Ok, a few questions for the FM MTB team. What kind of wheel set do you guys use. I seem to remember Kurt running on a set of Mavics... but that is all my memory has to offer me.
The reason I ask is while at Blankets on Sunday my rear wheel made a sound that can be best described as 'eating a metal Twix bar'. I tore down the hub and the freehub mechanism is shot to hell (rattles and little flakes of metal pour out when you shake it). The hub set is Deore, and as such it's a Deore freehub. I am contemplating replacing with an XT freehub, but I'd like to get some opinions/advise first (I'll be speaking with Panda later today), that way I won't blow 45 dollars on a part that is just going to crap out on me in a month. So do any of you ride XT and has the stuff held up well? My other options include dropping 500-900 on a new Mavic/I9 wheelset (not my idea of a well spent tax refund).
I think we all do about the same type of riding on the same trails... XC mixed with some AM, so your opinions count to me.
Crazy! http://www.bontrager.c
Crazy!
http://www.bontrager.com/Mountain/Wheelworks/Wheels/5767.php
Are what I ride on. Came with the bike. No problems at all over a few years of riding.
I ride Mavic XM 819 Disc
I ride Mavic XM 819 Disc rims laced with 14/15 db spokes on King ISO Disc hubs. Rims can be run tubeless. Colorado Cyclist has this build for around $ 250 per wheel.
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Seth, there's a dude who contributes to rec.bicycles.tech named Chalo. He's the group's expert on super durable parts. Might want to try dropping him or that group a line.
Re:
Headed there now.
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parades are boring, but...
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0DRGPSP4ulg
at 1:45 you see Chalo a bike/cart he built to haul his wife's band and right after that is the coolest bike creation/abomination I've seen.
mavic. i think.
i've been riding Mavic (XT i think) for the past few years without any issues at all. i don't claim to know anything about gear so i rarely make recommendations, but i have enjoyed my wheels, hubs, spokes for a long time without incident.
the only thing i would recommend is that you seriously consider if you would prefer tubeless. i would probably like to run tubeless but i can't justify the new wheelset for my old frame and i don't trust the conversion kit for existing non-tubeless wheels.
**edit - confirmed. Mavic 223 / Deore XT hubs. again - this is not a recommendation, just my experience.
http://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_STOR20.cgi?Action=Details&ProdID=583
Mavic Crossmax STs
I have crossmax STs. This is a complete wheel, you can't buy just the hub or rim. I agree with Austin - if you are going to replace your wheel, replace it with a tubeless set. You can ride lower pressures (read: better traction and supple ride) without worry of a pinch flat.
Warning about the STs: I have heard some stories about the spokes popping out of the hub after a big drop. All of these stories came from 175lb+ riders. So maybe these wheels are just for skinny kids?
They should just be labeled
They should just be labeled appropriately:
+175lbs = No Hucking
seems like everytime
seems like everytime something breaks, it's always the case of too much hucking...
huckin'
I almost forgot. Every Mavic Wheelset gives you the option of purchasing the MP3 warranty. This warranty covers everything except losing the wheel. You could back your truck over your wheel and they will replace it. It costs something like 20% of the wheelset, but it is worth it. Peace of mind for the big hucker.
I just read up on the
I just read up on the wheels... they aren't marketed to AM riders only XC. They have the DeeMax's for huckers.
An update on the freehub dilemma: Donald informs me that the internals of the Deore and XT freehubs are the same except for the bearing races. They are ground to higher tolerances on the XT. So swapping to an XT freehub will not solve my 'you apply too much torque, you go home now' problem. So it looks like a cash refund from Uncle Sam is going to buy some wheels this year... but not before I do some ultimate destructive testing on the set I have now.
what
what is AM? i'm drawing a blank.
AllMountain
AllMountain
AM - All mountain (ie.
AM - All mountain (ie. XC/Cross Country on the way up and and DH/Downhill on the way down). Pretty much what mountain biking was before a classification system was put in place.
XC - Cross Country (road biking on dirt)
DH - Downhill
FR - Freeride (riding where trails don't exist)
im not so sure about your XC definition
Road biking on dirt is Cyclocross. XC (cross country) is pretty much all trail-riding in georgia. All-Mountain is a category the bike companies made up because people wanted beefier XC bikes so they could do occasional downhill courses and drops and stuff.
I'd argue that cyclocross is
I'd argue that cyclocross is road biking plus dirt.
road biking + dirt
Just what road biking needed, IMO.
Annoying Man
Pertaining to a particularly annoying or irritating individual.
Hey, I don't make this stuff up:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=AM