Wheel upgrade

Red.Devil.Ghost · June 2017

So I ordered some cheap bits from CRC and got an email advertising other clearance items. Amongst them were these wheels:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobi ... IzMjg1MQS2

Are these a good buy and worthy upgrade? I am rebuilding my Ghost AMR 5900 and an old hardtail (stuck with the frame I had in the end). If I keep my current wheels on the HT, I'm thinking I can put these on the Ghost. I know I'd have to make changes to accommodate change from 9mm QR to 15mm etc. (Rear dropout swap and change the fork lowers at next service).

I can't afford them just yet, but might keep an eye on them for maybe Christmas time. I currently have some Shimano XT hubs with Alex rims (the standard wheels that came with the bike).

Thanks in advance.

cooldad · June 2017

Sounds like a lot of faff for some wheels that are unlikely to be still on sale/available at xmas.

swod1 · June 2017

you'd be better off looking at some wheels from superstar components later on always have offers on throughout the year and probably will around Christmas time.

poah · June 2017

don't have to change fork lowers, you can get adaptors that sit through the hub or end caps to convert 15 to 9mm

Red.Devil.Ghost · June 2017

I'd be going 9mm to 15 though so nothing doing there.

Yes, I guess it would be a bit of a faff. But also, most stuff seems to be 15mm anyway so changing the lowers and dropouts may give me more options. Plus, come Nov, Black Friday will probably have a few offers. So my question is are wheels like this really that much better than what I have, or am I better sticking with what I have? Alternatively, what about buying in bits and having the wheels built?

Uber_Pod · June 2017

Red.Devil.Ghost wrote:

So my question is are wheels like this really that much better than what I have, or am I better sticking with what I have?

What are you trying to achieve by changing the wheels?
(define 'better')

Red.Devil.Ghost · June 2017

Well a bit quicker acceleration would be nice. I'm actually building a HT as well. While my original plan was just swap the wheels between them as required, if a good set come up at a decent price, it might be tempting to avoid the hassle. I'd also like to go tubeless, at least on the FS.

Uber_Pod · June 2017

I don't have any experience of wheels apart from the two on my bike! Please correct any mistakes below...

Having said that, from what I've read it should be possible to make pretty much any wheel tubeless using the tape and sealant method.

The only thing I can see relating to the wheels affecting acceleration would be the weight. So if new wheels are lighter than what you have, they will be better. How much difference that makes, and what value that has, I have no idea.
Could you save that much weight elsewhere on the bike for less?

Red.Devil.Ghost · June 2017

Well, I wasn't aware of that on the tubeless, what about the holes for the valves?

As for acceleration I believe you are right. My first rebuild starts this weekend so I will weigh the wheels and see where to go from there.

Thanks.

Oh and the main area for weight loss is the rider! I'm not aiming for the lightest bike possible or anything like that though. The bike is already a reasonable weight and serious weight loss isn't worth the money really. Wheels only for acceleration, tubeless and having 2 sets.

cooldad · June 2017

Rim tape (Stans/similar) and sealant sorts the holes out. Pretty much any wheel can be made tubeless.

Wheel upgrade

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