MTB 26er wheels for a big guy

Donie75

Hi, I'm a road cyclist dabbling in the world of MTBing. I run handbuilt Mavic Open Pro rims with Ultegra hubs on my road bike because I weight around 120kg. I have a Kona Hei Hei 26er that I bought secondhand for a good price. I've upgraded the brakes to the latest Deore and I have the bike running well. The wheels are the only disappointment. The front and rear don't match. I have a nice Mavic crossride on the rear but the front is some generic looking rim.
I'm thinking about buying a set of handbuilt wheels, what is a decent but good value set up?

rockmonkeysc

Depends on use. What sort of riding do you do?
Your weight won't be a problem for most wheels.

mcnultycop

I used to be well North of 120kg. I run Flows on Superstar Switch and (once my own Superstar build quality issues were resolved at the LBS!) they have been absolutely bombproof on my HT. On my Canyon the stock DT Swiss AM 1900 wheels haven't needed a spoke touching in 2 years, and I'm not exactly delicate. The stock wheels on my roadie have also been spot on with me at 115kg.

Most sensible MTB wheels will be fine.

Donie75

Thanks for the info, I mainly ride XC/trail centre stuff.

The Rookie

Almost any decent wheel will be fine, lots of options out there depending on your budget but Superstar or Merlincycles is usually where the best deals are at for wheels.

Levi_501

Hope Pro 2 with straight pull spokes (easier to change) with Mavic EX721 rims.

You can order them from Merlin, but you have to phone first.

lostboysaint

Mavic EN521 rims, 32 quality spokes and Hope hubs or similar.

supersonic

I'd just run what you have, unless you have any specifics in mind? You want lighter/stiffer/stronger?

rockmonkeysc

EX721 and EN521 are both overkill. I raced downhill on them when I was over 16 stone. They are very strong rims but quite heavy.
Any decent xc/am rim will be fine.