wheel dilemma

turbo_hamster
turbo_hamster Posts: 122
edited August 2007 in Workshop
I have wrecked my front wheel through an act of stupidity. The LBS say they can't fix it, so I will have to buy a replacement wheel.

Bike is a 2005 Specialized Dolce Elite and the wheels are ALX295. LBS think the same wheel will cost around £45.

Can anyone comment on the ALX295 wheel? How does it compare with others at similar cost? I had been considering an upgrade, but as I am pretty ignorant of what I am upgrading from, I would be grateful for any feedback.

Comments

  • maddog 2
    maddog 2 Posts: 8,114
    standard spesh wheels are usually fairly basic so I'd say replace with something else.

    maybe try and get hold of a front Mavic Aksium - Parkers have one for £54

    http://www.parker-international.co.uk/P ... 9a876ca3e4

    Alternatively you could get one built up for about the same price. Something like a Open Pro rim on a 105/Ultegra/Hope/other hub.

    Buying a standrad wheel will usually be expensive compared to other options as you'll pay full whack for it. That's how I see it.

    If it was me I'd try and source a cheap hub from ebay/CRC/etc. and then get it built up on an OP rim. Depends how much time/effort you want to put in.
    Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true! - Homer
  • richa
    richa Posts: 1,632
    maddog 2 wrote:
    If it was me I'd try and source a cheap hub from ebay/CRC/etc. and then get it built up on an OP rim. Depends how much time/effort you want to put in.


    Perhaps use your current hub? With an OP rim.
    Rich
  • andrewgturnbull
    andrewgturnbull Posts: 3,861
    HI there.

    Planet X were selling ultegra front wheels for £30 - an absolute bargain, and a better wheel than the Askium in my opinion.

    Cheers, Andy
    http://www.andyturnbull.co.uk
    http://www.stirlingtri.co.uk
  • gkerr4
    gkerr4 Posts: 3,408
    RichA wrote:
    maddog 2 wrote:
    If it was me I'd try and source a cheap hub from ebay/CRC/etc. and then get it built up on an OP rim. Depends how much time/effort you want to put in.


    Perhaps use your current hub? With an OP rim.

    i'd have thought that the current hub would be the poorest part of thr std wheel!

    I think that aksium is your best bet - be ware though, once you get it on the front, you will want one for the rear.

    lots of fans of handbuilts on forums (fora?) - you coudl probably get a decent wheel made up for you by specifying the hub / rim / spokes - but imo handbuilts look like crap and you might as well not bother - go for some nice aksiums or shimano 105 grade wheels and change the look of your bike for the better.
  • hangsheadinshame
    hangsheadinshame Posts: 299
    but imo handbuilts look like crap and you might as well not bother
    Are you serious? I've never seen a more shoddy, cheap and nasty looking wheel as the Askium. There really is no accounting for taste.
  • turbo_hamster
    turbo_hamster Posts: 122
    Oh, this is all really useful, thanks very much guys. My hub is unbranded, so I think gkerr4 is right about forgetting about it. Even the LBS said they could build a wheel around it, but it wasn't worth it. (Incidentally, I had no complaints about it while I rode it, so I hope the new wheel will be noticably different).

    Andrewgturnbull suggested Planet X for Ultegra wheel - I checked the website and they say it is sold out. Pity.

    Looks like I had better go and look at examples of Aksium, or similar wheels. I had planned to upgrade the wheelset next year, so it looks like I have to bring this forward and just go for two new wheels. Maybe the old rear wheel could be given a turbo-specific tyre and just used for winter turbo work. Or perhaps saved as a spare in case I wreck a rear wheel in the future.

    Meantime, my other half has offered me the loan of his Ultegra front wheel so I can still do a time trial tomorrow. There was a Cycling Plus sub-£200 wheel test a while back and I have been re-reading it. Something it doesn't mention is the suitability of different wheels for different riding styles and rider weights

    I ride at about 8 1/2 stone (54kg), am fairly inexperienced and don't hammer my bike. Does this make any difference to wheel options?

    Thanks again for the feedback.
  • maddog 2
    maddog 2 Posts: 8,114
    hangsheadinshame wrote:
    I've never seen a more shoddy, cheap and nasty looking wheel as the Askium.

    you've not seen the standard spesh wheels then. :oops: Nowt wrong with aksiums IMO.

    check out Ribble for the aksium pairs. they were doing sets with free tyres and tubes (cheap ones but ok for training/winter) for £99ish.

    http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/details.a ... VIWHFR0775

    Lighter rider just means you can get away with relatively light builds. Such as the Xero XCRs or handbuilts using DT rev spokes.
    Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true! - Homer
  • andylav
    andylav Posts: 308
    Chain reaction are worth a look at www.chainreactioncycles.com as well, as they have (had?) a sale on wheelsets. Price includes free delivery, which has nearly always been next day in my experience.
  • wildmoustache
    wildmoustache Posts: 4,010
    time trialling on aksiums is not a great idea in all honesty. but it's a cheap, robust, stiff, honest training and general riding wheel. on the negatives, it's heavy and not aero.

