[cobrakillerta]

So I pretty much have the entire build for my new rig all down, the only thing I'm still stuck on is my wheelset.

Most of my riding will be at Diablo Free Ride park, Platekill and some urban stuff (stair gaps, etc). I'd like a wheelset that can take a bunch of abuse but still be on the lighter side and not unecessarily heavy. I'd say that I'm pretty smooth and not a hack who just smashes into everything.

I pretty much have my hub choice narrowed down to either Chris King or Hadley. Chris King's would be awesome in Mango or Pewter on an ALL black bike, Mmmmmm badass.
Strength wise how do the two compare?
Are Hadley's as annoying sounding as CK's can be? Is there any way to quiet down CK's?

I'd like to go with Mavic rims because I'm pretty partial to them and have always had great luck with Mavic. A few years ago I had a SC Bullit and was running Mavic 321's (now called 729's, correct?). I do have access to the older 321's for a damn good price, but how do they compare to the newer options from Mavic?

32 or 36 hole?
I figure 36 as it'll be just that much stronger and not a significant weight increase. Any reason not to go 36?

Whatever I decide on will be laced up with DT Swiss Champion straight gauge spokes and pro-lock nipples.

The wheelset with be going on an Uzzi VPX (possibly a Socom) w/ an
'08 888 RC3 and a strong but weight conscious build.

 

[dhkid]

i would look into hope hubs, they are slightly lighter then kings. much lighter then hadleys. they are solid and cheaper then the other options.

as for rims, you will loose alot of weight and (arguably) no strength going to 721 rims.



mavics new rims are still as bomb proof as they have always been.

go for 32 hole, there is no point of 36 hole really. just take care of your wheels and check the spoke tension.

hadleys do make loads of noise. so do hopes. kings are pretty quiet when they are new and full of grease. strength wise they are both great, you dont really hear of any of them braking.

 

[jcook90]

What about industry nines?

 

[in the trees]

721s laced to Hope Pro IIs.

toby

 

[A.P]

go for 32 hole, there is no point of 36 hole really.

36 hole adds an insignificant amount of weight (~20g ) over 32 hole for a significant increase in strength and stiffness. For the most important part of your bike, I do see a point. You could also use a more butted spoke in a 36h wheel to make a wheel that was lighter and stronger then a 32h wheel with a heavier or straight gauge spoke.


You cant go wrong with hopes on 721's. I ran this all season with DT comps and alu nipples and they held up super well. I replaced the rear rim at the end of the season (dents), but that is to be expected after a season of about 10 races and bromont/whiteface 5-6 times a month. For reference I am pretty smooth and run about 22-25 psi and pretty much only ride really rocky places.

 

[Sir_Crackien]

A.P i would have to argue the opposite. i have been riding 32 spokes for years. never had a problem and i weight 260 lbs and can go big enough to put a hurter on parts. i say save the weight and go 32 hole.

hope hubs are great been running them for a while now with no problems. also the 721 rims should be nice if you don't want a wide rim. the 729 are where its at in my option.

 

[S.K.C.]

I'd spend more on a good quality rim for now, and save cash on the hubs - if you are looking for some rims that will last you a while. You didn't say what the spacing was on your rigs but I'm assuming it's 135mm... correct?

Mavic EX721's are super tough and lightweight. They won't dent very easily and they'll last a long time provided you get them laced by a competant wheel-builder who stress-relieves the wheels. You still have to take it easy on a freshly built set - ride em' around town for a week, then re-tension the wheels. After that, you're ready to rip on the mountain.

I'd go with Hope Pro II hubs (keep in mind that the rear is only 24pt. engagement) or DT Swiss 340's (36pt. engagement). Both are pretty light and durable.

Kings are REALLY expensive, but if you have the cash, go for it.

As far as 32H vs. 36H - yeah you can save a bit of weight (maybe 20g counting the 4 spokes and 4 nipples) but that really isn't much. I find that 32H rims are a bit easier to get than 36H rims (from what I've seen in stock at online shops and the walk-in shops that I use), so that's a reason I like to go with the 32's. If you use 2.0mm/14gauge straight-spokes (not double or triple butted) you can build a really strong wheel.

