MattBeaty

I was looking into buying a new wheelset for XC riding and possibly racing. One nice wheelset that caught my eye was the fsa XC-300 wheelset. Is it a good idea to purchase a specialty wheelset that does not use conventional hubs and spoke count, or would I be better off building up something like Hope XC hubs on Mavic 717 disc rims? It seems like the built up set might be just a bit heavier and slightly more expensive, but it would have a conventional spoke count and an easily replaceable rim. Any opinions on either two routes would be greatly appreciated.

nav

I paid about ~$300 for my Hope XC hubs laced to Mavic XC717 Disc rims (32 Wheelsmith spokes and brass nipples all in black) from these guys. They seem to have held up well and they're in the same price range as the FSA XC-300 disc wheelset you're also considering, if I'm not mistaken. (Oh, Universal Cycles always has a 10% discount on orders over $100 coupon available, so you can use that to get them a bit cheaper if you buy from them.)

I didn't weigh my wheelset, but it's been perfectly durable and still running true so far (I weigh in around 200 lbs and I've treated them like an XC wheelset -- i.e., no drops over about one foot).

MattBeaty

Thanks for the information and the link. After adding some weights, it seems like the Hope hubs built up would be 100-150 grams more than the Fsa set, but I am assuming most of this difference would be in the hubs, considering that the XC 717's are lightweight rims. I am correct to assume that because the weigh is primarily in the hubs, it will not be a very noticeable difference?