[Tenacious Doug]

WTB kit is around here in the UK but the wheelsets are pretty damn rare, infact they are not available aftermarket so I am really struggling to get any info on these.

Looks like I am going to end up with a fully built Sunday Team and swap bits around to my personal preferences rather than the custom route which I really can't afford right now.

The wheels are a bit of an unknown quantity, I know nothing about the WTB Laserdisc DH wheelset that comes on it. I can either run with them or sell them on and go with a pair of handbuilt Mavic/DT rims on hubs of my choice.......Saint, Aireal, Hope, DT etc. Because I work in the trade I can probably do this for relatively little extra but because I know so little about these WTB wheels I dont know whether it is worth my while? Are they good? Bad? Average? Strong? Weak? Well sealed? A death trap?

 

[SirChomps-a-Lot]

I dunno about wtb's built wheels, but the laserdisc DH rims are money.

Basically they are similar to 321s (whatever the f*** the new number for them is) except they less maliable. That means that if you ride smoothish, they will stay exactly true, but a good smash and they might crack. A mavic will get lots of little wobbles and dings, but it's a lot harder to crack it.

if you buy pre-built wheels, get someone who knows what they are doing to re-tension them. Build quality is everything in wheel longevity.

 

[buildyourown]

I hove no experience with the prebuilts but I have 3 seasons on Laserdisc rims. They is nothing that can beat it when you need a full width strong DH rim at a reasonable weight. And afterall, isnt that what we all want?

 

[binary visions]

Right, and if anyone is looking for a good (spam) set of used ones (spam), there might be a set in the new classifieds section

(okay okay, that's the FIRST time I've ever spammed anything... cut me some slack )

 

[for_sale]

but a good smash and they might crack

I had a terrible time with this wheelset. . . and I'm a girl, who rides like a girl. After 3 or 4 months, mine were trashed. Maybe I got a bad pair. I wouldn't waste your money unless there SUPER cheap and you can get 2 or 3 pairs!

Jenny

 

[dropmachine]

They came on our Ironhorses last year, and wouldn't you know it, they were the worst part of the bike. Such a jewel of a machine, buggered by pretty much the worst rims we've ever used. The review we are posting will not be kind.

Go 321. Or 721, or whatever the hell its called now.

 

[buildyourown]

They came on our Ironhorses last year, and wouldn't you know it, they were the worst part of the bike. Such a jewel of a machine, buggered by pretty much the worst rims we've ever used. The review we are posting will not be kind.

Go 321. Or 721, or whatever the hell its called now.

????? Maybe they use a different rim for the prebuilt or the build job was a hack. Mine 2 pairs have been sweet

 

[preppie]

I have a hand built WTB laserdisc DH rim laced to a Profile hub (rear)
I don't have any cracks but I have a lot of dents and a flat spot or two. (this happened with a high tire pressure) :mumble:
They seem to dent real easy compared to my Mavic EX 721.

Go with a pair of hand built Mavic 721 rims on hubs of your choice.

 

[MMike]

I've had very good luck with WTB hoops.

 

[Mattoid]

I ran a pre built laserdisc wheelset a couple years ago. I wasnt overly impressed, the rims may be nice but the build was poor and hard to maintain. Also the bearings in the rear hub froze after a few months. I wouldnt hesitate on going for the rims alone, but the wheelset was a waste of my money.

 

[Cant Climb]

I never ran the rims but i have run the WTB hubs........junk.....went bad in one season with no way to rebuild it......the front hub develpoed alot of side to side play.........

Also, I can't believe what they are charging for thoose wheelsets. Aren't they just stamped out Tawian junk.....?

 

[Jm_]

I had a terrible time with this wheelset. . . and I'm a girl, who rides like a girl. After 3 or 4 months, mine were trashed. Maybe I got a bad pair. I wouldn't waste your money unless there SUPER cheap and you can get 2 or 3 pairs!

Jenny

Sounds like incorrect spoke tension, loose spokes, or not enough tire pressure. There's no rim known to man that will stand up when those things are wrong from the get-go.

 

[dropmachine]

Sorry JM, in this case its the truth. MY team ALL killed thier rims within 2 months. They are so soft, they fold under the slightest hint of a rock. They dented in so easily that we thought we had those problems as well, but the spokes were tight, and pressure high.

The rims just stink. Its unfortunate, cause they look like a solid design, but the sidewalls are made of butter.

 

[MMike]

Weird... maybe they've changed. I ran the same set for....I forget. But a long time for rims. They were hand built by a guy here. And I was riding at snoqualmie too. Many rim-killing rocks.

 

[dropmachine]

I should clarify this. I think WTB changed the metal in thier rims on the new set from 04 and up. I have a set of the older rims, and they are perfect. They stay true, and are reasonably light, and I have no complaints. The new stuff however, well, we have many complaints.

As i said, the review will be less then positive, to say the least.

 

[Greyhound]

I'm running the same LaserDisc DH hub on the rear that I've had since the beginning of '01. Nary a problem. Dunno if that says I'm a wuss, a smooth rider, or a lucky pr*ck. Either way, good hub.

 

[sirbikealot]

i found the hubs to be average, but I had real problems with the rims, they flat spotted horribly, after speaking with WTB at Mont Ste Anne WC, they told me that their rims are "designed to flatspot" so that you'll still have a true rim versus a warp
i found that very hard to swallow, needless to say its 321 or 521's for me, its the only time i strayed from Mavic (the WTB came on our Team bikes from Ironhorse and since IH was so generous we thought we'd run with them) and i guess i learned my lesson

 

[Tenacious Doug]

Looking like something to swap out straight away then, glad I asked! Cheers guys.

 

[descender]

I ran them for a while. They are basically 321 clones but for some reason I had a bitch of a time getting DH tires on and off. Very diffucult, damn near impossbile. Now I am not a master at changing tires but these sucked.

I have 521 now which are lighter and WAY easier to get tires on and off.