Which wheels for 350 mile ride?

steve_kay
steve_kay Posts: 197
edited February 2014 in Road beginners
I am looking at upgrading my current Easton EA30 Aero wheels to something better for a couple of reasons really. The first being that the spoke tension is constantly loosening, which results in my rear wheel being out of true all the time. After some research, it seems to be a common problem with these wheels. Secondly, I'm going to be doing a 350 mile ride during the summer and could do with a decent, comfortable wheelset for the trip. I have looked at Mavic Ksyrium Equipe and Velocity A23's so far. Has anyone got any suggestions on which wheels would be suitable? I'm 6ft 1 and 92 kgs and don't really have a budget limit so to speak but I'd rather not spend a fortune if not needed. My bike is a 2014 Cube Agree GTC SL. Thanks in advance

Steve

Comments

  • Grill
    Grill Posts: 5,610
    Handbuilt. 32h H Plus Son Archetype on 6800 hubs. Should be able to get them built for a hair over 300 quid.
    English Cycles V3 | Cervelo P5 | Cervelo T4 | Trek Domane Koppenberg
  • steve_kay
    steve_kay Posts: 197
    Thanks for the quick reply. Can i just ask, what's the biggest advantage of handbuilt wheels? It seems to a common suggestion judging by other forums I've seen.
  • Grill
    Grill Posts: 5,610
    Easier to source parts for and repair as well as being able to tailor them to your budget/style/weight.

    6800 hubs will last a lifetime is properly serviced, but if you bought Shimano's factory 6800 wheels, spare rims aren't an economically viable solution so you'd be better off chucking the wheels and starting over (same goes for those Mavics).
    English Cycles V3 | Cervelo P5 | Cervelo T4 | Trek Domane Koppenberg
  • steve_kay
    steve_kay Posts: 197
    Yeah that makes a lot of sense when put like that. Thanks. The only thing I've noticed is that custom wheels like the ones you've mentioned seem to be quite plain looking. My bike is carbon and white and everything looks great as It's colour coded. Is it possible to have a design/colour scheme added or do they just come as they are?
  • Grill
    Grill Posts: 5,610
    Some rims come in different colours (the Archetype have black, silver and grey). Spokes and nipples come ins different colours too. There's nothing stopping you from putting stickers on it, but I think plain they look a damn site better than any box section Mavic.
    English Cycles V3 | Cervelo P5 | Cervelo T4 | Trek Domane Koppenberg
  • steve_kay
    steve_kay Posts: 197
    Yeah i agree with you on that. It'd just be nice to keep them in the same colour scheme as the rest of the bike (carbon/white/red)
  • Grill
    Grill Posts: 5,610
    Grey with red nipple?
    English Cycles V3 | Cervelo P5 | Cervelo T4 | Trek Domane Koppenberg
  • steve_kay
    steve_kay Posts: 197
    edited January 2014
    Yeah i saw those on the Cycle Clinic website and they looked quite nice.
  • smidsy
    smidsy Posts: 5,273
    Steve_kay wrote:
    The only thing I've noticed is that custom wheels like the ones you've mentioned seem to be quite plain looking. My bike is carbon and white and everything looks great as It's colour coded.

    You asked a specific question for a specifc task and was given some very sensible answers...then you come up with that!!!

    Wheels should primarily be about their ride qualities and performance in a chosen sector. You require a set for long distance so your concern should be ride quality (comfort), durability and ability to keep going. These things are best achieved with a set that use readily available and easily repaceable components and have a large number of double butted, J-spokes and a wider rim.

    Grills selection is not the only option of course but it does meet the criteria well...and they come in Black,Grey or Silver. Cans of paint and garish stickers are available from Halfords if you must.
    Yellow is the new Black.
  • marcusjb
    marcusjb Posts: 2,412
    edited January 2014
    Grill and Smidsy talk sense for riding those sort of distances in one go. I used Archetypes last season (have 4 wheels with them with various hubs (Hope, Schmidt and Powertap) and found them exceptionally reliable and comfortable. I would have to look at exact logs, but I rode them from march, so probably did 6-7000km on them last season, including half a dozen 600s and a 1400km ride. No issues at all.

    A decent set of 32h wheels like grill suggests will be totally serviceable over their lifetime and should stay fairly true even if you do pop a spoke (which if they are built well, you shouldn't).

    A white bike with black archetypes (with their bold white lettering) would look good I reckon.

