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Wheel problems
Hello,
I have a Giant Anthem 29er 2011 that I use mostly on Manly Dam and my first wheel got slightly buckled. I had the LBS true the wheel, which they did, but after around 150km it is buckled again. Two questions:
1., Is it common that stock cross-country wheel sets cannot handle the rocky Manly Dam if pushed a bit?
2., I assume I should replace the wheels for something more robust, should I choose lighter cross-country or heavier trail wheel sets for the Dam?
I do use my bike for occasional enduro race events as well and like to ride it reasonably hard, I wonder what brands people tend to choose in the $600-800 price range that will actually last.
Cheers,
Zoltan
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G'day, wheel strength is as much a question of build quality as it is strength - -you only have to have a buckle in one direction, then put more force again in the same spot and it a pretzel. Also, if its a stick in the spokes, there is nothing that can be done - any wheel caves under certain conditions.
Riding "hard" is way too difficult to define - IMO the first time the wheel was buckled is likely related to the second time as well (ie its not 2 buckles you have had) - most shops I've seen true a wheel, try to straighten it with spoke tension, rather than correcting the spoke tension and leaving a small buckle in the wheel (which is stronger)
If its the rear wheel, then just replace the rear - plenty of options will be lighter than the existing but strongerwith better uptake. I'd order one from crc or wiggle -crc are best for choice - good hubs, stans, Hope, Shimano - i'd avoid easton hubs and mavic hubs (too proprietry) - stronger rims for a rear, stans arch and flow, XT trail ,crests might be too light. Shimano hubs are quiet so are stans, Hopes have an awesome ratchet sound when coasting.
now i love the sound of hope pro 2's, so for eg
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?M...
or
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?M...
another bullet proof wheel - but quiet
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?M...
If its a front, its likely from a clumsy impact, falling on your bike etc and not from a strength for use reason - obviously for the alloy freewheels you need to use slx cassettes and above only (ie on carriers)
Giant 29er wheels arent exactly light . Generally speaking they are pretty strong. there is people doing 26 min laps on thoses bikes. So I'd say for most of them, would be hitting the trail pretty hard.
I would suggest perhaps its your riding style & how much you weigh. Which wheel is getting the buckle? yes you can get custom wheels and you can get them made much stronger than a giant factory wheel.
Many Dam is defenately not beyond the Anthem X 29er in my opinion the bike is very well suited for that track especially a hot lap.
I'd maybe look at your riding style as well as upgrading your wheels.
I've ridden behind some very skilled riders & its amazing they almost dance from rock to rock. They almost float. With some of hem I had defenenately had the edge on fitness....but they still got away from me along the Golf Course wiggle because the just possess riding skil. Others obviously outclassed me in skill finess.
you must be hitting something too hard....could be anywherr. not sugesting you have no skill. But keep in minf=d perhaps there may be room for improvement.
...there is so many Giant 29er wheels for sale on ebay.
Around the 1650grams and $600, which is lighter than the your current wheels. You can get some good wheels.
I use Stans Arches now Arch EX and American Classic All mountain wheels. They have both stood up well on my 29er hard tail. I'm 85kg and keep forgetting that I'm not on my dually, so the wheels get a good pounding.
...there is so many Giant 29er wheels for sale on ebay.
Around the 1650grams and $600, which is lighter than the your current wheels. You can get some good wheels.
I use Stans Arches now Arch EX and American Classic All mountain wheels. They have both stood up well on my 29er hard tail. I'm 85kg and keep forgetting that I'm not on my dually, so the wheels get a good pounding.
I got some 29er wheels built by Greg at TWE in Newtown for $700 and they are fantastic.
Mine are very light race wheels, but they will build them to your spec.
twebikewheels.com.au
Lot's of discussion on the below thread about swapping wheels on the Anthem 29er and you might find some other helpful info about your bike on there too. Very common upgrade but mostly because they're heavy, not because they're weak.
http://www.rotorburn.com/forums/showthread.php?1...