 

[Cant Climb]

32 or 36 hole?
I figure 36 as it'll be just that much stronger and not a significant weight increase. Any reason not to go 36?

36 laced 4 cross to a 721.......invest in some quality light spokes, the wheel will last years....

 

[dhkid]

there isn't a significant advantage of 4 cross over 3 cross man. and its just contradictory to use light spokes with that. might as well use strong spokes with 3 cross.

 

[Cant Climb]

there isn't a significant advantage of 4 cross over 3 cross man. and its just contradictory to use light spokes with that. might as well use strong spokes with 3 cross.

...........i'm just going by what a wheelbuilder told me. A guy whoose been building wheels for 40 years..........

Personally my 36 spoke builds have lasted forever........and as far as butted vs non butted spokes thats a long long long endless debate in the internet world anyway........

 

[davep]

For anyone who wants some real #s for different spoke quantities, crosses, and spoke types, rather than 'some guy told me' e-pinions......find a copy of 'The Bicycle Wheel' by Jobst Brandt.

Lots and lots of force vs deflection data (static and dynamic, axial and radial) and FEA analysis of all sorts of differing wheel set ups.

End result, is that 3 cross, 32 hole, double butted is the way to go. This setup has been used for many many years so it is not as 'cool' as some funky multi cross, new fangled design...but it is still the best way to build wheels.


It is essentially a 150 page recomendation report, supporting this standard build with every piece of data you could ever want.

 

[jasonw111]

I have 2 pairs of king and 2 pairs of industry nine wheels. Kings are good but you need to keep up on service yearly, industry nines are easy to rebuild and no special tools required. They wil have standard j bend hubs soon so you dont have to run the alm spokes if you are scaired. mavic rims all the way

 

[pelo]

Yea, the 721 are sick.

 

[TomBo]

721s, 3 cross, 32 hole, double butted to Hope Pro IIs.

If I had to build a wheels set right now...

 

[skiwithcharlie]

721s, 3 cross, 32 hole, double butted to Hope Pro IIs.

If I had to build a wheels set right now...

I prefer these: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=280173412056&_trksid=p3984.cWON.m313.lVI

By far my best ebay score of the year!

A bit heavier than the pro2s but 3 times as many engagement points.....

 

[ZHendo]

^good find

 

[bullcrew]

I have 2 pairs of king and 2 pairs of industry nine wheels. Kings are good but you need to keep up on service yearly, industry nines are easy to rebuild and no special tools required. They wil have standard j bend hubs soon so you dont have to run the alm spokes if you are scaired. mavic rims all the way

2nd that, I had 2 pairs of kings and now have 2 pairs of I9's and by far the I9s are better in every way, lighter, faster engagement, easy to maintain and service.

I-9's All the way!

 

[cobrakillerta]

Ok, well I think I may have it narrowed down...

My original idea was CK hubs in 'Mango' color (http://www.chrisking.com/hubs/20mm_images/230W/Orange_20mm.jpg) laced with black spokes & nipples to black Mavic 721's. This should make for a super nice, weight concious and solid wheelset. The all black w/ Mango colored hubs should look killer and give the all black bike a very badass MX look to it.

Which spokes should I go with from DT?
I was originally going to go with straight gauge DT Champion's.
Would I lose a noticeable amount of strength going to a double butted DT spoke? How much total weight savings would they give? Is it worth that weight savings?

Also, has anyone tried Transition Revolution rims?
Another option I was thinking of was black Hadleys hubs, black spokes & nipples laced to Red Transition Revolution rims. This set-up could also look killer if I decide to go with an '08 888 (Black bike, red rims and white fork)
Red rims could look sick! (http://www.transitionbikes.com/2007/images/RedWheels1.jpg)

Anyone know of a spoke calculator that is online or that I can download which lets you pic out the exact hub & rim and calculates the spoke length for you?

 

[fred.r]

Seems like you want to build a wheel set that just looks badass. If that's the case build what ever wheel you think looks cool.
If you really want the best weight to strength wheel take the advice almost every person in this thread has given you...
Hope Pro IIs, Dt butted spokes, w/ Mavic 721s. (Hopes come in snazzy colors too, if that helps). It's also the most affordable wheel mentioned so far.

