Back again...This time it's rims, hubs, QRs. Wheel help!!!

davildo
davildo Posts: 162
edited September 2010 in MTB buying advice
Hi all.....again, seeing as you gave me great advice before (the Reba is still amazing) I'm back for more.

I'm now planning to upgrade the standard Alex / Stout wheels on my 2010 Rockhopper.

Having considered the options and looked at Hope hubs, Red Metal etc..
Pretty much decided to get some superstars made up.
Good reviews and price.

Thinking about Superleggera rear hub but seen good stuff on here about Switch hubs.

If I got a superfast front hub and superleggera rear hub, do I need to worry about adaptors, different size QRs or will the one I've got transfer over?
Is a superfast QR front / superleggera rear suitable for my riding or overkill? Switch hubs are cheaper after all but I don't understand all the adaptor / axle stuff.

Next..rims.

I ride XC and trails, bit of light jumping and heavy crashing.
Been looking at Mavic 717 or Stans Crest but not really sure what is suitable for what I ride.

Finding it all a bit confusing, as you can probably tell.

Any advice about hubs or rims would be appreciated especially if you have experience of Superstar wheelsets.

Thanks again.

Comments

  • submityournentries
    submityournentries Posts: 912
    ive got a set of switch hubs and they are lovely. they are on the AM490 rims and seem really strong and are much lighter than my old wheels, so they seem to roll like they are fillied with helium.

    you are looking for a standard front hub with a QR adaptor, and a 135mm rear hub with a QR im guessing.
    Ragley Blue Pig
  • neninja
    neninja Posts: 424
    If you're looking at some jumping them I would go for Stans Arch or Flow rim - bit more robust than the Crest but also a little heavier.

    The Switch Evo hubs are now pretty much the same weight at the Superfast/Superleggera - I've no experience of them but would opt for them as they are easily adaptable to new bikes in the future as you can convert them for 15 and 20mm front axles and 10/12mm bolt through rears.
  • davildo
    davildo Posts: 162
    Thanks for the reply sye.

    One of my main problems is that I don't understand your question.
    I guess I am after standard hubs, so if that is 135mm rear, then yes.

    Really I just want to take the old wheels off and put the new ones straight on with QRs. Do they come with QRs already or do I need to transfer mine over or buy suitable ones?
  • davildo
    davildo Posts: 162
    Thanks Ninja.

    I am probably leaning towards switch EVO hubs now and your advice about rims is appreciated.

    Again I don't really understand the axle stuff.

    I think I need to do a bit of axle research.

    My bike has QRs but would they be 9 or 15mm? Had a look at my bike spec and it doesn't really say.

    Apologies for my ignorance.
  • neninja
    neninja Posts: 424
    I hope this makes it clearer - I looked into them all recently when looking for a frame to buy and what hubs I might need.

    You most likely have standard QR wheel hubs currently.

    There are 4 100mm front wheel hub standards that I can think of -
    a) QR - a regular QR with thin axle. The hub has 9mm end caps that sit in the fork dropouts.
    b) 9mm through axle - the axle is 9mm thick and sits directly in the dropout (the hub has flat end caps that don't sit in the dropout). This should work with your fork and would make the front end stiffer. You would need to buy a new 9mm QR through axle from Superstar.
    c) 15QR/15mm Maxle - the QR axle is 15mm thick, the dropout on one side of the fork leg is threaded - the 15mm QR axle screws into the fork before being locked down.
    d) 20mm Maxle - as above but 20mm thick

    The type of QR above is dictated by the fork you are running.

    There are another 4 135mm rear wheel hub types dependent on the type of rear dropouts. Most bikes are type 'a'.
    a) QR - as above with a thin axle and the 10mm hub end caps sitting in the dropouts.
    b) 10mm through QR axle/bolt through - the axle is 10mm and sits directly in the dropouts, the hub has flat end caps. This should work on bikes previously using regular QR hubs/dropouts. A new 10mm QR axle is required.
    c) 12mm Maxle/bolt through - axle is 12mm and also sits directly in the dropouts.
    d) Syntace 142 - 12mm axle with wider hub. This standard uses a different type of dropout on the frame for increased rigidity and stiffness.

    The Switch Evo are a good idea as they are compatible with all the above standards by simply changing the hub end caps so are upgradable for almost any bike you might buy in the future (as long as it doesn't have a 150mm rear hub).
  • davildo
    davildo Posts: 162
    Ninja,

    Thanks for taking the time to explain all of that to me. It's now much clearer.

    Just out of interest, would you suggest any alternatives to Superstar hubs?

    I'm probably looking at 200-300 for a wheelset, so got a bit of room for manouveure.

    Thanks again,

    Dave.
  • neninja
    neninja Posts: 424
    If you can stretch to £300 for a wheelset then i think a lot of people would push you towards Hope hubs. They can be changed to fit the different standards like the Superstar ones and have a good reputation but are more expensive.

    Wheelsets built using Stans ZTR rims and Hope hubs seem to have excellent resale values if you eventually fancy something else.

    I guess there are is Nuke proof Generator, DMR Revolver, Halo etc but you'll often find they are all the same hub from the same factory but rebranded. Chain Reaction often have these on offer.

    These look like good value if you don't mind a red hub -
    http://www.moonglu.com/shop/hope-hoops- ... tans-arch/
  • davildo
    davildo Posts: 162
    Thanks again Ninja,

    I am actually looking for red hubs so these look right up my street. Should look tidy along side the Black and Red Reba Team.

    I'll let you know if my itchy finger presses 'BUY'.

    Thanks for the help, really appreciate it.

Categories