Best xc wheels for £350

jon1993

I am looking at getting the Mavic Crosstrail's but I was just wondering if there's any better ones for the money? They have to be QR for generic XC race/trail centres also I need cartridge bearings and replaceable freehub so that they actually last.
I would prefer something that looks good as well if possible.

Thanks a lot!!!

jon1993

Probably should have mentioned the wheels need to be 26" as well sorry!

jon1993

Just found some easton ea70 xct for £225 are these better?

poah

jon1993 wrote:

I am looking at getting the Mavic Crosstrail's but I was just wondering if there's any better ones for the money? They have to be QR for generic XC race/trail centres also I need cartridge bearings and replaceable freehub so that they actually last.
I would prefer something that looks good as well if possible.

Thanks a lot!!!

crosstrails can be 9mm or 15mm at the front and the rear can be QR or 12x135/142, they also use cartridge bearings. did you even bother to research the wheels at all?????????????????

benpinnick

POAH wrote:

jon1993 wrote:

I am looking at getting the Mavic Crosstrail's but I was just wondering if there's any better ones for the money? They have to be QR for generic XC race/trail centres also I need cartridge bearings and replaceable freehub so that they actually last.
I would prefer something that looks good as well if possible.

Thanks a lot!!!

crosstrails can be 9mm or 15mm at the front and the rear can be QR or 12x135/142, they also use cartridge bearings. did you even bother to research the wheels at all?????????????????

Crosstrails (like all Mavic wheels) use funky side loading bearings so if you want ones that are easily replaceable, I would avoid Mavics personally... plus I don't rate them... but thats just me. I would probably splash my cash on new Hope Pro2 Evos (the ones with the 40t pickup) on Stans rims. The Eastons you mention are good price though.

jon1993

I said that they come in QR that's why I was looking at buying them because that's what I needed... My question was is there any better options not will they fit. As for the hope pro2 evos have you got any personal experience with them? I have found Easton havens for £300 which is a very good price and they look great but all I can find is bad reviews about there rear hubs so think I will give those a miss.

benpinnick

Hope Pro2s... Yes lots of experience! I'd avoid the non Evo versions, and like I said look for the updated 40t ratchets on the evos otherwise the pick up is a bit sluggish. Beyond that though they last forever, bearings are easy to source and replace, spares are easy to find, made in the UK, lots of colours, great weight, whats not to like

Rim choice for all round riding the Arch EX is probably best, but if you ride lightly then the Crests would be fine too.

Easton wheels have a terrible rep for their hubs destroying themselves, so be warned.

benpinnick

... oh and two more things. Personally I would avoid the SP versions as it adds nothing. Also, you should be looking around £340 a pair which is in budget.

benpinnick

There you go: http://www.davehinde.com/hope-hoops-pro ... x-rim.html

Bear in mind you need to pick the right wheel size so this link might not be the one you want (its 26")

warpcow

You might want to google Dave Hinde before ordering from there.

jon1993

Easton are being avoided after finding not one good review I don't fancy paying that much for something I will constantly expecting to fail. So looking at the hope2 evo how noisy actually are they? just looked at the reviews for them and there's a fair few people saying there annoyingly noisy is that true? also how do the mavic rims fair to the ones you are talking about because I currently have mavic 317 from a boardman pro but I have noticed they do mavic xm en521 en721with the hope hub would they be any better?

benpinnick

I would personally go with Stans as I have found them very reliable, but I am sure the Mavics are fine too. Hopes are noisy but you can 'fix' that with some grease added to the pawls. Some people really like the noise of course!

jon1993

also how do the hope pro 3 fair as they don't seem to be any different in cost but look better and lighter? and I like the loud ones

dusk

Spank Oozy? They're technically AM wheels but are light, strong and look the nuts

poah

jon1993 wrote:

I said that they come in QR that's why I was looking at buying them because that's what I needed... My question was is there any better options not will they fit. As for the hope pro2 evos have you got any personal experience with them? I have found Easton havens for £300 which is a very good price and they look great but all I can find is bad reviews about there rear hubs so think I will give those a miss.

you can run adaptors in most 15mm 12x135 hubs or some of them have their own that you can fit.

I was going to get a set of hope pro2's with arch ex rims before getting the crosstrails. I don't do stupid downhill, the mavic rims are true tubeless and the freehub body is steel so won't get gouged like the hope will. I got the mavics from CRC but didn't buy the F&R package as it worked out more expensive than buying them each at the time lol

also considered the Easton havens which have interchangeable hubs too but their spokes are even harder to come by than mavics however I've never broken a spoke yet

poah

jon1993 wrote:

also how do the hope pro 3 fair as they don't seem to be any different in cost but look better and lighter? and I like the loud ones

they really are XC only rims with a rider weight limit.

jon1993

POAH - Im thinking that basically means that they are light but weak. I do all the black stuff so want something that lasts before weight tbh although I do race I don't have an endless budget and don't want to have to replace them. I Also noticed that they are cheaper separate what muppet at CRC did that then haha. I am more sceptical about the havens now lots of people have said there rubbish from reviews with the rear hub failing or not engaging which certainly isn't something I want from very expensive wheels on the down side though they look amazing.

