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Wheel suggestions

chris_the_wrench

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Forgot to add, if the frame can handle the width HED Belgium rim brake rims would be a great option. Abit wider makes ride abit more plush!
 
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Nancy Hummel

Nancy Hummel

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Forgot to add, if the frame can handle the width HED Belgium rim brake rims would be a great option. Abit wider makes ride abit more plush!
Thanks! Frames is an older one that my husband made when in a frame building class. I think it can only accommodate narrower wheels.
 

Rudi Riet

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My $0.02 as someone who is also in the trenches in the bike world:

Regarding Mavic: yes, they are in disarray. I'd steer clear of the Ksyrium range if the rider's average weight is around 200 lbs, as the low spoke count means high tension, so when things go they go. The newer freehubs they've used (which are more akin to a DT Swiss setup than the old Mavic 3 pawl) are good and the overall build quality is typically consistent. But as mentioned above, the company is really in a pickle right now and you're seeing a lot of their stuff on fire sale because of this.

Regarding the Mavic Open Pro: yes, it is a great rim but the spoke eyelets will start creaking over time. If you're not averse to a less-than-silent wheel it's not a dealbreaker.

That said, if I were going with a custom build (and knowing that the frame has tight clearance), here's where I'd go:

Hubs: Chris King or Industry 9 (or even some Shimano Dura-Ace or Ultegra new/old stock if you can find them)
Spokes: DT Swiss Revolution or Sapim CX-Ray with brass nipples
Rims: Velocity A23 (or Mavic Open Pro if you don't mind the aforementioned noise that inevitably develops in the spoke holes)
Spoke Count: 28 front, 32 rear (possibly radial in the front but not really necessary as the spoke tension would be higher)

Honestly I'd go with custom built over pre-built in a new rim brake wheelset almost every time these days. Yes, Roval and Shimano and Campagnolo/Fulcrum (same parent company) make awesome wheels. So does Rolf Prima, as do HED and Neugent. But a custom set costs about the same and you can get a set of wheels that are perfect for the kind of riding that will be done.

Above all else: I would not get a used road wheelset sight unseen. It's hard to tell how these wheels have been treated, how many miles they have and in what weather conditions they were used. Rim wall thickness could be less than good. Spoke nipples could be corroded and frozen. Spokes could be ready to snap. Hub flanges could be weakened. Bearings could be shot. Seals could be dry and non-functional.

Basically: it's a crapshoot if you go used, even more so if the wheels are low spoke count.
 
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Nancy Hummel

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My $0.02 as someone who is also in the trenches in the bike world:

Regarding Mavic: yes, they are in disarray. I'd steer clear of the Ksyrium range if the rider's average weight is around 200 lbs, as the low spoke count means high tension, so when things go they go. The newer freehubs they've used (which are more akin to a DT Swiss setup than the old Mavic 3 pawl) are good and the overall build quality is typically consistent. But as mentioned above, the company is really in a pickle right now and you're seeing a lot of their stuff on fire sale because of this.

Regarding the Mavic Open Pro: yes, it is a great rim but the spoke eyelets will start creaking over time. If you're not averse to a less-than-silent wheel it's not a dealbreaker.

That said, if I were going with a custom build (and knowing that the frame has tight clearance), here's where I'd go:

Hubs: Chris King or Industry 9 (or even some Shimano Dura-Ace or Ultegra new/old stock if you can find them)
Spokes: DT Swiss Revolution or Sapim CX-Ray with brass nipples
Rims: Velocity A23 (or Mavic Open Pro if you don't mind the aforementioned noise that inevitably develops in the spoke holes)
Spoke Count: 28 front, 32 rear (possibly radial in the front but not really necessary as the spoke tension would be higher)

Honestly I'd go with custom built over pre-built in a new rim brake wheelset almost every time these days. Yes, Roval and Shimano and Campagnolo/Fulcrum (same parent company) make awesome wheels. So does Rolf Prima, as do HED and Neugent. But a custom set costs about he same and you can get a set of wheels that are perfect for the kind of riding that will be done.

Above all else: I would not get a used road wheelset sight unseen. It's hard to tell how these wheels have been treated, how many miles they have and in what weather conditions they were used. Rim wall thickness could be less than good. Spoke nipples could be corroded and frozen. Spokes could be ready to snap. Hub flanges could be weakened. Bearings could be shot. Seals could be dry and non-functional.

