New fork or new wheelset???

ThePriceSeliger · Jan 5, 2006

Weigh them, and take the nicest of the wheels and give them the tubeless treatment. It should be whatever you are most comfy on, and whatever has the adjustments you want.

Andyman_1970 · Jan 5, 2006

The new Manitou R7, which is suppose to come in 100mm travel might be cool.

sanjuro · Jan 5, 2006

Do you have a Marathon Race on it? I think there are few cheapo Marzocchis with the designation of MZ.

Fork performance on XC bikes is personal taste. I have seen them setup from springy to rock hard. However, people who race wanted only one thing: light.

Marathons are not the lightest forks, but they will work great over time.

Wheelsets are always useful, and I believe you could get a light but not especially durable wheelset from the usual sources, like Ritchey or FSA.

-dustin · Jan 5, 2006

i'd go with new wheels. a proper set of wheels will last longer than a fork. might see a bigger weight drop, as well.

SkaredShtles · Jan 5, 2006

I'd recommend a variable-travel fork. I love being able to shorten down to 80mm for climbing & then let it out to 120mm on the way down.

Of course, it probably depends on what kind of riding you do.

Velocity Girl · Jan 5, 2006

One benefit of lighter rims is that it reduces the rotational weight of the wheels which in turn will help when climbing. If the fork isn't a pig that would be my personal pick.

sanjuro · Jan 5, 2006

SkaredShtles said:
I'd recommend a variable-travel fork. I love being able to shorten down to 80mm for climbing & then let it out to 120mm on the way down.

Of course, it probably depends on what kind of riding you do.

Most people racing won't use travel adjustment. Too much fiddling around and too much weight.

I don't race, so I love my Talas and ECC.

N8 v2.0 · Jan 5, 2006

Time for a Maverick SC32 fork.... it's 1760 grams of awesomeness.

sanjuro · Jan 5, 2006

N8 said:
Time for a Maverick SC32 fork.... it's 1760 grams of awesomeness.

Did you read her post? Cost is an issue and the SC32 is not cheap, especially with the new wheel she will have to buy.

What do you recommend next, dipping her frame in platinum? Pull your hair back next, and maybe you can read clearly.

SkaredShtles · Jan 5, 2006

sanjuro said:
Most people racing won't use travel adjustment. Too much fiddling around and too much weight.

I don't race, so I love my Talas and ECC.

Ahhh.. I missed the racing comment. I have an adjustable fork on my NRS and it makes the rocky descents quite fun. :thumb:

Wouldn't make much sense for racing, though.

SkaredShtles · Jan 5, 2006

sanjuro said:
<snip>
What do you recommend next, dipping her frame in platinum?

Would that help? :think:

sanjuro · Jan 5, 2006

SkaredShtles said:
Would that help?

Platinum dipping would lower your drag coefficient by .02 percent.

MMcG · Jan 5, 2006

I think she stated that she won't be racing, not that she will be racing.

bluebug - I'd opt for lighter wheels over the fork to start and then look for good deals on a used Fox or something like that for the Kikapu.

N8 v2.0 · Jan 5, 2006

sanjuro said:
Did you read her post? Cost is an issue and the SC32 is not cheap, especially with the new wheel she will have to buy.

What do you recommend next, dipping her frame in platinum? Pull your hair back next, and maybe you can read clearly.

I guess 'cheap' is a relative term then?

robdamanii · Jan 5, 2006

Anyone want to recommend some decent hubs I could possibly pick up as an anniversary gift? Not too outrageous plz.

Or maybe just look into a set of crossmaxes?

Reactor · Jan 5, 2006

bluebug32 said:
so you think I'll notice a bigger difference by replacing the wheels then?

Pricepoint is having a end of year blowout on forks and wheels.

Unless your fork is a serious dawg, you'll get more benefit from good wheels and hubs.

OGRipper · Jan 5, 2006

I'm not too familiar with the fork you have now, and you haven't told us what hubs or tires you have now, but chances are good that lighter wheels and tires will be more noticeable if what you are asking is the best way to save some weight. Like Velocity Girl said, attack rotational weight first, it is more noticeable, especially the further away from the hub (i.e., tires, then rims, etc.). If you are not a rim basher, definitely check out some tubeless set ups as well, and yeah maybe a set of crossmax, especially if you can find some '05 on sale or something.

skinny mike · Jan 5, 2006

N8 said:
Time for a Maverick SC32 fork.... it's 1760 grams of awesomeness.

and im willing to bet it is one of the flexiest forks on the market. i felt the dual crown maverick fork(whatever its called) and that thing must be super sketchy on rocky descents. it took no effort to flex that front end around. and im willing to bet that the single crown will be like a stick of butter trying to slice through a hot knife on steep and rocky new england trails.

