Couple of basic Questions from a newbie

carl2920

Hi all new to the forum so take it easy....

Ive found myself doing more miles on tarmac ( about 2500 miles per year) than on dirt while on my mountain bike so im going to build a road bike starting with wheels. I just need advice on a couple of things.

The wheels I put onto my MTB are straight pull XT's with standard bearing Cup & cones, are the sealed bearing set ups better maintenance wise ?

Should I be looking for carbon as im 16 stone ?

Are sealed bearing wheels a better buy if im looking at second hand because of the bearings as an item can be changed without the worry of worn hubs ?

Thanks in advance ....

carl2920

71 views no comments ?

Come on guys

mjbennett

Hi, i hink your question isnt that clear. Do you mean you are thinking of carbon wheels? If so it depends on what you are riding - hills, flat, commuting, all weather. As good as carbon wheels are they're not an all rounder. It sounds like you need to have some pretty durable rims like mavic open pros with some strong spokes. Hubs like ltegra or 105 will be fine,as will hope pro 3's
Bombproof and reliable

carl2920

Thanks for the advice, commuting is what ill be putting them through so they will be getting wet, but the MTB will be out for the winter, ill do some research on the mavic's, I know they make good MTB wheels and hope are fantastic, I really like the idea of sealed bearings,

Thanks again, anyone else ?

cooper.michael1

Second Hand - With decent road bike wheels the rims will wear out quicker than the hub (I would'nt get to hung up about sealed bearings, my 8 year old Mavic's still spin like they are new with normal cartridge bearings). I'd avoid buying second hand unless you know exactly what you are looking for, people will try to sell 10 year old wheels on ebay for 80% of the new selling price. You've no idea what condition the rim is in, so its a false economy.

New - Basically you've got the choice of factory built or handbuilt. Most people now-a-days go for factory wheels (Mavic/Shimano etc...) because they look funky and the marketing sells them on the basis of technology (low spoke counts, aero spokes, fancy lacing). The factory wheels from Mavic, Campagnolo, Fulcrum etc... are all perfectly good wheels and you'll have very few problems with them. For about £200 the Mavic Aksium or Fulcrum 5 are the choice wheels for £350 the Mavic Kysrium or Shimano RS80 are the widely used options.

Handbuilt wheels are however just as good. Take a look at specialist builders such as this guy: http://www.wheelsmith.co.uk/ for about £300 some 105 hubs on Ambrosio Excellight Clincher rims will last for years, and 1000s of miles of cycling (and will be just as light as most of the above options).

Carbon Wheels - Avoid for general use.