Hi All,

I'm racing XC on a hardtail and weigh ~145 pounds. Which wheels would you recommend assuming price is not a factor? On one hand the Race Golds are 80 grams lighter, but on the other hand the American Classics are wider and (i'm assuming) stronger given their 200 pound weight limit vs the Stans 170 pound weight limit.

Anybody have experience with either of these wheels that can weigh in? Thanks!

_________________
Visit my website: Mountain Biking San Diego

No experience with either wheel set you're considering but I have ridden Stan's Crest 29er wheels last season and the American Classic Tubeless 29er wheels this year.

Pros and cons to each.

Stan's wheels
Pros - Lighter, easy tubeless conversions using standard tires, rims are fairly cheap to replace.
Cons - Flexy, required truing on a regular basis (at least for me), rims dent easily

AC wheels
Pros - Wider rims for better tire support (especially nice if using 2.2" + tires), noticeably stiffer wheels, steel reinforced free hub splines, smoother/more durable bearings, stay true well
Cons - Rims are even more prone to dents than Stan's and more difficult to replace, play develops in hubs (although this is adjustable), not as easy to set up tubeless using standard tires

For what it's worth (having ridden both Stan's and AC wheels) my next set of wheels will probably Chinese carbon 29er rims laced to XTR or Hope hubs.

i like the ac hub. they have done well for me, but how about ac hubs with crest rims. they will be lighter then the ac whl set and just a little bit heaver then the stans gold set.

I've been punishing a set of Stan's Olympic 347's for the last 4 seasons and have been completely floored by how reliable they are...2 broken spokes in the rear during that time. Front wheel has never needed truing. At 140lbs, I can't say that a heavier rider would have the same results, but at your weight, you'll probably be fine.

Hey thanks for all the advice everyone!

@fastezzie that's great info, one of the biggest concerns I have with the Stans is that they'll be flexy or won't feel solid on a hardtail through rock gardens and technical sections.
@c90sx not a bad idea except I currently have both these wheelsets, so I just have to decide which to keep.
@thewatchtech nice glad to hear that! that's the kind of review i'm looking for

_________________
Visit my website: Mountain Biking San Diego

I've built a no of sets of Am Classic/Stans wheels, but now just buy the Am Classic Factory wheelsets (fortunately, I get all this stuff @ trade). The Am Classic hubs are fantastic. Rear is easily serviceable (about every year for a freehub rebuild - v cheap, needs just 1 item). The Factory wheelsets are not UST (although called Tubeless), so getting a tyre on is identical for both - but the Factory wheelsets look MUCH better & you have a 2 year warranty + you don't need to build them, or trust someone else to. I've just got a set of Am Classic 29er Race - 1410g for the pair anyone ?!! Awesome.

I just had a set of Race Gold rims built by Industry Nine. Their spokes provide for a stronger build then the Stan's setup. I have around 300 miles on them, they have been great so far. Weight is 1430 built for a Lefty.