Road bike disc bike wheelset help

hammond1975

Treated myself to a new Specialized Roubaix SL4 disc at the weekend, great bike and really pleased with it however the standard Axis wheels are very heavy.

I have checked tonight and it is 135 rear spacing can anyone suggest a good quality lighter set of wheels without going silly money wise

My LBS they have offered me these: http://www.bontrager.com/model/12014 what do people think ??

tincaman

Kinesis CX disc, £260, very popular

ugo.santalucia

Once you have something like these priced by some trusted builder in your area, it should come a bit more than the Kinesis mentioned above, but it's also a much better set of wheels in my view. The Kinesis have cut a few corners to save a few grams which will eventually backfire

http://paolocoppo.drupalgardens.com/con ... enti-sl-25

If you scroll the blog there is also a review of the Kinesis, although not the latest model

rickwiggans

I have two Roubaix disc bikes of different specs, both came with flexy, heavy wheels. I had some replacements built up by Malcolm at Cycle Clinic. Excellent wheels, lightweight and reasonably priced. Cycle Clinic is a regular poster on here.

www.thecycleclinic.co.uk

I've no connection, other than as a satisfied customer.

intheknowcycling.com

Many of the better clincher wheel models are now made in a disc version. Before putting out a call for recommendations and potentially getting suggestions that aren't relevant to you, would be good to know what are you looking for. Perhaps you could tell us a bit about what kind of riding you do or intend to, what you want from the upgrade (besides lighter weight) and what you want to spend.

hammond1975

intheknowcycling.com wrote:

Many of the better clincher wheel models are now made in a disc version. Before putting out a call for recommendations and potentially getting suggestions that aren't relevant to you, would be good to know what are you looking for. Perhaps you could tell us a bit about what kind of riding you do or intend to, what you want from the upgrade (besides lighter weight) and what you want to spend.

Well it is the best bike but will be used as much as possible, looking for a lighter wheelset with a max budget of £350, I will be running 23's tyres.

Weight is the main issue, the Axis wheels weigh a ton.

apreading

If £300 were too much, I would vote for the Kinesis. Strong, light and cheap.

If going up to £350, I would go with Ugos recommendation - handbuilt using Novatec hubs and Archetype or Pacenti SL25 rims. The novatec hubs arent the quietest but you would probably have to either pay more or sacrifice lightness to get quieter (Noisy doesnt mean they are bad - some of the best hubs are even more noisy). The D-Light spokes seem a great choice - I had them built onto mine and they have done well.

ugo.santalucia

apreading wrote:

The D-Light spokes seem a great choice - I had them built onto mine and they have done well.

It's the first time I use them, so I can't comment on how durable they are yet.

apreading

Done about 3000 miles on mine so far and I am 13.5 - 14 stone. Had a spoke break on tour in Italy but that was because the gears messed up and threw the chain into the wheel. Local bike shop fitted replacement, trued the wheels, fixed the gears, replaced the gear cable and bled the front brake for me (they said there was some air in it) all for 10EURO...!

hammond1975

The Kinesis wheels were looking like an option but are not available for a while hence why my Lbs offered the Bontrager wheels.

maddog 2

tis a shame Hope don't do some Hope Hoops on Archetypes. Make a killing I reckon.... as the current ones come in at around 320 a pair on the venerable Open Pros.

cal_stewart

Why only 23mm tires?

ugo.santalucia

intheknowcycling.com wrote:

Many of the better clincher wheel models are now made in a disc version. Before putting out a call for recommendations and potentially getting suggestions that aren't relevant to you, would be good to know what are you looking for. Perhaps you could tell us a bit about what kind of riding you do or intend to, what you want from the upgrade (besides lighter weight) and what you want to spend.

So far I have seen Mavic's crop, which are totally out of context... I explain: they offer the Aksium one, which on paper are not better than the average set of wheels normally fitted on a bike off the peg... good price point but not particularly attractive as an "upgrade". They will sell, because they are cheap and look nice, but they won't make money on them, as they are too cheap. Or they offer the Ksyrium disc, which are priced at around 900 pounds for a set fully made of alloy. It is clearly a bonkers price point and I would be surprised if they sell any... I suspect in a year or two the same set rebranded (Ksyrium black I would imagine) will be on offer for half the money, which is more like where it should sit price wise.

I mean, who spends 900 pounds for a pair of alloy wheels?

cycleclinic

The velocity Aileron or Pacenti SL25 rims on Novatec hubs with Sapim Race or maybe D-light spokes gets my vote. DT Swiss have road hubs now in 24H, 28H and 32H drilling. 28H is the lowest you should go for a high mileage wheel. I will try a 24 spoke disc brake wheelset on my new steed just to see how long they last. Shimano CX-75 hubs are the other good choice but 28H only.

All these wheels would be pricey than the Kinesis offering but better in almost every way. Given rims do not wear out you will have them longer so spending a bit more should not be a huge trauma.