Submitted by
Sam Hakosem
a Cross Country Rider
from Jerusalem, Israel Date Reviewed: June 13, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Seaadim, Jerusalem mountains
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$860.00
Purchased At:
Amos, Or-Yehuda
Strengths:
OK for relaxed cross country riding.
Weaknesses:
Too weak for down hillers or extreme riders. Especially if you weigh more than 200 pounds.
Bike Setup:
Standard setup of the factory assembled Marin B17 07.
Bottom Line:
I purchased the B17 and the WTB speedisc wheelset in it, because the bikes are supposed to be "strong" and are characterized as "Trail/Aggressive". After some ~500 miles cross country riding, I went on my first real extreme single. Unfortunately the rim got twisted beyond repair.
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Submitted by
Steven F.
a Downhiller
from Socal Date Reviewed: September 23, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Chutes
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$89.00
Purchased At:
jensenusa
Strengths:
Good rim to get you rolling, i only bought becuase i ran out of money for my freeride rig i was building and needed a cheap set to get be going.
Weaknesses:
well, im pretty sure if you were only xc riding they would be fine, but i am not an xc rider, so it is kind of my fault for not buying a better rim for the job. but, anyways, they are litterally like rubber on anything more than 6 feet. and on technical trails you can feel flex. The front was the first to go, i went off an 8 foot ladder bridge drop to a landing, and the rim totally tacoed and sent me over the bars and into a planterbox (it was in my buddies back yard) since i have replaced the front one with a loco wheel, it has been great. and the rear has never stayed in true for more than a ride. currently i am still using it waiting for it to break to replace it. it has about 6 flat spots, and is bent two ways. i have straightened it twice, and it is still going. the only real abuse the rear got was landing to flat off of a 5 foot kicker. overall i think these rims would be great for any xc or all mountain riding.
Similar Products Used:
tons of different rims, all very generic
Bike Setup:
2004 67 frame, 2003 super t pro, hayes hydros, full raceface components
Bottom Line:
Great if you just want to get out and ride with disc brakes for cheap, dont expect to do anything over 6 feet with out damaging the wheels. but the price is right
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Submitted by
Jamea Jordan
a
from Lee County FL Date Reviewed: July 16, 2006
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
They were included on my bike.
Weaknesses:
Constant need of truing, and had grommet for one spoke tear out after just 2-3 weeks of bendi.., I mean, riding. The spoke was not near being taught. No offense- these are OE on a bike I bought just to upgrade, but these suck.
Bottom Line:
Upgrade or you will be browsing the Public Library under '...You and your Nipples'.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
al
a
from dfw Date Reviewed: June 20, 2006
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
stock
Strengths:
cool looking, only quality, easy to tryue, held up ok under 250# load thus far
Weaknesses:
a bit heavy, coarse edges, coarse hubs
Similar Products Used:
many many
Bike Setup:
$600 mongoose fs
Bottom Line:
what do you expect on a stock bike at a $600 price point?
Exactly what these are: a good step above Wal-Mart quality, but still coarse machine-built wheels. looks very cool, all black, cool stickers. wheels were a bit out of true new (what cheap new wheels aren't) but were easy to true and have held up fine since then (2mo frequent use).
Only odd thing on mine was a few mystery flats, looked like snakebite, but after the last one, i found several rough edges on the INSIDE of the rim which were wearing through the tube! odd. a bit of sandpaper fixed it.
WTB used to be an offbeat, hi-quality brand. Unfortunate but true: they're now a mainstream, lo to mid-quality brand trading on their image and name recognition.
if you need a new set of wheels don't pay over $100 for a pair of these. That said, they're quite workable.
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Submitted by
ramilcp
a Weekend Warrior
from Whittier, CA Date Reviewed: March 12, 2006
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$140.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Strong, smooth, and dependable.
Weaknesses:
Heavy.
Similar Products Used:
Weinmann Zac19 rims on Shimano hubs, XTR/517
Bike Setup:
IRO Mia! rigid singlespeed w/ Actiontec Ti cog and spacers. Schwalbe Light Albert 2.25 Rear, IRC Trailbear 2.25 Front.
Bottom Line:
These are my first disc only wheelset and for the price I paid for them, they've been great. I haven't had to true them since building the bike and putting it through its paces. They are on the heavy side, but for my heavy frame, it suits me just fine.
