Custom Superstar wheel build

rockmonkeysc

I need a set of wheels for my 456SS trail bike & was thinking of getting a custom set from Superstar. I'm a bit tubby at 16 stone though I only use this bike for xc, I hate trail centres so jumps & drops tend to be small and rare (I have a DH bike for when I want to ride hard).
Would this build be any good?

Supertsar AM490 rims with black double butted SAPIM race spokes and switch evo front hub with trizoid superleggra rear hub.

Would I be ok with the XC430 rims instead of AM490? Is there any advantage to having the double butted spokes instead of the plain gauge spokes? Does anyone know who makes Superstar rims? I know they don't make their own. My Nukeproof rims are Sun Ringle, Superstar look similar but narrower.

http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_ ... cts_id=314

Proutster

The Superstar AM 490's are Alex Rims FR30's - I know because I have a pair of both for my Trance X4, black FR30's and white AM 490's - both bought from Superstar with Switch Evo hubs. I've had one set for 12 months ish and the other for almost as long and despite loads of babbies heed rocks they're still straight and true

I ride in the Peaks and am only 12 stone so I'm pretty sure that your 16 stone (on a Hardtail) on smoother trails than mine would be pretty much the same for the wheels. Another reason I'd go for the AM's rather than the XC's is that the tyre profile with trail tyres (i.e. 2.35" and above) on the wider AM's will be much better than the XC's.

I've had to replace a few bearings on each wheelset, front & rear, but once you know the knack that's easy enough and the bearings can be as cheap as chips (although you can spend a fortune if you want).

Go with the AM 490's,I recommend them.

The Northern Monkey

Double butted spokes are generally lighter and build a stronger wheel than plain guage spokes.... go for double butted every time.

I've got the switch hubbed DH 959 on my Canyon, brilliant wheelset!

pastey_boy

go for the switch evo rear hub with the 10mm thru axle skewer.

rockmonkeysc

Is it not worth getting the trizoid hub for £40 extra instead of the switch rear?

stubs

I have the same hubs as your spec built into Mavic XM 719 rims with double butted spokes. I am also a fat custard and dont back off over bumps and so far they have been brilliant no wobbles and no bearing trouble even they have been submerged a couple of times crossing swollen becks.

The Trizoid sounds ace buzzing away like a swarm of angry wasps, if you do go for the Trizoid I dont think you will be disappointed I love it.

Dont penny pinch with plain guage spokes its just not worth it double butted are the best. If money is tight I would go for DB spokes and drop to the EVO rear hub.

rockmonkeysc

I was just about to order a set and spotted the Superstar Tesla hubs, would they be better than the trizoids?

leaflite

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I was just about to order a set and spotted the Superstar Tesla hubs, would they be better than the trizoids?

Those have just come out in the last few days, so there are probably not many who have used them yet.

The trizoid hub is the same as a halo superdrive and others, and seems to have a decent reliability record. If the teslas live up to the description on the site, they should be even more reliable.

Its a trade off between maximum engagement and maximum reliability I think.

rockmonkeysc

I ended up just getting a set of switch evo / Mavic XM719 after looking at almost every custom wheel combination!

stubs

You wont go far wrong with Mavic 719s and the EVO hubs are dead easy to service when the bearings die.

benpinnick

Ive just bought a tesla rear, as I was arguing with Neil from SS about the 120 point engagement on the Triziods being overkill and too feeble, and suggested they went to a 60 with double pawls. He said they were doing that, so I promised to try one when it came out, hence this arrived today:



I wont get a chance to build it until end of next week, but if you're not in a hurry, I will let you know how it goes soon enough.

rockmonkeysc

I ordered a set of Mavic 719's on EVO's. Might try the Tesla's when I get new DH wheels

SuperstarComponents.com

hello just to clarify, the trizoid hubs are not weak in any way, it is just the teeth are very fine and if the bearings are worn out or debris/water is jetwashed in they can skip. If the hubs are serviced you can solve any issue on them, and jet washing will kill any hub/bearing.

The teslas were designed to solve any issue with either the switch or trizoid hub, so they are just fit and forget. They will take alot more abuse because everything is just bigger and better sealed agains real world abuse. once you include backlash there is litte engagement difference between tesla and trizoid.

You wont find the teslas branded as another priduct as we supplied the drawings and the bearings to make this unique model. 150mm hubs will be available end of September. Quite a few have gone out already, plus one magazine has got a set to test. I would be interested to see what people think of them.

Any tech questions please let me know

Regards, Neil

solitone

benpinnick wrote:

Ive just bought a tesla rear

[...]