Basically: it's a crapshoot if you go used, even more so if the wheels are low spoke count.
Thanks! Great info!
 

scott43

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And please don't pay extra for black spokes!! :) Silver are cheaper and work just as well... Honestly I like Rudi's advice. Pick 105, Ultegra, Dura Ace or CK hubs (whatever you can afford or want to pay...), DT spokes and the A23 or Chukker rims. 28 or 32 front and 32 rear. Three cross. Don't do radial. The front wheel is under much less stress than the back. No dish unless you have discs and no torsional stress unless you have discs. Plus less weight. So you can do 28 instead of 32 usually.

I hate saying it because I get laughed at but the low spoke count wheels are really more for show. There's a lot more stress on the spokes so if things do go wrong and you break a spoke you can't ride it usually. And we're riding for fitness yes?
 
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Nancy Hummel

Nancy Hummel

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And please don't pay extra for black spokes!! :) Silver are cheaper and work just as well... Honestly I like Rudi's advice. Pick 105, Ultegra, Dura Ace or CK hubs (whatever you can afford or want to pay...), DT spokes and the A23 or Chukker rims. 28 or 32 front and 32 rear. Three cross. Don't do radial. The front wheel is under much less stress than the back. No dish unless you have discs and no torsional stress unless you have discs. Plus less weight. So you can do 28 instead of 32 usually.

I hate saying it because I get laughed at but the low spoke count wheels are really more for show. There's a lot more stress on the spokes so if things do go wrong and you break a spoke you can't ride it usually. And we're riding for fitness yes?
Yes. Riding for fitness. All this makes sense! Thanks.
 

Rich McP

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I hate saying it because I get laughed at but the low spoke count wheels are really more for show. There's a lot more stress on the spokes so if things do go wrong and you break a spoke you can't ride it usually.
Yep, popped a spoke recently on my Mavic rear. The wheel was unrideable instantly. Have popped spokes on wheels with more spokes and had a wobble but was able to continue on.
 

chris_the_wrench

Spinning wrenches and throwing spokes.
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And please don't pay extra for black spokes!!

your hurting my little bit of style I have!!

I usually run black spokes with black brass nipples. I like alloy nipples for weight savings but you wouldnt believe the amount or zipps/enves/etc(hundreds) I had to rebuild for people in san diego(my old home port) because the ocean air just ate away those alloy nips and froze/disintegrated them.

So if your coastal, id take the weight penalty and go brass nipples.

-Chris
 
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scott43

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Well if the black spokes work for YOU... :ogbiggrin:

Alloy nipples have never worked well for me. They do make the wheel feel snappier, but the price in durability is hard sometimes. Any corrosion..they start to oxidize and become very brittle. I'd consider them a race-only, fair-weather wheel. Not typical for most riders.
 

snwbrdr

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I am around 200 lbs AND ride the Mavic Kysrium Elite with no issues.

Plus, the guy at the LBS at recommended them is well over 200 lbs and also rides on Kysrium with no issues.

Would I run a low spoke count on a rim that has the spoke holes drilled completely through? No, see my Stan's Alpha 400 wheelset.
 

Tom K.

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Hubs: Chris King or Industry 9 (or even some Shimano Dura-Ace or Ultegra new/old stock if you can find them)
Spokes: DT Swiss Revolution or Sapim CX-Ray with brass nipples
Rims: Velocity A23 (or Mavic Open Pro if you don't mind the aforementioned noise that inevitably develops in the spoke holes)
Spoke Count: 28 front, 32 rear (possibly radial in the front but not really necessary as the spoke tension would be higher)

Kinda hard to argue with this, though I tired long ago of adjusting the bearing play on King Hubs. I'd go White Industries. Hugely underrated hubs -- simply based on my never having broken one!
 

Rudi Riet

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Kinda hard to argue with this, though I tired long ago of adjusting the bearing play on King Hubs. I'd go White Industries. Hugely underrated hubs -- simply based on my never having broken one!

White Industries hubs are, indeed, fantastic. I have one that's 25 years old and still spins like a dream thanks to periodic maintenance. I'd happily slot them into this build spec recommendation.
 

scott43

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I used to build White Industries hubs 30 years ago..I bet they're still the same and I bet the ones I built are still running smoothly.
 

vtrich

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Dave will build you a good set of wheels made for his specific needs. He builds lots of wheels and does a really good job.

or,

HED Ardennes. The Ardennes come in various levels now, but they are the early adopters of wider road rims. I have an older set of Ardennes FR and really like them. They are reasonably light and pretty rugged.
 

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