Mountain Bike Wheels

Wheels are what Merlin where first known for, from the very first day we opened we have sold top quality wheels at excellent prices. How do we do this, simple buy big. At any one point we probably have over 1000 pair of hubs and rims on stock and enough spokes to go around the world (well nearly!). If you are in any doubt about the quality of our wheels, read any of the reviews that have been in the mags or search any of the forums and ask the question.

All our wheels are totally hand built from the first spoke to the final true. We only use the finest quality components from Shimano, Hope and Mavic together with top quality spokes from ACI and DT Swiss. Putting all this together is our wheel builder Frank Turner, who being a fully qualified engineer found his talent for wheel building in such demand that he has now become Merlin's full time wheel builder. Franks Skill and eye for detail have been well documented in all the major Mountain bike magazines. You too can have a pair of Frank's wheels and thanks to Merlin's bulk buying power they won't cost you the earth.

Build time
The downside of our popularity for wheels is the build time, we try and keep this within 5-8 days but will always advise if any longer. Sorry you can't rush perfection!!

What's included
We often get asked what you get with a pair of wheels and to clarify the main points we get asked about here's some help.
Do I get skewers, yes with Shimano hubs but not with hope hubs, hope skewers can be purchased separately or you can use any other brand of skewer.
Do they include the freehub body, yes all hubs include the rear freehub body, the current Shimano and Hope hubs will take a 8 or 9 speed cassette as standard.
Do I need rim tape, yes for all rims tapes are required, as Mavic do not supply them you need to purchase them separately. They are under the tubes section on our website.

What spokes do I need?
For all our XC wheels we use ACI stainless steel double butted as standard, these offer excellent strength and reliability. For downhill and heavy duty wheels we use DT plain gauge stainless steel spokes, these are the strongest available.

You can upgrade to other spokes in our drop down options list when purchasing. As a guide here are the options and there appropriate use.

ACI double butted black, for any XC wheels where you like the look of black spokes.
DT Comp, a higher grade stainless steel double butted spoke suitable for XC or freeride use.
DT Comp black, as the DT Comp but black for the customer who want the all black wheel look.
DT Revolution, a very lightweight double butted spoke, ideal for when you require a special set of lightweight XC wheels. Not recommended for Freeride or Downhill use.
DT Revolution black, as DT Revolution but black.
We do not experience any problem with any of the black spokes that we sell, and cannot understand some shops reluctance to use them.

Factory Mountain Bike Wheels

Mavic, Fulcrum and Campagnolo Wheels

Custom Wheels - Disc

Custom Wheels - Non Disc

Mail order Mavic, DT, Fulcrum, Shimano and Easton wheels all available at discount prices from UK bike shop Merlin cycles.