Getting closer to having a new set of hoops built for my Spot and could use a little help. I'm thinking of going with either the DT 4.1, new Syncros 25 or possibly the Stans ZTR. I'm 95% sure I'm going with Hadley Hubs (standard QR type) & DT spokes. I'm looking for something to handle general XC/Trail riding, nothing extreme, and would like to keep the weight in check. Looking for some feedback mainly on the Syncros & Stans as they seem to fairly hard to find info on? The Stans seem really interesting and a great concept, however I'm wondering how well they're holding up both structurally & air wise. Thanks for the help Homers!
Help me choose rims for my Spot
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I am considering a new wheelset as well. The only thing about the stans rim is I think they are a new generation rim for this year. That means if you buy them you may be a guinea pig for stans. I like the concept but I am usually scared off by some of the anti stans posts I read. It seems like a hassle. OTOH, I called stan and he said the olympic rim would hold up to my 245lbs of rock crawling massiveness!! I guess I should not doubt to much since my 717's have held up for a year and only needed truing twice. I think lots will say go with the dt4.1 rim. larry from mtn high recommended it to me! Heres what 717's will hold up to with a 245 pounder. 
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ditto what Smoke said...
My 717's are holding up well to my 225# mashing. If I were to switch to tubeless, I'd go for the 819's. Mav!c makes good hoops.
My 717's are holding up well to my 225# mashing. If I were to switch to tubeless, I'd go for the 819's. Mav!c makes good hoops.
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I've got wheels built up with X317's (same as the 717's), XM321's and F219's (same rim), WTB Dual Duty's, and Syncros DP25's.
The X317/717 are pretty cool and light (~400g), but if you do make rock contact there is not much material in reserve to keep from ruining the rim. I have to true mine regularly, but they do keep on trucking.
The F219/XM321 are probably the best value in an all-mountain rim (570g). They are super strong, cheap, and build up very nicely. They are also fairly wide at ~28mm. Highly recommended.
The WTB Dual Duty rims are the same width and weight as the 219/321s. They are 30mm wide, however, and I have not had a chance to beat the tar out of them yet. They seem pretty nice.
I have been thrashing the DP25s for a few months now and they are holding up great. They did not build up particularly straight or easily (not most people's experience, I gather), but have been good since then. They have been on the Pack and Spot, most recently in my little bike videos. They are 25mm wide and just over 500g (I think). I kinda like the yellow stickers too. I'd try these, or the 4.1s if you wanted something lighter.
The X317/717 are pretty cool and light (~400g), but if you do make rock contact there is not much material in reserve to keep from ruining the rim. I have to true mine regularly, but they do keep on trucking.
The F219/XM321 are probably the best value in an all-mountain rim (570g). They are super strong, cheap, and build up very nicely. They are also fairly wide at ~28mm. Highly recommended.
The WTB Dual Duty rims are the same width and weight as the 219/321s. They are 30mm wide, however, and I have not had a chance to beat the tar out of them yet. They seem pretty nice.
I have been thrashing the DP25s for a few months now and they are holding up great. They did not build up particularly straight or easily (not most people's experience, I gather), but have been good since then. They have been on the Pack and Spot, most recently in my little bike videos. They are 25mm wide and just over 500g (I think). I kinda like the yellow stickers too. I'd try these, or the 4.1s if you wanted something lighter.
One thing I forgot to mention.....
Thanks for all of the input...One thing I did forget to mention is that I range between 200-205lbs. if that makes a difference. I know alot of people like the Mavic rims, I'm just always looking to try something a little different. Keep all the ideas coming!
Thanks for all of the input...One thing I did forget to mention is that I range between 200-205lbs. if that makes a difference. I know alot of people like the Mavic rims, I'm just always looking to try something a little different. Keep all the ideas coming!
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I agree with the cheese
I went with the syncros 25's and am very happy with the choice. I had ordered the 41's at first but then found out that they were the same width as the 317's/717's that I was replacing. And I also wanted to have the choice to run a bigger tire. The 41's have a narrow tire bead more so than the 317's so 25's it was. LOVE THE YELLOW STICKERS
I went with the syncros 25's and am very happy with the choice. I had ordered the 41's at first but then found out that they were the same width as the 317's/717's that I was replacing. And I also wanted to have the choice to run a bigger tire. The 41's have a narrow tire bead more so than the 317's so 25's it was. LOVE THE YELLOW STICKERS
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11,257 Posts
Mavic XM 321 (and its predecessor F 219). I'm with Tscheezy on this rim. inexpensive, builds up well, relatively light, wide enough for 2.3 or 2.5 tires to keep a good profile.
