The ultimate Wagon Wheels. With 27-millimeter-wide LaserDisc Trail 29 rims, 28 WTB double-butted spokes and LaserDisc Lite hubs, these wheels are light enough for the racecourse yet strong enough for aggressive trail riding. Optional LaserDisc SingleDuty rear hub.
Bike Setup: Jamis Exile, Hayes disc brakes, EA70 stem, Easton monkeylite bars, EC70 seatpost, WTB laserdisc trail 29er ss, rockshox tora 29, aheadset, xtr crankset
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Submitted by
Bikerdom
a Cross Country Rider
from Milton, NH
Date Reviewed: June 8, 2010
Strengths: Weight and strength, very high quality hubs.
Weaknesses: Maybe the QR skewers(very minor) could be a little better. They're a little hard on my hands.
Bottom Line:
To clear some things up. The Real WTB Laserdisc Trail 29er wheelsets come with WTB Laserdisc Lite hubs. Motobecane Fantom Pro bicycle comes with Forula hubs laced to WTB FX28 hoops and the Fantom Pro SL has Formula hubs laced to WTB Trail 29er rims. I see some people think that if the rim say's WTB Trail 29er they have a WTB Laserdisc Trail 29er wheelset. THEY DON'T! Anyone can buy WTB rims and build a wheelset. Who is really building the wheels have a lot to do with the way the wheels perform and last. Make sure you have the REAL THING.
These wheels have been excellent for the past couple seasons for this 190lb rider. I'm not hard on wheels but I don't shy away from technical riding.
I would buy these wheels again and again. 5 Stars Baby!
Similar Products Used: Shimano WH75, Sun/LX, WTB FX28/Deore
Bike Setup: Sette Razzo XTR Brakes & fr.derailleur, XO twister shifters/rr derailleur, Michelin AT tires, Race Face Next SL/Deus cranks and cockpit, Time ATAC Titan pedals, Specialized Phenom saddle. Total weight for large bike is 24lbs.
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Submitted by
zolkabetyar
a Cross Country Rider
from Las Vegas, NV, US
Date Reviewed: June 2, 2010
Strengths: 0
Weaknesses: It was out of true when I received my bike.
I hit a 3" curb with my rear tire and the rim bended and now way out of true. Will have to replace it....
Submitted by
247
a Cross Country Rider
from Philly, Pa
Date Reviewed: March 19, 2010
Strengths: Bomb-proff. Lite for 32 spoke wheel. Love the hub's, they're great and responsive. They sound Alot more Manly than my Bontrager Race hubs!!
Weaknesses: None yet!
Bottom Line:
27mm wide(work Great with my Michelin AT's. You can pick up a pair for a few hundred less than WTB sells(With WTB Lite hubs)--look for some. I am going HARD this season on trails, stay true--small drops, Rock Garden's.. DID I SAY the Hub's sound cool????
The 32 spoke wheels are great and still among the lightest on the market. I've had no problems with them even riding through rock gardens and 3-4 footers at 180 lbs. You can't expect to huck a lightweight wheelset with a fat arse so I believe these perform as expected.
Bike Setup: Redline Flite with Rock Shox Reba Team, Avid BB7, X.9's
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Submitted by
Dominic Libby
a Cross Country Rider
from Milton, NH
Date Reviewed: August 30, 2009
Strengths: Looks, weight, bearings, great stiffness to weight ratio
Weaknesses: skewers handles/levers are to long and edges are sharper than most
Bottom Line:
These wheels were purchased as an aftermarket part and have been great. Around 400g's lighter than the wheels they replaced. They run in the 1800 gram range which is light for 29ers. I wasn't sure what to expect because I read the reviews after I ordering the wheels and thought these are going to be really bad but just the opposite occured. I've experienced none of the problems other reviewers have had. 29er wheels are flexy because of the diameter creating much more leverage on the spokes. These were stiffer than my last wheels so no complaints here. They spin really smooth on super high quality cartridge bearings. They engage nicely when putting the leg to the cranks. Mine came perfectly tensioned so they've stayed true pretty long. IRC & Michelin tires/tyres beads seat perfectly in the rim. I weight 200lbs geared up and really thought I'd have problems with the wheelset but after 500 miles on them(90% hard trails) they have been a diamond in the rough and pass with high marks. The only thing I hate is their QR skewers. The handles are way longer than they need and the edges kind of dig into the hands when tightening the levers. Did I get lucky and get a good set? Maybe. Happy trails:o)
Bike Setup: Motobecane Fantom 29, Reba Race fork set at 100mm travel, full Titec pluto controls(carbon low rise bars/stem/carbon post), Specialized Phenom SL 143 Gel saddle, '08 XT shifters/brakes/derailleurs/cassette, Sram chain, FSA cartridge bearing headset, LX M580 cranks(outboard bearings), Michelin XC AT tires, Sette lock on grips
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Submitted by
bisquik
a Weekend Warrior
from Madison, WI, USA
Date Reviewed: August 11, 2009
Strengths: Look Good. Acceptable rolling resistance.
Weaknesses: Poor Stiffness. Out of true after every ride.
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This is the first 29er I've ridden but the wheels are out of true after every ride. I'm not concerned about weight, only concerned with a strong nice rolling wheelset. It appears that the 32 spokes aren't enough for this design. I'm pushing 200lbs so perhaps lighter riders won't experience this problem. i'll be upgrading the wheelset at the end of the year.
