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Halo Vapour 26" QR 135/100mm - where to source from?
Can anyone recommend a supplier or wheelbuilder for decent 26" upgrade wheels?
Or, is there a much better forum for asking this advice?
The WTB SX24 rims that came with my KHS Alite2000 (2011) aren't rated quite wide enough for the Kenda Small Block 8 tyres I use, so I'm looking to upgrade to better wheels and seem to have settled on Halo Vapour.
The "old" unilateral 26" standard is pretty out-of-date these days, I've found some suppliers for a front wheel but I'm struggling finding a rear. Can anyone recommend a supplier, should I get a wheel built rather than trying to source one, again any recommendations would be appreciated. Bit surprised how pricey they are, mostly the rear hub.
6-bolt disc, Shimano 9-speed stuff.
The Alite is quite lightweight so it seems to be the theme to stick to. (I've probably done less than 200 miles or so in 10 years I've had this bike, but I have recently started going off-road again and want to get some value out of it! I'm also 5'6" so I'm not sure putting the money towards a newer bigger-wheeled bike would be better, also don't want to spend even more.)
I'll probably put my Bontrager Mud XR4 (2.0") tyres on the WTB rims and put those on my spare old steel Voodoo Wanga (2010-ish?), make it a simple winter/muddy bike but with a good old RockShox Reba RL that could do with a full service. This frees up the the Halo Combat front wheel to sell on and maybe the Fulcrum rear wheel too.
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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So I found this site which had some rather good prices, turns out the rear wheel is not in stock (probably nowhere in the UK) and will take 4-6 weeks:
https://activesport.co/epages/80c85f8f-7a95-4b1c-9c30-e64b314f3f2e.sf/en...
https://activesport.co/epages/80c85f8f-7a95-4b1c-9c30-e64b314f3f2e.sf/en...
Not sure if I will need a 15mm to QR adaptor for the front wheel?
Looks like QR to me from the photos so I reckon they must just provide convertible endcaps. After all, there's not such thing as a 15mm QR.
Halo no longer list the Vapour in 26" so I'd double check that the rear wheel is actually available, that 4-6 weeks estimate often means "We don't know when stock is coming"
The company emailed me and said:
"We have asked the UK distributor to source them for us, but they are 4-6 weeks away."
But I guess the UK distributor may be giving a standard response rather than actually knowing that's how long it will take. If it takes too long I shall speak to Spokesman about a custom build. The rims and hubs are available so there seems to be no reason why the wheel could not be made. It is still listed on Halo's site but says "Out of stock | Expected to be available from 15th Jul 2021" which is helpful, lol. Potentially unofficially discontinued but hoping someone in UK has stock and it just needs to be shifted between shops.
Front wheel has arrived but it does not come with QR end caps, so their "MT Front Disc Hub,32H (QR/15mm Ft)" was a lie, so that's an extra £20 I have to spend at Halo! Other suppliers are £10 more for the front wheel but say they include the QR endcaps. I'm in two minds to send it back and cancel the order
Spokesman Wheels also say the rear wheel is 4-6 weeks. He's a Halo dealer, so I'm getting a quote...
Spoke to the UK distributor and they say the front wheel used to come with QR endcaps but doesn't any longer, so looks like retailer did not update their website. Good enough reason to send it back for a refund and find an alternative supplier I think.
Thought I had found a good enough price from another supplier and looked like the previous version of the front wheel with XCD hubs (which should come with QR endcaps)... checked wwith the supplier and apparently not, it seems their webpage needs updating.
Called ISON, UK distributor for Halo, ended up ordering 9mm QR endcaps from SingleTrack as they were £2 cheaper.
Just waiting for lots of bits to turn up now so I can service the fork, swap everything over on the front wheel and get back on it ready for the rear wheel to turn up
Might be worth contacting this guy, he'll build to order and uses quality components. Wheels very much designed for UK use too https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165512074722?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-12763...
Thanks, I had seen that on ebay but didn't notice they actually custom build wheels. 5000+ wheels in September 2021 after only 8 years. The Active Sport price was £333 delivered which is only £50 more than some places wanted for the rear wheel alone.
The Halo rear hub seems particularly expensive so I'm not sure a custom build had much chance at being cheaper.
There are only two shops I've got experience of and would recommend as the wheels I've had from them have been absolutely perfect (won't mention the ones that weren't so good).
SJS Cycles do mail order and have Halo Vapour rims but I don't think they are cheap, although I've never been near any of the three rear wheels they've built me with a spoke wrench.
Birmingham Bike Foundry is local-ish to me and recently I've had a couple of front e-bike motors built with Ryde Andra 40s and they did a great job. A wheel build is around £40 plus parts.
I've never used Halo Vapours but I have good experience with Halo SAS and T2 rims. I've used 2.0 tyres with both of them as Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tour tyres really don't work well for me on thin rims but your tyres might be completely different. The Halo Spin Doctor hub is on the rear of all three of my bikes & is the old 135mm size with QR or bolted axle but is not a lightweight. It's very reliable though if you inject grease into the port under the cassette once a year.