Partial wheel upgrade

dixonpj

My 2007 Trek 8500 came with Bontrager Race Lite wheels, which, in terms of weight and stiffness, are good but not great. I love the hubs though (re-badged DT 240s, I think?), and wondered whether it would be a) possible, and b) economical to have Merlin or another reputable wheel builder lace them to some DT 4.2d rims. If so, would Revolution spokes be suitable for medium-hard cross country and trail riding?

supersonic

You could have them relaced, if you can find a rim with the same number of spoke holes. Also need info on the hub - some are not warrantied for certain lacing patterns, depending on what you want.

As this wheel is a designed unit, I am not sure you will get any benefit from what you are doing.

dixonpj

Thanks Supersonic. I don't know enough about lacing patterns to have a preference, so I don't see this being an issue so long as whoever re-builds them replicates the pattern I already have.

The main sticking point seems to be the number of holes. My hubs are only 28, and it seems the vast majority of rims are 32. In fact, I've yet to find a rim from Mavic or DT Swiss on sale in the UK with 28 holes.

Is this one of the drawbacks of branded, factory built units? Venturing slightly off topic, how do they justify the higher price, when a (seemingly) equivalent set of wheels can be built using the same component parts for around 60 per cent of the cost?

supersonic

Very good point on price, I dont know! I guess as the parts are widely available they can be bought in bulk cheaper. Many custom wheelsets use bespoke parts which will up the cost.

dixonpj

I've managed to track down some DT Swiss 4.2ds in 28 hole. Petracycles:

http://www.petracycles.co.uk/rims-cross ... =2a&page=1

Anyone ever heard of them?