Not a bad wheel as everyone else seems to think. It can be pricey for some, but the thing everyone has to keep in mind is that this wheel is manufactured and assembled by machines. If you want your wheel to be solid and stay in tru, have a mechanic do a rebuild for you. It'll help out a lot.
Similar Products Used: Bontrager Race Lite, Stans Flow
Bike Setup: K. Monkey with stan's flows
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Submitted by
waterxracer585
a Cross Country Rider
from WI
Date Reviewed: June 30, 2009
Strengths: 29"?
Weaknesses: Everything about them. The front wheel folded over in a very low speed switch back. WTB did warrenty it. But I still feel that they flex way to much and do not stay in true at all. I hear the rear spokes ping in every climb. Poor wheels forsure!
Bottom Line:
These wheels might be good for rolling on flat smooth surfaces but offroad they are not good. These came stock on the bike, and will be replaced when I can afford to do so.
Weaknesses: rear spoke nipples kept coming loose... wheels keep going out of true... now i am told the rims are bent and need to be replaced
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these wheels were ridden on rocky cross country trails... no drops or jumps... but just kept going out of true as the spokes keep coming loose.... this is my first 29er but i never had trouble with my 26er wheels on the same trails... i have only used them for about 6 months but i do ride alot....i don't think i would buy these same wheels again...probably try another brand 29er wheel....
Similar Products Used: bontrager race light... mavic crossmax
Bike Setup: ventana el rey
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Submitted by
schril
a Cross Country Rider
from clio
Date Reviewed: February 8, 2009
Strengths: reasonably light
Weaknesses: very flexy and get out of true every few rides!
Bottom Line:
I have a Niner Rip 9 which is a great bike. The rims are the only weak point due to there flex and difficulty to stay true. These are 2007 models which may have bee improved for this year, but I dont think so?
These wheels are junk. Front rim went out of true at the weld and it trashed. Rear wheel has loose spokes every ride. I am a cross country rider, and easy on wheelsets. Buy a crappy set from pricepoint for $150, and you will be better off. WTB wouldn't warranty as I ran Stans conversion on the front.
Submitted by
Jeremy Gwin
a Racer
from Ouachita Mountains
Date Reviewed: May 9, 2008
Strengths: Weight
Weaknesses: Strength and overall quality
Bottom Line:
I wanted to like this wheelset, I really did. It came with my Felt Nine Pro which I am very pleased with except for these wheels. When I picked my bike up I rodeit around the block to check everything out and I noticed that the front wheel had some movement to it but I chalked it up to tread irregularity and did not pay it anymore attention. Two weeks later I triedto set the wheels up with a Stan tubless kit with no avail because they were so out of true that the tires would not seal tubeless. Went to my LBS and had them trued and complained that something was wrong. I was told that I must have been bashing them hard, I did not agree but didnt push the point as I could tell that it would do no go to complain further. Finally got the tubless set up to work (and yes I used the plus four kit) and ran it for a couple of weeks until the frint tire blew off the rim the first time. It scared me so bad I decided to go back to the tubes and just deal with the flats that came with it. A couple of rides later the front tire blew off the rim again so I suspected the tire and changed briands completly both front and back. Continued riding daily when the new front tire blew off the rim again. I called my LBS and they told me I had to be abusing the wheels so I gave that up. I trued them myself this time. I made one more ride when the rear tire while sitting inn the back of my pick up jumped out of true so drastically it caused the tube to come out of the tire and blow out while in the rack. I carried it to my LBS again they kept the bike for a week and finally told me I bent the rim. I was angery at first and then decided that maybe I had and gave them the benifit of the doubt. I went and picked up my bike, ordered a set of Velocity Blunts and have had no trouble since. Foolishly I decided to build a 69er onthe cheap and used the tainted laser disc wheel for that project and low and behold the first real trail ride I took it out on the tire blew off of the rim, but this time th eowner of the LBS was there. He laughed as he walked down the hill to inspect what I had hit because there is no way that the tire blew off the rim with out cause. Just like the times before there was nothing but smooth ground. He didnt have much to say but later told me it was the fact I was running the wheel on a rigid fork in that screwed up 69er build caused the tire to blow off the rim. When I countered that it had happened twice before on the bike that the wheels came stock on he didnt have much to say. Long story short. If you are a bigger rider like me (215 lbs) save your money and get the Blunts or the Crossmax for your 29er. These wheels are a menace and in my experiance dangerous.
Similar Products Used: Velocity Blunts, Mavic Crossmax
Bike Setup: Stock Felt Nine Pro
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Submitted by
Ben
a Cross Country Rider
from Oak Ridge, TN
Date Reviewed: April 14, 2008
Strengths: Lightweight, strong, good quality
Weaknesses: None yet
Bottom Line:
I bought a complete bike, Bianchi Rita, and these awesome wheels were part of the factory build! Yeah, it was definitely one of the reasons I bought the complete bike, these wheels are sweet!
Maybe they aren't Chris King's or Hope's, but they are certainly a high quality hub. As far as the rims, they have stood up to some serious pounding by a guy who weighs >200# and likes to jump, so I'm impressed so far.
If you're looking for a good value for your buck, esp if you're upgrading an SS with price break wheels or doing an SS coversion, take a look at these wheels.
Bike Setup: Surly Karate Monkey, FSA carbon seatpost, stem and bars, chris king headset, truvativ crankset, juicy 7 hydraulics 08 models, salsa, etc. etc.
