Which replacement front wheel?

sied45

I currently ride an oldish model specialized hardrock pro disc and managed to snap the axel in the front hub while coming off at the local BMX track the other day.
After reading around on the internet and going to the local bike shop its become obvious i might as well get a new wheel to replace it.
I mostly ride fairly tame local downhill tracks and some jump spots as well as the occasional bit of XC. My current rims are 26" and unfortunatly past that im not too sure what im looking for in new wheels. It's one of the few things i've never looked into.
I do like running bit fat tioga tyres it currently though for extra grip downhilling. Therefore i assume i want a wideish rim? The guy in the bike shop showed me a £75 mavic rim but he thought it might be too thin for me.
My budget is currently around the £50-£70 mark. I've been looking at the halo combat wheel, mostly just because it looks nice, i have no idea if its actually decent :P

Hopefully thats enough information for someone to be able to help me out. Thanks in advance for any help

Yeti575

Try the Mavic 321, otherwise if you want a wider rim just look at the last two digits on any of the Mavics as they denote the width of the rim. Maybe 325's if you want something a little wider?

ride_whenever

mavic 721 on xt hubs from merlin with dt db ss spokes, should come in under budget easily. Very strong but also light and servicable.

sied45

Thanks for the quick responses.

By merlin do you mean http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/ ? On that the only results im getting for 721 and 321 are rims as aposed to full wheels, and im not up to building the wheel myself.

I also forgot to mention i run mechanical disc brakes if that makes a difference.

ride_whenever

okay, sorry, i forget not everyone eat drink breathes sleep bike parts!

IIRC you want wheels, custom disc, then select the rim, spokes and hub fromthe drop down menus, they build it to a very very good standard and post it to you, they say 9 days i think but it in my experience about 4 normally. You will also want rim tape.

does that help!

Oh and brakes, 6 bolt (ie 6 bolts holding the rotor on) or centerlock (has a ring that screws onto the hub and holds the disc in place)

Chaka Ping

I can recommend Merlin too, had four wheels from them and all are still true.

Bought another one this week.

sied45

Thanks for the simpleton walthrough, I see how this site works now wow im amazed you can buy custom built wheels like this, im practically drooling at the thought of a golden hub!

So just to make sure i've got this right ive chosen the DT comp s/s DB spokes, is that the one you meant above? Also what are the advantages of the 721 over the 321 for example to make it worth £8 more? Same with the XT 6bolt hub over the deore? Sorry to be so precise but im a cheapass and like to save money where i can :P I also need a new chain and cassette to waste my money on

ride_whenever

the 721 are better constructed and quite a bit lighter.

The xt hubs are much better sealed (read they are sealed!) than deores so require less mainantence. They are also smoother and lighter. IIRC merlin don't sell the 6-bolt deore hubs either, you have checked that you require 6-bolt haven't you!

There is nothing wrong with wanting value for money, I'm a firm believer in it, but the advantages in this case are justified by the small extra outlay.

Yeti575

I'd be tempted with the 321 for the riding you do, but whatever you do don't buy the Deore, spend a few quid more and get the XT!

sied45

ride_whenever wrote:

the 721 are better constructed and quite a bit lighter.

The xt hubs are much better sealed (read they are sealed!) than deores so require less mainantence. They are also smoother and lighter. IIRC merlin don't sell the 6-bolt deore hubs either, you have checked that you require 6-bolt haven't you!

There is nothing wrong with wanting value for money, I'm a firm believer in it, but the advantages in this case are justified by the small extra outlay.

In the hub upgrades box it does list 'Deore 6 Bolt Disc' but you've sold me on the xt's anyway, you should be earning commission for this! And i have 6 bolts that connect the disc rotor to the hub so yea im pretty sure i need 6 bolt

Thanks for all the help, thats my new wheel sorted While i've got someone here who knows what they are talking about i was hoping you could answer another problem ive been having - When i apply a decent amount of pressure to pedal my chain regularly skips through the gears making it very hard to pedal. I've come to the conclusion that its either my old chain or cassettes fault and that either, or both are worn causing the chain to slip. (feel free to tell me im wrong here :P ) Are there any particular cassettes (and even chains) that stand ahead of their competition? I'm on 8speed and a single speed chain ring on the front.

And again thanks for all the help, im ordering the wheel you advised now