VFM wheelset
TheRevOlutionary
Posts: 1,176
Ok, eternal dilemma pending...
Old wheels are dying slowly, hubs have play and are pitted, so no service possible. What wheelset to replace them with to minimise expense both now and as servicable item later? My bike is mainly a commuting vehicle, but I take the odd trip for some 'light' XC, so nothing race ready required!
Merlin has some Shimano 495hubs and Sun rims on special, but will they last? Is the LX hubs and Alex Ace 17s worth the extra? I currently have some WTB rims and Shimano FH-RM65 (centrelock) hubs which have done a job but never inspired or given me confidence when tested, so I guess just about anything would be an upgrade, but how far do I go? Are sealed hubs worth the extra? What advantage does a few grams of weight give?
All noob questions as these are the 1st wheels I've bought...thanks in advance.
Old wheels are dying slowly, hubs have play and are pitted, so no service possible. What wheelset to replace them with to minimise expense both now and as servicable item later? My bike is mainly a commuting vehicle, but I take the odd trip for some 'light' XC, so nothing race ready required!
Merlin has some Shimano 495hubs and Sun rims on special, but will they last? Is the LX hubs and Alex Ace 17s worth the extra? I currently have some WTB rims and Shimano FH-RM65 (centrelock) hubs which have done a job but never inspired or given me confidence when tested, so I guess just about anything would be an upgrade, but how far do I go? Are sealed hubs worth the extra? What advantage does a few grams of weight give?
All noob questions as these are the 1st wheels I've bought...thanks in advance.
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Comments
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The Suns are perfectly ok. You could pay 3 times that and only get a marginally better set.0
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The Sun Ringle EQ25 on 495 hubs with ACI DB spokes is an astonishing £57 for the PAIR. I have a set, are fine - just service the hubs every so often.0
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Thanks guys, looks like the Merlin deal is a good'un then!
Forgive my ignorance, but will that wheelset be a straight 'one off-one on' job, or might I need to do anything other than switch the cassette?0 -
Pretty sure it should be PnP, don't forget the discs too.0
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Got a deal on some centrelock Saint discs recently, so they'll switch over nicely.
Merlin say rim needs tape apparently - easy job?0 -
Piece of Pee. Just use something to make sure the valve hole on the tape lines up with the hole in the rim. You can just use the tape off your current wheels.TheRevOlutionary wrote:Got a deal on some centrelock Saint discs recently, so they'll switch over nicely.
Merlin say rim needs tape apparently - easy job?0 -
Sweet, and a link from Quidco saves another few quid too!0
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Sorry, that's assuming you've got non-stick on tape. If it's Velox type sticky stuff I don't know what shape it'll be in after being peeled off.bails87 wrote:
Piece of Pee. Just use something to make sure the valve hole on the tape lines up with the hole in the rim. You can just use the tape off your current wheels.TheRevOlutionary wrote:Got a deal on some centrelock Saint discs recently, so they'll switch over nicely.
Merlin say rim needs tape apparently - easy job?0 -
Ok, well before I take the wheels off I'll add the Merlin tape at just over £1 each in case.
Thanks again.
Just out of curiosity, is it worth getting 2nd hand 'decent' ones over a new set up sometimes?0 -
I used sellotape lol!0
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Got a deal on some centrelock Saint discs recently, so they'll switch over nicely.
Don't be too sure - Saint used to use a different spline size...0 -
Thanks guys, I now have the Merlin order in front of me
but with regards to the rim tape, they've sent Schwalbe non-adhesive tape, and I am in need of advice re fitting! Do I just stretch around the rim, or is there an easier way? I don't want to mis-shapen it, or even break it, so need some experience before attempting!
Thanks again lads.0 -
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Any one got advice on the tape?0
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Electrical tape works fine. 3 or 4 wraps.0
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Thanks SS, but I already have the tape, just need advice on fitting. It's an all in one loop so don't want to warp/break it. Do you just 'coerce' it on?0
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yeah, just put it on, may have to stretch a bit to get it over!0
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[on the subject of tape advice...]Anything. I've used a few wraps of electrical tape in the past, and it's been fine. Need a few layers though.
I actually dislike the "proper" Velox stuff, it's so thick that it makes fitting tyres a bit of a c*nt.
EDIT, damn you and your fast fingers. "A new reply has been written whilst you were lollygagging"
Yeah, fine, but how many?
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Fair enough, thanks guys! If I break it i'll use electrical tape 0
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One of the nice things about electrical tape is that you can stretch it whilst fitting, to make sure it fits just right inside the well.0
