Advice Handbuilt wheels choice/factory

jupamaso

I'm looking for new wheels. I ride à Roubaix Sl4 with Ultegra 11 speed. 1,80 m 75 kg. I ride 8000 km per year. I ride hilly routes. I like to climb. I also commute, until there is snow (I live in Canada). I sold my Zonda c17 du to the very important problem on the freehub - the cassette had gouged the spline. Therefore looking for new wheel, relatively light, stiff, comfortable and bombproof, with a steel or Titanium freehub boby.

My options are :

1) dura ace Hubs, sapim CX Ray and Boyd altamonte lite (alloy nipples) 655 £;
I CAN have a pair Dura ace Hubs and Altamonte lite, build with brass nipples and a mix of sapim laser/race, for 580 £.

2) white industries T 11 Hubs, CX Ray and easton. R90 sl rim: 676 £

All the Handbuilt Will have 24/28 lacing.

3) Mavis Ksyrium elite 435 £.

I don't want carbon Rims.

I havé à couple of questions:
- difference between easton and Boyd Rims, in terms of quality of ride, stifness,
-difference between dura ace and white hubs. I'm sacred of the maintenance that seem to be involved with Dura ace.
- is the a big difference in spokes (CX Ray vs mix of laser/race)
-finally, is there such a big difference in quality and other things between the Mavic and the Handbuilt wheels that justifiés Buying handbuilt.
Thanks!

shaw8670

If you are having rim brakes and your roads are rough, consider handbuilt as you'll have more chance of getting them repaired. On the other hand you may be looking for an excuse to buy new wheels every now and again.....

Cx Rays are good.

Stick with fairly mainstream hubs that take generic bearings, so you can just knock in some top quality ones cheaply when you have to replace them. Miche?

cycleclinic

Miche hubs are a bit heavier than the hubs you have looked at but are cheaper and no less reliable. The easton rim is nice but the hed beglium + is the other high end alternative.

How good any wheel is does depend on the wheel design (rim hub and spokes) and who has built them. A hand built wheel can be reliable or rubbish therefore (less than the sum of its parts).

Mavic wheels are lower spoke count which is o.k for many but not all. If a spoke breaks or a rim cracks then repair is possible but mavic spokes wont be on the shelf and once a model stops being made Mavic stop making spokes.

The reason why the easton/white industries wheelsets are higher spoke count is because that works very well if built right.
If these are prices in £'s then 676 is not right. The hubs are £400/pair. The rims £300/pair. £676 is the cost of the parts at trade plus a bit for labour. Whoever is building those wont be in business long I can assure you if this is there living.

If you are scared of the maintenance of keeping DA hubs in good condition I suggest you stop riding a bike because I dont know how you will keep on top of chain and cassette maintenance or tyre maintenance.......

How two rims compare depends on the profile. I kind of know by looking at that. in general the wide and deep the rim is the stiffer it is. the more rounded the profile the stiffer it is. the more boxy or V section it is the less stiff it is compared to rounded or elipical profile rims.

jupamaso

I finally bought Ksyrium Pro from my LBS which I got for a very good price. There not stealth (with the yellow spoke - may change it). All in all, very happy and anxious to ride them!