29er wheelsets

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    • #112745

      Hey all, I have a 2010 Trek Cobia. I ride the new trail here in Anniston, AL (Coldwater Mountain) quite a bit, a lot of you a probably familiar with it, and I am breaking spokes nearly every ride. I want to get a good set of wheels but there is simply no way I can pay some of the prices I’ve seen. What are some good budget wheels that will serve me well. I’ve looked at the Vuelta Zerolite Pro 29er wheels as well as the Mavic Crossride 29er set. Obviously the Mavic’s are twice the price of the vuelta. The mavic ones are new and i could not find any reviews. The Vuelta had some pretty darn good reviews especially for the $160ish price….What do yuns’ think?

    • #112746

      I personally would not buy a 24 hole wheelset if the trails you ride are abusing your current wheels but the reviews of the Vuelta do sound pretty promising. I would reccomend saving more money and buying something higher end in the 400-600 dollar range that will be more bulletproof. I bought a set of Sun Ringle Charger Pro 29ers a year ago. I’ve had to adjust spoke tension once and they are otherwise issue free. I haven’t even done any hub maintenance to be honest and they are rolling just as free and fast as they did on day way.

    • #112747

      How are the spokes breaking? During crashes, from sticks, or just riding around? Where are they breaking, at the hub, near the nipple/rim, or somewhere in the middle? Which side of the wheel? How much do you weigh?

      You can’t even buy two good quality rims for $160, so I have a hard time believing you can get something that’s decent for $160 for two complete wheels. But then, I’m a firm believer in you get what you pay for.

      I’d recommend taking your wheels to a well known wheel builder and having them retensioned. Find a builder who will lower the tension all the spokes, enough so they’re all slack, and then bring the tension back up. It’ll cost less than those cheapie wheels and you’ll end up with, basically, hand built wheels. You wont break any more spokes. And I’d be willing to bet the hubs in your existing wheels are better than what will come in those cheap wheels.

    • #112748

      I weigh around 190. I’ve had a couple pull through the hub and a couple break at the nipple. They are coming apart just from riding. Probably from the downhill on that trail. I am leery of the cheaper wheel but dropping $999 on some wheels seems crazy…I paid nearly that for the bike…Anyway I plan on going to my LBS today, we’ll see…

    • #112749

      A wheel builder could get you set up nicely, using the parts you have. You do NOT want a 24 spoke 29er wheel at 190lbs riding downhill trails, I can tell you that for sure, even if the spokes are oversized. Those things are super heavy. And, when they start breaking, no local shop will have 2.8mm spokes to replace the broke ones. Regular spokes are 2mm diameter at the ends, 1.8mm in the middle if they’re butted.

    • #112750
      "dgaddis" wrote

      You do NOT want a 24 spoke 29er wheel at 190lbs riding downhill trails

      But .. but .. I’m riding exactly that, at 200lbs:

      http://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-ge … er-wheels/

      And I just hammered Kenosha Pass -> Georgia Pass a week ago, with no issues.

    • #112751

      Those are $160 wheels either 😉

    • #112752
      "dgaddis" wrote

      Those are $160 wheels either 😉

      This is true.

      To be honest, I’m not a weight weenie and I don’t get to fired up about most upgrades *except* wheels.

      You can save a lot of weight in the wheels, almost all of it rotating, and gaining stiffness is a win on several levels.

      This is the one upgrade I’m afraid to spend a little money on.

    • #112753

      Yeah light wheels are nice. I’m building myself a set that’ll weigh in around 1,560g – can’t wait to try them. They may be too flexy for my not-that-heavy-but-not-that-light self though. But I think they’ll be alright. I’ll be putting them through their paces at a race this weekend.

    • #112754

      Contact Pat @ Wigs Wheels in downtown Anniston. I think it is 13th street and Noble. Pat is a trusted friend, and he can advise you about your wheel issues.

    • #112755

      +1 on Wigs Wheels 😃

    • #112756
      "dgaddis" wrote

      A wheel builder could get you set up nicely, using the parts you have. You do NOT want a 24 spoke 29er wheel at 190lbs riding downhill trails, I can tell you that for sure, even if the spokes are oversized. Those things are super heavy. And, when they start breaking, no local shop will have 2.8mm spokes to replace the broke ones. Regular spokes are 2mm diameter at the ends, 1.8mm in the middle if they’re butted.

      Umm I ride 28 spokes on a DH rig (no issues) and 24 on my long travel AM bike…Saying that I do ride 26…

      At Interbike this year it looks like there are many really nice looking 29er wheels coming soon….Easton has the new EC70 wheels in 29 that look amazing.

    • #112757
      "bamadawg120" wrote

      Contact Pat @ Wigs Wheels in downtown Anniston. I think it is 13th street and Noble. Pat is a trusted friend, and he can advise you about your wheel issues.

      I figured i’d bump this back up. Absolutely Wig is a cool cat….Love that shop. I visit those dudes more often than i care to admit. However, i just can’t see that my choices are either my stock bontrager wheels or $1000 mavic crossmax wheels. There has got to be some middle-ground.. I’ve been looking at maybe the 29" Mavic Crossride wheels…I can get them online for around $290. We’ll see…

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