MTB Wheels

Mountain Bike Wheels for Every Riding Style

One of the most significant upgrades you can make to any mountain bike is to replace the wheels. With new wheels, you can reap the benefits of better aerodynamics, less weight, more stability, and enhanced durability. Whether you’re simply replacing an old and worn out set of wheels or looking to improve your trail riding experience, bikester.co.uk has the perfect wheelset for your bike.

Choosing Mountain Bike Wheels

The sheer number of mountain bike wheels can make finding the right set a daunting task. Thankfully, there are wheels available for every style of riding andany budget.

Rim Diameter and Width

The first things to think about when choosing a new front or rear mountain bike wheel are the diameters and widths compatible with your bike. Most mountain bikes are designed to fit a specific rim diameter, usually 26”, 27.5”, or 29”. Whileyou can opt for a smaller or (sometimes larger) diameter rim than what your bike was designed for, doing so will have consequences for your bike’s handling and stability.You have more flexibility in choosing a different rim width than what your bikeoriginally came with, since you just need to fit the rim and tyre inside the front fork or rear stays. Wider wheels – and with them wider tyres – offer more stability and traction, but at the penalty of higher weight.Cross-country and trail riders typically use narrower rims around 23 mm wide (inner rim width), while all-mountain and enduro bikes are often designed to accept rims up to 28 mm wide. Downhill mountain bikes may accept even widerrims at up to 40 mm or more.

Wheel Material

After figuring out what size wheel you need, one of the biggest choices you’ll need to make is what material you want your wheel to be made from. Aluminium wheels are common for mountain bikes because they offer the best combination of durability, weight, and price. However, high-end carbon mountain bike wheels aremore lightweight and offer better aerodynamics for mountain bike racers.

Tubeless-ready

If you’re thinking about switching to a tubeless setup, having tubeless-ready wheels is the most important part of the transition. Tubeless-ready wheels can be run with or without a tube, so you don’t necessarily need to switch to tubeless if you opt for this type of wheel. However, if you don’t plan to go tubeless anytime soon, tubeless-ready wheels can be more expensive than standard tube wheels.

Braking System

The vast majority of modern mountain bikes are equipped with disc brakes, so it should come as little surprise that most mountain bike wheels are intended for use with disc brakes. Ensure that the disc brake attachments on the wheels you’re interested in are compatible with your brakes – centre lock wheels can be adapted to six-bolt disc brakes, but six-bolt wheels cannot be adapted to centre lock brakes. If you have calliper brakes on your mountain bike, it’s essential that you choose wheels that have the right braking surface. Disc brake rims are not compatible with calliper brakes.

Axle Standards

Most mountain bikes now use a thru-axle hub to attach the wheel to your bike, but some short-travel cross-country or trail forks use a quick-release system instead. Make sure the hub of your new front wheel matches the axle on your fork. In general, it’s not cost-effective to buy a new wheel and then change the hub.

Mountain Bike Wheels at bikester.co.uk

The easiest way to find new wheels for your mountain bike is to shop our wideselection at bikester.co.uk. We offer front and rear wheels as well as wheelsets in every standard wheel size and for every riding style and budget. Plus, we offer fast, convenient shipping and a 100-day return policy on all our mountain bike wheels.