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Submitted by
hilton moss
a Racer
from israel Date Reviewed: January 28, 2006
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Strengths:
I have done 20000km on this wheelset only damage, 2 spokes, freebody replacement, new balls and grease. I bought them second hand!! Last forever if u treat them right
Weaknesses:
A bit heavy
Similar Products Used:
lots
Bike Setup:
Yeti Kokopelli with XTR,XT,Easton EA70,Fox 100 RLT,Chris King,Avid,Blackspire,Sram, WTB saddle,tires and wheels.
Bottom Line:
Strong, reliable, great wtb support, stays true.
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Submitted by
Gary Artis
a Cross Country Rider
from Woodland Hills, CA Date Reviewed: December 31, 2005
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
Supergo Online
Strengths:
Relatively inexpensive and durable.
Weaknesses:
Rear hub failed right out of the box.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano, Mavic, Richie
Bike Setup:
Ironhorse Rogue hardtail
Bottom Line:
After hundreds of hours of heavy use in all conditions, these wheels are about the only original parts remining on a bike that cost less than $600. After properly lubricating and adjusting the hubs, and properly truing and tensioning, these wheels have been great. Though a little heavier than I would prefer, I plan to use them until they wear out.
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Submitted by
Bill
a Cross Country Rider
from North Carolina Date Reviewed: May 22, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Pisgah
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
Online and LBS
Strengths:
Very durable XC wheel. Strong if built right. Great for the price.
Weaknesses:
A little heavy, but not for their price.
Similar Products Used:
Mavic 317 on XT disc hubs, Sun Singletrack on LX hubs
Bike Setup:
Had these on a full suspension cross country bike and another set on a single speed
Bottom Line:
These wheels will handle very aggressive cross country riding for a long time. If you are doing "drops" on these wheels, you need either need to really know what you're doing or get a freeride wheel made to be abused. These are, like the name says, XC wheels. Having two sets and logging two years on them, I can say they will handle the miles on the trail. Do yourself a favor and buy them from a bike shop so you are sure they are built/tensioned right. If you order a bike online and pull it out of the box and ride it, don't be surprised when you taco a wheel. You can buy an $800 set of wheels,and if their not built/tensioned right,trash them on your first ride. Bottom Line: use common sense/proper maintenance and these wheels will go for years
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Submitted by
johno
a
from Wellington, New Zealand Date Reviewed: April 10, 2005
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
they are easy to straighten out in the field (by jumping on them)!
Weaknesses:
they bend and twist to easily.
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
gt idxc 3.0
Bottom Line:
just not strong enough. I know that they arent flash and expensive but they should be able to handle a 75kg rider off a 3ft drop without buckling to an unrideable state (twice)?! Broke my wrist too.I am confident that stronger rims\wheels wouldnt have given way and sent me flying! Maybe good for entry level work. Wtb is running a pimp my ride competition. Next time i screw that wheel ill send in before and after photos for my entry.
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Submitted by
Greg
a Cross Country Rider
from Berkeley, CA Date Reviewed: March 13, 2005
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$100.00
Strengths:
They look okay
Weaknesses:
Please read below
Similar Products Used:
Everything...high and low end.
Bike Setup:
Superlight
Bottom Line:
These wheels are a disgrace to mountian biking. After reading the reviews on this site, I decided to get a pair as semi-disposable wheels. After 20, maybe 25 miles, the cassette body dismantled itself from the hub. What more can I really say? I blew up a new rear wheel after 25 cross country miles on a full suspension bike, and I weight 180lbs. I will try to send these back to WTB, and hopefully amend my report, but do yourself a favor and do not buy these wheels.
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Submitted by
Bryan
a Weekend Warrior
from North Shore Date Reviewed: August 18, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Boogieman
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$80.00
Purchased At:
eDiscount Bike (eBay)
Strengths:
Price, strenght:weight ratio, tire options (I've used it with 2.0-2.6 tires), price
Weaknesses:
Doesn't do everything
Similar Products Used:
Rhyno-lite, doubletrack, mavic F219, various crap wheels
Bike Setup:
Banshee Scirocco: DH - doubletracks 26/24 with 2.6 stouts XC/FR - mavic F219 26/26 with various 2.3-2.5 tire setups XC Race - WTB Speed disc 26/16 with various 2.1/2/0 tires
Bottom Line:
If you want an agressive XC wheel at a reasonable price, this is it. It's not meant for superlight freaks, or DH/FR huckers. Use the wheelset for what it's meant for and it will give you years of fun. Use it otherwise and you may be disappointed.
