Easton Havoc wheels and hubs? Review?

why not build something from scratch? I always thought off the shelf wheelsets were stupid because you are limiting yourself, i.e. find a wheelset that has what you want in a rim, and you are stuck with whatever hub they come with which may be a compromise. or vice versa. building custom lets you pick exactly what you want. if you like the ADD hubs, then get some new rims and spokes and save a bit of money. Or build from scratch.

What year are the havoc a your looking at?

http://www.jensonusa.com/Mountain-Bike-Wheels/Easton-Havoc-DH-Wheelset?SSAID=361304

Assuming it is these..

I have those. Not bad, 28 spokes though and not an easy hoop to replace. You get what you pay for, and they have another newer design and of course like twice as much money.
I was planning on keeping them just for races at that price but they ended up as my all the time wheel.

Hadley hubs Mavic 823 rims done

They have some issues with hub play and small parts availability. They are pretty good otherwise.

Be sure to buy extra spokes to have on hand should you break some.

Beef Supreme said:

They have some issues with hub play and small parts availability. They are pretty good otherwise.

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My friend has the same problem, not matter what he tried he couldn't get the play out of the rear hub. I had the same wheel on my bike and never had any issues with play.

Al

I wouldn't get the older generation havocs, they aren't really that good and let's just say that the hubs aren't really reliable plus straight-pull spokes are always gonna be harder to find.

If I was you I'd just build up something from scratch, seeing as you work for a shop you can easily build yourself something better (hope hubs, dt hubs on stans, mavic rims) not only are they gonna be lighter but more reliable too

Been riding the Havoc 2012 for around a year and a half now. Got them super cheap second hand from a guy in the UK, both wheels had one serious dent each and that was all. Not, more than 18 months later, both wheels are in worse condition, although i still ride them and trust them, there are new dents especially on the rear one (my own doing which i'm proud of ), snapped 1 spoke on each wheel (from the front wheel - less than a month ago) but put new ones. Spokes and nipples are a pain in the ass to order and to be paid (too expensive), but given the price i took them for, their light weight, good looks, i'd say they are the best i could find. Not planning on changing the hubs, planning to change only the rims once i completely destroy these ones!

Beef Supreme said:

They have some issues with hub play and small parts availability. They are pretty good otherwise.

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didnt they come out with a kit to remedy that issue? IIRC it was a free thing they sent to you if you requested it.

blindboxx2334 said:

didnt they come out with a kit to remedy that issue? IIRC it was a free thing they sent to you if you requested it.

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Supposedly. One buddy got the kit but still had play issues. Another tried to order the kit recently but wasn't able to. I am not sure why. I would check into it before ordering. It doesn't seem Easton is doing a great job of supporting the old products.

FWIW, one of my primary qualifications when buying new wheels or hubs is how good of a job the company does with accommodating new standards. I have a set of DT 240s that have had three different rear axles and two different fronts.