# WTB ST i25 strength.



## Deartist7 (Sep 28, 2014)

I need a cheap rear rim to replace my bent and dented entry level diamondback sl7 rear rim.
I saw a couple of those wtb rims on a shop pretty much brand new taken off from an old Bronson.

My rear wheel held up fairly well to muy 145 lb of weight and aggrrssve riding. Three years of abuse. Dented it three weeks ago, bent it terribly yesterday cause of lateral impact. It's done

Will the wtb be a good replacement strength wise? Dont care about weight. They are wider too. And in perfect condition.
Rim will be laced to my actual rear hub with new spokes.


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## Joe Handlebar (Apr 12, 2016)

I got STi25's stock on a bike I bought last spring and liked them just fine. I put about 1800-2000 miles on those wheels all over Colorado with nary an issue. They set up tubeless stupid easy too. In fact, the wheels I just built up a few weeks ago for this year are done with a new set of i25 rims. The old wheels are just fine btw, I just built up a new bike. I'm 180lbs and I beat stuff up pretty well. They're not terribly heavy by any means for a mid-level rim.


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## Deartist7 (Sep 28, 2014)

Sounds good!
Forgot to add some key details.

Bike is a hardtail, so no rear suspension beats rear wheels pretty bad.
More than half of my riding is done on the streets, either training in the roads or riding off drops and practicing skills a lot. All of the damage that has been done to the rear has been done on the street. I say this so you guys know that my rear wheel gets more abused than the average cheap wheel, so I want to make sure the wtb will hold up better.
Front wheel has been completely trouble free since I got the bike. I only corrected a small wobble and a couple of loose spokes after a week of breaking it in.
Nothing since then.

I was only considering to replace the rear rim, spokes and nipples because it's the one giving me trouble, but I'm also thinking replacing both rims and re-using the front spokes and nipples.
I just wouldn't like to have a wider and mismatched rim on the rear. My only worry would be spoke metal fatigue, but since it never had any problems and its a front wheel, I'm considering to re use them.
Rear one would be using new wheelsmith spokes from the shop.
My wheelset weighs 2250 heavy grams, so I'm guessing I might actually save a couple grams with the wtbs. 

And yes, I like the tubeless idea.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

Reusing spokes and nipples is fine if they are in good condition but unless the ERD (effective rim diameter) of the WTB is the same as your current rims you'll need new ones.

WTB makes good, strong rims that are easy to set up tubeless, I'm not familiar with the STi25's but I'm sure they're plenty strong. If you're beating up your rear wheel badly you should probably concentrate on technique, particularly unweighting the wheel before/during impacts. I'm using a KOMi23 on the back of a hardtail and despite repeated thorough bashings it's still in good shape after nearly 2 years.


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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

The ST i25 are a basic bomb proof work horse of the WTB rims. they are unbelievably strong when built well. Even when built poorly, they're still strong. I'd replace the rear rim and just get some new spokes/nipples. If you've had the bike for a while, it might be worth getting a new rear hub just in principle. don't know what your stock hub is, but if it's something like a low end formula hub, not worth relacing it. Probably cheaper and you'd get a better hub if you buy a whole new rear wheel instead of buying a new rim/spokes and re-lacing a formula hub.

For the front wheel, as long as it's in good condition, probably going to stay that way and no need to change it up. Front wheel's don't normally see as much punishment as rear wheels unless you land wrong and wreck. Rear wheels always seem to get the brunt of hard riding.


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## Arebee (Sep 13, 2012)

I'm 225 lbs. and ride a 29er hardtail with WTB Frequency i23s, which are narrower than the rims you asked about. They're pretty much bombproof. I've been pounding them on CT's roots and rocks for over a year now with no issues. Last 5 months I have been tubeless and have enjoyed them even more.


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## Deartist7 (Sep 28, 2014)

Good to go then! Sounds like it will work for me.
And yeah, I'm still working on my technique, but the dents were mainly because of too low pressure. The bends were mostly because of my silly habit to hop around sideways (been doing that since I learned how to bunny hop) and the landings usually greeted me with a bent rear rim. It's just not strong enough for that.
Add that to riding on pavement.

I just got told that the seller also includes the spokes that came with the wheels (the actual owner is only using the shop as a way to sell his rims).

Not sure how to feel about this, I'd prefer having new spokes. But if the rim was taken off pretty much new, it's safe to say that the spokes are just as good right?

The good part is that the length of the spokes should be just right....excepting the fact that I don't know if my hubs are similar to the ones were they were installed. Could the spoke length differ in different hubs as I'm suspecting?

My rear hub is just fine btw. Regularly serviced, never had an issue, freehub is also in great shape with no dings. It's also SL7 Diamondback branded though.


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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

Spokes should be good, but I'd get new nipples (if they weren't already thrown away). they're dirt cheap and not worth the hassle if any of them were rounded out. Length will be entirely dependent on your hub vs. the other guy's hub. If they're the same, it'll work fine. Lot of hubs out there. Since you've getting the spokes anyway, no harm in keeping them for a future build (never know what you might need). DT Swiss has a good spoke calculator that you can use to figure out what length spokes you need and how to measure the hub.