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Currently Riding DT xr 4.1 rims
Mated to Hadley hubs. Been riding this setup for a short while now. I would definetly go with the Hadley Hubs, they are great. The engagement mechanism is quieter than the Kings I have used, and they are slightly cheaper...
As for rims and your weight, I would stay away from the light DT xr4.1 rims. Put it this way, I only weigh 160# and have been thrashing these rims. They havent stayed true for one ride yet.
If you dont mind trueing wheels often, or if you ride smooth&easy trails, they may work.
You will have better luck with the xm321's or the newer 829 version. Or even look at the Syncross 28's.
Mated to Hadley hubs. Been riding this setup for a short while now. I would definetly go with the Hadley Hubs, they are great. The engagement mechanism is quieter than the Kings I have used, and they are slightly cheaper...
As for rims and your weight, I would stay away from the light DT xr4.1 rims. Put it this way, I only weigh 160# and have been thrashing these rims. They havent stayed true for one ride yet.
If you dont mind trueing wheels often, or if you ride smooth&easy trails, they may work.
You will have better luck with the xm321's or the newer 829 version. Or even look at the Syncross 28's.
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I think the 4.1's needing to be trued has more to do with the build, not the rim. I am 200lbs and have yet to need any adjustements. The 4.1's seem plenty strong to me. I personally would trade them for some 819's so I could ditch the stans rimstrips.
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Tension???
Maybe not enough or even enough tension in the build.
I have 2 disc bikes, a 5 Spot and a Phobia (KHS) HT. Finally built 2 wheelsets that I can swap back and forth depending on trail conditions.
XC - King ISO, DT comps, brass nips, DT 4.1 rims, Velox tape
Heavy Duty - Hope Bulbs, DT comps, brass nips, Syncros DS28 rims (no decals), Velox tape
This seems like the perfect but expensive solution for a do everything bike like a 5 Spot. If I did it over again I would use the same hubs for both to have all the brake rotors line up the same. Thank God for CPS.
Maybe not enough or even enough tension in the build.
I have 2 disc bikes, a 5 Spot and a Phobia (KHS) HT. Finally built 2 wheelsets that I can swap back and forth depending on trail conditions.
XC - King ISO, DT comps, brass nips, DT 4.1 rims, Velox tape
Heavy Duty - Hope Bulbs, DT comps, brass nips, Syncros DS28 rims (no decals), Velox tape
This seems like the perfect but expensive solution for a do everything bike like a 5 Spot. If I did it over again I would use the same hubs for both to have all the brake rotors line up the same. Thank God for CPS.
719s
I'm surprised no one mentions Mavic 719s on this site. Can you not get them in the states or something?
They are basically a tube version of the 819, so same width etc but much lighter. I would have thought this rim was definatly worth considering if you want something light, as they're just a bit heavier than the 717 that you're thinking about, but stronger and wider.
I ran 717s and they used to dint quite easily on the rocks. The 719s I've got however do seem to provide a bit more protection and have the advantage of being slightly wider.
I'm surprised no one mentions Mavic 719s on this site. Can you not get them in the states or something?
They are basically a tube version of the 819, so same width etc but much lighter. I would have thought this rim was definatly worth considering if you want something light, as they're just a bit heavier than the 717 that you're thinking about, but stronger and wider.
I ran 717s and they used to dint quite easily on the rocks. The 719s I've got however do seem to provide a bit more protection and have the advantage of being slightly wider.
VXC's
I do believe a quality wheelbuilder is part of my success. I got my first set from Larry at Mountain High, and my second set from an ace wrench at the only good local LBS left in town, but you would have to give me a different set of rims for me to even try anything else at this point. Like Tscheezy I've had X317's and they were ok but needed a lot of maintenance. That said I should say that Larry from MHC did build a set of X4.1d's fro a friend of mine upon recommendation and they have been great. Hope this helps, good luck!
