Which wheels?

dav1

So I get out of the door this morning and my freehub has died. cranks are turning and the wheel isn't

As my front rim is quite thin as well I think it is time for a new wheelset.

Thing is I need something that will stand up to the demands of the daily commute, be durable and perform well for audax and sportive rides. They also need to be easy to aquire spares for when it comes to servicing them.

So far I am looking at:

Shimano R500
Shimano RS10
Planet X model C

Budget is £100 max including rim tape as I cannot justify any more money for my current bike, which runs 8 speed shimano sora gears. I seem to be fairly good to my wheels and light on the brakes in general so should get the bast out of whatever I buy. Unfortunatly my road product knowledge isn't that great

Any suggestions/comments will be really helpful.

supersonic

You should be able to get a pair of Shimano Tiagra hubs hand built with DB spokes onto Mavic Open Pro rims for that budget. Have a look at Dave Hinde.

amnezia

I have the R500 on my commuting bike (£70 new off ebay), they are not the lightest wheels but the hubs run smooth and rims seem pretty bomb proof. Haven't needed truing since i bought them about 4000 miles ago.

Roastie

R500s are fairly bullet proof, but once the rims wear out, you have to replace the whole lot, and simple rim replacement is sadly not an option due to the lack of availability of suitable rims (particularly for the 20H front). This is a shame because the hubs are actually quite good. Same problem with RS10. I have no experience of the P-X wheels but have heard good things.

The suggestion of Dave Hinde Mavic/Tiagra combo is not bad. I ran a pair of them in cyclocross racing - they are not the best made wheels around, but will do the job and will stay reasonably true provided you aren't too heavy (for cross racing I had to true them up after the first two events, but they stayed fine after that). I'd go with Mavic CXP22 and Tiagra hubs - should be roughly in budget.

The reasons I'd go with Hinde Mavic/Tiagra vs. P-X Mod C are:
- alloy spoke nipples on the P-X, proper brass on handbuilts
- I prefer Shimano cup & cone bearings

Wrath Rob

I got some Mavic Axiums for £100 a while ago, but looking now they seem to have shot up to £160 on Wiggle and ChainReaction. Might be worth shopping around though as they've been fantastic so far. I've clocked a couple of large pot-holes, one big enough to have burst the rear tyre, yet the wheels are still running true

symo

Offer on the planet x website for their brilliant model b wheels for £99, which is the same as the C's. I own the B's on my Ti Road Pro and they are the business, really stiff.

Alternatively they have an offer on some deep section planet x carbon tubulars for when you have to get t owork real quick.

rjsterry

I bought an emergency R500 front when my R560 got eaten by a pothole as it was what they had at the LBS for not much money. Allthough I now have a replacement set of R550s (back rim was dented as well), I was seriously considering getting a matching R500 rear to complete the set. Roastie's point about non-replaceable rims is valid, but I would guess that it would last as long as the other components of the wheel (barring dents like mine), and at that price, it's not really worth doing a 'Trigger's Broom' anyway.

Roastie

rjsterry wrote:

Roastie's point about non-replaceable rims is valid, but I would guess that it would last as long as the other components of the wheel (barring dents like mine),...

Life of the rims is far less than the life of a decent hub.

I have 1.5 sets of R500s with worn rims, soon to be joined by another set. I can't bear to chuck them away because the hubs are still so sweet. The rears are still easy enough to fix up as they are 24H, but it is the 20H fronts that grate.

vorsprung

Thing is I need something that will stand up to the demands of the daily commute, be durable and perform well for audax and sportive rides. They also need to be easy to acquire spares for when it comes to servicing them.
...
Budget is £100 max including rim tape

That's quite a list of contradictory requirements
Strong AND light AND cheap

What people have suggested

1) open pros + tiagra .... for less than 100 quid a pair? Doubt it
2) R500 - 20 spokes front, 24 rear, too weak
3) planet x model b - also low spoke count

I don't think it can be done for 100 quid

zanes

vorsprung wrote:

Strong AND light AND cheap

Classic "any two out of three" situation.

pastey_boy

i have a brand new pair of rs10,s in black yours for £65 posted

il_principe

vorsprung wrote:

Thing is I need something that will stand up to the demands of the daily commute, be durable and perform well for audax and sportive rides. They also need to be easy to acquire spares for when it comes to servicing them.
...
Budget is £100 max including rim tape

That's quite a list of contradictory requirements
Strong AND light AND cheap

What people have suggested

1) open pros + tiagra .... for less than 100 quid a pair? Doubt it
2) R500 - 20 spokes front, 24 rear, too weak
3) planet x model b - also low spoke count

I don't think it can be done for 100 quid

+1 Can you not up the budget a little? Better to buy something that will last...

rjsterry

Yes (Roastie), but not my experience. On my R560s, although the rims are only slightly worn (bar the big pothole dents) I managed to wear the cones out after a year or so. Cue a 3 week wait for replacement axle and cones (Shimano wheels do seem to suffer from this) plus new balls came to nearly £25 IIRC. On the R500 that's half the cost of the wheel, and by the time you've replaced a couple of spokes as well, your most of the way to a new wheel. Obviously it's cheaper if you do the fitting yourself, but still.

Maybe I'm harder on my hubs than most (not sure why as I'm not heavy and look after them - Putney Cycles suggested that the Spesh Armadillos I used to use were not very forgiving). I would have said I brake fairly hard and often (religiously stop at reds and amber-to-reds), but maybe not. :?

Is there a niche for Such Wheels to make a 20H rim?

