Before I pull the trigger - Whatcha think of these wheels?

You will not be dissapointed , awesome wheels .

Would anything be better/lighter that would give me a little more snap/flick on the bike? I know this is a 29er, but don't want to dump $800 to have shiny new wheels.

Where are you located in NC? What about using a local builder? Shelling out that kind of money, I always go local(for wheels). There are many good builders in our state.

Good picks on the parts - what spokes will be used? Supercomps?

cheaper then?!

The hubs are what is driving the price up...maybe the Hope pro 2 would be a good, economical option.

Not cheaper...but will I be able to tell a difference?

ncfisherman - suggestions on local builder?

If you're near the triangle area I'd say check out Frank at Franks Cyclery.

7daysaweek said:

If you're near the triangle area I'd say check out Frank at Franks Cyclery.

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That's who I would suggest for that area. Great guy, knowlegeable, top-notch builds w/ good pricing. frankscyclery.com

Depends on what part of the state you live in...even if you are not that close, he is worth the drive.

Here's a wheelset he just built up for me: http://forums.mtbr.com//showthread.php?t=586535 He also built up the other two bikes photographed(have some more photos of those if you are interested).

240s are far more expensive than Hopes. Over £200!

The DTs are slightly lighter but for the money Id go for the hopes. (ive been looking into some wheels for me lately and I coulnt justify the differance in price and Hopes are quality anyway. Although I might be biased as they're from the uk!!)

ncfisherman said:

Where are you located in NC? What about using a local builder? Shelling out that kind of money, I always go local(for wheels). There are many good builders in our state.

Good picks on the parts - what spokes will be used? Supercomps?

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+1 A good local builder means not having to ship them back if there is ever a problem. And you build a relationship with a local resource.

You could save some green by going with some cheaper hubs(such as Hope or Hadley). DT240's are very nice but pricey.

You might think about running the American Classics. That wheel will build up under 1500 grams depending on your spoke slection (I'll be ordering that exact set up in a few months). I've been running AC's on Stan's wheels for 4-5 years and they've held up beautifully under quite a bit of punishments. Just a suggestion. The 240s, while a great, great hub, are driving up your price and adding a fair bit to the overall weight of that wheelset.

I'd consider swapping the hubs. I've run Hopes, 240s, Kings, etc. I don't see where the Swiss hubs are worth the coin, I'd run Hopes any day.

I'm local to Dave Thomas and he's built several sets of wheels for me. Helluva nice guy and, IMO, is one of the finest wheelbuilders in the country. I'd use him even if I weren't local. Not making a comparison as I don't know the other gentleman mentioned in this thread. Just stating what I know about Dave and Speed Dream.

For reference, he built me a set of Flows/Kings that I used on my FS Astrix Monk 29er. I'm about 200 pounds in gear and am not easy on gear. I used that wheelset for a solid year and both wheels were still perfectly true when I sold that bike last week.

That's a dang light rim. If I weighed 155 I might be tempted to try it for light racy use. If I did...Dave is one of the few people I would trust to build those wheels. I've had several of his wheelsets, he has a unique approach and his wheels are very durable for their weight.

240 hubs are awesome, light, and precise. I own two sets, one on a wheelset from Dave that was my first "nice" 29er set 4 years ago that is still seeing duty, even with old Bonty Mustang rims they just won't die. The only thing I might suggest is see about getting the 36-point star ratchet upgrade for faster engagement if the rear hub is coming with the 18. It's only like a $30 part, just something to be aware of.

This is great feedback and I really appreciate it. Sounds like Dave is the man. From what I'm hearing, the No Tubes Crest is the way to go and the discussion is centered around the hub. I think the difference is only about $150 for DTs vs Hope. Will I see any difference in the performance or weight (I have the FRONT Hope II at 185g and the DT 240s at 154g). Does this sound right?

jlackey49 said:

This is great feedback and I really appreciate it. Sounds like Dave is the man. From what I'm hearing, the No Tubes Crest is the way to go and the discussion is centered around the hub. I think the difference is only about $150 for DTs vs Hope. Will I see any difference in the performance or weight (I have the FRONT Hope II at 185g and the DT 240s at 96g). Does this sound right?

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Actually, the DT hubs are helium-filled and theoretically subtract weight from your bike...

For DT's posted weights look here:
http://www.dtswiss.com/Products/Components/Hubs/240s.aspx

No idea about Hope.

Race wheelset?

Dave's has a good reputation and if you're planning on racing, this is a great wheelset. If you're not planning on racing, I think you're going to be disappointed with the durability, and possibly, the handling of your proposed build. That is, unless, somehow, Stan's has managed to utterly transform the properties of aluminum, asking a 360 gram 29er rim to be part of an "everyday" wheelset is not a recipe for durability. Further, because there aren't any eyelets and there's not a ton of material in the rim, it's tough keeping enough spoke tension in these wheels w/o risking the rims failing prematurely [cracking] @ the spoke holes.

Short answer, Arch/DT 240 unless you're planning on racing built by whomever you're comfortable with.

I have some Dave Thomas wheels as well. They are amazing. He is not only an awesome wheel builder, but an awesome guy as well.

Go with whatever setup Dave recommends. He knows his stuff. Also, when he builds the wheels, he uses some sort of magic that defies physics to make them stronger. Seriously!

American Classics would be cheaper. Not as completely awesome as the DT wheels but they are a similar enough weight. I just built up 240s on Crest rims (SS) and it was 1530g with DT Comps. You could run Supercomps and it'd be sub 1500 easy.

jlackey49 said:

Not cheaper...but will I be able to tell a difference?

ncfisherman - suggestions on local builder?

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Dude, go talk to Matt or Doug at Ultimate.