Dan
I've had two sets of Velocity VXC's and they have been flawless. The first set I had when I was married and weighed 220#'s, and they held up great, a little turn of a spoke wrench here and there, but nothing major. I sold those with my singlespeed recently and had a set of VXC's built up by the LBS with DT 340 disc hubs, immediately took them to Moab and Fruita and beat the everliving crap out of them and they again were flawless. I might add now I only weigh 200#'s after my divorce, but I'd bet my left nut that Smokey could abuse these and they still would have no issues.Otter said:
I do believe a quality wheelbuilder is part of my success. I got my first set from Larry at Mountain High, and my second set from an ace wrench at the only good local LBS left in town, but you would have to give me a different set of rims for me to even try anything else at this point. Like Tscheezy I've had X317's and they were ok but needed a lot of maintenance. That said I should say that Larry from MHC did build a set of X4.1d's fro a friend of mine upon recommendation and they have been great. Hope this helps, good luck!
Dan
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My wheelset with VXC rims has been very solid as well, and I do think getting the wheels built by a quality builder makes a big difference.
I am about 195, ride rocky stuff a lot and the occasional smaller drop and the rims are still true. I haven't had to do a single adjustment to them in a year and a half and over 1,500 tough miles.
I am about 195, ride rocky stuff a lot and the occasional smaller drop and the rims are still true. I haven't had to do a single adjustment to them in a year and a half and over 1,500 tough miles.
I went with the Hadley 108's and am very happy so far - I built them to the Arrow racing XCL's. They are nice and wide at 21 mm inside (717's almost fit completely inside thses rims) and are truely under 500 grams (both weighed in at 497 each). They are not the prettiest of the group since they are brushed alum. but perform great - And yes, they are made in the USA (that has value to me too!)
Nate
Nate
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I concur (note the crack). Didn't even feel it. In fact I only noticed it after I fixed the tube and remounted the tire. Being the idiot that I am, I finished my run at full speed hitting a bunch of jumps expecting the tire to peal off the bead on landing. Didn't happen.tscheezy said:
I'm currently trying a bigger tire in the hopes that the rims stay true and dent free. And at 6'1" and 150lb, I'm not hard on most stuff.
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Like it was said above, the quality of the build makes the wheel, more so than the sum of the components. I ran 317s on my Burner, mated to king hubs, for roughly a season. Before that the wheels saw duty on two hardtails. They were built by a quality wheel builder with DT competition spokes. I weighed 195lbs when I first started riding on those rims and I have never been gentle on my bikes. I have since learned how to build wheels and replaced the spokes with CX Rays and the wheels are on my racing bike. There rims have held up great for the past 3 years, were taken down ski lift runs, beaten on highly rocky and technical trails, just finished a race in Moab, they have never gone out of true even the slightest bit. As it was mentioned above, the metal on these rims is very soft/thin, so if you have too little air pressure in the tires and strike a square edge bump, you'll likely bend the sidewalls.
On my 5 Spot I wanted to run bigger tires (2.5/2.3) and ditch the Stan's rim strip, so I have 819 disc rims mated to king hubs with DT competition spokes. I hand built them myself and I've taken them up and down some gnarly trails. The 819 are significantly stronger, they've hit rocks hard on the sides during crashes and aside from deep scrapes don't show any signs of abuse, never have gone out of true.
That said, if you're looking for tubed rims, Syncros D23 are an excellent choice (if you don't mind white). They're 23mm wide (outside), weight 440g and are reported to be ultra strong. DP25 is also great, but only 2mm wider and 74g heavier. If you're going tubeless, 819s are stout and ~525g (including FORE nipples). 823s are even burlier but significantly heavier at 640g (inc. nipps). It's too bad that Mavic won't release the Crossmax style rims compatibile with standard hubs, since they're essentially their current UST rims with additional material machined off between the spokes, which makes them very light.
_MK
On my 5 Spot I wanted to run bigger tires (2.5/2.3) and ditch the Stan's rim strip, so I have 819 disc rims mated to king hubs with DT competition spokes. I hand built them myself and I've taken them up and down some gnarly trails. The 819 are significantly stronger, they've hit rocks hard on the sides during crashes and aside from deep scrapes don't show any signs of abuse, never have gone out of true.
That said, if you're looking for tubed rims, Syncros D23 are an excellent choice (if you don't mind white). They're 23mm wide (outside), weight 440g and are reported to be ultra strong. DP25 is also great, but only 2mm wider and 74g heavier. If you're going tubeless, 819s are stout and ~525g (including FORE nipples). 823s are even burlier but significantly heavier at 640g (inc. nipps). It's too bad that Mavic won't release the Crossmax style rims compatibile with standard hubs, since they're essentially their current UST rims with additional material machined off between the spokes, which makes them very light.
_MK
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