XT Wheelset vs Hope Pro2 Evo/Stans Crest

mattwilkinson · Postby **mattwilkinson** » Tue Sep 24, 2013 9:28 pm

Hey guys,

Tossing up between 2 wheelsets, The XT's are currently on sale at $385 at c r c and the Stans Crest/Hope Pro2 Evos were on sale on Wiggle for a similar price a few weeks ago

I am intending on running Tubeless

Can anyone shed some light on what wheelset would be better?
I am 60kg and don't do any heavy jumps so I won't be tacoing any rims

I do like loud freehubs and was wondering if the Pro2's were really that loud

}SkOrPn--7 · Postby **}SkOrPn--7** » Tue Sep 24, 2013 9:34 pm

Yep there load......

Ricky

singlespeedscott · Postby **singlespeedscott** » Wed Sep 25, 2013 3:23 am

Get the Hope/Stan's. Hope hubs are great and because the wheels are built using a reasonable number of spokes they will be a better long term option for durability. And if you do break a spoke or damage a rim the wheel is easily repaired.

garthmci · Postby **garthmci** » Wed Sep 25, 2013 5:36 pm

The hopes are great hubs, and yes the freewheel is nice LOUD!

They'd be my pick of the two

Fixie82 · Postby **Fixie82** » Thu Sep 26, 2013 12:14 pm

26' or 29' ? What front and rear axle do you have? Would you be looking to transfer across bikes in the future? Do you run tubeless?

XT in 26' was a great wheel, the 29' is a bit portly for the money and there are probably better options out there. One plus is that these are UST rims so you can run tubeless without messing around with tape or rim strips. Big plus for them. They also have cup and cone bearing so should essentially last forever if serviced properly.

Stans Rims will require tape to run Tubeless so a little more of a hassle, they are also slightly wider than the XT's which will only be a point of difference if you are running bigger bagged tyres. Hope Pro 2 hubs are loud and have easily replaced sealed bearings, they are also convertible to different axle standards so would be a good option if you see any upgrades in the future. Hope hub is loud, Shimano is pretty quiet, but its probably not what I would be making my choice on.

Serviceability would be a little easier with the Stans option as they use 'standard' parts, however the build quality of Shimano wheelsets are excellent and you would be very unlucky to run into issues. More so as you say you are not jumping and are a light weight guy.

Duck! · Postby **Duck!** » Thu Sep 26, 2013 9:15 pm

Only time I've had a problem with my XT wheels was when I kicked two spokes out during a race. Haven't missed a beat otherwise.

Velo13 · Postby **Velo13** » Sun Sep 29, 2013 7:02 pm

singlespeedscott wrote:Get the Hope/Stan's. Hope hubs are great and because the wheels are built using a reasonable number of spokes they will be a better long term option for durability. And if you do break a spoke or damage a rim the wheel is easily repaired.

SSS is on the right wavelength here. An added bonus is that in the future you will be able to re-use the hubs for your next wheelset (perhaps when 677.25b/28.25inch comes in as the new standard in 2015 ...).

Velo13 · Postby **Velo13** » Sun Sep 29, 2013 7:03 pm

Oh, if you are over about 70kgs, go with FLOWs as well. They are a bit stronger and stiffer.

Mugglechops · Postby **Mugglechops** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 9:42 pm

I have been beating the crap out of a set of XT 26in wheels since 2009.

I weigh twice as much as you and have never had to true them. Have ridden them through hub deep water and when I finally checked the grease in the bearings last year it was still bright green.

Easy to set up tubeless too. Tyres beaded with only a track pump.

In the same time I have broken 4 other brand wheels on my other bikes.

ctguru · Postby **ctguru** » Wed Oct 23, 2013 11:04 am

Velo13 wrote:Oh, if you are over about 70kgs, go with FLOWs as well. They are a bit stronger and stiffer.

wouldn't you go the Arch EX before the flows?

Velo13 · Postby **Velo13** » Thu Oct 24, 2013 10:53 am

Double post

Velo13 · Postby **Velo13** » Thu Oct 24, 2013 10:53 am

ctguru wrote:
Velo13 wrote:Oh, if you are over about 70kgs, go with FLOWs as well. They are a bit stronger and stiffer.
wouldn't you go the Arch EX before the flows?

I have built quite a few and ridden both, and IMHO the FLOW and FLOW EX builds a significantly stiffer and stronger wheel (more material, and a wider cross section) than the Arch series. This is especially so in a big hoop like a 29er of 650b.

You also get the benefit of a wider bead to bead dimension, which means more rubber on the trail and better grip (and some more cush).

The additional weight of the FLOWs really is very minor, and they are a lightish rim anyway.

The Stan's rim range tend to be very light weight for their intended usage. If you are planning on using the wheels for some time (ie not just as a race day wheelset) Archs and Crests really should be reserved for light and very light riders only. Podium MMX are race day, super whippet rimset only.

Velo13 · Postby **Velo13** » Thu Oct 24, 2013 4:59 pm

Oh, just read the first post again.

Yep Arches would be fine for a 60kg rider (and Crests if you ride "light"), but do not underestimate how nice it is to have all that extra grip a FLOW provides.

mattwilkinson · Postby **mattwilkinson** » Sun Oct 27, 2013 2:49 pm

I think the Flow's are a bit to heavy for my style, But i'm tossing up between Crests & Arch Ex's.
I heard the weight difference is 60g, Which doesn't really sound that much...

I plan to run something like a 2.4 Mountain King II on the front, Which should be 2.2 measured
And a 2.2 X-King which would be 2.0 measured on the year.

FYI, I am only buying a back wheel at the moment, And will be saving up a bit more and buying the front...
Should I go Arch Ex Rear + Crest front?
Or Crest/Crest?
or Arch Ex/Arch Ex?

teK-- · Postby **teK--** » Thu Nov 07, 2013 8:32 pm

In your case go Crest/Crest.

I am same weight as you and I run Crest/ArchEx (front/rear) because I ride AM, but in your case if you are just riding mostly XC and are gentle only taking small jumps and riding smooth you will get away with Crest and the 60g saving is worthwhile particularly on a back wheel.

I run 2.4" tyres front and 2.25" rear on the rims tubeless and they don't squirm. YMMV depending on how stiff the sidewalls are on those tyres you mentioned though.

march83 · Postby **march83** » Thu Nov 07, 2013 9:52 pm

i wouldn't buy another proprietary wheelset - i have a shimano XT rear wheel sitting in the garage that's completely useless. it has a non repairable hub problem out of warranty, but because it's a 24h rim using stupid, straight-pull spokes the whole thing is worthless.

Velo13 · Postby **Velo13** » Fri Nov 08, 2013 12:46 pm

mattwilkinson wrote:I think the Flow's are a bit to heavy for my style ...
I heard the weight difference is 60g

60g is way less than 5% of your total wheel weight. You won't notice it.

You will notice the improved traction and cornering of a wider rim. The 60g is well worth it.

mattwilkinson · Postby **mattwilkinson** » Fri Nov 08, 2013 9:05 pm

Got my wheels and i'm pretty impressed!

It's just damn near impossible to get a tyre mounted, I'm using tubes at the moment and standard rim tape that came with it. About to buy the valves, tyres & yellow tape tonight.
I did get a folding Racing Ralph on but can't get any wire bead tyres on...

I also did try to get the tyre into the centre of the rim for more slack and even snapped a park tools tyre lever...