32 spoke wheels - worth getting a custom build?

starbuck

I'm after a set of 32 spoke wheels for my 2013 giant defy 1. The roads round me aren't the greatest (as probably everywhere). With bad roads, winter and the fact I weigh about about 95kg means the pr2 wheels that came with the bike have a hard time.

So what I'm after is strong, light wheels. I think 32 spoke would give me the strength. I could probably afford £250=£300, although if I could get decent wheels cheaper, than all the better.

Question is, are there any standard wheels for around that price that would be worth it? If I had some custom built, what could I get for around the £200-300 mark?

Grill

Archetypes on 6800 hubs will cost just a little bit over £300, but well worth it.

letap73

Grill wrote:

Archetypes on 6800 hubs will cost just a little bit over £300, but well worth it.

This - but swop out the 6800 hubs for Miche Primato for a build just less than £300.

cycleclinic

All the off the shelf 32 spoke builds are cheap, use narrow rims often are under tensioned and have eneven spoke tension. Hubs used are normally cheap and not very durable all in all pretty ropey really. So a custom build is the way to go and a good rim like the archetype and decent hubs like Ultegra or Miche would be perfect laced up with sapim race spokes.

cattytown

Grill wrote:

Archetypes on 6800 hubs will cost just a little bit over £300, but well worth it.

This.

matt-h

letap73 wrote:

Grill wrote:

Archetypes on 6800 hubs will cost just a little bit over £300, but well worth it.

This - but swop out the 6800 hubs for Miche Primato for a build just less than £300.

I would stick with the 6800 unless you want a lower spoke count, in which case the Primato

Matt

desweller

A robust 32-spoke wheel is a good place to start if you fancy having a shot at building your own, of course. Much easier to make strong than a 24-spoke super-leggera jobby!

lostboysaint

I am 98kg and had Velocity A23 built onto Miche Primato with Sapim Race spokes for just under £300 (Spokesman Wheels) and they've been brilliant.

starbuck

Thanks for all your advice. I think I'll go for the Archetypes, but there are 2 hub options - Ultegra 6800's or Miche Primatos. Is there much difference between the hubs? Does one need to be serviced more frequently than another? Cycleclinic are showing £293 for the wheelset with Miche Primato's and £329 for the ultegra's, so both fairly close in price.

Grill

6800 will last forever as long as you take care of them

MisterMuncher

6800 are marvellous hubs indeed.

letap73

The Miche hubs are also potentially very durable -there is not much in it.

cycleclinic

Ultegra hubs will last longer if you service them. If you do the serving your self and do it on time, the hubs will be cheaper to run overall and mega mileages can be had. Miche hubs are the kind of things you run until the bearings wear out and replace, pretty easy to do as well. A miche hub with the internals replaced will run like new again and so long as bearing installation is not cocked up and the bearing seat mashed as a result there should be no limit to many times the bearings can be changed. An ultegra hub if left long enough to wear the hub shell will never run quite right again but that takes real neglet.