UKC

I'd like to replace my buggered sun black eye front wheel with something of equal or better quality and lighter weight if poss. Superstar components seem good price wise. Anyone got experience with them for wheels?

Currently thinking Tesla hub, but unsure of rims, perhaps Mavic XC717. I'll mostly use it for XC and the odd trail centre.

Any advice / alternatives would be much appreciated!

Thanks

Yarbles

In reply to yarbles: Hiya, I've got a pair of switch evo hubs with 29" Stan's flow rims running tubeless. They are excellent and were cheaper than buying just new rims and building my own wheels. Sadly I'm destroying the free hub body as it's ali, but they sell a steel replacement. I've been ready pleased with everything I've had from Superstar. I've also found Stan's rims great and tubeless will save you some weight.
Cheers, Ross.

Hope recomend only using xt and above with their alu free hubs. Its prob the same with superstar or any other brand. Unless you have a steel freehub.

another vote for stans rims.

If your going for xc maybe dont go for flow ex rims since they are more for DH/all mountain, you can save some weight there. http://www.notubes.com/ZTR-Rims-C18.aspx

What are you looking at Tesla on mavic 717s is £112.49, if your spending that go for Hope hoops http://www.davehinde.com/mountain-bikes/wheels/hope-hoops-pro-2-evo-wheels-... You will also get better (stronger) spokes with the hope set.

In reply to yarbles:

I have superstar alm and find them great. Light, tough as old boots and gold!!!

In reply to yarbles:

Check out the threads on Superstar on Singletrack World.

Lots of happy customers but an awful lot of really pissed off ones too.

It seems that quality control and customer service are the main issues.

Merlin Cycles build quality wheels at good prices.

In reply to yarbles:

Superstar wheels are ace, go for it.

In reply to itsThere:
It's xt cassettes which have damaged my free hub body the most. Now using a deore cassette initially because I was having problems ripping sprockets off xt and xtr, but the deore seems kinder to the free hub body too.

I had some Crest ZTR's and they were amazingly light but I cracked them both in 5 xc rides, hence my suggestion of Flow rims. I guess it depends how heavy u are etc.

I've had various Hope wheel sets and disc brakes. They've all been very disappointing and quickly ended up damaged beyond repair and in the bin. Even my Hope seat post clamp snapped. I've had much better experience with Superstar components. I wish they made touring gear!
Cheers, Ross.

In reply to ross:


You're pretty much out on your own if you've had better experiences with Superstar than Hope.

I can't speak for Hope wheels but everything I've had from them has been superb. They have a strong reputation for quality and after sales support whereas Superstar regularly get a pasting on the bike forums from disappointed and disgruntled customers.

In reply to ross:

Flows are for DH than xc, crest are just for xc. Arch sit in the middle. I ended up going for flows because the diff was about 20g between them and arch rims.

I got them from merlin laced with ACI double butted spokes. Merlin wheels are very good, ive been very happy with my hopes from them. I think the link i posted above is slightly cheaper.

In reply to itsThere:

Before you go buying anything from Dave Hinde, have a little google about for peoples online experiences with them. You might find yourself tempted to pay the extra few quid to get them elsewhere.

Superstar also have a bit of a reputation for some dubious customer service and I've read about some shonky builds on their wheels. A Hope hoop with the rim of your choice is in the same ballpark price-wise and is backed up with superb warranty/service etc.

In reply to steev:

Every time I've had to deal with superstar, they've actually been pretty good. Apart from using low quality bearings, I've never had any issues with their wheels or in fact anything I've bought from them (pedals, grips, brake pads/adaptors, rotors etc).

I ride mostly in the peak so bearings have a hard life, and as I see them as a user serviceable part, it's been no hardship to change them for decent AK versions. Certainly the wheels I've had (Flow on Switch Evo) have lasted well and have only needed to be trued once in 3 years after I clattered into some rocks.

I accept I'll get flamed for this by the Pro-Hope/Anti-superstar brigade, bit it has to be said whilst people rave about Hope products, and pay over the odds for "Made in Britain", the number of reports of their hubs breaking, cracking or snapping axles worries me. As I see it, it doesn't matter how good your customer service is, stuff you make shouldn't break in the first place to require it!

