another disc wheel thread....

bobinski
bobinski Posts: 570
edited August 2014 in Road buying advice
Afternoon All,

I have an Alfine 11 equipped Kinesis pro6. Lovely bike to ride on traffic light free long stretches of road but for this old man just not fun on my stop and start commute and london riding generally. It is a real shame because it works well and requires the minimum of maintenance. So i am going to sell the hub/rear wheel and versa shifters and chainset in the classifieds and take advantage of the Ribble offer on 105 5800 and stick that on. I can sell the brakes too to offset the cost. I have my BB7's. That leaves the wheels.
I was thinking of novatech 711/12 hubs and those H and son Archetypes in black to match the red/brown kinesis frame.Front has a deore dynamo hub which i want to retain. Dynamo hubs and lighting are the future! I don't know if easier to sell the wheel at the same time as the hub etc. and simply replace. Probably. But what about spokes? I am 72 kilos, ride 5-7000 miles a year. Rarely on bridleways or off road. They don't have to be bomb proof. I ride quite light.
I did think about the kinesis wheels which seem to be a bargain but i would have to rebuild the front to get the dynamo hub.
Any thoughts?

Comments

  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,321
    So your frame is not alfine specific and can take a derailleur instead?
    left the forum March 2023
  • bobinski
    bobinski Posts: 570
    yep. I have to run a tensioner for the hub.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,321
    You mistakenly believe that spokes have to be matched to riding terrain, when in fact most MTBikers use lighter spokes than road bikers... why? because a 26 inch wheel is by its very nature stiffer and doesn't need big spokes. I have never noticed difference in spoke life when used on the road or off road... unless you start jumping off 2 feet drops...
    Spoke choice have to match your weight and expected mileage... as you cycle a lot I would avoid the tiny ones which have a lower fatigue life... Sapim Race is a wise choice or DT Comp if you want something a tad stiffer (the way the spoke tapers from 2.0 to 1.8 is different making the DT marginally stiffer and a fraction heavier). Alpina 2.0/1.7/2.0 are also a good choice for a 32 and what I use by default when people are happy to spend less without getting less.

    Ultimately, if you don't build it yourself, trust your builder...
    left the forum March 2023
  • cycleclinic
    cycleclinic Posts: 6,865
    I have three 26" MTB wheelsets built with sapim lasers and they are fine as ugo suggests. Rim stiffness is important too and the archetype rim in 32H drilling with the novatec hubs will be a stiff wheelset no matter the spoke used. Spoke life will be long if it is built well and all of the above spokes will perform as well as each other. A 28H drilling build may also work well depending on your weight.
    http://www.thecycleclinic.co.uk -wheel building and other stuff.
  • maddog 2
    maddog 2 Posts: 8,114
    what the gurus say

    On the main bike I run 28h Archetypes on Sapim Race, on Tune hubs, built by Malcolm. I'm the same weight as you. They've been perfect.

    On the commuter/CXer I run Archetype & Sapim Race but this time on 32h Hope Pro2EVO for a bit more toughness. Front is still 28h.
    Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true! - Homer