't reckon i'll be buying any more alloy rims, especially on bikes with bigger diameter wheels.

 

[The Reverend]

FWIW I've been running Mavic SLR rims for the last 3 years and as much as I love them (2 sets), if I were buying a set of wheels now I'd find it really hard to look past the LB wheels.
I love the Mavics, especially as they're so easy to set up tubeless and they run really well. In terms of reliability I've only had to tighten / true them once after a spoke snapped, but they do flex and proprietary parts can make replacements a PITA.

Good luck with your choice! :^)

 

[silentbutdeadly]

how much do the alex-rimmed wheels that you suggest weigh? only 150g more than that? is that 420g/rim for the alex rim an actual weight? seems pretty light for an alloy rim, especially that wide.

In the first iteration they were 1560 grams with 32 spokes and brass nipples, WI Mi6 135mm rear, Hope Pro2 15mm front. With the new wide rim (its actually 470 grams, 75 grams more than the scandium alloy Supercomp I started with) in the rear and alloy nipples (due to builder error as I don't like alloy nipples) they came in around 1620. Built from scratch cost around $900 but would be more now due to US dollar on the WI hub.

I would love to try carbon rims but at double or more the cost of an effective alloy rim...it ain't gonna happen any time soon.

 

[k3n!f]

Have a look at the 29er wheels thread to see some photos of my wheels.

DT Swiss 240 hubs, LB carbon ribs, DT revolution spokes, DT alloy nipples. 1450g with tape and valves, including the 20mm front hub (165g heavy) with end caps to reduce to 15mm. The bike came with 6 bolt hubs, using centrelock would drop another 50g.

I couldn't be happier. There are some things the Swiss do better, watches, chocolate, banks and hubs. The 36 tooth ratchet is a must, after that I think you have the most reliable investment hub you can buy. Tune look nice, but DT will last forever and if they do break, spare parts are easy to find.

I'm only 68kg and couldn't justify spending the money on bladed spokes, particularly given the carbon rim is so stiff compared to an aluminium equivalent. My old Crest wheels had Supercomp spokes and these new wheels feel stiffer even with the super thin Revolutions.


Addit - Very nice wheelset brand new in the for sale section:

http://www.rotorburn.com/forums/sho...-DT-Swiss-Spokes-Nextie-24mm-wide-carbon-29er

 

[sclyde2]

In the first iteration they were 1560 grams with 32 spokes and brass nipples, WI Mi6 135mm rear, Hope Pro2 15mm front. With the new wide rim (its actually 470 grams, 75 grams more than the scandium alloy Supercomp I started with) in the rear and alloy nipples (due to builder error as I don't like alloy nipples) they came in around 1620. Built from scratch cost around $900 but would be more now due to US dollar on the WI hub.

I would love to try carbon rims but at double or more the cost of an effective alloy rim...it ain't gonna happen any time soon.

that's a pretty good weight for an alloy rimmed 29er wheelset. probably a bit under what i expected.

when i built my wheels, it seemed like the major cost was in the hubs. the rim cost didn't seem to hurt anywhere near as much. IIRC, they were about $400 for 2 rims (shipped etc), and it didn't feel like i was paying a whole lot more to get carbon rims over the alloy alternatives. but that was probably 18 months ago when the exchange rate was much better.

 

[MTB Wanabe]

For light weight builds, go CX-rays or DT Aerolites and/or consider fewer spokes with DT Swiss Comps, for mid weight builds, DT Swiss Comp(short side) Revolution(long side), heavy weight build, DT Swiss Comp.

I avoid using Revolutions on the high tension side of wheels due to the spoke wind up and after a bit use and time, spoke adjustment becomes almost impossible.