Dura Ace hubs on Open Pro's - a good investment?

robbie the roadie

Still mulling over what to replace my current wheels with. I'm sort of tempted with some handbuilts. I would be using them on my summer bike for training and racing. I reckon I could get the above built for pretty reasonable cash (approx £250 -300) but will they be worth it compared to a pair of off the peg factory built wheels? For instance the Ultegra SL's.

Although I like the advatages they offer (easy to fix/maintain, parts will be available for years) I'm not sure if it's worth the cash as surely the factory builts will be cheaper for same standard of wheel due to economies of scale.

davelakers

Ive had some Open Pro's/Durace hubs for about 2 months and love em to bits. 36 spoke rear and 32 front handbuilt by Paul Hewitt in Leyland. Complete with tubes and Pro Race3 tyres came in at £330.

Highly recommended, especially if you are a "larger" (fat) rider like myself!!

salsarider79

There's nothing nicer than rolling on a set of proper built, handmade wheels. Also what about DT Swiss R1,1 rims? They look the mutts nutts...

Pirahna

Keep an eye out for second hand as well. I picked up a pair of Harry Rowland built, Tune Mig/Mags on Open Pros which didn't look like they'd been used. They came with Tune skewers, Chorus cassette and new Michelin Pro tyres, for £300.

bigdaveskinnytyre

Pirhana,

They weren't mine were they? (From Lincolnshire) I sold them a couple of months ago after going fully Shimano.

I'm currently using Harry Rowland built Ambrosio Excellight on Dura Ace 32h, which are great, there's not much to choose between Excellights, Open Pro or DT R1.1 in terms of weight or strength, they all build into a nice wheel. The only factory wheels I ride these days are my racing only deep section carbons, for any other riding its always handbuilts.

carbonfool

I have a pair which I use for commuting, 18 months on and no problems, I am 90KG. I got them from allterraincycles using their online custom wheel builder gizmo. Also have a pair of fsa600 and easton orion II which I find faster but I would not want to smack them into pot holes on a daily basis.

robbie the roadie

but are they worth the money over a pair of similarly priced factory built wheels?

carbonfool

As you using them for racing and nice weather training then I say no. Especially when there are bargains like the one below available:

FSA RD-600 Road Wheels RRP £599.95 £319.99 Save 47%
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=21308

I would recommend them for winter training and general use not for maximum performance.

simon johnson

No: Open-pros on Record hubs-yes......sorry :oops:


Agree with carbonfool; they're a great all-round wheel but you could do better if the wheels are primarily for racing

bigdaveskinnytyre

robbie the roadie wrote:

but are they worth the money over a pair of similarly priced factory built wheels?

In my opinion yes, at £300 the handbuilts will probably be lighter, less likely to go out of true and if you do have problems, easier to fix. The only factory wheels I feel give a significant advantage are deep section carbons or ultra light climbing specials. Most mid to high end wheels are handbuilt anyway (Mavic / Campag / Fulcrum / HED / ZIPP etc) I'll caveat my opinions with I'm quite a heavy guy (88Kg) and I'm not happy on low spoke count wheels for general riding (where I use my 32h) or road racing (where I'm on HED Jet 60 fatboy specials with 4 extra spokes on each) I've tried quite a few but they never seem to stay tensioned, fine for a lighter rider but not for me.

robbie the roadie

simon johnson wrote:

they're a great all-round wheel but you could do better if the wheels are primarily for racing

they will be used for racing but ideally I want one set of wheels that I can use all summer for riding, training and racing without any problems. I like some of the shimano factory wheelsets but the DA and ultegra ones only seem to be available for people running 10 speed cassettes.