Rebuilding road wheel rims for track or cyclo-cross purposes

dru

Hi People,

This year I have used a set of carbon tubular wheels for the odd time trial and road race but am considering getting a pair of clincher versions with an alloy braking rim.

That then leaves me with a set of redundant carbon tub 50mm wheels.

They are the older style Planet X wheels 20h/24h on American classic hubs.

My question is – do you know if the rims from these wheels could be reused to either make a set of track wheels (ie rebuilt onto suitable 20h/24h track hubs) or used as cyclo cross wheels?

If Cyclocross wheels, then presumeably just rebuilt with stronger spokes?

Also if for cyclocross with a new CX bike with disc brakes – presumably they could be rebuilt with a suitable set of hubs which have the correct spacing and would accept a disc brake?

Or – am I better off selling the wheels as is and just buying a specific set of CX or Track wheels.


Thanks.

Dru

ugo.santalucia

There are a few problems...
I wouldn't really use 50 mm carbon tubulars with 20/24 holes for cyclocross, they're not exactly heavy duty...
As for a fixed/track rebuild, that is entirely possible.
If you want carbon rims with alu track, you have to go factory built and flog a lot of money.

huuregeil

Depends a little how heavy you are, but tubular 50mm carbon rims are good for cross and plenty strong (ideal in many ways). I think the only potential issue is the glueing surface, don't know how narrow those rims are and how nicely you can glue a cross tyre on it. But I'd say give it a go, don't worry about a rebuild! (And if you need to rebuild for whatever reason, this is no problems).

ugo.santalucia

huuregeil wrote:

Depends a little how heavy you are, but tubular 50mm carbon rims are good for cross and plenty strong (ideal in many ways). I think the only potential issue is the glueing surface, don't know how narrow those rims are and how nicely you can glue a cross tyre on it. But I'd say give it a go, don't worry about a rebuild! (And if you need to rebuild for whatever reason, this is no problems).

They might be ideal for Sven Nys, who doesn't have to worry about grinding off the braking surface after three events or cracking them against a stone, as the sponsor will provide new ones after every race...

Tom Boonen won Paris Roubaix on Zipp 303, are they the best rims for the job? Yes, if you want to win the race, no if you only want to enter the sportive event and would like to ride them even after...

All the carbon rims I have seen are not exactly designed with impact in mind

Monty Dog

I race CX and roadrace and would say that CX (braking aside) isn't as hard on carbon wheels as road-racing IME - there are few courses where you encounter rocks, as it's mainly mud / soft conditions plus you have a big fat tubular tyre to help cushion the impact. Again, a soft brake pad and mud isn't too harsh on the rim either. In comparison, I've broken 2 carbon tubular rims due to potholes on the road. Because of the narrow tyre bed, worth considering using the Belgian-method for glueing tubs.

huuregeil

Quite. Plenty of people racing deep section carbon rims in the UK. And we're not talking about new 303's here, this is an old-ish wheelset with a relatively low secondhand value. The reality is that if you race in any form, you run the risk of writing off your kit and you're certainly going to give them some abuse. So, given you have the wheels, glue them up with some cross tyres and give them a whirl!