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Submitted by
Turk
a Cross Country Rider
from USA Date Reviewed: July 15, 2004
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$145.00
Purchased At:
Cycle World
Strengths:
Cost, solid, seats a 2.4" tire well
Weaknesses:
None to date
Similar Products Used:
Lots
Bike Setup:
Specialized Enduro Comp
Bottom Line:
Bought these after toasting my stock Enduro rims. I ma satisfied. The did go out of true after a bad wipe-out I took, but that was my fault.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bubba Ming
a Weekend Warrior
from Brunei Darussalam Date Reviewed: May 31, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Long Hill & Mcfarm Loops
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
TCT Enterprise
Strengths:
Strong and durable. Smooth hub bearings. Inexpensive. Performance and Value packed into one great wheelset. Where have you been all my life? Cheers, WTB.
Weaknesses:
None that I can find at the moment. Here's hoping none will come up in the future.
Similar Products Used:
Mavic X517, laced with DT Swiss Titanium Spokes and 03 XTR Hubs
Bike Setup:
Schwinn Rocket 88 Stage 1, F80X, Fox Float RL, XTR 04 Cranksets and FD, SRAM 9.0SL RD and Twist shifters, Thomson Stem and Seatpost, Time Atac XS, Avid CPS Mechanical Disc and the great WTB SpeedDisc XC wheelset.
Bottom Line:
These wheelsets are my first experience with upgrading to disc-specific wheelsets (they came with my bike). I'm totally sold. I will never go back to using rim V-brakes anymore. Adios Vs, hola Ds. As for the wheelsets themselves, they are the best. Sure, they are little bit heavy, but they are very, very durable and strong. In addition, they have taken a number of punishment over the months I have had them, but never needed to true them. This, despite pounding them week in, week out. I would recommend them to any mtb'er who wants a strong, durable and value-packed disc wheelset. As for myself, I would buy another pair, use Stan's Notubes and convert them to UST.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jacob O'Neall
a Downhiller
from Eubank,Ky, USA Date Reviewed: January 11, 2004
Favorite Trail:
any that's good
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
came on bike
Strengths:
Fairly strong, resonably light for trail/freeriding, looks good, hubs are smooth, rims are strong
Weaknesses:
a bit heavy for pure xc, not quite strong enough for full-on DH
Similar Products Used:
many
Bike Setup:
2001 Mongoose Pro Black Diamond Valient: WTB SST X2K saddle, WTB Motoraptor 2.4 "race version" tires, Syntace VRO bar/stem combo, 2001 Rockshox Psylo SL fork & Pro Deluxe adjust rear coil shock, Kore seatpost, Formula Activa mechanical disks, Truvati Five-D ISIS cranks/XR ISIS BB, Shimano LX deraillers/Deore shifters
Bottom Line:
These are great wheels for trail riding. They came on my bike, and I haven't ever had any problems with them in over two years. The hubs are smooth & reliable, while the rims are stiff & strong, what else do you want. They aren't to heavy for trail and Freeriding, and I should know, because this bike gets pounded. for those unfamiliar with Mongoose Pro, the Valieant is a five inch travel "Black Diamond" bike. Oh, and Mongoose was the first bike company that I know of that even used the term "Black Diamond" to label their freeride bikes. Anyway, the wheels have held up to a tremendous amount of punishment quite well, except for the front rim, which met it's fate on a 8-foot drop that went wrong. I landed good the first two times, but on the third try, I landed sideways, right on the front wheel, and I had to replace that rim. No rim could have held in that situation anyway. If you are shopping for a tough, value-packed disk wheelset, these are for you. They are made by a good company, and are very reliable. I would recomend them to any trailrider who wants a strough, but not too heavy wheelset.
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Submitted by
Jim Nessler
a Cross Country Rider
from Escondido, CA Date Reviewed: December 26, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Daley Ranch
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
Came on bike
Strengths:
Inexpensive, came with KHS Powertools hubs instead of WTB hubs. KHS hubs have been perfect.