    Get the fattest rubber you can fit - again, the Archetype does seem to live up to the hype in terms of tyre profile and comfort.
    Stuff about riding a bike a long way
  • wishitwasallflat
    wishitwasallflat Posts: 2,927
    marcusjb wrote:
    A white bike with black archetypes (with their bold white lettering) would look good I reckon

    +1
  • owenlars
    owenlars Posts: 719
    What Smidsy said. Substance over form any day.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,321
    Steve_kay wrote:
    Yeah i saw those on the Cycle Clinic website and they looked quite nice. I quite liked the red hub and white nipples

    Be sensible... leave the coloured nipples to the ladies... you want some reliable wheels, you want some durable nipples, not some fancy coloured ones.
    left the forum March 2023
  • steve_kay
    steve_kay Posts: 197
    I think i've settled on the below wheels. The only choice was to decide between the Ultegra 6800 or Dura Ace 9000 hubs. The price difference was around £200 but for what im going to be using it for, I cant justify the extra for the Dura Ace

    32F/32R black DT Swiss RR440 rims on Ultegra 6800 hubs, black laser spokes front and Sapim Race spokes rear black alloy nipples,weight 1770g
  • smidsy
    smidsy Posts: 5,273
    That DT is quite a narrow rim though, similar to an Ambrosio Excellight in many respects (to my eye at least) similar weight too.

    Ultegra hubs are v.nice.

    I have the Ambrosio with DT Competition spokes and it rides very nice.
    Yellow is the new Black.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,321
    Steve_kay wrote:
    I think i've settled on the below wheels. The only choice was to decide between the Ultegra 6800 or Dura Ace 9000 hubs. The price difference was around £200 but for what im going to be using it for, I cant justify the extra for the Dura Ace

    32F/32R black DT Swiss RR440 rims on Ultegra 6800 hubs, black laser spokes front and Sapim Race spokes rear black alloy nipples,weight 1770g
    I said it, I repeat it... alloy nipples suck... I have never come across a 3 years old rear wheel with alloy nipples that wasn't seized and crumbling. Going for alloy nipples when you have the choice not to is a bit like hitting your balls with a mallet, just 32 consecutive times... is it a clever thing to do? :shock:
    left the forum March 2023
  • smidsy
    smidsy Posts: 5,273
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    I said it, I repeat it... alloy nipples suck

    And the weight difference is not even worth mentioning. I fail to see an argument for alloy nipples actually.
    Yellow is the new Black.
  • steve_kay
    steve_kay Posts: 197
    So brass nipples are the way ahead I'm assuming. I spoke to the guy who's building the wheels and he didn't mention anything about the alloy nipples seizing. The other option (as i mentioned before) was the hub. The guy does 3 hubs, Miche Primato, Ultegra 6800 and Dura Ace 9000. Anyone had any experience with the Miche hubs? The guy just said the require servicing at around 7000 miles which doesn't seem too bad. Thanks for your input so far by the way
  • monkimark
    monkimark Posts: 1,943
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    leave the coloured nipples to the ladies...

    What strange looking ladies you must know.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,321
    Steve_kay wrote:
    So brass nipples are the way ahead I'm assuming. I spoke to the guy who's building the wheels and he didn't mention anything about the alloy nipples seizing.

    Some builders use them, to save 40-50 grams over a set of wheels and make them competitive with factory alternatives in the same price range. Personally I think the argument for a set of handbuilts should not be low weight but rather durability, which is something alloy nipples cannot provide.

    Over the past couple of years I have noticed people seem to be less obsessed about weight and more interested in durability when they ask for bespoke wheels, which is a good thing and means the message is coming across... these days I rarely get asked about alloy nipples
    left the forum March 2023
  • steve_kay
    steve_kay Posts: 197
    Thanks Ugo. As they say, every day is a school day. I'll specify the brass nipples when ordering then. They're cheaper too (£18) which is always a bonus. So judging by the wheels I'm looking at and the task I'll be using them for, would you say they're a good quality, durable and comfortable wheelset?
  • taon24
    taon24 Posts: 185
    Good choice on rims. I love my DT Swiss RR465s. The 440s are wider than the 465 and 415 rims they replaced.
    Final question. Are you going for the 440 O/C at the rear. I would if I were building a further set.

    I build using DT swiss spokes, seems right with a DT rim, but I suspect the Sapims are as good.
  • steve_kay
    steve_kay Posts: 197
    How do you mean 440 O/C? Sorry, I'm quite new to cycling so apologies for not understanding
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,321
    Steve_kay wrote:
    How do you mean 440 O/C? Sorry, I'm quite new to cycling so apologies for not understanding

    It means off centre... an off centre rim is a good idea at the back, makes for a more durable wheel as it helps to equalize the tensions between drive and non drive sides
    left the forum March 2023
  • steve_kay
    steve_kay Posts: 197
    Thanks Ugo. I don't know to be honest, I'm hoping the guy that's making them knows what he's doing. I'm sure he does.
  • kieranb
    kieranb Posts: 1,674
    for a 350 mile ride any semi-decent wheelset will do (assuming it is not 350miles off-road as this is posted in road section). Question really is if you want it to last a fair bit longer.

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