Wheelset and forks for £300-£350

101m4n

So, I went to cycle to my 9am lecture this morning only to find that my prized mtb had been stripped of both its wheels and forks.
The thieves had kindly disconnected the calliper and handlebars though. They also left behind the various mounting bolts screws and spacers in a neat little pile for me. Thank goodness for small blessings I suppose.
Either way it's safe to say that I am in the market for a new set of wheels and forks.
At uni the bike is used mainly for commuting around york, but at home it sees quite a bit of abuse on trails and bridleways around my home. I am not a heavy rider (~165lb) but I would be inclined to favour a stronger, heavier wheel-set to a lighter one. They need to be disk brake compatible, capable of supporting 2.4" tyres, and the rear one needs to be quick release. I am looking to spend between £100 and £200 on them.
As for forks, I don't need boatloads of fancy features like lockout and adjustable rebound speed etc, I just want a pair that work. I have my eye on these: http://goo.gl/b6xsmk as they are discounted at the moment, and seem to get reasonable "decent for the money" type reviews, though if you guys have better suggestions, I will gladly listen.
Any help would be much appreciated.
Alex-

edit, further info that is probably relevant:
steerer is standard 1.125"
frame is from an old 2k8 trek jack 1.
old forks were ~450mm crown to axle.

mcnultycop

Are you going to leave it locked up at university again? If so buy a crappy hack bike first. Do you need new tyres in the budget too?

101m4n

I have tyres already, they are the ones I use back home on the common, not exactly city commuter material, but they will do.
As for a second bike, my roommates and I are letting a private house at the beginning of june, until then, I don't plan on using it for daily travel to and from the university.
Also I will be buying a set of these: http://www.pinheadcomponents.com/
Already own a sold secure gold rated lock, and I don't use it stupidly either.
In fact, had there been more space at the stand, I wouldn't have lost the rear wheel.

mcnultycop

Cheap wheels, challenging colours though:

http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_ ... q3f6f04035

I'd spend a bit more on forks - maybe recons.

101m4n

Orange, lime, or purple, hmm...
not sure I like the sound of those, will take a look at the other products on the website.
As for the forks, I found 2k13 recon silver tk's for ~140, is this a decent deal? If so I may be able to up the wheel budget somewhat.
What do you make of the handbuilt wheels from merlin? I have seen a couple of recommendations for those elsewhere.

mcnultycop

Only heard good things about Merlin wheels. Always ace service from them when I've bought stuff.

mcnultycop

Where are the forks?

101m4n

Discounted on chain reaction cycles http://goo.gl/1om18E
Reviews are poor, but neither of the negative reviews make much sense, even when translated.

edit*
just checked seller reviews, they aren't great

mcnultycop

They are the coil Recons, rather than air.

Epicons on eBay for less than £150 seem to be a good buy.

101m4n

Not too bothered by whether or not they are air/coil at this price point, either way it represents a significant downgrade from what was stolen, bang for buck is all I am after.
I'll look into this more tomorrow.

Kowalski675

mcnultycop wrote:

Epicons on eBay for less than £150 seem to be a good buy.

£135 - Can't see that you'll get anything better (new) for that price. Which was why I bought a pair a couple of weeks ago.

Cookeh

Kowalski675 wrote:

mcnultycop wrote:

Epicons on eBay for less than £150 seem to be a good buy.

£135 - Can't see that you'll get anything better (new) for that price. Which was why I bought a pair a couple of weeks ago.

This.

Wheelset wise, take a browse of Superstar components mentioned earlier in this thread. Good prices, good quality.

101m4n

Really?
I have heard a number of bad things about them, the owner was creating aliases and slagging off other manufacturers a while ago on some other forum if I remember rightly...
Do like the look of the XCX wheelset (on superstar) though. No flashy stickers, which is a good thing in my books. They are being advertised as "rigid" though, so I'm not sure about how they will take hits.
Also, is an inner 19mm diameter good for 2.4" tyres? my last set were a couple mm wider than that, are 2mm likely to make a noticeable difference? I ride quite high pressures, 30-35psi.
As for forks, a mate of mine works at a bike shop and can get me some take-off recon gold tk's for £100 plus p&p, so I am sorted for forks, unless you guys have anything to say about them 8)
Also, thank you for your patience with me thus far

poah

2.3 is the recommended max size for 19mm but that depends on the actual size of the tyre as not all measure the advertised size.

supersonic

Good fork for that money. Superstar wheels are as good as they get too for the cash.

101m4n

Well, it would seem that I am set!
and £90 under budget too!
Thank you very much for your assistance.

Kowalski675

POAH wrote:

2.3 is the recommended max size for 19mm but that depends on the actual size of the tyre as not all measure the advertised size.

Superstar claim their XC430 rim (18mm internal) takes tyres up to 2.4". I have a 2.35" front (XR3) on my XM319 with no problems, and the profile's not distorted.

passout

I have these & like them - lasted ages. http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/WPOOTW26/on ... et-26-inch