Mountain Biking - Wheelset recommendations

I've priced out a set of Handspun wheels with Stan's ZTR Arch rims and X9 hubs. They're going to run me around $340 including shipping.

Is there another tubeless wheelset I should be looking at (in that price range) instead?

Thats what I have, and thats a good deal. I run them tubeless. Very happy with them. The hubs arent the lightest but still a good set. Mine are a little heavier than advertised. Front is a little over 800 grams and the rear is 1100 grams. Who is building them for you and what spokes are you using?

$340 is a really attractive price. I'm not willing to try Stans rims. (I was considering the Flow) Too many poor reviews...probably from dudes my size...hacking their way through the woods like me. My next rim (rear) will probably be a 721 or 729.


If you're not set on Stans, check out bicyclewheelwarehouse. They occasionally have deals that really blow me away. Keep an eye out for the 50% flashy things.

Well, the more I read about X9 hubs, the less I like the idea. My room mate has this same set of wheels, and rides the same things I do. He's a better technical rider than I am, I probably need all the POE I can get. The X9 hubs only have 12 POE. There are a lot of wheels on ebay built up with XT hubs. Those don't seem to have stellar reviews either.

I'm still very torn. I'll give your place a look ed.

Nothing wrong with XT hubs, IMO. Decent and inexpensive. Mostly what I use.

I recently upgraded the back to an XT hub, DT swiss competition spokes, and Mavic EN521 rim. I have been really happy with it so far. The main good and bad thing about the XT hub is that it is ball bearing and not cartridge, so it will need maintenance every once in awhile (but allows more personal configuration for a faster spinning wheel). Since I can't afford a Hope Pro 2 the XT was the next best bang for buck that I could find through my research. It doesn't cost much, and replacement parts aren't bad either.

I don't mind maintenance. I ride vintage bikes and really enjoy working on them more than the riding. The bad reviews I've seen involve failing freehubs.

Ya gotta do some maintainance on the freehub, too.

I find cup an cone hubs to loosen up with time on rough trails. Kind of annoying because your disk brakes squeal when the hubs are loose, and the races get beat up. Never had that problem with the XT hubs on my touring/road bike.

$340 is a really attractive price. I'm not willing to try Stans rims. (I was considering the Flow) Too many poor reviews....
The Flow is also a very popular choice. Maybe the reviews are a bit skewed because of the large number of Stan's rims out there - the max spoke tension is also less than a lot of other similar options out there, so maybe poor wheelbuilds have something to do with some of the premature failures. Of course, there are tons of Mavic rims out there and I'm assuming you have seen better reviews on those. I dunno.

Stan's rims have served me well for the past few years - previously owned a 26" set of Flows and currently own both Flow 29's and Arch 29's. I've weighed anywhere from 185-210lbs while running Stans rims and I descend like a (fast) bag of hammers. The Flows are listed as DH rims, which is totally nuts unless you are a super lightweight. Most of my riding is XC/Trail in central NC, but I prefer to go up and over instead of around(prefer more techy trails), so I have put my wheels through their paces. If you want a really stiff rim, the Flows are not for you. I mainly run them because they set up tubeless really easily with a lot of standard tires(non UST/tubeless). I plan on building up another set soon.

Anyways, can't go wrong with Mavic's, but I wouldn't swear off Stan's.

I got the Arch rims cause Im a little on the husky side (194lbs). Looking at alot of reviews, all the ones Ive read have said the X9 hubs are a great value. The reviews on the XT hubs were'nt as good. But thats just the reviews Ive read. Ill give periodic reports on mine and let you know how they hold up. I know the Stans rims are very easy to set up tubeless and all the reviews on the ZTR rims were really good.