26 Inch Mountain Bike Rims: Best Choices for the Money
Whether you are a seasoned expert or new to the hobby, mountain biking is a fun, physically active hobby that has been increasingly growing in popularity in recent years. There is good reason for this—it is a fun and fast-paced activity that you can enjoy with friends and family or other mountain bikers. Mountain bikers can ride in a more calm and leisurely fashion or can make an extreme sport out of it. This is a versatile activity that can be fun for people of different skill levels and age groups.
Many people, especially those who are more serious about their mountain biking, will construct their mountain bikes from different, high-end, performance parts, rather than buying a complete, pre-built bike. There are many reasons to do this, even if you are new to the activity. When you choose the various components of your bike, you can research each part to ensure that you are getting a quality product that will provide you with the comfort or performance you are looking for.
One aspect of mountain bikes that people often don't pay enough attention to is the rims or wheels you choose for your bike. Most people confuse wheels with tires, but wheels are the physical frame the tire is slid around. It might not seem like something you should need to pay much attention to, but the type of wheel you choose will actually make a huge impact on the performance and comfort of the ride of your bike.
What follows is a brief rundown of something you will need to consider when choosing the best mountain biking wheels for you, followed by short reviews of three different high-quality wheel and rim options.
Things to Consider When Choosing Mountain Bike Wheels
Firstly, you will want to determine what size mountain bike wheels you will want. When it comes to bike wheels, size really matters and will make a huge difference in how the bike rides, as well as how it performs.
For mountain bikes, there are three basic wheel sizes: 26”, 27.5”, and 29”. We recommend 26” wheels as this seems to be the best blend of stability and performance when it comes to sizes. You will want to check to make sure what size wheel your bike is compatible with, but many standard mountain bike frames are designed for 26” wheels.
You will also want to consider the width of the wheels. While it might seem like this is just an aesthetic preference, it also does affect performance. For reasons of both style and performance, the recent trend with wheels is to have a wider rim. In the past, the standard width was 19 mm, now it ranges from 21 to even over 30 mm.
As you increase the width of the rim, you increase the footprint size and air volume of the tire. This leads to enhanced stability, as well as better traction. The downside is that tires with wider rim widths tend to weigh more, which can negatively affect speed.
The weight of the rim is another factor that you will want to take into consideration. If you are doing a lot of uphill riding, you may prefer a lighter, more agile wheel. Lightweight wheels make it easier to climb steep inclines and can also add to improved handling as well. Many people report that lighter, thinner wheels also lead to improved braking ability.
Of course, the durability and cost of the wheels is also an important factor. It helps to choose wheels and rims that are well reviewed as durable and sturdy. It can also be helpful to set a budget in advance so as to help narrow down and eliminate options that you will need to research.
WheelMaster 16” Steel Bicycle Wheel
WheelMaster is a trusted and reputable maker of a variety of different kinds of bike wheels, from those designed for road bikes to those that are made for performance mountain biking. Their steel bolt on 26” wheel is an excellent choice and is a good blend of quality and affordability, available for less than $40 a wheel.
The wheel is made of high-grade steel with a black finish and features spokes made from 14 g chrome. The hub is 5/16 axle and is a bolt-on style.
Vuelta XRP Pro 26” Mountain Bike Wheel Set
Vuelta is a high-end, popular maker of a wide range of top-of-the-line mountain bike equipment and related accessories. Their XRP Pro 26” wheel set is an excellent value at less than $150 for a pair of super high-quality mountain bike wheels and rims.
The wheels are boxed alloy with pinned alloy wheels and also feature bladed aero spokes. The wheels also feature a super smooth sealed cartridge bearing hub and the wheels work incredibly well with both disc or rim brakes and come with a limited warranty from the manufacturer.
Sta-Tru Black Shimano Deore M590 8-9-10 Speed Cassette 26” Wheel
Sta-Tru is another trusted maker of a range of different bike wheels, including their Shimano Deore 26” wheels. These are high-end performance wheels that are available for less than $100 a wheel.
The wheels are perfect for expert riders and feature durable STW DW double wall 32h rims, as well as a Cassette 8-9-10 loose bearing hub. The wheel also has UCP spokes and features a bolt-on axle for easy installation.
Whether you choose one of the high-quality wheels and rims we briefly review here or use this as a starting point, it is important that you choose a high-quality, sturdy, and durable wheel that fits your bike and will provide a safe, stable, and comfortable ride. For this reason, we recommend 26” wheels for most mountain bikes as this is a good blend of performance and stability. You can easily find high-performance wheels from a wide range of different manufacturers, some of which are especially suited to certain types of terrain or activities to perfectly meet your individual needs.
