Hey all, I am building up a Jamis Exile 26" for xc next season and I'm looking for some advice on hubs and wheels, something durable and fairly light would be good. I am a fan of centerlock rotors, don't know if thats a option?
Why wouldn't centerlock be an option? Both Shimano and DT Swiss offer centerlock hubs of very high quality. For wheelset recommendations, I would suggest a few different things: ask on the wheels and tires forum, there are a lot of 'gurus' there, include your budget, weight, riding style, terrain, and things like that. More information = more specific suggestions.
Anyway, I'm not sure if you got one of those sweet deals off Jenson, but I did on an '06 Exile. I built it up for XC with weight, cost, and durability in mind.
I used some new old stock XT hubs (752 and 753), which were under $20 each and fairly well known for their reliability. I watched ebay like a hawk until I found some Mavic XC717s for a good deal, and I got a new pair for something like $70 shipped, which if I'm not mistaken is about the MSRP for one. Those rims have a serious reputation of being relatively lightweight without sacrificing any durability. To connect those parts together I used DT alloy nipples and Revolution spokes (w/ 8 Supercomps for the drive side trailing/pulling spokes). I used Revos to save weight and try them out.
The Revos weren't really too much hassle to build with, and I got them extremely tight. I typically use Jobst's "method" of tightening until the rim starts to buckle or act strangely because it's at it's limit. I back off a bit and I know I'm at the right spot. Anyway these wheels are holding up to BMX dirt track racing a few times a month, in addition to regular riding, without needing any truing. I also wondered about them being "flexy," compared to my other wheels, and I can't tell a single bit of difference from bike to bike.
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