[lifeis11]

seeking a little input from the experts on a 29er wheelset

im a clydes and then some, 6'6" and about 325. i traditionally build my 26er wheels from mavic 823's, but im a bit lost as to where i should be looking for niner rims. perhaps the mavic tn719? salsa gordo? an offering from stan's? what's the strongest niner rim out there? weight isnt a huge concern, but the lighter the better. also, the ability to run tubeless would be nice too

pretty much set on king hubs for this wheelset, so ive more or less got that covered

any help greatly appreciated. thanks!

 

[lil hillbilly]

no expert but

Kris Holm hoops are for you. Use strait gauge spokes and brass nipples and this kind of setup should give ya a pretty close to bomb proof wheelset. At 38mm wide the Holm rim is the widest hoop out there, and the heaviest at something like 795g compared to a Gordo at 700g.and 35mm wide. I got my hoops second hand. One of the hoops was drilled or machined (large hole drilled in top wall of hoop to reduce weight) and I have had no trouble with it! I havent had to do anything to the wheels that I built up almost two years ago so to me that is worth a lot. Also cost is big one for me. Holm hoop is around 40$ and the Gordo is over 100$

My idea of an all mountain bike is to be able to get out in the woods, ride the dog snot out of your rig and not worry about component failure. Im sure the Salsa hoops would be plenty but the Holms hoops are just that much more.

There has been talk that Kris Holm is developing a lighter version of his 29er hoop so keep an eye out for them.

go ride.

 

[Speedub.Nate]

Here are a couple I'd suggest you research:

Alex over at MTBTandems.com is looking at the Velocity Cliffhanger 40H and Chukker 40H & 48H rims on his 29er mountain tandems, according to a recent email I received from him. I'm suggesting those blindly, as I've got no experience with them, but trust Alex.

Another worthy applicant is the Halo Freedom Disc 36H. These are a very stout build and have held up well as 32H wheels. I imagine they could do well for you, too.

I'd just as soon go for a tandem rated spoke with extra material at the elbow. I'm running DT Alpine III's 2.3/1.8/2.0 on our heavily loaded tandem, and am in the process of building up a cargo bike wheelset using Sapim Strongs 2.3/2.0. Sapim also makes the Force which I believe is similar to the Alpine III.

 

[zarr]

Here are a couple I'd suggest you research:

Alex over at MTBTandems.com is looking at the Velocity Cliffhanger 40H and Chukker 40H & 48H rims on his 29er mountain tandems, according to a recent email I received from him. I'm suggesting those blindly, as I've got no experience with them, but trust Alex.

Another worthy applicant is the Halo Freedom Disc 36H. These are a very stout build and have held up well as 32H wheels. I imagine they could do well for you, too.

I'd just as soon go for a tandem rated spoke with extra material at the elbow. I'm running DT Alpine III's 2.3/1.8/2.0 on our heavily loaded tandem, and am in the process of building up a cargo bike wheelset using Sapim Strongs 2.3/2.0. Sapim also makes the Force which I believe is similar to the Alpine III.

Thanks. :thumbsup:

 

[GreenLightGo]

I think you could easily get a bomber wheel using 36H Gordos.

 

[Mallanaga]

salsa gordos =)

 

[lifeis11]

like all the gordo recomendations. price isnt too much of a factor here, so i dont mind that they're expensive. im a little turned off at what i read from the salsa site though:

"WARNING – Do not use with tubeless systems. This rim is designed for use with a tire and tube"

 

[lil hillbilly]

dont be

 

[TXDirtDawg]

I would think flows 36h with dt alpine 3's would hold up .... they are stiff as hell

 

[nolan17]

I just laced up the new Velocity P35 rims to Hadley 36h hubs. Very strong and tubless compatible. I'm only 240lbs 6'9''. I did come off of the mavic 823 rim before I switched to 29ers.

 

[djprodigyla]

the holms seem nice as well, im your exact same size and use the velocity Blunts on king hubs with no problems. not sure weight etc on them but just my 2 cents

 

[WEBERTIME]

Another vote for Halo's

 

[Slurry]

Kris Holm 29er Freeride/Trials rim! I have no experience with these, but wow do i want them! More info here: http://www.krisholm.com/khu/rims

Here they are next to the KH 29er "XC" rim.

 

[DFYFZX]

Velocity Blunts are wider, 29mm???, and are also only 470 grams a rim. I've heard good things about them but have no experience myself. Check this site out to ebuild a set with all kinds of different options. You might get a few ideas=)

http://www.prowheelbuilder.com/

 

[Speedub.Nate]

I just laced up the new Velocity P35 rims to Hadley 36h hubs. Very strong and tubless compatible.

Ooh, that's the rim I just laced up for my cargo bike. I haven't seen any feedback on the P35s yet and I'm still building the bike mine is going on, so I've got high hopes but nothing to base a recommendation on. Have you hit the trail with yours yet?

 

[ianick]

I just put together a wheelset for my clyde self. I used 36 hole Stans Flows laced to Hope Pro 2 hubs with DT Swiss comp spokes. I highly recommend talking to a professional wheel builder about your build. They will give you a much better idea of you need than the average joe. See one of the many great builders on the forum such as Mikesee(lacemine29.com). They will be the best resource.

 

[Sasquatch1413]

Just recently had Mike from http://www.lacemine29.com/ (his name is MIkesee on MTBR) build up some Kris Holm XC (38 mm wide) wheels for me. They are 36 hole with DT swiss alpine spokes (triple butted). I'm 6'5" and 310 lbs and they have proved to be a very very strong wheel set. I would suggest talking to Mike and see what he recommends. Very knowledgeable.

 

[johnny the boy]

i laced up some blunts to deore hubs (32h) and although on the heave side, they're bombproof, and i even used dt swiss revolution spokes. i'm 255lbs.

 

[Cujo]

Forget the Velocity Blunts at your weight. I weigh 235 and have trouble keeping my rear wheel true. I'm running the Blunts with straight gauge spokes on a HT. They are light but the lack of eyelets doesn't allow enough spoke tension.

 

[CaveGiant]

I have used the Freedoms and the KH XC/FR. I looked at the Gordos but ditched due to the shameful price. They charge three times more for the 29er than the 26er.

Freedom, light and amazingly stiff. This is both a strength and a weakness.
As there is not elasticity in the rim once you push it too far it buckles and bends.
I trashed these rims until they could no longer hold on a tyre then binned.

I replaced for a home made set of Kris Holm FR on hope pro2 20mm and Kris Holm XC on Chris King 150mm rear.

The KH rims are amazing.
I used double butted DT spokes.
This provides a bit of give, not much but a little, enough to spread the force and prevent damage.
They also spread the rubber out a MILE.
A 2.1" on the KH not only has a larger footprint than a 2.35" on the Freedom but supports it more too.
The extra win is, this combination also weighs less.

The strength of these rims is beyond belief, there is an image of someone dropping 3-4m onto a lip, you see the rim bend but it springs back. 99% of DH rims would snap under that force. Watch a few KH videos and you will see what they can take.