Time for a new MTB wheelset - where to start?!

Depending on why a wheel needs to be trued, it may be necessary to detension ALL of the spokes & then retension them as if you were building a new wheel rather than just tweaking a few adjacent spokes which MAY be all the guy at the LBS was doing ...

Sometimes, depending on the rim, one/some/all of the spokes may need to be replaced ... but, sometimes, only on the driveside ...

AND, only after those avenues (i.e., detensioning and/or replacing) have been investigated should a wheel be deemed to be beyond hope ...

Since YOU are planning on buying new wheels, you may want to take this opportunity to try to true (the right way) or rebuild your current rear wheel ... what have you got to lose?

As far as what to look for in a future wheelset, I recommend either a standard 32h or 36h wheel because it will probably be more durable than a fancy-schmancy wheelset ...

What YOU need to decide on is if you want to use the universal, ISO 6-bolt rotors or Shimano's "center-lock" rotors ... and, proceed from there.

"Center-lock" hubs are lighter (by a considerable amount, or so it seems to me) AND potentially faster to install & remove (THAT's a good thing for race mechanics, but probably not so important for the rest of us) ...

• a "center-lock" hub would be slower to work on if you can't find a lockring tool!?!
  

I can't recommend a particular wheelset ... I do recommend Shimano hubs

• Shimano may-or-may-not still make 6-bolt compatible hubs
  
• Shimano does have a centerlock-to-ISO adapter (an additional cost, of course)
  

I have been running Easton Havens on my Santa Cruz blur Lt mtb. 4 yrs running and no issues. Very strong wheel set. Paid $595.00 . Shop them and you can get a good deal. They are tubeless.26"
good luck

I actually tried trueing my old wheel before I took it to my LBS. I de-tensioned and re-tensioned all the spokes but I just don't have the experience to try and get it back to true. I have trued it myself in the past, but this time it was wobbling so bad my tire was rubbing the front derailleur! I've been riding on it like that for a while but I am sooooo tired of my rear v-brake rubbing from the wobble. It's a better workout and all but I want to go back to smoking my friends!! 🙂

Moto1, thanks for the review. Definitely looks like a quality wheelset. I think those are just a pinch out of my price range though (bike was only $600 - birthday present from parents a few years ago). I just purchased the Easton EA70 XC MTB wheels which I managed to find some positive reviews on as well. Seems like a lot of people have had good luck with Easton MTB wheels.

Honestly I think I just got unlucky with the previous wheelset. I thrash the bike hard but the trails I ride are not that bad. There are a lot of roots and bumps, but no drops or anything of that sort. I'll be sure to post about them when I take them for a test ride.

Of course, because people are upgrading all the time, you can probably get a satisfactory set of wheels which will be well within your budget off of eBay ...

• I would try to stick with wheels which have Shimano hubs, but I would also be open to OTHER hubs
  

Also, you can certainly get a set of wheels from Nashbar (they go on sale, periodically) ...

• remember to decide on whether you want ISO 6-bolt or Centerlock hubs ...
  

BTW. I think that YOU may be a candidate for 650b wheels-and-tires ...

FYI. As far as detensioning & retensioning the spokes, you may achieve more satisfactory results if the tire/tube/rim-tape are removed from the rim ... and (presuming the wheel was built properly at some point AND the unlaced rim would theoretically lie flat on a tabletop) , REALLY DETENSION the spokes so that YOU can wiggle the rim a couple of inches side-to-side & then start over with the retensioning as if you had just laced the rim to the hub.