Have you had to replace the bearings on the crosstrails and if so where they expensive or hard to come by and what riding have you done on them any buckles ect?

I will have a look for the spanky oozy not herd of them.

Thanks for the help everyone!!!

supersonic

What wheels do you run at the minute? How much do you weigh?

jon1993

73.5kg I run the wheels of a 2011 Boardman pro HT so there no brand cup and cone hubs and xm317 think they weigh about 2.2kg together. 90% of my riding is on Dalby forest black so need something that can take a knock as well as I have a few dents and its both are out of true but not much (granted these where done at Glentress and Fort William when I did a bit of a road trip where the bike (Scott spark 30) was massively out of its comfort zone).

coulddobetter

Ditched my boardman xm319 on formula hubs. Now have hope pro 2 evo / stans crest. Considered mavic but the reviews on hope swayed me. Best upgrade I have made can't believe the difference and not too noisy.

poah

they are new wheels and not had a chance to get them off road yet what with the current weather. Go for the hope arch ex combo

jon1993 wrote:

POAH - Im thinking that basically means that they are light but weak. I do all the black stuff so want something that lasts before weight tbh although I do race I don't have an endless budget and don't want to have to replace them. I Also noticed that they are cheaper separate what muppet at CRC did that then haha. I am more sceptical about the havens now lots of people have said there rubbish from reviews with the rear hub failing or not engaging which certainly isn't something I want from very expensive wheels on the down side though they look amazing.

Have you had to replace the bearings on the crosstrails and if so where they expensive or hard to come by and what riding have you done on them any buckles ect?

I will have a look for the spanky oozy not herd of them.

Thanks for the help everyone!!!

jon1993

have to say I am starting to get convinced by them its just the noise I am sceptical about because I do excessively long rides at time and i am not sure if that would annoy me how quiet do they actually go when you grease the spawls in comparison to the boardman wheels.

benpinnick

Greasing them up reduces the noise to a pretty minimal level in my experience.

njee20

90% of my riding is on Dalby forest black

90% of your riding is one 6 mile trail? May I suggest sir broadens his horizons...?

I'd consider stretching the budget slightly and getting these, excellent hubs. Personally I'd avoid factory built wheels, IMO you can build far better off the shelf these days. Hope are loud, but not horrendous. DT are excellent IMO, if you can't stretch to the 240s above consider the 350s, same internals, heavier hub shells. Build into your choice of rim. If you want tough the Arch Ex is good, not convinced a Spark is the right bike though...

poah

njee20 wrote:

90% of my riding is on Dalby forest black

90% of your riding is one 6 mile trail? May I suggest sir broadens his horizons...?

I'd consider stretching the budget slightly and getting these, excellent hubs. Personally I'd avoid factory built wheels, IMO you can build far better off the shelf these days. Hope are loud, but not horrendous. DT are excellent IMO, if you can't stretch to the 240s above consider the 350s, same internals, heavier hub shells. Build into your choice of rim. If you want tough the Arch Ex is good, not convinced a Spark is the right bike though...

go off a curb in those wheels and you'll probably dent the rim lol

njee20

Why? lol :roll:

They're not particularly light/fragile rims, I did 3 foot drops on my 285g Podium rims (and rode Dalby black) with no ill effects, if you're not a clumsy oaf and have well built wheels, rims really aren't that weak.

jon1993

I really hammer them and have done some pretty stupid things on them so there certainly not weak wheels In there defence the dents where done in Glentress running low xc pressures on a 2.2 nobby nic tyre so I wouldn't say its there fault. 90% is a fair exaggeration but that's my main focus of the sort of riding I want them for (Dalby black). I have done just about every trail centre in the UK and a lot of natural too just wanted people to keep that idea in mind for the sort of riding I do. Would you say the hope wheels will be much stronger or they just a fair bit lighter from people who aren't Boardman prejudice?

Thanks for the help!

njee20

Will depend on the rim. The Arch Ex is a tough all round rim, the Flow Ex is full on DH suitable, but again, not really appropriate for a Spark...

coulddobetter

Not boardman predjudiced as I ride the ht pro carbon . Main benefit is weight for me , also ease of maintaining hope hubs . Reckon hope with arch rims would suit you. Like you my boardman wheels where silent.however as said hope aren't too bad noise wise and it's only when freewheeling.

supersonic

You have decent wheels. The ones you suggest are better. But how much better? Lighter, maybe a bit stronger. Longer lasting hubs. I'd wait until you wear them out.

jon1993

so you don't think it would be a noticeable upgrade to warrant the money? cant decide if its worth the money or not so far that's all.