Wheels

jammic

I'm on the lookout for some new wheels to fit the following criteria:
1. I'm 6'3" and 85kg (down from over 90 ) and I'm getting a lot of lateral flex on my existing wheels when putting the power down. Current wheels are Bianchi/Ambrosio branded & came with the bike (Bianch ML3 Alu). Need something much stiffer!
2. My target events are hilly sportives, and I need as much help on the hills as I can get. So as light as possible without compromising 1.
3. Budget is up to £250(ish)

Any suggestions from similar big people?

ugo.santalucia

jammic wrote:

I'm on the lookout for some new wheels to fit the following criteria:
1. I'm 6'3" and 85kg (down from over 90 ) and I'm getting a lot of lateral flex on my existing wheels when putting the power down. Current wheels are Bianchi/Ambrosio branded & came with the bike (Bianch ML3 Alu). Need something much stiffer!
2. My target events are hilly sportives, and I need as much help on the hills as I can get. So as light as possible without compromising 1.
3. Budget is up to £250(ish)

Any suggestions from similar big people?

Unless you get highly profiled wheels you will always have a bit of lateral flex. it's nothing to do with rim stiffness, it's the spokes. That can be corrected by increasing the spokes tension, but the risk is that of them snapping during a ride.
For your kind of riding, I wouldn't recommend anything too profiled, a pair of Mavic Ksyriums should be perfect... I think for 250 you might be able to get the Equipe model, which are pretty bombproof...
Bear in mind: that bit of play you hate uphill, it's helping you a lot to keep balance downhill, in bends and on rough surface... it's a trade-off

jordan_217

I've been using Ksyrium Equipes on my Scott CR1 for the last three years. I don't have enough experience of other wheels to provide comparison I'm affraid. However, they have never caused me any issues and are still as good today as they were when new. I weigh 83Kgs and have used them for year round training, TTs and Triathlons.

Merlin cycles have them in for £190 at the moment. You may be able to get them cheaper elsewhere with a bit more searching:

http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/mountain- ... quipe.html

bobtbuilder

I'm also 85kg, and I use Ksyrium SLs, which still flex when I get out of the saddle to climb.

jammic

Thanks for the replies so far. To give you an idea of the degree of flex I'm talking about, on the front I have a problem getting the magnet close enough to the computer sensor (about 5mm) without it catching against the sensor when I give it some welly out of the saddle. This could of course illustrate some other stupidity on my part..

ugo.santalucia

jammic wrote:

Thanks for the replies so far. To give you an idea of the degree of flex I'm talking about, on the front I have a problem getting the magnet close enough to the computer sensor (about 5mm) without it catching against the sensor when I give it some welly out of the saddle. This could of course illustrate some other stupidity on my part..

It seems quite seriuos bending, Before rushing into panic-buy mode, I would seriously consider tightening the spokes... with time they tend to give a bit and become loose. Try half a turn each (anticlockwise) with a spoke key and see if it gets better

jammic

ugo.santalucia wrote:

It seems quite seriuos bending, Before rushing into panic-buy mode, I would seriously consider tightening the spokes... with time they tend to give a bit and become loose. Try half a turn each (anticlockwise) with a spoke key and see if it gets better

I have tightened them a little (which reduced the problem a bit), though must admit to being scared of over-doing it and breaking something. I'll give it another go.
I've had these wheels a while though and have been planning to treat myself to an upgrade anyway, so it's more a case of making sure I don't land up in the same situation (but £200 poorer!) rather than buying new wheels to solve this particular problem.

Cranks

Can you take them to a wheel builder?

The stiffest rim I have come across, which is light and nippy is the IRD Cadence. Been climbing in Mallorca with them.

If you speak to my wheel builder I'm sure he can recommend maybe a rebuild with these rims onto your hubs, or something totally new.

His name is Steve at RoadAce

ugo.santalucia

jammic wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

It seems quite seriuos bending, Before rushing into panic-buy mode, I would seriously consider tightening the spokes... with time they tend to give a bit and become loose. Try half a turn each (anticlockwise) with a spoke key and see if it gets better

I have tightened them a little (which reduced the problem a bit), though must admit to being scared of over-doing it and breaking something. I'll give it another go.
I've had these wheels a while though and have been planning to treat myself to an upgrade anyway, so it's more a case of making sure I don't land up in the same situation (but £200 poorer!) rather than buying new wheels to solve this particular problem.

You are quick! Don't be scared, give it another half a turn, unless you already feel they are very hard to tighten... as I said, steel gives in a little bit with time and you need to tighten to compensate for the elongation...

If the rim surface is not worn (concave) there is no reason to go for a new wheelset, unless you're on a buying spree... but the problem will be the same on pretty much every wheel you buy (unless you buy a disc wheel, of course)