Description:There's still no better way to upgrade a bike than a hot pair of wheels. These are lighter, stronger, more affordable than the competition and perform great!
Submitted by
Aaron
a Cross Country Rider
from Kings Canyon, CA Date Reviewed: September 10, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Buck Rock
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$192.00
Purchased At:
Direct from Specialized
Strengths:
Very well built pair of wheels! Mavic 517 rims are the best (I have a 3 year old wheelset with 517's that have stayed true!), Light Hugi made hubs.
Weaknesses:
15/16 spokes might be a bit flexy for my 185 lbs
Similar Products Used:
Hand made (by me) XT hubs with ti rear axle and freehub body bolt, 14/15 3X DT spokes, Alloy nipples, Mavic 517 Hard Ano rims
Bike Setup:
On my Bontrager, ESP 9.0 brakes, levers, rear derailuer, shifters, PC-58 chain. XT front derailuer, bottom bracket (UN-72), XTR 12-32 8 speed cassette. Race Face Turbine LP cranks and chainrings, low rise XC bars. Koski stem, FSA headset, Selle Italia Flite saddle, Bontrager seatpost and pedals.
Bottom Line:
Very light and strong wheelset. Uses standard "off the shelf" rims and spokes for easy repair (unlike other pre-built wheelsets). Mine have held up for over 600 miles of off road riding this summer without seeing the trueing stand.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jeff
a Racer
from Hastings MN Date Reviewed: July 15, 2001
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$299.00
Purchased At:
On track Bike and Ski
Strengths:
Light, hold up well, It has both front and rear sealed hubs
Weaknesses:
the 517 WIth the reviews and the way they say they the spoke holes start pulling through that scares me a litle. But other wise they are a great wheelset.
Similar Products Used:
maviv 225 with disc brakes
Bike Setup:
2000 raleigh m-800 with panaracer tires and the s-works wheelset
Bottom Line:
They are a great pair of wheels. They are light and strong they hold up to everyday punishment. I like them because of the nice price. They also come set up with nice tension and they dont need that break in period like other sets do. And the red spokes and a lot of spice to them
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Submitted by
phishin
a Cross Country Rider
from tulsa, ok Date Reviewed: May 31, 2001
Favorite Trail:
turkey mtn area
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Light, hugi made hubs, nice stealth look, stay true
Weaknesses:
ummm...
Similar Products Used:
Bonty Corvair, mustang, 221, & older mavic
Bike Setup:
97 Dakar w/ all the goodies
Bottom Line:
Good wheelset for a good price. You'd spend a lot more if you built a wheelset out of 517s, Hugis and Dt spokes.
I have trued them once.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Steve McCormick
a Racer
from Fairview, Michigan Date Reviewed: April 22, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Iceman Challenge course
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
LIGHT, LIGHT, LIGHT! Less rotational weight due to the Mavic 517 rims, alloy nipples, and thinner spoke, and less drag from fewer spokes cutting the air. (28f, 32r) Great looking wheelset too!
Weaknesses:
The Specialized skewers that come with the wheels are heavy. The front skewer especially, but it is actually a SkrAxle. It takes the place of BOTH a conventional axle and the skewer. So maybe it isn't a lot more than both combined(I'm not sure what an axle should weigh). I think a considerable part of their excess weight is the nuts that Specialized provides.
Similar Products Used:
Mavic 238 rims, LX hubs
Bike Setup:
Fisher Joshua F1, mostly XT, a few more exotic parts.
Bottom Line:
This is a true 1500 gram set. I weigh in at a hefty 215 pounds and have had zero trouble so far. Of course I'm not doing dropoffs, or riding Moab. When I got the set the rims were true, but not centered. So I put them on our Park tool and reset them. Racing in the Clydesdale class I need any advantage I can get. Bought these to reduce the rotational weight and they did the trick! GREAT WHEELSET!
$ 499.99
Overall Rating:
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