Wide 700c tyres

[Percy]

Erm, what reputation? So far as I know XT hubs have a pretty good reputation - and I can think of more expensive hubs that have had problems (I've seen examples of Rohloff hubs failing too). A 40-hole hub is inevitably going to be weaker simply because of the number of holes - and I think it's a red herring. To be honest I doubt you'd get better than Shimano. A quick check suggests that Shimano XT hubs are heavier then SLX hubs (411g vs 384G). Personally I can't see any reason not to go for XT.

I was referring to willem's comment: "There have been enough reports of XT hubs failing to not be surprised. The 40 hole xt rear hubs (not the tandem one) have a nasty reputation."

I've no experience of, or contact with, their reputation myself, only my own experiences of them.

I'd be inclined to agree with you, andym - I see no major reason not to go back to Shimano. Nothing is going to be guaranteed unbreakable.

 

[andym]

I was referring to willem's comment: "There have been enough reports of XT hubs failing to not be surprised. The 40 hole xt rear hubs (not the tandem one) have a nasty reputation."

Sorry, my post was meant to sound puzzled and quizzical. I should have simply said that you can't generalise from a 40 hole hub because of the particular challenges that involves.

 

[Freddie]

Do you actually gain that much from switching to a wider tyre beyond, say, 35mm? I'm sort of inclined to go as wide as I can but then I think I'm probably just being paranoid. My load wasn't excessive before but then it wasn't super light either. Are the wider tyres that much more forgiving?

Only if you make use of the fact you have a wider tyre and drop the PSI. A surprising amount of people buy a wide tyre, pump it up to maximum PSI and assume they'll be comfortable, this defeats the point, which is width + ability for lower PSI = more comfort. How much PSI depends on your weight and the weight in the panniers, but with a 35mm tyre for loaded touring try starting around 60/65 PSI.

Also, slick tyres make for a more comfortable and grippy ride for road based riding and contrary to popular opinion don't turn dangerous off road, becoming difficult only where knobbly tyres would assist traction and who wants to ride knobblies for any length on the road? (not to mention this can be more dangerous than slicks out of their depth).