Hand built upgrade

Haughjd

I've had my bike (giant defy 0) for just over a year now. i'm very pleased with it.

sent it to the lbs for a service ready for some summer riding. Then got talking to the owner about wheels. I said i was thinking to get some lighter wheels for summer riding. I was surprised to find that actually hand-built wasnt just for the mega rich. So I've gone and ordered a set on top of my service.

ultegra hubs front and back/ mavic cxp33 rims, and spokes from dtswiss. time will tell if these end up being better then a stock item. But what's for sure is there mine hand built for me, in a shop just up the road. And thats got to make my bike a little more unique rather than just another stock item from asia.

I'm quite excited not because i expect to beat all my TT times, and collect lots of KOMs - but because I'll be riding a bike that more mine than it was before and just that little bit more unique and special.

Anyone else with stories about taking a generic bike from one of the big manufactures and making it just that bit more you?

Thanks, Jon

ugo.santalucia

Haughjd wrote:

Anyone else with stories about taking a generic bike from one of the big manufactures and making it just that bit more you?

Thanks, Jon

Do you have time?

cycleclinic

Most bike nuts do exactly that. I do not have one stock bike as it was from the "factory" I have frames which I have built up just the way I like them.

Camcycle1974

Haughjd wrote:

I've had my bike (giant defy 0) for just over a year now. i'm very pleased with it.

sent it to the lbs for a service ready for some summer riding. Then got talking to the owner about wheels. I said i was thinking to get some lighter wheels for summer riding. I was surprised to find that actually hand-built wasnt just for the mega rich. So I've gone and ordered a set on top of my service.

ultegra hubs front and back/ mavic cxp33 rims, and spokes from dtswiss. time will tell if these end up being better then a stock item. But what's for sure is there mine hand built for me, in a shop just up the road. And thats got to make my bike a little more unique rather than just another stock item from asia.

I'm quite excited not because i expect to beat all my TT times, and collect lots of KOMs - but because I'll be riding a bike that more mine than it was before and just that little bit more unique and special.

Anyone else with stories about taking a generic bike from one of the big manufactures and making it just that bit more you?

Thanks, Jon

Not sure the rims you have chosen are all that "special", more bog-standard! An Archetype rim in black with black hubs or the Ultegra hubs with gunsmoke Archetypes would have been better on the Defy 0. I used to have one and the set of Archetypes I have looked lovely on it and performed very well. The bike was a dog but the wheels were nice!

ugo.santalucia

Camcycle1974 wrote:

Not sure the rims you have chosen are all that "special", more bog-standard!

And that comes from your experience of riding them or just something you gathered on the wide web?

CXP 33 are fine rims, you can argue that their design is a bit dated, compared to the new crop of wider/deeper rims, but I could counter-argue that the design of your rear derailleur is even more dated, yet it seems to do the job pretty well...

Camcycle1974

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Camcycle1974 wrote:

Not sure the rims you have chosen are all that "special", more bog-standard!

And that comes from your experience of riding them or just something you gathered on the wide web?

CXP 33 are fine rims, you can argue that their design is a bit dated, compared to the new crop of wider/deeper rims, but I could counter-argue that the design of your rear derailleur is even more dated, yet it seems to do the job pretty well...

Yes, I have ridden them and my initial assessment still stands.I take your point though, they are solid, no-nonsense rims but if making the effort to go hand-built surely it is worth investigating a little further for something "special"?

The tone of my post was, admittedly a little off-hand for which I apologise to the OP. No offence intended

ugo.santalucia

Camcycle1974 wrote:

Yes, I have ridden them and my initial assessment still stands.I take your point though, they are solid, no-nonsense rims but if making the effort to go hand-built surely it is worth investigating a little further for something "special"?

The tone of my post was, admittedly a little off-hand for which I apologise to the OP. No offence intended

I trust you are not confusing them with the bog standard CXP 22 that come fitted on many off the peg bikes...

CXP 33


CXP 22

Camcycle1974

No, the ones I rode definitely had 33 written on them!

They were an older model though c2010. Perhaps they have changed/updated them?

ugo.santalucia

Camcycle1974 wrote:

No, the ones I rode definitely had 33 written on them!

They were an older model though c2010. Perhaps they have changed/updated them?

No, only the stickers got duller

Camcycle1974

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Camcycle1974 wrote:

No, the ones I rode definitely had 33 written on them!

They were an older model though c2010. Perhaps they have changed/updated them?

No, only the stickers got duller

Yes, the yellow was actually quite striking on the right bike. not on the red/black Giant that I rode though.

ugo.santalucia

Camcycle1974 wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Camcycle1974 wrote:

No, the ones I rode definitely had 33 written on them!

They were an older model though c2010. Perhaps they have changed/updated them?

No, only the stickers got duller

Yes, the yellow was actually quite striking on the right bike. not on the red/black Giant that I rode though.

You should have got the red anodised rims then, they were fab...

dj58

OP what spoke count and lacing pattern did your wheel builder recommend for your new wheels, what weight are you, if you don't mind me asking.