Wheel build question

src1

Hi,

I'm thinking about a new pair of wheels for mainly dry weather chain gang (hilly) rides.

I've already got a pair of Archetypes on DA9000 hubs, although I like them, they're not the lightest, so was thinking of something a bit lighter and also quite fancy giving tubeless a go.

I'm 64Kg and thinking about a 24h front (radial), 28h rear (2x) build based on Stans Alpha 340, Novatec hubs (A291SB-SL and F482SB-SL), Sapim Lasers front and rear NDS and Sapin Race DS. I think this will come in around 1350g and about £300 in parts. Seems a lot better value than going the factory wheel route for lightweight wheels!

Does this look like a reasonable build for my weight and intended use?

Thanks in advance.

hypster

The bearings in those Novatec hubs are not renowned for longevity in the wet but using them predominantly in the dry as you intend they should be fine. The 300g or so that you will be saving over the DA/Archetypes should feel noticeable but whether there will be any performance benefit is debatable. You do have the advantage of running them tubeless with the Stans Alpha rims though.

At your weight I would say they should be fine and a relatively inexpensive way of achieving a lightweight set of tubeless wheels. Are you building them yourself or getting someone to build them for you?

src1

Thanks, I'm building them myself. I thought it looked a good inexpensive way of getting light weight wheels too. Certainly a lot cheaper & serviceable than a pair of Ksyrium SLRs which are about the same weight IIRC.

hypster

Great. Let us know how they turn out and what you think of them when you ride them compared to the Archetypes for instance.

ugo.santalucia

Sounds OK. Sapim make some washers called HM, you should use them with the Stans 340, at least on the rear drive side, where the tension is high, but it won't harm to use them everywhere

src1

Thanks both. I'll post back when they're done.

Paolo, I can't find anyone that stocks Sapim HM washers, any idea where I can get them from?

ugo.santalucia

SRC1 wrote:

Thanks both. I'll post back when they're done.

Paolo, I can't find anyone that stocks Sapim HM washers, any idea where I can get them from?

Any shop with an account with Chicken cycles can order them for you. The Cycle Clinic, for instance

src1

Thanks.

cycleclinic

Also not trying to put you off but if you do the maths saving 300g of your current wheelset will make sod all difference to rate at which you will climb. What limited me today on the 855m climb of hell in Italy was not the 1.75kg of wheels I have but 1) the insane italian gradients, 2) the suffolk tuned gearing I have, 3) I am not a pro and 4) the heat.

Do try a lighter set of wheels I have (I liked them too) but I now ride heavier ones as a result as they really did not make me any faster. aero wins over weight all the time. You are right though the build you want to do will be a good as many factory wheelset in terms of performance. If your current wheelset is 24F/28r then you may struggle to find any real world difference. If your current wheelset is a higher spoke count then any difference noticed will be mostly down to reduced aero drag.

src1

I emailed Stans to ask if they recommended building Alpha 340s with HM washers and got a rather cryptic reply of "We currently do not use nipples washers on these rims."

Anyway, I had a bit of a change of plan, given the driver was that I wanted another pair of 11 speed compatible wheels and fancied something lighter and tubeless compatible, I ended up building Pacenti SL23 rims on Novatec hubs with cx-ray spokes. A bit more expensive than I was planning, but hopefully a better wheelset than the Stans too.

I haven't ridden them yet as I'm waiting for Swalbe Ones in 25mm width to become available, but looking forward to giving the new wheel and tubeless tyres a go.

Weight is pretty competitive at F = 613g, R = 811g (1424g total) and cost about £370. For comparison, Ksyrium SLRs are 14g lighter, but not tubeless compatible, have narrower rims, much more expensive to repair and cost around £1200.

Remind me, why is it factory wheels have become so popular?

cycleclinic

Why are factory wheels so popular its called branding it not about them being better.

term1te

Got to the end of the tread to see you'd changed your mind on the Stan's 340s. I made some similar to your first proposal last year. I'm very pleased with them, they're light, not flexy under my 66kg and with the tubeless tyres roll nice and smooth. I've peeled the graphics off now, Stan's weren't sponsoring me and it must have saved almost 5g