Comment about 29er front wheels is that people seem more prone to pretzling them than they were with 26". The bigger the wheel the bigger the torque on it when it's pressed in from the side. If you want to save wheel weight on 29" - better to save it on the rear wheel.
Of course dilemma is that the people 29ers are best suited to are also the people who need stronger wheels. I built one of my customers a Hope/DT Revolution/Halo Freedom 36H 29" wheelset last winter as he was so heavy on everything else..... And sure - they're heavy. But they've not gone a single mm out of true in almost a year now. And they are also very stiff and therefore still "feel" good.. so he can live with the weight. So it is doable to have strong 29" wheels if you can live with the weight - so it's not all doom and gloom.
Of course dilemma is that the people 29ers are best suited to are also the people who need stronger wheels. I built one of my customers a Hope/DT Revolution/Halo Freedom 36H 29" wheelset last winter as he was so heavy on everything else..... And sure - they're heavy. But they've not gone a single mm out of true in almost a year now. And they are also very stiff and therefore still "feel" good.. so he can live with the weight. So it is doable to have strong 29" wheels if you can live with the weight - so it's not all doom and gloom.
