New alloy rim brake wheels

ao77

I'm going to need a new set of wheels to replace the rim brake Mavic Aksium Elites that came with the bike (aluminium Cube SL Attain 2017). They're over two years old, done 7-8,000 miles and I don't have any complaints (though nothing to compare them to) but now I'm told the rims are wearing out.

I use the bike for 40-60 mile rides on lanes in SE England and as transport within London. 95% of the time I'm on tarmac and sometimes on compact earth, footpaths & bridleways. I'd prefer an advantage for going uphill rather than fatser flats. Half the time I'm on my own, half with my club, though I don't race. I cycle throughout the year.

I'm around 75kg and rarely carry more than a light pack so 80kg maximum sounds about right.

I want to be able to hit the occasional speed bump or pothole at 30 mph without damaging the wheels.

I'm going to continue using 28mm Continental Four Seasons tyres (clincher, tubes) with Shimano 105 components (11 speed 11-34 cassette).

Obviously enough, I like the idea of light weight and low maintenance. Below, I've selected the slightly tougher versions rather than all out performance.

I don't want carbon wheels.

The old Aksiums can do all this for around £200 and I can now upgrade. I haven't bought wheels before, only on a new bike.

I have a budget of £400 (not including tyres).

I was thinking of:

1. JRA Lark strong 24F/28R standard spokes
These give the impression of offering a weight saving even with the more robust version.

2. Borg31 all weather aero Miche, 20F/24R
I like the deep rim and everything seems good except they're the heaviest here.

3. Novatec Jetfly HD 24F/28R
I've never used a deep rim and am interested in trying it. They're also as light as the Larks.

4. SPA CYCLES - Bitex - KINLIN - CX-Ray
Received this recommendation from someone who has a similar set. They seem competitive but I haven't heard of them or seen any reviews.

I'd be interested in any comments in choosing between these wheelsets or any others to consider.

Thanks

banditvic

I have a set of JRA wheels on my winter trainer, done thousands miles of riding in crap conditions, still on original bearings but had to change the paw springs (just a couple of £ ) they look like they are the same hubs so big thumbs up for the JRA wheels from me.

stebbo99

Contact Harry Rowland http://harryrowland.co.uk/ discuss your requirements and he will recommend something suitable.

Matthewfalle

Kyseriums

trek_dan

If you aren't bothered about tubeless get H Son Plus Archietypes built onto whatever hubs your budget allows. Light-ish, robust, wide and most importantly not a giant horrible nightmare of a job to fix punctures.

shortfall

I have a set of the Borg all weather 31s. He uses Miche hubs that have big bearings which are very smooth and robust and easily serviced. He also gives the best guarantee against failure of components of any wheel builder I've seen. The rims are wide and robust. Forget about any miniscule weight penalty, the Borgs are a great wheelset.

arlowood

Yep - go for the Borgs with Miche Primato hubs. At your weight you'll be fine with the 20/24 spoke options.

I have a set of H Plus Son Archetypes built by Malcolm 2 years ago with 24/28 spokes on Miche hubs. Great wheels and the Miche hubs are very under-rated IMHO. Very smooth and robust and a dawdle to service.

yellowv2

Another vote for the Borg's

philclubman

Kinlin 31t and miche primato are great. I have two pairs and use them year round.

Spokesmanwheels.co.uk will build you the same as the cycle clinic ones for £40 less as far as I can see.

edward.s

I have two sets of wheels from Spokesman. Very happy with his work.

philclubman

Just stumbled across these. Could save a few quid over the other wheels to buy more winter kit.

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/prime-race-road-wheelset/?utm_source=affiliate-window&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_campaign=Bikesy&utm_term=Goldcastle+Media+Ltd&utm_content=Editorial+Content

If I was in the market for wheels I'd probably take a punt. Hope it's helpful.

bobones

Those Primes are OK, but their Novatec hubs are not that durable in the wet so expect to be changing bearings or firing grease into them if you ride in the rain and want them to run smoothly and quietly. Same goes for Bitex and other mainstream Taiwanese hubs.

Go for something with Miche Primato hubs if you're going to be running them all year round and prefer low maintenance. I built a set last year with Primato hubs, Open Pro UST rims and black laser/d-light spokes that were a tidy 1520g. Same spec with Bitex RAF10/RAR9 are about 1330g , but need a lot more maintenance unless you keep them for dry days.

molteni_man

Matthewfalle wrote:

Kyseriums

+1 for Kysrium Elites. Have got 2 sets. Have held up really well to the ragged lanes of Southern Hampshire. Put them in for a service at a Mavic service centre after 3 years really good use and they rang me to say what great condition they were in. Roll really well.
Available for around the £400 mark too.
They come with Yksion tyres already fitted. ( Don’t rate the tyres personally and swap out for Contis or Pirellis).

timothyw

PhilClubman wrote:

Kinlin 31t and miche primato are great. I have two pairs and use them year round.

Spokesmanwheels.co.uk will build you the same as the cycle clinic ones for £40 less as far as I can see.

They are similar, but Malcolm is building with CX ray front spokes and CX force rears. It's debatable if this is necessary but it certainly costs more than the sapim race spokes used by wheelsmith.

Unless you can link me otherwise?

Really though, unless you are on the heavy side or known to be hard on wheels you might as well get the prime wheels from wiggle, £150 is hard to argue with.

dangardner27

A Force AL33 from DCR Wheels in Sussex. Absolutely brilliant. I'm 100kg and running 2:1 24h rear with 20h front.

Completed 1000 or so miles on them and absolutely love them. DCR build quality unmatched....Have Archetypes as a winter set and can't complain about them either.

