I have the wheels you just described on my LHT: Dyad 36 hole, XT hubs, Wheel Smith DB spokes, with Schawlbe Marathon tires (32mm). They have been on 3 relatively long tours including a 2,900 mile fully loaded tour that took us over 400 miles of dirt and unpaved roads and trails, and over 500 miles of cobble and paver block surfaced roads and trails. They are excellent wheels.

You will probably get a lot of input about the newer XT hubs. IMO they are just fine. The issue is that Shimano switched from a solid steel axle with 9- 1/4" bearings to a hollow Aluminum axle with 13- 3/16" bearings. I don't think it is a big deal. The new XT hubs have excellent seals. The grease in my hubs looked really clean when I serviced them this fall with about 4,000 miles on them.

The one thing that I was a little leary about is the way Shwalbe Marathon tires fit on the Dyad rims. The tire is a very loose fit. I don't know if the rims run small or the tires run large. Maybe some of the other members of the Forum will have some ideas about this. My wife who has the same setup only with Ultegra hubs had the same issue. It did not cause any problems but I was a little "antsy" when I first put it all together. I think the Dyads are lighter than the Mavic rims. My wife rode a set of wheels with the older XT 36 hole hubs, Mavic A119 rims, and 28mm tires fully loaded on a 3,650 mile cross country ride a few years ago; and they also performed well. The Mavic's have eyelets, which may be better--or not. If you go with the Dyads you might want to specify or make sure the braking surface is machined. They come in machined and non-machined braking surfaces. Then there is the choice between black and silver

I also recommend Universal Cycles in Portland, OR. Their work is excellent, prices are good and they have great customer service.



Good luck!