[oly]

So my 3 year old singlertrack wheelsets ready to be replaced. The Shimano XT hub didnt like the XTR freehub body and finally stripped out. The nipples were also alloy and I would loose a spoke every few rides. Ive been a long time Sun rim user and am looking at the MTX rim as an upgrade. Side by side the rims 50g heavier than the ST, and a bit wider. Im not so worried about the weight overall, but will 100g in rim weight be noticeable? I read that rotational weight is more important... So with a comparable weight between 2 wheelsets, but one having the weight at the rim rather than the hub.... will the one with the heavier rim feel alot heavier in riding? Im dropping some weight in going to the ringle hubs from the Shimano/Marzocch hubset ive been on. Also what effect will the wider rim have? Im pretty sure im going to just go for it.... but wanted to see if anyone had buyers remourse going this route on an agressive tral bike. Oh, and to add to this im 240lbs and ride hard (not smooth). The Singletracks have been great, but i wonder if the MTX wouldnt be better at little penalty.

PS, Mavic rims not an option...... Basically im choosing between MTX, Singletrack... and possibly the DS-1 (but i think i'd destroy those fast).

 

[OGRipper]

If you got three years out of your last set I'd say save the weight and get more singletracks. Lighter hubs are good but the difference will be more noticeable if you lose weight at the rim and tire - better to keep it light at the outside of the rotating mass. A wider rim will give you something of a better tire footprint and less tendency to roll your tire. Get another pair of singletracks and if you wreck a rim, most likely a rear, you can beef up one level if you think you need to. Or if you're starting to step it up start out with a singletrack front and MTX rear.

 

[Jeremy R]

So my 3 year old singlertrack wheelsets ready to be replaced. The Shimano XT hub didnt like the XTR freehub body and finally stripped out. The nipples were also alloy and I would loose a spoke every few rides. Ive been a long time Sun rim user and am looking at the MTX rim as an upgrade. Side by side the rims 50g heavier than the ST, and a bit wider. Im not so worried about the weight overall, but will 100g in rim weight be noticeable? I read that rotational weight is more important... So with a comparable weight between 2 wheelsets, but one having the weight at the rim rather than the hub.... will the one with the heavier rim feel alot heavier in riding? Im dropping some weight in going to the ringle hubs from the Shimano/Marzocch hubset ive been on. Also what effect will the wider rim have? Im pretty sure im going to just go for it.... but wanted to see if anyone had buyers remourse going this route on an agressive tral bike. Oh, and to add to this im 240lbs and ride hard (not smooth). The Singletracks have been great, but i wonder if the MTX wouldnt be better at little penalty.

PS, Mavic rims not an option...... Basically im choosing between MTX, Singletrack... and possibly the DS-1 (but i think i'd destroy those fast).

Well, just by going to Ringle hubs your overall wheel weight will be less even with the MTX rims, because the XT hubs are pigs. But you are right about the rotational weight. I could not tell a MTX was heavier than a singletrack on my DH bike, but then again , no climbing. I hate heavy wheels on a trailbike, but for you at 240, I am not sure what to recommend.
The Sun SUV wheelset is its lightest heavy duty wheelset, and would be a good option. For an even lighter setup, you could get the Ringle hubs, Rhyno XL rims, and build them up with double butted spokes.
Sun goes from having a lightweight XC wheelset all the way to the SUV wheels with nothing in between for trailriding. I think the SUV wheelset should suit you fine at 240 though.
But yeah, those MTX rims are really strong, and I am about to get some more for my DH bike soon.

 

[buildyourown]

Rim weight is important but don't forget about width. Rim width makes a huge difference in how a tire rolls and how the bike handles. If you want to run wider tires and ride the bike harder, I would go with the wider rim. Wider rims allow you to run lower pressures with less tire roll which = better traction.

 

[oly]

Thanks guys....

Yea, the ST did well for 3 years of heavy riding,. Im not saying they are perfectly round/true.... but there not taco'd. I made the mistake of using alloy nips, and this time around will use brass if i build my own set, but im leaning to a prebuilt set direct from Sun.

I had a SUV set and Taco'd the front wheel. Maybe cuz i was riding the shore pushing it beyond its limit. I dont think my 5-spot would ever see that much abuse however, so ill take the suggestion of SUV....

T- I run the Kenda 2.5's on my spot. I wouldnt see myself going to anything bigger for trail riding. The MTX is listed at 34mm, the ST at 30mm, and RhinoLtXl at 29.5. So pertty close with the MTX being the widest. It all really depends on price, and availabiliy. Suns closed till the 6th so ill be using my Azonic wheel from the DHR till then.... Good thing its convertable.....