Wheels Advice

seadog99

Just after some advice/recommends regarding road wheels.

Am in the process of building up a flat bar road bike using a cyclo cross frame that will take wider tyres.

I will be riding a mixture of road/track and trail, not rough off road but none the less off road. Most of it will be road however.

Looking to run tyres from 28 to 35, with a budget of circa £200.

Anybody any advice regarding choice of wheels ?

Thanks

Jas

ugo.santalucia

You have to go handbuilt to suit your needs. 32 holes, but even 36 if you are a heavy rider.
200 pounds is a reasonable budget for a set of handbuilt if you don't need bling hubs. A pair of Ambrosio Evolution or excursion... or a set of Mavic cxp22.
Personally I like the Evolution rather a lot.
As for the hubs, Ambrosio, Miche are very reasonably priced and excellent quality... for the spokes DT Champion or DT Comp, depending on your weight.
You might even be able to keep the all build around 1.8-1.9 Kg and might find they're fast enough for road riding too.

racingcondor

I'd avoid the Ambrosio hubs though as they're just rebranded. Personally I'd take the hit of extra weight and use Tiagra hubs. Worth it to get better seals IMO.

Other than that ugo speaks the truth. Don't think you'll get a wide rim bed without hand builts.

seadog99

Thanks for the advice.

I have been looking at the cyclocross wheels that Campag do.

Are they a low quality option ? Any details of any recommended wheel builders online ?

thanks and sorry for all the Q's

Jas

centimani

racingcondor wrote:

I'd avoid the Ambrosio hubs though as they're just rebranded. Personally I'd take the hit of extra weight and use Tiagra hubs. Worth it to get better seals IMO.

Other than that ugo speaks the truth. Don't think you'll get a wide rim bed without hand builts.

If you do go for handbuilt seadog, i would vouch for Tiagra hubs as well. I have them on my winter commuter, 4 years of all weather winter riding, salt, grit, water, theyre still very very smooth, never laid a spanner on them.

ugo.santalucia

Well,

we seem to have a problem... Campagnolo wheels only do campagnolo freehubs, so unless you have Campagnolo on your bike, forget about them... on the other hand, if you do have Campagnolo on your bike, then forget about Tiagra hubs, which only come with Shimano freehub, for obvious reasons.
I like Ambrosio hubs rather a lot, and I know they are rebranded, but they are pretty, solid and durable... and at 80 quid or so for the pair, you can't fault them... of course they come in both Shimano and Campagnolo options

seadog99

Thanks for all the replies.

Sorry should have made it clear, sram groupset.

Have priced up Mavic cxp22's with Tiagra hubs and DT spokes for just over £180 from All Terrain cycles.

So unless anyone says avoid All Terrain like the plague, I wil go for them.

thanks all

Monty Dog

As you are planning to run a wider tyre, suggest you look at a wider rim that a CXP22 - perhaps something like a Mavic A119 or Velocity A23. Ambrosio hubs are made by Novatec - F171/F172 and you can get a pair for £50

ugo.santalucia

Are you going to build the wheels yourself?
If not, better to talk with your chosen builder, he might have an issue in you supplying the material. Half their profit, if not more, is by selling the parts, as well as the labour

seadog99

No I won't be building them, unless.......

How much of a job is it to build and then true them ? I do all manner of things with cars and motorbikes but have never touched cycle wheels.

cheers

Jas

mclarent

Rutland Cycles will do you Open Pro on 105 for that kind of money, that's what i'd go for.

ugo.santalucia

seadog99 wrote:

No I won't be building them, unless.......

How much of a job is it to build and then true them ? I do all manner of things with cars and motorbikes but have never touched cycle wheels.

cheers

Jas

Well, you need to invest in a truing stand, a tension gauge, a dishing tool... it's a lot of money to build one set only... but you never know... if you get the bug, you'll end up building wheels for friends and people in your club.
As a guide, I like Shraner's book (the art of wheelbuilding).
If you are planning this set only, don't bother. Where do you live?

ugo.santalucia

mclarent wrote:

Rutland Cycles will do you Open Pro on 105 for that kind of money, that's what i'd go for.

Open Pro are not off road wheels, he needs something sturdier than a 430 g rim.

styxd

Open Pro rims should be fine for cyclocross. I'd go for those on the 105 hubs as suggested above.

Monty Dog

Quality of wheel build has more impact on durability than components - the best, most expensive components can still be built into cr@p wheels - I'd worry more about who was building them than anything else.

seadog99

Thanks for you replies.

It will be only one set so building them is out.

I live near Hull, East Yorks.

Just waiting for a price from Spa for Exal LX17 rims with Tiagra/105 hubs.

Will have a look at Rutland, thanks.

Jas

ugo.santalucia

seadog99 wrote:

Thanks for you replies.

It will be only one set so building them is out.

I live near Hull, East Yorks.

Just waiting for a price from Spa for Exal LX17 rims with Tiagra/105 hubs.

Will have a look at Rutland, thanks.

Jas

Well, if you are not building yourself, best to give a call to a local (or non local) wheelbuilder and see what they say. Don't know anyone round your area, but if you are happy to collect by post, Harry Rowlands down in Kent might be your man. Wheelsmith is also a very reputable business, he's up in Scotland, I think.
Pointless to buy components that the chosen one refuses to use... they are normally OK if you provide the hubs, but rims... not sure about that

mclarent

I think Ugo is right, however I've taken a fully laced up wheel in to my LBS before and got him to tension it - cost me £20. I was quite happy with that! Heales Cycles in Highams Park, East London FWIW. No use to you I know... Oh, and make sure you get the right length spokes!

rolf_f

seadog99 wrote:

Just waiting for a price from Spa for Exal LX17 rims with Tiagra/105 hubs.

Spa are excellent - in quality and value.

seadog99

Well after all that I am sorted now.

Picked up a wheelset with Hope Pro 3 36h Hubs, DT Swiss TK 7.1 rims, used off another forum but in great nick.

Thanks for all the excellent advice it will come in very handy as I am sure I am at the start of a long journey !

thanks again

Jas