As was mentioned it's likely that the wheel buckled the second time because it didn't recover properly from the damage the first time, either because it didn't get fixed as well as it could or it was just too far gone - so you either need to find a better wheelbuilder or a new wheelset!
There are some great wheel suggestions above. Personally I have had great experience with TWE a local Sydney wheelbuilder (ah - someone beat me too it already!). Check the website then ring (don't email) Greg and discuss your riding and how much you want to spend. It will probably cost a little more than CRC (but not much more) but you'll get a fantastic quality product - a lot of the wheel's strength is in how they are built and he will handbuild them for you. I have some lightweight wheels from him and they have been amazingly strong. He will make sure you get the right product too - there are so many options with wheels that if you are a beginner there is actually a fair bit of value in having an expert talk to you and recommending something suitable. Don't go too light, and listen to his recommendations would be my thought.
My MY12 29er Anthem has light Mavic Crossmax's and haven't had a prob to date at the Dam or giving it some on trails like Centre trail with its baby head rocks.
I seem to run higher pressure than most though - around 32-38 psi running tubeless. The only thing I notice is the flex in the 29er wheels sometimes - feels like you have a flat in the rear if you haven't ridden it for a while.
Assuming its a front buckle....
I also tend to ride with my weight way back in difficult sections like behind the houses at Allambie mainly because I have carbon bar paranoia and wish to avoid finding out how strong they are.
Blackflash followed me once and told me I was an OTB waiting to happen as I was too far fwd - get a mate to follow you in the rough stuff and if they can see your seat then you need to get back more.
... and the rear wheel is straight as new. Hm, I might try having it trued one more time and try focusing on the skill as well, thanks for the good referrals.
Zoltan
A riding buddy of mine reported a similar issue - he says the bike shop rebuilt it and replaced all the nipples ... although after I sold it for him the subsequent owner reported the fork stanchions were slightly bent.
I'm not 100% sure where the truth lies there, as the fork was fine and did not leak when I test rode it before selling, and the buyer kept trying to game me before the sale, but it is possible the issue might be as simple as not retaining spoke tension due to the batch of nipples being dodgy.
I used to routinely flatspot and warp 700x23c rear wheels on my commuter, until I got a slightly stiffer rim that (more importantly) was built and tensioned properly by Adrian and Belrose. That rim has had more than its fair share of abuse from hitting potholes, and more recently a rock (23c road slicks aren't very forgiving), to the point where the rim bead lock groove is bent inwards in two spots and needs those repaired... but it is still pretty straight. A good build counts for a lot.
However, if your rim is out of round and has more than a mm or two of wobble when placed on the bench after the spokes are cut, it's time for a new one.
A racer at Saturday's cross event at TH BMX track taco'd his back wheel when it was run over. There was at least 2" warp in the rim and the NDS spokes were really loose around the damaged area. The wheel couldn't turn in the frame, let alone between the brakes
10 minutes with gentle belting of the earth, a few whacks with a lump hammer, and a tweak or two of the spoke nipples, he managed to race on the wheel and had the use of his cantilever rim brakes. About +/- 2mm runout....
Had it been a front wheel there wouldn't have been a choice and his day's racing would be over.
Best of luck with a solution Zoltan, hopefully the LBS can give you some advice after eyeballing the wheel. It may be that you need to find a shop with a well respected wheelsmith. A set of spoke keys and a truing stand do not a wheelsmith make......
I have the same bike and origional wheelset, I am 100kg fully loaded and I have never had an issue with the front, but the rear I have had trued a few times but nothing major. replaced a spoke a few weeks ago after it had an altercation with my derailleur, still got home reasonably true with a broken spoke and a few bent ones.
They have been totally reliable tubeless for the last 2 years and I have passed many (most of) the Stan's or TWE equipped Anthem x 29er in plenty of races so don't believe the weight hype unless you have money to burn.
I did remove all the fugly stickers though, saved me .7grams