I know what you mean about not throwing away the good bits of broken components, but I think that is a route to a whole shed full of junk.

Roastie

rjsterry wrote:

I know what you mean about not throwing away the good bits of broken components, but I think that is a route to a whole shed full of junk.

You been speaking to Mrs Roastie? :?

Weird on your Shimano hub life issue - heard similar form other people (having to do cone replacements, etc. Personally I am lax with hub maintenance and they tend to last very well.

Anyhow, if anyone needs any 20H front hubs, I have a couple.

will3

Roastie wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

I know what you mean about not throwing away the good bits of broken components, but I think that is a route to a whole shed full of junk.

You been speaking to Mrs Roastie? :?

Weird on your Shimano hub life issue - heard similar form other people (having to do cone replacements, etc. Personally I am lax with hub maintenance and they tend to last very well.

Anyhow, if anyone needs any 20H front hubs, I have a couple.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=36830

grim3ur

Roastie wrote:

R500s are fairly bullet proof, but once the rims wear out, you have to replace the whole lot, and simple rim replacement is sadly not an option due to the lack of availability of suitable rims (particularly for the 20H front). This is a shame because the hubs are actually quite good. Same problem with RS10. I have no experience of the P-X wheels but have heard good things.

You can get new rims built on R500, wheelroom does that, Saturn 540 rim. Hope thats of comfort to some people, was to my neighbour.

Underscore

vorsprung wrote:

1) open pros + tiagra .... for less than 100 quid a pair? Doubt it

Just went onto Dave Hindes web-site and, while you can get Open Sport on Tiagra for £92, Open Pros will set you back another £16 a hoop.

_

will3

vorsprung wrote:

2) R500 - 20 spokes front, 24 rear, too weak

Do you have any evidence of them being too weak?
I'm just a bit worried now that my pair, having survived being ridden 300 miles with a 100kg+ (sometimes++) rider and having been ridden full tilt into the side of a car are about to collapse :?

rjsterry

will3 wrote:

Roastie wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

I know what you mean about not throwing away the good bits of broken components, but I think that is a route to a whole shed full of junk.

You been speaking to Mrs Roastie? :?

Weird on your Shimano hub life issue - heard similar form other people (having to do cone replacements, etc. Personally I am lax with hub maintenance and they tend to last very well.

Anyhow, if anyone needs any 20H front hubs, I have a couple.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=36830

Now, if you could just pull the same trick for a 16H R560 rim... some chance.

will3

rjsterry wrote:

will3 wrote:

Roastie wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

I know what you mean about not throwing away the good bits of broken components, but I think that is a route to a whole shed full of junk.

You been speaking to Mrs Roastie? :?

Weird on your Shimano hub life issue - heard similar form other people (having to do cone replacements, etc. Personally I am lax with hub maintenance and they tend to last very well.

Anyhow, if anyone needs any 20H front hubs, I have a couple.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=36830

Now, if you could just pull the same trick for a 16H R560 rim... some chance.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=36829

close enough?

will3

or http://www.ukbikestore.co.uk/product/59 ... y-rim.html

dav1

vorsprung wrote:

Thing is I need something that will stand up to the demands of the daily commute, be durable and perform well for audax and sportive rides. They also need to be easy to acquire spares for when it comes to servicing them.
...
Budget is £100 max including rim tape

That's quite a list of contradictory requirements
Strong AND light AND cheap

Perhaps I should have been more clear.

Strong(ish) and cheap are the two most important factors. If it can be lighter then it is a bonus.

I'm after something that will hold up to the daily use well, and still give a nice comfortable ride over distance. Currently I have Alex-rims G2000 on no-name hubs so anything is likely to be an upgrade.

Budget is £100 as I have other bits to buy and I cant justify an expensive wheel set on such a basic bike! (Sora group, old carrera virtuoso frame)

rjsterry

What a star!

The CRC link looks good, but I've heard that wheels with straight-pull spokes and nipples at the hub are difficult to rebuild - is this true? If not, I think I'll go for that.

symo

Seriously you want RS over Planet X Model B's with a Shimano Freehub.

PHILATHAM

I have just bought a pair of r500s from merlin cycles, including quick release skewers and rim tape. £64.95 the PAIR,,,, and topped them off with a Tiagra 9 speed cassette from chain reaction for £14.99 Bargin

will3

rjsterry wrote:

What a star!

The CRC link looks good, but I've heard that wheels with straight-pull spokes and nipples at the hub are difficult to rebuild - is this true? If not, I think I'll go for that.

Dunno, never tried it, but it does sound hard.

pastey_boy

ive got a pair of red fulcrum7,s with a pair of specialized all condition pro 700x23c tyres, both 2 rides old just didnt look right with my colour scheme, yours for £100 posted. i reckon they would look ok on your carrera

rjsterry

will3 wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

What a star!

The CRC link looks good, but I've heard that wheels with straight-pull spokes and nipples at the hub are difficult to rebuild - is this true? If not, I think I'll go for that.

Dunno, never tried it, but it does sound hard.

Having said that, if they sell the R550 rims separately (and they are virtually identical to the R560s) it does at least suggest that it's possible.

Roastie

will3 wrote:

Roastie wrote:

Anyhow, if anyone needs any 20H front hubs, I have a couple.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=36830

Cool! Last time I looked they only had Ultegra level rims. Thanks!

supersonic

I'd still be tempted by custom handbuilts - a full complement of double butted spokes, properly stress relieved with brass nipples really does add durability to the wheel.

dav1

So how do RS10 doffer from R500?

Are the RS10 a newer version or a level above?