Best 29er Wheelset around £150-£200

iLukeKendall

Hi all,

So I'm considering purchasing a new wheelset after ongoing issues with my freehub (cheapy Formula hubs that came with my bike which I'm struggling to find replacement parts for).

I've been looking at these Mavic CrossOne's on CRC: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mavic-crossone-mtb-wheelset-2014/rp-prod111099.

Do they look any good, or would you recommend something better? I need 29er rims, ideally quick release. They'd also need to cope with a 9 speed cassette.

Thanks for any advice!

warpcow

Crossones are pretty basic. For your budget you'll get SLX of XT hubs built into a nice rim with good spokes from one of the German stores (action-sports.de, bike-discount.de, rosebikes.co.uk). If you go factory built for that price I'd look for Fulcrum wheels, or maybe Shimano (I got some MT55s for about £100 from Merlin the other month and they seem decent, if a bit heavy).

tarbot18

If your after Mavic have a look at the crossrides good wheels for the money also the bearings are sealed and easy to change, you should get a set for about £200 .
Also look on superstars site they doing good deals on wheelsets .

pastey_boy

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Selcof-WHT29- ... 461710ee80

iLukeKendall

Thanks for the advice guys.

tarbot18 wrote:

If your after Mavic have a look at the crossrides good wheels for the money also the bearings are sealed and easy to change, you should get a set for about £200 .
Also look on superstars site they doing good deals on wheelsets .

I'm not specifically after Mavic, however they seem to be one of the more reliable brands from what I've read, and the prices are reasonable for their wheelsets. I did look at the CrossRides, and they seem like they could be a better option, especially after I've just found out the pawls are serviceable (ie. not a sealed freehub which is the problem I have at the moment). Are the sealed bearings easy to come by? How much are they roughly? The only thing that annoys me a bit about the CrossRides, is they don't seem to be available in 29er quick release, only 15mm Front & 142mm x 12mm Rear - is there a benefit to this over QR? Thanks!

pastey_boy wrote:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Selcof-WHT29-29er-29-Tubeless-Mountain-Bike-MTB-Wheelset-Front-Rear-Wheels-/301034696320?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&var=&hash=item461710ee80

Thanks. Are Selcof wheels any good? I've never heard of them before!

raldat

I have Mavic Cross rides on my Canyon 29er. No problem with them for the most part but the SLX cassette that came on it has chewed out the free hub terribly. After 9 months I cannot even get it off without a very big hammer.

Not sure if this is normal but I will need to replace it very soon.

cooldad

With an aluminium freehub, quite common.

iLukeKendall

Hmm, so now the Cross Rides don't sound so great, especially as the only 29er options seems to be with a maxle, but my frame has normal QR dropouts.

I really don't know what to go for. Everything I look at has significant flaws!

warpcow

warpcow wrote:

For your budget you'll get SLX of XT hubs built into a nice rim with good spokes from one of the German stores (action-sports.de, bike-discount.de, rosebikes.co.uk). If you go factory built for that price I'd look for Fulcrum wheels, or maybe Shimano (I got some MT55s for about £100 from Merlin the other month and they seem decent, if a bit heavy).

Actionsports have some excellent deals that are well within budget, with plenty of options for decent Mavic or DT rims.

iLukeKendall

warpcow wrote:

warpcow wrote:

For your budget you'll get SLX of XT hubs built into a nice rim with good spokes from one of the German stores (action-sports.de, bike-discount.de, rosebikes.co.uk). If you go factory built for that price I'd look for Fulcrum wheels, or maybe Shimano (I got some MT55s for about £100 from Merlin the other month and they seem decent, if a bit heavy).

Actionsports have some excellent deals that are well within budget, with plenty of options for decent Mavic or DT rims.

Thanks warpcow. I've just taken a look, and found these... would you suggest these are any good?

http://www.actionsports.de/gb/Wheels/Wheelset-Specials/MTB-Disc-29er/Shimano-XT-Disc-756-6-Loch-DT-Swiss-XR-400-Laufradsatz-29er::61502.html

edhornby

XT hub, sapim race spoke, good DT swiss rim for less than200quid? kerching

the rim is designed for xc rather than big jumping action but it's a 29er wheel built for german riding so not surprising really...

EDIT=189 euros is 160 quid !!!

iLukeKendall

edhornby wrote:

XT hub, sapim race spoke, good DT swiss rim for less than200quid? kerching

the rim is designed for xc rather than big jumping action but it's a 29er wheel built for german riding so not surprising really...

EDIT=189 euros is 160 quid !!!

Thanks Ed! It does seem like a great price! Do the XT hubs make a ridiculous amount of clicking noise when they freewheel, or are they fairly silent? The one good thing about my current ones are they are completely silent!

Regarding XC use, that's all it'll really be used for. There is one ride I go on where I need to jump moorland drainage ditches, but the cheapy Bontrager AT 850's that came with the bike have held up well so far, so I'd hope these would be better.

junglist_matty

I use Mavic Crossrides on my 29er, no issues with them, and I'm 95kg, and fairly hard on wheels, they have a bit of flex (but then, what 29er wheel doesn't). They are decent budget wheels.

Apparently some Fulcrum ones (can't remember model, maybe red metal or something like that?) for about £200 are good also, a friend of mine uses them, he's very happy with his.

raldat

cooldad wrote:

With an aluminium freehub, quite common.

Thanks for the note Cooldad. At least I know it is normal. Totally happy with the wheels otherwise.

By the way, to the OP, you can get adapters for QR. mine has a maxel front and QR back and it came with adapters for the back. Seem to work just fine.

iLukeKendall

junglist_matty wrote:

I use Mavic Crossrides on my 29er, no issues with them, and I'm 95kg, and fairly hard on wheels, they have a bit of flex (but then, what 29er wheel doesn't). They are decent budget wheels.

Apparently some Fulcrum ones (can't remember model, maybe red metal or something like that?) for about £200 are good also, a friend of mine uses them, he's very happy with his.

Thanks Matty. I don't really need something super tough, all I really ride is XC, sometimes on rougher terrain but no stupidly big drops. The cross rides and cross trails look good, it's just difficult to make a decision when every one I look at, people moan something hasn't been too good with them. All I really need is a set better than the Bontrager AT 850's with Formula DC22 hubs that came on my bike - the freehub has broken and I can't seem to source a replacement.

raldat wrote:

cooldad wrote:

With an aluminium freehub, quite common.

Thanks for the note Cooldad. At least I know it is normal. Totally happy with the wheels otherwise.

By the way, to the OP, you can get adapters for QR. mine has a maxel front and QR back and it came with adapters for the back. Seem to work just fine.

Raldat - ah okay, that makes sense. I did find an online shop that did have the QR version available (I'm guessing they just come with the adapters). When you mentioned the aluminium freehub, do the crossrides come with one of these, ie. are they more prone to freehub problems? The whole reason I'm looking to upgrade is due to freehub issues with my current tyres!