But if you want the best Alloy set then get the A Force AL33

timothyw

dangardner27 wrote:

A Force AL33 from DCR Wheels in Sussex. Absolutely brilliant. I'm 100kg and running 2:1 24h rear with 20h front.

Could you give some indication of how much you paid for the aforce wheels?

I'm sure they are lovely wheels but some of the wind tunnel testing published suggests that the Kinlin Xr31t/borg 31 rim is just as aero if not somewhat more so (https://novemberbicycles.com/blogs/blog ... her-alloys)

Then you factor in that you are paying (reading between the lines) the sort of money that can get you (admittedly entry level) proper deep section carbon wheels I'm not seeing the point.

Personally I'm building up a new wheelset now with far eastern 60mm carbon rims, with alloy brake tracks. Seems like a decent compromise if you want something aero with alloy brake tracks.

dangardner27 wrote:

DCR build quality unmatched....

I'm sorry but that's just shite, the DCR build quality is i'm sure perfectly good but building wheels isn't as hard as it might appear and I'm sure Malcolm Borg, wheelsmith, Harry Rowland, the guys at Spa & Cycle Basket or basically any other wheel builder who trades on their reputation is going to build a quality wheel that will last without risk of premature failure.

dangardner27

TimothyW wrote:

dangardner27 wrote:

A Force AL33 from DCR Wheels in Sussex. Absolutely brilliant. I'm 100kg and running 2:1 24h rear with 20h front.

Could you give some indication of how much you paid for the aforce wheels?

I'm sure they are lovely wheels but some of the wind tunnel testing published suggests that the Kinlin Xr31t/borg 31 rim is just as aero if not somewhat more so (https://novemberbicycles.com/blogs/blog ... her-alloys)

Then you factor in that you are paying (reading between the lines) the sort of money that can get you (admittedly entry level) proper deep section carbon wheels I'm not seeing the point.

Personally I'm building up a new wheelset now with far eastern 60mm carbon rims, with alloy brake tracks. Seems like a decent compromise if you want something aero with alloy brake tracks.

dangardner27 wrote:

DCR build quality unmatched....

I'm sorry but that's just shite, the DCR build quality is i'm sure perfectly good but building wheels isn't as hard as it might appear and I'm sure Malcolm Borg, wheelsmith, Harry Rowland, the guys at Spa & Cycle Basket or basically any other wheel builder who trades on their reputation is going to build a quality wheel that will last without risk of premature failure.

I should have added "IME"...

cycleclinic

Its gone now. If the post is not welcome then I wont make them.

First.Aspect

Doesn't this site charge for advertising?

yellowv2

First Aspect wrote:

Doesn't this site charge for advertising?

And your point being.......?

First.Aspect

yellowv2 wrote:

First Aspect wrote:

Doesn't this site charge for advertising?

And your point being.......?

I'm sure you get my point.

mercia_man

thecycleclinic wrote:

O.k it gone now. I wont bother commenting on wheel threads anymore. In any case if relied on this site for trade I'd be bankrupt.

Sorry to hear this, Malcolm. You didn’t cross the line. It wasn’t an advertising plug. It was an informative post from an expert. I always read your contributions with interest. It would be a shame if you stop commenting because of a critic who in my view has got it wrong.

First.Aspect

Mercia Man wrote:

thecycleclinic wrote:

O.k it gone now. I wont bother commenting on wheel threads anymore. In any case if relied on this site for trade I'd be bankrupt.

Sorry to hear this, Malcolm. You didn’t cross the line. It wasn’t an advertising plug. It was an informative post from an expert. I always read your contributions with interest. It would be a shame if you stop commenting because of a critic who in my view has got it wrong.

Hi I sell X. I'll tell you about my weaknesses because really they are my strengths. By the way you can see my website for selling X below.

Where's the line again?

cycleclinic

So cynical.

mercia_man

I’m a retired journalist. Part of my role was to decide if something was an advertising puff or genuine news. In my view, Malcolm’s comments did not cross the line and I would have approved them for publication. He didn’t criticise competitors, nor did he claim his wheels were fantastic. To me, he appeared to be giving sincere and useful advice.

In my old life, if I was commissioning an article or seeking a comment from someone, I would ask an expert - and make sure what was printed was not a blatant plug. I would be sceptical of giving credence to a random commentator off the internet.

First.Aspect

Why did you take the post down?

shirley_basso

Because in social media world where mob justice wins (congratulations , by the way) then as a business owner it's better to be defensive and humble that a loudmouth.

First.Aspect

Shirley Basso wrote:

Because in social media world where mob justice wins (congratulations , by the way) then as a business owner it's better to be defensive and humble that a loudmouth.

You can't have a mob of one. I didn't expect quite such a severe flounce I have to admit.

If I didn't know better I'd imagine it wasn't the first time a loudmouth has said something.

Do any other builders or vendors do this?

shirley_basso

It's not a flounce.

Noone really says anything as Malcolm generally doesn't take the piss

First.Aspect

Shirley Basso wrote:

It's not a flounce.

Noone really says anything as Malcolm generally doesn't take the wee-wee

Not generally, no, that's true.

It was a bit flouncy though, you have to admit.

ao77

Thanks for the replies.

It was interesting to hear about the small builders I hadn't considered.

I read thecycleclinic's post a day or two ago and thought it was useful. I particularly wanted to re-read the comparison between the Borg wheels and Spa's as they both use Kinlin rims, high end Sapim spokes and similarly priced hubs.

I thought that post added to the thread and in the unlikely event Novatec or the other makers were willing to make a detailed comment on how their product matched my needs I'd welcome that too! So long as it's not done covertly.

Most likely I'll go for Spa or Borg and report back.