Weaknesses:
Not very strong, too heavy.
Similar Products Used:
Supergo built Tioga wheels (very weak). I can only compare my WTB wheels to the wheels of my riding buddies. (mostly low end to medium quality Mavic)
Bike Setup:
2002 KHS FXT comp, Duke fork Cane Creek AD 10 rear
2002 KHS FXT comp, Duke fork, Cane Creek AD 10 rear shock, carbon bars, Fire XC Pro tires.
Bottom Line:
Wheels have not stayed true, especially rear. After a recent ride on San Juan Trail, the rear wheel was hitting the chain stay, and I found a broken spoke. This was from conservative riding and no crashing. I don't even know when it happened. At 54 years old and 165 pounds, I do not punish my equipment. These are weak wheels. The KHS product has been very good, however.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
AJ
a Cross Country Rider
from San Luis Obispo Date Reviewed: October 7, 2002
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
California pedaler - buy from us...
Strengths:
Looks kinda cool, but they should have used black spoke nipples. Semi-strong, cheap farily light. A in between wheel...
Weaknesses:
Semi strong, farily heavy, an in between wheel
Similar Products Used:
almost everything
Bike Setup:
these wheels are on my ds/urban/kind of xc bike
Bottom Line:
They are good rims if that is what you are looking for, but you can easily do better. For cross country, get a set of decent mavic rims, preferably the 517, and lace them 3 cross with 15/14g double butted stainless spokes with brass nipples. I rode a set of 517s on xt hubs and literally, it took me 3 rock induced headers, and then finally an unintentional 4 foot drop onto the front wheel to slightly tweak them. These get tweaked about the same, but are heavier. For the weight, you can do much stronger. Lace a xt or similar disc hub to a set of rhyno lites or sun singletracks. If you like a more in between wheelset, this is perfect, but personally, i am going to replace them very shortly with a well built(by me of course) set of mavic F219s on xt disc hubs.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Offroader
a
from Santiago, Dominican Republic Date Reviewed: September 14, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Cibao valley mountains
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Came with Raleigh M800
Strengths:
Strong, durable
Weaknesses:
Too damn heavy. It's not really WTB: It's a Joytech (Taiwan) hub with an Alex TD17 rim. Tire beads tend to mount unevenly on the rims, giving an appearance of an out of true wheel.
Similar Products Used:
Exact thing with a differen name: Joytech hubs with Alex TD17 rims on my previous bike, a Raleigh M600
Bike Setup:
2002 Raleigh M800 with Hutchinson Alligator Gold and Shimano XT Cranks.
Bottom Line:
I upgraded my Raleigh M600 to a Raleigh M800, thinking that, among other things, I would get better wheels.
But, instead, I got the same Hubs and Rims with "WTB" on them, instead of "Joytech" and "Alex".
They're too heavy.
Don't pay a penny for them.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John Hunter
a Cross Country Rider
from Louisiana Date Reviewed: July 13, 2002
Favorite Trail:
anywhere
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Purchased At:
Bayou Bicycles
Strengths:
strong wheelset. good looking. durable. Cheap
Weaknesses:
heavy
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
stock 2000 Giant XtC DS2
Bottom Line:
i have pounded these wheels for over three years, crashes and all, and i have never needed to true them. They have little if any flex and hold up against drops and rocks. These are killer wheels by any standard. 5 for value and 4 for being a little on the heavy side.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chris MacDougall
a Cross Country Rider
from San Jose CA Date Reviewed: January 9, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Any and all
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$120.00
Purchased At:
Online
Strengths:
Durable, have not required truing so far, stealth black
Weaknesses:
None so far
Similar Products Used:
Chris King disc and classic, XT, LX, and formula
Bike Setup:
Trailworthy Hardtail that I like/ Avid CPS disc brakes
Bottom Line:
These wheels were an economical step for me to convert my hardtail to disc brakes. While they are a bit on the heavy side, they are very durable. they have withstood for these past six months of my 4-5 rides per week and haven't required any truing. They might not be the wheel for you, but for the price they were the right wheel for my disc upgrade. I weigh in at 200lbs and take some pretty gnarly trails for a XC bike. So far the wheels have held up well. Four Chilis for overall due to the short time use and Five for Value.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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