Bicycle Mechanics - XT - Rhyno Lite Questions

I'm getting wheels for a bike I'm building for riding on dirt roads and rough pavement, minor XC riding, no jumps etc. Bike is based on an old, no suspension, steel MTB frame. I weigh 210 and the bike could occasionally carry a full load, but not often.
Cambria has 36 spoke, XT hub, Rhyno Lite, 3 cross 14/15 spoked wheels for $130 (pair). Price Point has 32 spoke, LX hub. same rims, 3 cross 14g spokes for $95. Would the extra spokes and butted spokes make a big difference?
Being pre-made wheels, I would plan on taking the wheels to a local wheel expert to check the spoke tension etc. Would it be best to do this before riding the wheels or after a few rides to loosen things up?

Thanks,
Dawg

The extra spokes and butted will make a significant difference to the durability. However the Price Point wheels will be plenty strong enough for your use and weight.

Price Point has 32 spoke, LX hub. same rims, 3 cross 14g spokes for $95. Would the extra spokes and butted spokes make a big difference?
Being pre-made wheels, I would plan on taking the wheels to a local wheel expert to check the spoke tension etc. Would it be best to do this before riding the wheels or after a few rides to loosen things up?

Thanks,
Dawg

I can't comment on 32 v 36 spokes, but I did buy that wheel set from Pricepoint a couple of years ago. I took them out of the box and rode on them without a problem. I do put it on the truing stand occasionally, and those rims are solid. I wouldn't worry about bringing it to a wrench, unless you can see or detect a problem.

For the type of riding your described, i agree that either set should hold up fine if they are built properly.

Unless things have changed a lot recently, LX and XT hubs are identical inside, except that the XT might have a prettier finish (actually, XT stuff from the last few years has been getting uglier and uglier as Shimano cuts costs, so even that advantage might be gone).
DB spokes are nicer, but with a 32 hole set of hubs, it will be easier to find replacement rims if you ever need them. 36 hole wheels are getting rarer and rarer.

Unless things have changed a lot recently, LX and XT hubs are identical inside

I'm not convinved that's true. It's been awhile since I've checked mountain hubs out but check out the axle seals. Ultegra hubs, for example, have a superior axle seal design than 105 hubs.

Thanks for the responses. I guess 32 spokes is stronger on a 26" rim than on a 700c. I wouldn't think of getting a rear wheel with less than 36 butted spokes for my road bike. I wish I could find a 32 spoke wheel with LX or Deore hub and butted spokes in all silver for under $110. I just don't see many pre-made wheels with butted spokes. If I don't find some soon, I'm going to get the Price Point wheels.

Dawg

I just started riding a pair of xt ryno-light wheels - from pricepoint.
I bought these for spare MTB/Commuter bike. I wanted a rim that could handle some abuse.

They have a wide rim & the wheels ARE on heavy side, which means they should be strong.

The wheels came trued: mount tube & tire - adjust brake arms - ride.
All wheels will have a loose spoke sometime - if you take your time & make small adjustments you can bring it back.

I used to do 4' plus drops to flat concrete on a 32h/LX/Rynolite setup with no issues. I'm a lil guy, but even for a 150lbs rider thats a fair amount of abuse. I don't think I ever trued them.

LX's are great hubs. I think they're nice looking too. My friend has a wheelset with LX hubs that he beats up pretty hard, and they still turn absolutely smoothly.

Combined, we weigh over 300, and we've got the 36h Rhyno Lites on our tandem. Since you've got no suspension, I'm guessing you won't ever come near dishing out enough abuse to damage these wheels. They should last until you upgrade to a new bike. I'd pay the extra and get the XT hubs. If you decide to resell them later, someone will be looking for an upgrade, and will pay more for XT than LX.

I ordered the wheels from PP last night. LX hubs, 32 14g spokes, Rhyno Lite. We'll see how it goes.