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.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!
Well..there's a cost factor there...just curious, why not carbon?
Well..there's a cost factor there...
rims, carbon is king now, i run carbon with rim brakes. Scary when wet!! So i agree on staying with aluminum. Not as many choices as before but still some.
Thanks! Great info!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.
Yes. Riding for fitness. All this makes sense! Thanks.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?
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.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 please don't pay extra for black spokes!!
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!