Climbing Wheels

gotwood25

I am off to the Alps in July and was hoping someone could recommend a good 'climbing' wheelset.

For 'climbing' read 'descending', I am awful coming downhill so looking for something dependable whilst ideally light for under £1000 (can't do handbuilts unless the builder accepts Cycle 2 Work :-) ). I currently run carbon tubs which whilst light and solid, braking (especially in wet) doesn't instill with too much confidence.

sirmol

Don't know if wiggle accept C2W (I know some websites do) but you can get handbuilts like;
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/h-plus-son-arch ... -wheelset/

londoncommuter

Are you sure you can get wheels on Cycle 2 Work as Halfords/Evans draw the line at components. It kind of depends on who you get on the day but I wouldn't be confident enough I'd get someone "flexible" enough to risk a £1k voucher I otherwise wouldn't want. Maybe completely different with shops that do Cycle 2 Work though.

Sorry, that doesn't help with the wheels at all!

gotwood25

Sirmol - They look rather nice, unfortunately Wiggle tow the party line when it comes to C2W.

londoncommuter - Yes, I am friendly with a good few LBS' that will put through components as a 'miscellaneous bike' so that is all covered but does limit me to big brand factory wheels.

JoostG

Campagnolo Eurus 2-way-fit: nice looks, within budget, bulletproof, decent weight, and possibility to run tubeless (more grip and no chances on exploding inner tubes as result of breaking).

imposter2.0

climbing/descending wheels = in other words, good all rounders. You might already have some fitted.

My choice would be DA C24.

gotwood25

Imposter wrote:

climbing/descending wheels = in other words, good all rounders. You might already have some fitted.

My choice would be DA C24.

My 'other' wheels are Syncros RR2.0's which although not a bad wheelset aren't the best. Plus I don't fancy depending on wheels which have been battered as my commuters for the best part of 2 years.

My preference is also for tubs.

Cheers for the replies thus far.

banditvic

Mavic Ksyrium Elite S WTS from 4thebike.de £300 posted at the moment is a bit of a no brainer at the moment.

matt-h

I used some handbuilt H pLus Son on Miche hubs on my trip to the Alps last year.
They may be 250gram heavier than a lightweight wheelset, but built with J bend spokes meant i could get a repair easy if needed and on the descents the 25mm Vittoria Corsas and Swissptop BXP pads meant i had lots of fun.

The climbs are hard no matter what, but the descent can be enjoyable when you have confidence

Matt

trek_dan

I'm going to be ordering some handbuilt Pacenti SL23's for my trip to the Alps. Will see how much funds I can raise selling junk on Ebay before I decide what I hub I go for, Dura-Ace if I can afford it. Pacenti's on DA's should weigh in at about 1450g.

I'd definitely recommend going for a wide rim and 25c tyre for the descents. I know one of my local bike shops accept B2W vouchers for anything, you just need to find someone equally as accommodating.

supermurph09

Cycledivision have some Cero wheels that seems to be getting good reviews, they also do a cyclescheme but also offer 0% finance as well.

As as example: http://www.cycledivision.co.uk/product- ... id133.html

ugo.santalucia

HED Ardennes plus... maybe the SL or FR version if you want them lighter and can afford them, Then ride them tubeless with Schwalbe ONE 25.

I have the same rims on a different set of hubs, with the same tyres and I'm quite impressed by Alpine descend cornering. When you go round a hairpin at 25 mph you need to lean quite a lot to stay on the road and they do that superbly.

banditvic

Love those Pacenti SL23s Rims have a couple of sets one with CK hubs and one set with the infamous Superstar hubs. With 25mm tyres on they corner beautifully. Only downside and it is a fairly big one if its cold and that is fitting tyres.

northpole

I used H plus son's with CK hubs for the Maratona last year. They certainly aren't the lightest but they performed faultlessly. If I were buying again I may aim for DA hubs for a slightly quieter descent!

Peter

cycleclinic

Stiff and wide and good rims/wheels for wheel anywhere really so all of you above are on the right lines.