I wont get a chance to build it until end of next week, but if you're not in a hurry, I will let you know how it goes soon enough.

Hi @benpinnick, any thoughts on these Superstar Components Tesla hubs?

BTW, is the rear hub noisy like angry bees (e.g. Crank Brothers)? I'd rather have a silent hub!

welsh_14

Solitone, I've got the Tesla hubs as well. Find them great on the couple of rides I've had, benpinnick will probably have been using them longer and give more info on long term reliability.

I went from Shimano hubs to these and the pick up does seem better and they look the dogs nuts in red

As for sound they arent silent. Not as bad as hope but there is a buzz there which I love compared to the silent shimano ones.

Had mine mated to Pacenti wheels which seem well built as well.

milko9000

I just got some Pacenti TL28s on Teslas too (in black). Not managed to get them out of my living room so far but it's all looking good in there at least :-)

I like a little bit of noise in my hub, it can be worked like a bell when you're coming up to walkers etc.

welsh_14

Yeah same build I went for apart from my hubs are red because everyone knows red hubs makes you faster!

I have heard though that if you pack the bearings with grease then they will be silent. Someone on here has mentioned it but cant remember who!

solitone

Ok, thanks for your reply.

Do you feel these hubs are good for 29er XC / marathon wheels--weighing around 1.600 g?

They weigh 300 g (rear) and 210 (front). I would choose FRM XMD333 rims (about 360 g each), and DT Swiss Super Competition spokes (2.0/1.7/1.8 mm, 320 g for 64 spokes).

They would add up to 1.550 g, plus tape, valves, and sealant.

Not bad, but.. would such wheels be stiff and strong enough? BTW, I weigh 67 kg.

solitone

welsh_14 wrote:

if you pack the bearings with grease then they will be silent

Aren't they sealed? How could you pack them w/ grease? Thanks!

welsh_14

You can still get in to the bearings (for example for maintenance) and just pack the grease in.

Cat with no Tail mentioned it in this post viewtopic.php?f=20005&t=12889801&p=17984822&hilit=superstar+hubs+grease#p17984822 So may be worth asking him further. i didnt look in to it more since I like the noise!

I do XC riding in the cheviots and other natural trails and find the hubs great so would build up well i reckon. Couldnt comment on how good that whole wheel build would be but the hubs wouldnt be a weak link in my opinion!

cooldad

solitone wrote:

welsh_14 wrote:

if you pack the bearings with grease then they will be silent

Aren't they sealed? How could you pack them w/ grease? Thanks!

You pack the freehub - remove lockring and it slides off.

mrmonkfinger

solitone wrote:

Do you feel these hubs are good for 29er XC / marathon wheels--weighing around 1.600 g?

They weigh 300 g (rear) and 210 (front).

TBH given (1) you weigh 68kg and (2) you're picking flyweight rims for XC use, I personally think there is little point using the Teslas, which are not quite the lightest hub around. I'd maybe go with these at 158g (front) and 268g (rear):

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Novatec-Mount ... 43b3164c61

I have the non-disc version of these (A741 / F742) and they're very nice, and very light (116g & 252g without skewers).


A2Z hubs are a lighter but slightly more expensive:

http://www.ukbikestore.co.uk/product/58 ... -hole.html

solitone

Yes, I was considering Novatecs, but then I saw Teslas, and they seem sooo good, with SKF bearings, reasonable weight, good looking, and seemed an interesting alternative, though weighing a bit more (but the higher weight would be near the axle of the wheel, so less significant than the rim weight).

Plus, some people reported they broke the Novatec D712SB axle..?

mrmonkfinger

solitone wrote:

Plus, some people reported they broke the Novatec D712SB axle..?

^ picture not working fella

The 712 axle is 15mm dia with 10mm bore - fairly standard stuff, I can't imagine its any more or less prone to break than other hub axles TBH.

solitone

Would you advise it also for 29er wheels?

They say larger diameter wheels put more strain on hubs, and Novatec Super Light hubs wouldn't be a safe choice for 29er.. (?)

mrmonkfinger

Wheel size didn't enter into it when I said I'd maybe use the Novatecs.

solitone

mrmonkfinger wrote:

Wheel size didn't enter into it when I said I'd maybe use the Novatecs.

So would you advice for a 29er or not?

Sorry if I ask it again, but I don't know what you mean with your last reply.

Thanks

mrmonkfinger

I mean, I don't believe wheel size is of any great importance here. I think rider weight and riding style are far more important factors. So I would happily use those hubs on a 29" wheel.