[Guest]

Im looking to upgrade my bike, I have a large frame, 6 foot and 217 lbs

I was reading this reviews on this one, I like the price and the stuff, those will go with my XT gears and Raceface Crankset....

but im looking around for the bang of the buck at jensonusa. Im looking for the coupon but I left it at home in califorina ..damn, 3,000 miles away from home...anyway

which would you pick ?

1) SHIMANO XT M221 WHEELSET for 140 bucks (2020 grams) Heard this is better for fat boys like me

2) SHIMANO XT X517 WHEELSET at Jenson for 134 bucks (1950 Grams) *my choice*
or

3) Sun Rynolite K/Shimano M510 K Wheelset for 90 buck (dont know the grams)

if you have any idea around the 120 buck area and under 2000 Grams, SPEAK up
and

 

[ashwinearl]

hard to beat big box machine made wheels

It's hard to find a better deal than some of those big box machine made wheels.

The XT/517s are an amazing deal. On ebay you can find similar deals on XTR/517 etc. I think there is one guy that hand builds them. It's hard to put together a wheelset from parts for cheaper than guys like Jenson w/o scoring some good closeouts or ebay deals or getting used stuff. Best price I've seen on x517 rims is $30.

The 517 is the quintessential lightweight XC rim. The weight issues come from the hubs and spokes. XT and XTR are not known as super lightweight hubs.

Other value wheels to look at include used Sworks wheelsets and used White Industries wheelsets (1500-1600grams) I've seen these go on ebay for under $200

Keep in mind that machine made wheels are usually not as good as hand built ones, but you can accomplish the same thing buy detensioning the machine made one and redoing it yourself with time and patience and make a better wheel.

Another option though it will probably break your budget a little is to talk to Mike at www.oddsandendos.com. Tell him your budget, weight, ride style, etc, and see what magic he might be able to work. He is a great guy,his prices are fair, and his builds are top notch with a crash replacement policy. Sometimes he has some rims and hubs for cheap that he can put together for you into a sweet wheel. Call him though, don't email.