In reply to yarbles:

Not wanting to get into the superstar/hope debate as I suspect that neither firm makes 'bad' products. It's simply that in this weird internet era we live in if you buy something, and it fails, or it doesn't work as you think it should then the done thing is to go online and flame said product. It doesn't take much of this to seriously tarnish a company's reputation.

Anyway, if I was you I'd go for the 717 rim you mention (I like mavic rims) and get it built onto the best Shimano hub you can afford by your local wheelbuilder (32 spoke, three cross pattern. Brass nipples and double butted DT or Sapim spokes)

In reply to Dan_S:

Should have made it clearer in my post that it's not just the warranty/customer service that makes the hopes a better prospect. Better quality bearings in the hubs and availability of spares is also really great. And they're a similar price.

Superstar are great for other stuff (such as the bits you mentioned) but I don't think that their wheels are *that* good value.

In reply to steev:

I don't want to shift the focus on the thread, but, as an example:

Mavic EX721 on Switch Evo (superstar) wheelset £219 (Superstar)
Mavic EX721 on hope pro2 Front £120 (CRC)
Mavic EX721 on hope pro2 Rear £214 (CRC)
Mavic EX721 on hope pro2 wheelset £342 (Wiggle)

I'd say for some ropey bearings (that'll still last a fair few rides) a ca. £120 saving is worthwhile. Superstar do the full set of adaptors, and spares (freehub etc.) for their hubs, so fiddling/rebuilding them with them is still doable.

In reply to Dan_S:

EX721 on 6 Bolt XT hubs £213 for a pair from Merlin.

Featuring (shock horror!) bearings you can actually service!

If it's wheels I'm after, Merlin every time for me.

In reply to steev:

I went with merlin after I spoke to them on the phone to ask a few questions.

In reply to DaveHK:


Servicing (i.e. Replacing) cartridge bearings is an absolute doddle, and you get to use a hammer!

In reply to yarbles:

Another positive review here, I've got a set of superstar wheels and had no problems with them. Very good price!

In reply to yarbles:

I got a pair and a bit of a mixed review. Really good customer service. I ruined the rim, and they replaced it super fast for 25 quid with free labour and return shipping. The downside to this is with less than 70km of riding on the new wheel all the spoke tension has goneslack, so the wheel needs tuning back as it is super dangerous/unusable. ( I have no knowledge or desire to do my wheels at the moment)

For the money they are ok, but if you splash out a bit more for a set of hope hubs (Which sound like music to my ears) a decent rim it will probably be just as economic in the long run.

In reply to yarbles:
Great, thanks all for the advice, lots to read and think about!

In reply to yarbles:

For what it's worth I have hope hoops built up with pro2evo hubs on mavics free ride hubs ad do prob 50 miles a week of really harsh riding (lots of jumps etc.) had them 18 months as they are running perfectly.

I got them from merlin as the price was very good ad I could customise the hub colour!

Sam

In reply to yarbles:
Hi, I've got Superstar wheels on my xc bike, they were hand built by Superstar and I've found them to be very good and all spokes are still tight, I've had them a few years and no issues. Mine are Superleggera Titanium rear hub/ Superstar standard front hub /CX-Ray blade spokes/ Stans Alpine Rims. They're very lightweight and have had a fair amount of abuse, but only used for their intended purpose ie xc mincing no jumps / drops / big rock gardens etc. I'm 13 stone BTW.
However, as others have said, Superstar wheel building does get mixed reviews on MTB forums.
Hope wheels universally get good reviews. 'Hope Hoops' branded are Hope factory built wheels I believe rather than individual components assembled 3rd party.
As well as Merlin, Just Riding Along (JRA) are also well thought of in MTB circles, you can buy standard wheelsets or select custom built wheels to your spec.

Mavic rims are fine (I also have old wheels with 717 rims), but Stans rims seem to be the bench mark for MTBers these days, Alpine/Crests for Race/XC, Arch/Flow for All Mountain/Enduro .

In reply to yarbles:

"Not wanting to get into the superstar/hope debate as I suspect that neither firm makes 'bad' products."

I think Superstar don't make anything, they source from China/Taiwan/elsewhere, brand Superstar and sell online in the UK.
Hope manufacture in Barnoldswick Lancashire.
Just for the record!