lightweight XC wheels........opinions please!!

LoUiS1985

HI all,
i'm currently building up a lightweight XC bike ready for spring! the time has come to buy a set of wheels. i want a set of very light XC wheels for around £200. was looking at something like mavic XC717's on xt hubs/hope hubs. My riding buddy has just bought a set of XT 775 wheels and they seem very light....anyone got any of these/had any experiences with them??
thanks in advance

joe1983

Hi mate, I was after a similar thing but for £150, the guys offered me some good advice:

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12597393

don't know if exactly what you are after, but it might help!

LoUiS1985

thanks a lot mate

toasty

Yeah, I've got the XT wheelset, fairly unbeatable weight wise at that price in my opinion. Genuine weight on accurate scales for mine was 1721g with UST valves (1680g quoted, I'd assume that'd without valves). 19mm internal width as well so you get a good choice in tyres.

Sadly they do seem a bit flexier than my custom build or Crossrides, I guess that's the price for them being 200-300g lighter and UST though, I'm also 6'6" and 14 stone which might not help. Even XC 717s on Pro IIs or similar are going to come in quite a bit heavier, especially if you consider running tubeless.

It all depends on what your priority is

LoUiS1985

thanks toasty, just been looking at the AM version of the XT wheelset and trying to make my mind up whether its worth sacrificing a bit of weight for a supposedly 'indestructable' wheel ?? i like the bling factor of some pro 2 hubs in red or gold also so still to make my mind up!

supersonic

"so what tyre widths can the 717's handle then and is it much heartache to go tubeless with them??"

Recommended up to 2.1, max 2.3. For a fast lightweight XC bike do you need tyres bigger than that? I don't!

LoUiS1985

no i very much doubt it mate to be honest, is there anything you dont know supersonic?? your a fountain of biking knowledge, cheers

supersonic

Just wish I knew how to ride them properly ;-)

I'd get the newer XT hubs, 717 rims, DT or ACI DB spokes, and nice light tyres and tubes.

LoUiS1985

i might just do that
thanks

Northwind

Is there any easy way of telling which hubs are which? You mentioned going for the newer XT hubs, but merlin don't say exactly what parts are used as far as I can see.

supersonic

Merlin seem on and off with this, and I wish they would state model numbers all the time. Used to be M756 (lardy, 6 bolt), then M765 while the newest ones are M775. I'd ask. Some are centrelok only, but adaptors are available.

Northwind

Ah, cheers.

Oh, there's another thing... The shimanos are all cup and cone aren't they? I'm not a fan, not because there's anything wrong with them but because I'm a habitual bearing dropper Are there any competetive alternatives?

supersonic

DMR Revolver are good value cartridge bearing hubs. Thing is when they need adjusting... they are dead. They can't be adjusted.

Northwind

Ah. How are they for moisture sealing? Can they be opened and regreased/cleaned?

(sorry for all the questions, I just opened my front hub up this evening and discovered it to be just barely OK, as it'd filled with water at some point. Replaced the bearings but it's still a total pain, it's just been rain and cleaning that's done that.