Hope Pro II / DT Swiss EX 5.1d lightweight wheelset
Tuesday, July 17th, 2007What’s one of the best places to drop some weight and notice it immediately? The wheels or tires are your best bet.
We’ve put together a few custom wheelsets that we’ll be reviewing that should cover a pretty broad spectrum (from lightweight, to heavier duty).
Check it out inside, 1896g for the complete Hope Pro II / DT EX 5.1d wheelset that is downhill race worthy.
Weight is a fairly highly debated topic among downhill racers, and while every wheelset isn’t for everyone, wheels are a major part in the overall system of a downhill bike.
The hubs of choice are from Hope. The front is 20mm and the rear is 150mm x12mm. The hubs offer some smooth rolling, and have already proved their worth for us and the downhill community at large. The hubs are lightweight, fairly inexpensive, and are reliable. They could have a bit more engagement points (currently 24pt), but that’ll be discussed later.
Hope Pro II 20mm / DT EX 5.1D
The spokes chosen were the DT Swiss Supercomp Spokes with brass nipples. We went with brass nipples over aluminum for a variety of reasons, but overall the weight penalty of brass nipples wasn’t enough for us to justify using aluminum nipples (~20g savings per wheel). Laced in a 3x pattern, these wheels are stiff and solid.
The rims chosen were the DT Swiss EX 5.1d. The 5.1d is a more “All Mountain / Enduro” rim but still offers a great amount of stability and strength. So far they’ve held up quite well for us and haven’t gotten any dents but they have yet to see the rock garden testing phase. The 2007 5.1d rims we received weighed in at approx 518g each with a the inner diameter of the rim measuring 21mm which gives the tire a nice rounded profile.
Hope Pro II 150mm / DT EX 5.1D
This wheelset is a more race oriented wheelset that you’d use more for racing than day to day downhill riding as the rim’s aren’t designed to be flogged in full downhill fashion quite as much as a more downhill specific rim.
We’ll update and post a full review once we get some more time on these wheels but so far, they’re fast, real fast.
July 17th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
I would destroy those after a few days in Whistler! Great race day spec though.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:27 pm
hey, those rims hold up surprisingly well. I know several people who use them at diablo and have no problems with them. they would rather ride them over the 6.1d rims.
sicklines if you need a dh parts tester, let me know i am a diablo local.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:53 pm
The weight isnt bad at all, considering for probably double the price the white DT Swiss set, EX1750 weighs in at 1750 g
July 17th, 2007 at 10:54 pm
Yea they’re actually really quite strong and reliable. People that were having problems with the 2006 6.1D rim got the 5.1’s and they’re holding up better for them.
I’d still put them more towards a race day spec, but I don’t think they’ll have any issues holding up if you’re a smooth rider.
The 1750’s are supposed to weigh 1750g but i have my doubts, especailly the 2007 ones. It seems that we either got some slightly heavier rims, or the 06’s were a tad (20g) lighter. The 06’s i’ve seen were right at 500g, and these were almost 520g so that’s 40g lighter already.
I’ve never seen 1750’s on a scale but i’d guestimate they come in closer to 1800g for 135mm spacing, especially with these rims we got. Also, 1750’s aren’t available in 150mm outside of OEM spec from Iron Hors and i’d bet those are a touch heaver than the 135mm version as well.
I’d be willing to bet that these weigh in ~40-60g heavier than DT’s 150mm 1750’s… but if someone has a scale and wants to dbl check
Either way, it’s a lot cheaper as pointed out above… and I don’t think much more weight. You also get the security of non bladed spokes (less apparent windup, easier to true, and brass nipples).
Sean - we’ll keep it in mind but we’ve got a good variety of testers/locations already.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
super light wheel set, with the heaviest brake rotors known to man kind, odd combination……..
July 17th, 2007 at 11:09 pm
Gotta test out the Hope Moto V2’s sometime…
Might as well be with a light wheelset!
July 18th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
rear hub stop position??
ringle AHAB - 36stop
king - 72stop
hadley - 36/72/108 stop
hope - ?? (24 stop?)
July 18th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
Yea,
Abbah - 36
King - 72 (Ring drive mechanism though)
Hadley - 36/72/(108 aren’t made any more to my knowledge)
Industry 9 - 120
Hope - 24 : Four pawls engage into a twenty-four tooth steel ratchet which is fixed into the hub shell and is sealed with a frictionless, non contact labyrinth seal.
July 22nd, 2007 at 1:53 pm
I have a set of these on my XLT for All Mountain riding. I really love them. The rear hub is really loud…I like loud freehubs. I would consider myself a smooth rider when I want to be, but since I went all coil…I find myself hitting things on purpose just to grin when my suspension eats it up.
Anyway…I have had the rear wheel re-trued one time and it came back in perfectly. The front wheel has never been touched with a spoke wrench since the build and it’s still perfectly in true…I mean withing 1mm. Impressive, because I usually tear up wheels on a regular basis.
They’re light too. I used Competition spokes for the build instead of Super Comps. If I did it again, I’d probably do Alpine III’s or Super Comps.
Over all though, I love these wheels.
August 6th, 2007 at 9:46 pm
Hi, I just happen to stumble across your website while doing a search for reviews on the DT Swiss 5.1 rim!
Bought a new Specialized Enduro comp with their DT Swiss X-430 rims made for spesh only(NON WELDED RIM)! I bent the front already! I am 6′3 230 pounds.
I purchased a Hope Pro2 hub to replace the entry level Shimano in the rear and now have purchased a DT Swiss 5.1 rim! How are yours holding up? Also, purchased a Sram PG 990 casstette for the rear. Hopeing to shed some big weight too. Thanks
August 9th, 2007 at 12:55 am
So far so good, yea pinned rims… not so great
October 28th, 2007 at 5:36 pm
How much did this set up cost? I am planing on building this set up for my demo 7. Do you think I could use these rims everyday as I weigh only 140 pounds?
October 28th, 2007 at 5:48 pm
Colby, it depends on a few things but i don’t think you’d have a problem running these in general.
Where you ride, style, air pressure, tire choice, etc. Our set has held up quite well.
November 15th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
I’ve got a set delivered with the 135mm 10mm bolt on set up. Yet to ride them as the 200m > QR adapators were mixed up with non-drive side rear hub caps at the Hope factory. Have had send them back and am awaiting the correct pieces.
These things look the business. I am completely stoked and hanging out to ride them. If they work well on the trail bike, I’ll order another set for the DH. I’ll end up with a 38# Sunday with DH rubber with these wheels.
I’m guessing they will ride a lot stiffer than the CrossMax XL’s I was running previously, which seemed to ‘ping’ back from flexing rather than just being stiff in the first place.
I’ll report back once I’ve spent some time on them.