Recommendation for light track wheels!

othello

I want to get my son some new track wheels next year and I need some recommendations please

As he is only small (and built like a whippet) he needs light wheels, rather than strong wheels able to withstand the power output of an adult sprinter. So strength is not the aim. It is all about the weight!

As a youth rider, any wheels need to adhere to BC rules:

Maximum rim depth of 35cm
Minimum of 16 spokes

I also want clinchers if possible, as it makes life a lot easier!

I could do custom, and if I did what would be a good rim and hub combo? Or off the shelf?

napoleond

Budget?

othello

NapoleonD wrote:

Budget?

Good point!

I'm hoping they will last him a long time so don't mind spending a bit. But equally he is still a youth rider!

Say £300-500 but I'm not really sure what that will get me, so might have to change it.

napoleond

Mavic Ellipse would be the obvious factory option that would last him through to adulthood and beyond.

Or these may be worth a go - no worries with the brakes overheating the rim so shouldn't be a problem.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20mm-clincher ... 3cdb25ded2

jscl

Plenty of rims. But go for Dura Ace hubs, weld the spokes, it'll make a nice set of hand built wheels for the track.

47p2

Mavic Ellipse are 1895 grammes per pair
American Classic 420 are 1585 grammes but top end of your budget

imposter2.0

I'm going to stick my neck out here and say that regardless of rider weight, wheel weight is not really an issue for youth track events, most of which are endurance/omnium style anyway.

My lad has had good results this year - including several wins - on a set of comparatively heavy Gipiemme Pistas. Close to - if not slightly over - 2kg. Having said that, most of the other kids seem to be on either Miche Pistard or Dolan Navigator, with maybe a few on Ellipse.

othello

Imposter wrote:

I'm going to stick my neck out here and say that regardless of rider weight, wheel weight is not really an issue for youth track events, most of which are endurance/omnium style anyway.

My lad has had good results this year - including several wins - on a set of comparatively heavy Gipiemme Pistas. Close to - if not slightly over - 2kg. Having said that, most of the other kids seem to be on either Miche Pistard or Dolan Navigator, with maybe a few on Ellipse.

It is a good point.

My lad is really skinny and is nowhere as big and powerful as some of the other kids he races against. On his road bike I've fitted a light (1550g) set of wheels, which he can accelerate and get up to speed quicker as he isn't as powerful as some of his competitors. Once up to speed what he can do (from his track riding) is spin fast. Its why I'm insisting he sticks with very light wheels at the moment on his road bike, rather than deep section carbons which he really wants. The weight disadvantage is too much relative to his size, and he won't get the aero effects anyway.

I was thinking the same would apply to his omnium riding. But maybe not.

The American Classics do look good, but are pretty ££! I'll keep my eyes peeled. Otherwise, a set of Token track hubs, built onto some Mavic Open Pro would be pretty similar in weight, and perhaps cheaper.

oldwelshman

I would also say weight not really an issue, my track wheels are probably my heaviest lol

ugo.santalucia

For track you can get something pretty cheap even at bespoke level... plenty of budget fixed hubs that work well and last forever.
Kinlin rims or something like Velocity Aerohead and a build with Sapim Laser spokes front and rear should get him something light and nippy just over the 200 pounds mark

The Ellipse are massively overpriced for what they are

othello

ugo.santalucia wrote:

For track you can get something pretty cheap even at bespoke level... plenty of budget fixed hubs that work well and last forever.
Kinlin rims or something like Velocity Aerohead and a build with Sapim Laser spokes front and rear should get him something light and nippy just over the 200 pounds mark

The Ellipse are massively overpriced for what they are

Thanks, will take a look!

Lookyhere

Don't bother with the Elipse, premature bearing wear and an odd size lock ring plus break a spoke or rim and you cant get spares easily, they are also 2kg, same as a miche pista but double the money
Our local shop did us some AC 420's for 300 but ugo's suggestion is the best one, then put some Victoria diamante pro pistas on them.

napoleond

Personally I'd just get Navigator Pistas.

jscl

One suggestion I forgot - V Sprint Track Wheels. Have been using some for a while now in addition to Pro-Lite and Dura Ace track wheels.

http://www.v-sprintwheels.com/pages/track-wheels.html