N8 v2.0 · Jan 5, 2006

gnurider1080 said:
and im willing to bet it is one of the flexiest forks on the market. i felt the dual crown maverick fork(whatever its called) and that thing must be super sketchy on rocky descents. it took no effort to flex that front end around. and im willing to bet that the single crown will be like a stick of butter trying to slice through a hot knife on steep and rocky new england trails.

How much are you willing to bet? Lay it all out on the line... take a chance... come on.... put you money where your mouth is.

Go for it!

robdamanii · Jan 5, 2006

bluebug32 said:
Ok, my front hub is a KK Disc, back is a Shimano Disc FH-M475 disc

Rims are sun black eye

Front hub is an alivio level hub. I forget the manufacturer.

Looking for something that's relitively light and in the 300ish range for a set.

skinny mike · Jan 5, 2006

mavic crosslands? dont remember them being too pricy last time i checked.

skinny mike · Jan 5, 2006

bluebug32 said:
those aren't too heavy either, right?

dont think so. im pretty sure they are tubeless ready as well.

Rip · Jan 5, 2006

N8 said:
How much are you willing to bet? Lay it all out on the line... take a chance... come on.... put you money where your mouth is.

Go for it!

You're also forgetting that the maverick requires a 20mm hub and those aren't exactly cheap. I have a set of UST Mavic Cross Rocs that I am willing to depart with for fairly cheap. PM me if you want.

sanjuro · Jan 5, 2006

Rip said:
You're also forgetting that the maverick requires a 20mm hub and those aren't exactly cheap. I have a set of UST Mavic Cross Rocs that I am willing to depart with for fairly cheap. PM me if you want.

24mm hub.

sanjuro · Jan 5, 2006

bluebug32 said:
I wouldn't mind going tubleness

What are the +/- of doing this? And how does the price compare?

You can use regular tires and rims with Stan's. It is lighter than traditional tubeless. Just check which tires work the best notubes.com

Rip · Jan 5, 2006

sanjuro said:
24mm hub.

I was close.

MMcG · Jan 5, 2006

bluebug - if you have around $300 for a set of wheels, see if you can work with a wheelbuilder and have a really nice durable wheelset built up for you. A wheelbuilder should be able to offer you a lot of good advice as to what hubs, spokes and rims to work with to achieve your goal for a light yet durable wheelset and it'll probably last longer than a factory built wheelset.

Just some food for thought.

SXtrailrider · Jan 5, 2006

http://www.speedgoat.com/images/products/FK1008.jpg

this is definitley the lightest for, but whell weight makes the greatest differents. you can feel the weight loss significantly when dealing with rolling weight.

robdamanii · Jan 5, 2006

MMcG is like the voice of reason around here. Thanks Mark, just needed to say that. :thumb:

Reactor · Jan 5, 2006

bluebug32 said:
I wouldn't mind going tubleness

What are the +/- of doing this? And how does the price compare?

The biggest plus I noticed saving weight while keeping flat protection. I had to run slime tubes to get some protection on normal tires, the thorns around here are brutal. I went tubeless using Stan's in UST tires on UST rims. The Stan's weighs almost nothing, and the ust tire weighed about what a normal tire and tub weighed, so I actually saved weight. I can run at a little lower pressure and not risk pinch flats, and get a little better grip.

Crosslands are about 2074 grams a set, and the cool thing is the ability to run disk or rim brakes. I keep a set around as spares so I can run them on either my bike or my wife's. They are UST tubless capable. Crossmax enduro's are a a step up, 1820 grams a set and are tough as nails. They cost around 399-499.

Right now bikesmart has a special, I've never used them so... But they have WTB dual duty XC wheel set for 465, but there is a 20% off code 'newyear' that would knock them down to about $360. DUal duty is about 1700 grams and WTB claims they are tough, I've never used them.

Beyondbikes has a set of XT756 (iso six bolt) hubs on Sun single track on sale for $149( vice 229), which seems like a pretty good deal for a pretty good set of wheels. They also have for $239 an XT756 (iso six bolt) hub on the rim of your choice, seems like a can't loose proposition. And if your total order is $300 bucks you can use the FRSP code and get free shipping

EDIT:

I just got my Chris King ISO disk on XM819 disk wheels there, and you can still see the spoke prep residue.....thems gunna be good wheels.

TreeSaw · Jan 5, 2006

I'd probably go for some lighter wheels and later look to upgrade the fork.

Andyman_1970 · Jan 5, 2006

sanjuro said:
You can use regular tires and rims with Stan's. It is lighter than traditional tubeless. Just check which tires work the best notubes.com

I second the Stan's, I've been using it trouble free to 2 years. In addition to lighter wheels, also look at tires.......using the appropriate tire for your terrain and using a light tire will also yeild some noticable benifits.

I got a Xyclone disc wheelset last year for my Blur for $399 shipped........super light and stiff, but may be a pain if you ever have any problems with them. If I had it to do again, with the criteria you specified I'd go with the Shimano XT disc wheelset or the Mavic Crossmax's.

New fork or new wheelset???

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