Rim and hub combination for road bike commuting

dresbo

I need to replace the rear wheel on my road bike which I use to commute to and from central London.

At the moment I have a cheap set of Aksiums which I've only had about a year. The back is buckled from a pothole (that'll remind me to keep the tyres pumped up properly) and it's frustrating to have to bin it.

I'd like to try building a wheel myself for the challenge (and because then I'll know a bit more about replacing bits as necessary).

I'm 11 stone 7 and I like to blast along at high speed rather than pootle so something that rolls well would be nice.

Can anyone recommend a good strong budget-ish hub and rim combo that might come in between £50-£100? I'm lost as I know next to nothing about road rims and hubs. Also can anyone recommend somewhere I can buy them, preferably online? Places like crc and wiggle don't seem to have a very good range.

Thanks!

prawny

I'm using tiagra hubs with rigida chrina rims, not aero but tough ang they look nice. The hubs have been great so far.

I'd stick with tiagra hubs and pick either open pros or cxp33s if you want something a bit more fancy.

huuregeil

Rigida Chrina or Ambrosio Excusion are both excellent, cheap, and hit a good compromise between strength (being way strong enough for commuting duties, they're both bonbproof!) and weight. Both are better for commuting that Open Pros, etc. due to added strength IMO. They will also be easier to build - the stronger the rim, and the more spokes (go 36), the easier the wheel build will be, and you'll have less issues with potholes in future.

Spa Cycles, Parker International are your shopping friends for Rigida. These guys:

http://www.all4cycling.com/shop/rims-ro ... 9_401.html

for ambrosio. (Italian company)

yakk

Can't comment too much on hubs but my mavic A319's have been bullet-proof, so would recommend them. They do come up wide, so probably won't fit a racing frame, but fit my Kaffenback nicely.
Hope this helps.
Yak

amaferanga

Yakk wrote:

Can't comment too much on hubs but my mavic A319's have been bullet-proof, so would recommend them. They do come up wide, so probably won't fit a racing frame, but fit my Kaffenback nicely.
Hope this helps.
Yak

Narrowest tyre you'd be able to fit with the A319 is 28mm.

I'd go with Open Pros or Rigida Chrinas.

dresbo

Thanks for the recomendations guys, I really appreciate it.

I like the look of the cxp33's or even 23's with the aero profile, but are they actually stronger as they get more expensive or lighter (or both)?

I had some Rigida rims on the bike from stock and when I got the Aksiums, I noticed they felt much more lively. I don't know what Rigidas they were though so to be honest they could have been 5 years old (it was a 2nd hand bike).

I'm not sure where to put the money, hubs or rims or both?

MrBlond

Might have something suitable, PM'd you

huuregeil

dresbo wrote:

Thanks for the recomendations guys, I really appreciate it.

I like the look of the cxp33's or even 23's with the aero profile, but are they actually stronger as they get more expensive or lighter (or both)?

I had some Rigida rims on the bike from stock and when I got the Aksiums, I noticed they felt much more lively. I don't know what Rigidas they were though so to be honest they could have been 5 years old (it was a 2nd hand bike).

I'm not sure where to put the money, hubs or rims or both?

Rims generally get lighter with price, not stronger. Strongest rims tend to be the heaviest, it's a limitation of physics! The trick is achieving a good trade off. "You can have strong, you can have light, you can't have both..."

The Aksiums have a moderately light rim - the liveliness comes from rotating weight. However, you've discovered the downside: strength!

Rigida make a number of rims, so don't write off the entire brand based on one isolated experience. Both the Chrina and the Excursion weigh in at 510g. CXP33s are 470g. Don't know what the Aksium is but it's going to be in the same ballpark as the CXP33. The Aksium is also 20 spoke, reducing both weight and strength. As I said, you can't have it all!

Basically, between the cxp33 and chrina/excursion, there's not much in it. The cxp33s are marginally lighter, but more expensive - the chrina/excursion will be marginally more robust. I think the chrina/excursion are bang in the sweet spot for commuting duty and should give you years of hassle-free service.

If you're spending cash, the best place to spend it is on the tyres - it's quite possible to shave 100g off per wheel, and get a substantial reduction in rolling resistance if you chose wisely. This will be far more noticeable than any rim or hub differences.

Monty Dog

Nothing wrong with Aksiums for the price - you should be able to pick up a rear rim or wheel within your budget - anything that buckles an Aksium is just as likely to buckle anything else IMO

huuregeil

Monty Dog wrote:

anything that buckles an Aksium is just as likely to buckle anything else IMO

Rubbish!!! Mavic have not magically discovered a way to make a 20 spoke 480g rim substantially stronger than a heavier 32 or 36 spoke rim :-)

I broke a spoke on an Excursion hitting a pothole at speed while loaded up. The rim barely moved and was completely rideable without any truing. Indeed, I'd gone 20miles before noticing it, and rode a further 60-odd miles before repairing it. There's *no* way an Aksium could take than!!!