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## jeffj (Jan 13, 2004)

Hubs can vary quite a bit. You'll need the hub dimensions for your hub. The ERD (effective rim diameter) for those rims can be found here:

Frequency Team | WTB

Then, you'll need to run it all through a spoke length calculator. If you're unsure, post here with what you've got, and someone will run the numbers for you.

I would recommend 14g x 12mm nipples.


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## Joe Handlebar (Apr 12, 2016)

FWIW this is the spoke calculator I use.

Spoke length calculator for wheel building

Per post #3, both my bikes are hardtails as well.


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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

jeffj said:


> The ERD (effective rim diameter) for those rims can be found here:
> 
> Frequency Team | WTB


I'd recommend actually measuring the rims in principle. Really easy if your LBS has the right tools. Takes about 30 seconds. The listed ERD is usually pretty good for retail rims, because a customer building a wheel wants good rims that should exactly match what the vendor says they're getting. I've noticed some OEM wheels can be off 1 or 2mm from the listed value. Not often, but worth checking. I don't know if it's because OEM wheelsets sometimes use the not-perfect wheels because most people don't really care what the ERD is on an assembled wheel, or if it's because some bike companies buy the cheapest out of spec rims they can just to save money.


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## Deartist7 (Sep 28, 2014)

Well, that was quite a good learning experience and I thank you all guys for helping me! But...bummer for me.
I decided to go and buy the rims today, but I showed up to the shop and they sold them just yesterday. I'm pissed, but it's not like I gave them some money to secure them or anything, so I have to eat my words.

So now I'm considering another option: Giant SX-C2 wheels taken off from a 2016 Giant Trance 3. Complete wheelset though, and not absolutely new, but great condition and just a few scratches. I'm still gonna be on the lookout for anything wtb though.
Anyone have any experience with the Giants? I have the feeling they XCish even though the guy who sells them is trying to sell me into them as "Enduro" wheels.
They are double wall though, and I generally trust Giant stuff so they might work for me. I just need to double check if the hubs are the same standard as mine to make sure they fit.

I'm gonna start reading the Giant SXC2-PC-X wheels thread for now.

Thanks everyone! If I don't end up getting them at least I know more about spoke lengths and stuff in case I decided to order a rim online.


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## Deartist7 (Sep 28, 2014)

Well, i'm not sure anymore which Trance.
I searched more and it seems like it's actually from the Trance Advanced 2014. But the spec for that bike P-XC2 rims, not SX-C2. It's the exact same bike though.

The guy upgraded his wheels to Crankbrothers ones, that's why he sells the OEMs.


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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

Unless they're a good deal, I'd avoid used wheels unless you know the history or know how to inspect wheels (or know someone you trust to inspect the wheels, LBS mechanic?). The more you ride them, the more risk you take of busted spokes. Every wheel revolution stresses the spokes, and after so many revolutions, spokes can break. Good wheel build will let them last longer, OEM machine built last less. Tapered spokes last longer, cheap straight gauge spokes last less. Also have bearing wear. If the previous owner didn't take care of their wheels, they could need new bearings/grease. If they are cartridge bearings, have to consider the cost to replace the cartridge bearings too.

There are a whole lot of good quality wheelsets online. Sometimes, it's worth it to spend a little extra to get new. And remember to make sure the hub standards are the same as needed for your bike.


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

Deartist7 said:


> ...I showed up to the shop and they sold them just yesterday....


They should be able to get more in a couple of days, no?


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## Deartist7 (Sep 28, 2014)

Not really. They weren't inventory rims but taken off someone's bike who used the shop to help him sell them.


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## Deartist7 (Sep 28, 2014)

watts888 said:


> Unless they're a good deal, I'd avoid used wheels unless you know the history or know how to inspect wheels (or know someone you trust to inspect the wheels, LBS mechanic?). The more you ride them, the more risk you take of busted spokes. Every wheel revolution stresses the spokes, and after so many revolutions, spokes can break. Good wheel build will let them last longer, OEM machine built last less. Tapered spokes last longer, cheap straight gauge spokes last less. Also have bearing wear. If the previous owner didn't take care of their wheels, they could need new bearings/grease. If they are cartridge bearings, have to consider the cost to replace the cartridge bearings too.
> 
> There are a whole lot of good quality wheelsets online. Sometimes, it's worth it to spend a little extra to get new. And remember to make sure the hub standards are the same as needed for your bike.


Thanks for the tips! Not considering complete wheelsets because of shipping costs and currency devaluation over $100 in my country, it gets too expensive.

The guy who sells the Giant wheels is a fairy known regular on a respectable shop from a nearby city, so I know him a bit and he takes care of his stuff. I will inspect the wheels when I get there

The wheels are up for 2500 Lps (about a $100) which is just a bit more than the wtb rims. I'm liking the idea of having a spare front wheel too, or a training dedicated wheelset so I'd they are in good condition I'll get them.


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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

In that case, probably worth getting. $100 for a wheelset isn't bad, especially if the previous user treated them OK.

If you do get this set and you have the spare front wheel, I'd consider taking it apart and putting the rim on your rear hub. As you noticed, unless you get in an accident, front wheels normally don't get as much damage as rear wheels.


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## bob13bob (Jun 22, 2009)

check out hte going rate on ebay for wheelsets, sometimes they can have good prices.

here's a search on sets that are selling brand new. 
Bicycle Wheels & Wheelsets | eBay


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