    For under £200 the choice is a bit limited. I'd maybe look at the shimano wheels that ribble and wiggle sell at decent prices. is your bike shimano 10spd? if so you can ride any of them. a set of ultegras would be a decent bet.
  • gkerr4
    gkerr4 Posts: 3,408
    hangsheadinshame wrote:
    but imo handbuilts look like crap and you might as well not bother
    Are you serious? I've never seen a more shoddy, cheap and nasty looking wheel as the Askium. There really is no accounting for taste.

    yes i';m serious - handbuilts look like crap

    too many spokes - look awful - you want max 18 spokes up front and no more than 24 at the back - any more is just excess weight and looks like crap. - and the fact that the OP rides "at 8 1/2 stone" just shows how little she needs 'bombproof' handbuilts.

    whats wrong with aksiums for the money?

    32 spokes indeed - there really is no accounting for taste.
  • wildmoustache
    wildmoustache Posts: 4,010
    gkerr4 wrote:
    hangsheadinshame wrote:
    but imo handbuilts look like crap and you might as well not bother
    Are you serious? I've never seen a more shoddy, cheap and nasty looking wheel as the Askium. There really is no accounting for taste.

    yes i';m serious - handbuilts look like crap

    too many spokes - look awful - you want max 18 spokes up front and no more than 24 at the back - any more is just excess weight and looks like crap.

    money spent on wheels is a waste if it doesn't improve the looks of your bike - and handbuilts don't improve the look - therefore handbuilts = waste of money.

    32 spokes indeed - there really is no accounting for taste.

    haha... lol at this at it enrage the handbuilt / lobby!! :lol:

    would you use a pair of handbuilts if they had been ridden by Tom Simpson??

    handbuilts don't have to have loads of spokes, but it's true that lots do which is poor engineering for racing ... 32 spokes and a shallow rim up front makes for truly horrendous aerodynamics.

    lots of people swear by good wheelbuilders and i have no reason to doubt them. but i woudl add there are also lousy wheelbuilders out there and it seems even good wheelbuilders have off- days. IMO the quality of mavic, campag etc. appears to be more consistent though non of us really knows I guess.

    handbuilts with hundreds of spokes look nice only on classy old steel frames with baroque lugs and all the trimmings!
  • gkerr4
    gkerr4 Posts: 3,408
    "would you use a pair of handbuilts if they had been ridden by Tom Simpson?? "

    I wouldn't use handbuilts that had been ridden by god himself if they look like crap!

    "handbuilts with hundreds of spokes look nice only on classy old steel frames with baroque lugs and all the trimmings!"

    I'll give you that much - they do have a retro / historic charm
  • hangsheadinshame
    hangsheadinshame Posts: 299
    But I have handbuilts by Pete Matthews. 18 bladed spokes upfront and 60mm deep carbon tubular rim and 24 at the back. Very, very light. Very aero. Built with Hope Ti hubs. Bomb proof, repairable, cheaper than Zipps.

    Check out Planet-X too. There carbons are handbuilts. Not all handbuilts are 32/36h. Although for winter training, commuting, even most road races (at chipper level) they are the best.
  • wildmoustache
    wildmoustache Posts: 4,010
    hangsheadinshame wrote:
    But I have handbuilts by Pete Matthews. 18 bladed spokes upfront and 60mm deep carbon tubular rim and 24 at the back. Very, very light. Very aero. Built with Hope Ti hubs. Bomb proof, repairable, cheaper than Zipps.

    Check out Planet-X too. There carbons are handbuilts. Not all handbuilts are 32/36h. Although for winter training, commuting, even most road races (at chipper level) they are the best.

    yeah, i have some p-x handbuilts and they are fast and light.

    are 32/36h handbuilts really the best for winter training, commuting and most road races? take campag factory wheels ... they have a pretty good reliability record. most people who own neutron/nucleon wheels rave about the staggering mileages they have endured without ever being so much as trued, ditto the eurus.
  • hangsheadinshame
    hangsheadinshame Posts: 299
    But they don't bounce through giant potholes being rammed off the road by rabid bus drivers whilst travelling 25mph and being 80kilos I am sure. Seriously.
  • wildmoustache
    wildmoustache Posts: 4,010
    i've just heard the US military has started using handbuilts (32/26, Open Pros "on" ultegras), for when their Humvees have to venture out of the green zone.
  • hangsheadinshame
    hangsheadinshame Posts: 299
    tit
  • wildmoustache
    wildmoustache Posts: 4,010
    hangsheadinshame wrote:
    tit

    as long as i'm a handbuilt tit i don't care :lol:
  • hangsheadinshame
    hangsheadinshame Posts: 299
    hehe :lol:
  • gkerr4
    gkerr4 Posts: 3,408
    hangsheadinshame wrote:
    But I have handbuilts by Pete Matthews. 18 bladed spokes upfront and 60mm deep carbon tubular rim and 24 at the back. Very, very light. Very aero. Built with Hope Ti hubs. Bomb proof, repairable, cheaper than Zipps.

    Check out Planet-X too. There carbons are handbuilts. Not all handbuilts are 32/36h. Although for winter training, commuting, even most road races (at chipper level) they are the best.

    those sound quite nice - got any pics?

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