The voucher schemes are for bikes not components or wheels at least that is my understanding.

gotwood25

thecycleclinic wrote:

Stiff and wide and good rims/wheels for wheel anywhere really so all of you above are on the right lines.

The voucher schemes are for bikes not components or wheels at least that is my understanding.

Strictly speaking it is, however this will be my third year of using it for components. From power meters to shoes, it's a great scheme :-)

matt-h

thecycleclinic wrote:

Stiff and wide and good rims/wheels for wheel anywhere really so all of you above are on the right lines.

The voucher schemes are for bikes not components or wheels at least that is my understanding.

At over 50 mph i couldn't hear the hubs over the wind noise

brettjmcc

trek_dan wrote:

Pacenti's on DA's should weigh in at about 1450g.

So I figure? SL23s are 450g, DA front is 121g, DA rear is 246g, 52 CX-Rays @ 225g, 52 polax nipples @ 17g = 1509g + whatever rim tape you put on

Not meant as a criticism, I just would like to know how you worked it out. Thanks

warrior4life

1299g http://www.cycledivision.co.uk/product- ... id400.html

ugo.santalucia

warrior4life wrote:

1299g http://www.cycledivision.co.uk/product- ... id400.html

Carbon clinchers and mountains in the same sentence... only with a negation in the middle...

When in the UK I tend to forget how demanding braking in the alps can be.

This morning ride, nothing special, but the short descent around Km 26, which doesn't even look steep on the profile (but it is in the real world), nearly got my brake pads to give up... life is too short (and precious) for carbon clinchers

https://www.strava.com/routes/2051335

max1234

The new Ardennes "Black" are being promoted with much better braking. I don't know how good the improvements actually are, but it may may them an even better option, especially in the wet.

http://www.hedcycling.com/ardennes/arde ... nnes-black

matt-h

How much! :shock: :shock: :shock:

rc856

Depending on what group set you use, or if it makes a difference to you, Campag Shamal/Fulcrum Zero Nite.
A wee bit over 1400g and £700 but with nice hubs/bearings.

Barbarossa

I have heard very good reports from people who ride Mavic Ksyriums with the Exalith brake tracks i.e. the SLR, SLE or R-Sys.

sloppyschleckonds

Anyone know where I can get some climbing legs? Wheels I can buy off the shelf.

raisinberry777

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

Anyone know where I can get some climbing legs? Wheels I can buy off the shelf.

Have you tried hand-building?

ror3h

JoostG wrote:

Campagnolo Eurus 2-way-fit: nice looks, within budget, bulletproof, decent weight, and possibility to run tubeless (more grip and no chances on exploding inner tubes as result of breaking).

+1 to that, I have a a set (not 2-way though) and they are super stiff for climbing. Felt like I'd gained an easier gear when I fitted them as they made that big a difference!

gotwood25

Cheers for the replies lads, plenty to think about there.

Ruling out the carbon clinchers though, if I ain't running carbon tubs there's no chance I'm running carbon clinchers :-)

alex222

gotwood25 wrote:

thecycleclinic wrote:

Stiff and wide and good rims/wheels for wheel anywhere really so all of you above are on the right lines.

The voucher schemes are for bikes not components or wheels at least that is my understanding.

Strictly speaking it is, however this will be my third year of using it for components. From power meters to shoes, it's a great scheme :-)

I picked up some shoes, wheels and light on the scheme last week. A colleague went for a Garmin and a Go Pro, so there's quite a bit of flexibility

cc78

RC856 wrote:

Depending on what group set you use, or if it makes a difference to you, Campag Shamal/Fulcrum Zero Nite.
A wee bit over 1400g and £700 but with nice hubs/bearings.

I have the Shamal Ultras from last year, they are excellent.

cycleclinic

So you buy comsumable items on montly repayment scheme. so if you rip the clothing wreck the wheels you will be still paying for it for months to come. That's sensible.

This is why I don't like the voucher scheme they may save you tax but the encourage folk to buy things they dont have the cash for. How is it again the Western world got it self into financial trouble.....?