 

[cobrakillerta]

Seems like you want to build a wheel set that just looks badass. If that's the case build what ever wheel you think looks cool.
If you really want the best weight to strength wheel take the advice almost every person in this thread has given you...
Hope Pro IIs, Dt butted spokes, w/ Mavic 721s. (Hopes come in snazzy colors too, if that helps). It's also the most affordable wheel mentioned so far.

lol I see why you say that...

But, I'm just undecided between Hadley's and Chris King (not 110% down with Hope's)

My last post was really just asking about weight savings by using butted spokes and if anyone has any experience with Transition Revolution rims. The scheme/color thing was just me throwing out ideas.

 

[TheInedibleHulk]

The transition rims arent bad, but they are a price point rim, and it really doesnt make sense to build them to a top end hubset like you are getting just because they come in red. Personally I am a big hadley fan, although I ran kings for year on trials bikes and only ever had one failure. You had the right idea from the get go, handbuilt wheels with mavic rims are still unbeatable. And all those hubs are very good, hard to go wrong there too. I would forget about the Industry nines, alot of trouble and expense for little to no advantage and you'll never have a spoke when you need one, plus a pain in the ass to true. I can offer one note on 721 vs 729, having had multiple pairs of both. While the 721's are certainly strong enough for DH, they seem to be more prone to cracking when dented, right along the square edge. This isnt a huge deal, but it makes it so you cant bend your dents back out if you are into that.

 

[El Gordo]

lol I see why you say that...

But, I'm just undecided between Hadley's and Chris King (not 110% down with Hope's)

My last post was really just asking about weight savings by using butted spokes and if anyone has any experience with Transition Revolution rims. The scheme/color thing was just me throwing out ideas.

Revolution rims are pretty strong, I think they are 720gr if I remember correctly. My buddy has had the wheelset all year and rides pretty much nothing but Diablo. But if your building a wheelset I am not sure i would go with a Trans rim, I mean I would go with there wheelset just like I would go with Outlaws but I wouldnt get a Outlaw rim for a custom wheelset, just my .02..

Depending on your weight and how hard you are on rims would decide 32H or 36H cause you could save some weight with the 32h. If your into Mavic I would totally go with a 729 laced to Hadleys 721's are light and strong but not as strong as the 729 and for Diablo I like a really strong rim. I just got a set built for my DH bike for Diablo and all EastCoast stuff I went with the new Atomlab Pimp rims 36H laced to Hope Pro 2 Hubs, straight spokes 4 cross they are 740Gr for the 36H rim and they are super strong, I havent beat on them yet but I know a few guys that raced them hard all year and they didnt blink. I am no weight weenie especially at 240lb but I would consider these rims if weight is an issue for you - Mavic 729, Syncros DP32, Atomlab PimpLite, or like was said the 721.

Just wondering why not Hope's they make a great hub, lighter than King's and Hadley's and cheaper there CS is great easy to rebuild.. I debated the hub issue for like a year and I am real happy I went with Hopes..

 

[wayodh]

If you want to make some sick maneuvers and also ride smoothly with a light wheel, the only way is to have 2 sets of wheels.

I have the dee trax for hard riding and the normal set of wheels that comes with the nomad for XC. By the way I just broke the axel of the rear hub, I think it's a DT Swiss some number I don't remember haha.

I also had the opportunity to buy a fox dhx5 rear shock so now I have also the air shock I can use for xc rides.

I think it's cool to have these components that can change your bike from a normal bike to a solid freeride bike.

 

[daisycutter]

Hadleys with 729 are the way to go. Hopes are great hubs but I think hadleys are better. But when price is a consideration you do not lose very much using hopes. As a bit of a wheel whore I have had no issues with my hadley hubs and had a bearing issue with my hubs hope rear hub this year.

 

[Patan-DH]

If you are smooth go with 721 and a 32hole setup.
If you are not that smooth go with a 729 and 36hole like me. I have raced my azonic recoil hub laced with dt champions 2mm to 36 hole 729 on my rear without having to tension or true. And belive me that when you jump a 7 foot drop to rocky landig on a rear flat tire you want a strong wheel.