Another wheel thread

BillyImp

I've been running handbuilt mavic cxp33s on ultegra hubs all winter and they've been great and taken everything the British weather can throw at them. Now I'm looking at investing in a pair of summer wheels with a bit more performance benefit and (I'll be honest) a bit more bling

I'm 6ft3 and 89kg, living in Lincolnshire so predominantly riding in the flats so looking for a wheelset that would suit me and my riding. My budget is up to £400-£500. Any suggestions?

ugo.santalucia

I would probably invest in some lush summer tyres... Corsa CX or Veloflex master... 25 mm if you find them, maybe with latex inners... something that makes the difference and keep your CXP 33 for summer use after a good bearings full service.

BillyImp

Cheers for the quick reply, it's definitely something I am/was considering but I'm also building up a winter bike/commuter which I figured the CXP33s could go on over the summer which gives me a great excuse to invest in some new wheels! Maybe it would make more sense buying a cheaper set of wheels for the commuter bike and then some nice tyres for the CXP33 on the road bike.

I guess it's expecting a bit much to get much of an 'upgrade' for £500?

drlodge

A few options:
- as Ugo says, some nice tyres. I've used the Vittoria Paves, one down from the CX and they're really nice tyres. They do cut up quite easily to best saved for the fine weather
- Some nicer clincher wheels. Nothing wrong with CXP33s, its what the great wheel builder Harry Rowland has on his bike... I have Ambrosio Excellights which are nice enough, or the Archetype rims are nice and stiff and available in a number of colour/finish options (for that bling factor). Just got a set of these for my CX bike. Not sure if 28 spokes would cope with your weight, otherwise 32.
- some nice carbon tubular wheels. I also have a pair of these, 50mm deep with Corsa CX tubs and they're lovely. Saved them for the summer months when I want to go on a fast ride or the odd TT. They're Planet-X gigantec rims butI would suggest you get some advice from those wiser than I on what would best suit someone of your stature (Ugo may chip in here ;-)) They cost me £350 so well within your budget.

Camcycle1974

Or consider some carbon clinchers from the likes of Farsports (puts on tin hat and retreats to a safe distance). That is what I am considering for a set of good weather lightweight wheels.

BillyImp

Some good suggestions here, thanks all.
I've been looking into the planet x clinchers as a possible option and they all have max. rider weight as 100kg, which is good for me because being a tall guy, even though I'm losing weight, I'm never realistically going to be sub 80kg and if I ever am then I'm far too skinny for my liking!! So I'm reassured that I'm 11kg under the weight instead of only 1kg on some other clinchers.
Maybe go down the option of buying rims from planet x or another supplier and having my local wheel builder build them up with some quality hubs instead of planet x factory built wheels.
Quality tyres are a must, I think I may end up extending my budget to factor these in.

ugo.santalucia

BillyImp wrote:

Maybe go down the option of buying rims from planet x or another supplier and having my local wheel builder build them up with some quality hubs instead of planet x factory built wheels.
Quality tyres are a must, I think I may end up extending my budget to factor these in.

They no longer sell them... or they do but they don't have the spoke count you need. They only sold tubular rims, which are nice, but people don't use them... they buy them and then they wait for the perfect day where they are almost sure they won't puncture... and they venture as far as 10 miles from their home... if you are not into time trialling, where they do make sense, don't bother...
You have some nice wheels there already, get a pair of cheap Shimano R 501 for your crap bike and enjoy the summer

drlodge

ugo.santalucia wrote:

They only sold tubular rims, which are nice, but people don't use them... they buy them and then they wait for the perfect day where they are almost sure they won't puncture... and they venture as far as 10 miles from their home...

Oh really :roll:

cycleclinic

I have been using Pave's (the new ones) for the past 6 weeks and they have not cut up at all. Plenty of flint on the roads as well.

As for a wheel that is better than what you have you first have to define better. You (OP) could get a lower spoke count set built up but will they be "better" than what you have. They can be lighter but you would have to decide if saving 300g on a wheelset is worth the £300 -£400 you will have to throw at the problem. Good tyres are cheaper and the Conti GP4000s is pretty damm good and so are the Open Pave's Isogrip 27mm.

BillyImp

Again, thanks for the replies all.

I'm leaning towards the idea of staying clear of a new set of wheels for now thanks to the advice above. I do really enjoy riding the ultegra hubs I have, they run for ages. I've had my eyes on the GP4000s for a while so I'm going to plump for those as summer tyres when that pay cheque drops in tomorrow morning, along with a few other bits to get me and the bike kitted out for summer.

A combination of getting paid tomorrow and there being so much bike porn on display at yesterday's sportive made me think I needed an upgrade I think

cycleclinic

Hubs make little difference in how long you can freewheel for when I see a comment like these hubs roll for ages (no offence intened) it result from a lack of appreication of how much drag there actually is in hub - miniscual is the answer compared to tyre rolling resistance and even smaller compared to aerodynamic drag.

BillyImp

thecycleclinic wrote:

Hubs make little difference in how long you can freewheel for when I see a comment like these hubs roll for ages (no offence intened) it result from a lack of appreication of how much drag there actually is in hub - miniscual is the answer compared to tyre rolling resistance and even smaller compared to aerodynamic drag.

No offence taken, genuinely didn't know this. I just noticed (what felt like) a huge difference when I went from my Mavic hubs to the Ultegra hubs, much smoother and seemed to roll for longer whilst running the same tyres. Maybe it was a bit of a placebo effect or just a great quality wheel build.

drlodge

BillyImp wrote:

thecycleclinic wrote:

Hubs make little difference in how long you can freewheel for when I see a comment like these hubs roll for ages (no offence intened) it result from a lack of appreication of how much drag there actually is in hub - miniscual is the answer compared to tyre rolling resistance and even smaller compared to aerodynamic drag.

No offence taken, genuinely didn't know this. I just noticed (what felt like) a huge difference when I went from my Mavic hubs to the Ultegra hubs, much smoother and seemed to roll for longer whilst running the same tyres. Maybe it was a bit of a placebo effect or just a great quality wheel build.

I would think its more to do with the overall wheel than the hub...choice of rim, spokes, tyres and build quality. A hub is a hub, I think better hubs just last longer (and weigh a smidge less).