Wheel advice for commuter, tourer & weekend warrior..

iPete
iPete Posts: 6,076
edited February 2010 in Commuting chat
Sorry, must be a done to death question up there with cycle helmets!

Basically I'm looking for a miracle, I'm on a budget sub £200 (prefer less), would like stronger and lighter wheels than my Alex S500's. They need replacing come the spring/summer basically & need to budget for my next set now.

Background:

Commute around 150 miles per week, do the odd weekend ride on top & I'm touring this summer to Rome (100 miles a day). I'll weigh around 70kg come the summer & should be carrying a load of around 15kg max inc panniers etc.

On my shortlist are:
Shimano RS10
http://www.planet-x-warehouse.co.uk/aca ... WRS10.html
Planet X - Model B
http://www.planet-x-warehouse.co.uk/aca ... ODELB.html
Planet X - Model C
http://www.planet-x-warehouse.co.uk/aca ... ODELC.html
The Bike Whisperer - £270-£300. Custom touring wheels with MTB hubs, pushing the budget on a £600 bike IMO but could be worth it for a long lifespan.
or
None of the above, I'd look at....

And in my dreams, American Classic Aero 420s! Any white wheels get extra bling points :lol:

Comments

  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    I'd ping CJCP - I think he knows a decent wheel builder. Prob best to get some built for you - may also be cheaper.
  • if your touring easy to fix springs to mind.

    I've had no problems with the fulcrum 7's and I was over 90KG though I have dropped down.

    but if your thinking touring easy to fix does sound if not essential at least useful.
  • iPete
    iPete Posts: 6,076
    Thanks, I'll drop cjcp a message and check out the fulcrums!

    Still thinking custom but my first few quotes have really put me off, especially when lots of the sub £150 wheels seem very well regarded..
  • Aguila
    Aguila Posts: 622
    Speak to Derek at wheelsmith's www.wheelsmith.co.uk. I'm getting some handbuilts from him and had similar requirements to you. He's very helpful. I went for the ambrosio excellights on their zenith hubs. He said to me if I wanted true bomb proof rims and had some touring in mind he's go for the endurance rims.

    They have a very good reputation and the evo rim wheel would come in at £240 the pair.
  • iPete
    iPete Posts: 6,076
    Thanks Aguila, just dropped them an e-mail with my budget and requirements.

    ince, if I hadn't given up non-essential bike purchases for lent, I'd buy them now :lol:, the RS20s are very temping, makes it hard to justify spending over double for customs.
  • Surf-Matt
    Surf-Matt Posts: 5,952
    I've got RS10s and they... ermmm ...look nice... :oops: :lol::lol:
  • jonginge
    jonginge Posts: 5,945
    Merlin have some pretty good deals on factory wheels:
    http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/mountain- ... lo-wheels/

    I've found my Mavic Aksiums to be pretty bomb-proof :)
    FCN 2-4 "Shut up legs", Jens Voigt
    Planet-x Scott
    Rides
  • iPete
    iPete Posts: 6,076
    Surf-Matt wrote:
    I've got RS10s and they... ermmm ...look nice... :oops: :lol::lol:


    Are they on your going faaaast bike? I'm getting marmite reviews on these, their either brilliant or the spokes break and are impossible to replace, not great for touring! :lol:


    edit: The Askiums look good, am sure I've heard of many happy users on here but for a bit more Fulcrum 5's get a few worthy mentions.

    Going to be a tough choice, I'm sure factory vs custom is a whole new can of worms!
  • Surf-Matt
    Surf-Matt Posts: 5,952
    Well it's faaaster than my MTBs...

    Wheels seem fine to me but no expert. I'm quite light though - 11.5ish stone - it may help.

    They were stuck on by my LBS when my Mavics died horribly.
  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    IME Fulcrums are bombproof. I have 1's and 0's and have had exactly 0 problems with either.
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    Aguila wrote:
    Speak to Derek at wheelsmith's www.wheelsmith.co.uk. I'm getting some handbuilts from him and had similar requirements to you. He's very helpful. I went for the ambrosio excellights on their zenith hubs. He said to me if I wanted true bomb proof rims and had some touring in mind he's go for the endurance rims.

    They have a very good reputation and the evo rim wheel would come in at £240 the pair.

    I sort of have Excellights. The rear was damaged in an off last month, so only good for the turbo now. I love them, so looking to buy another pair for this summer.

    I opted for 32h for comfort, but may even go for 36h next time round. If you're going to use them for the trip to Rome, with the weight of the panniers, 36h could be a plan. This should mean that you'll need less tension in the spokes.

    If you're using them for the Rome trip, I'd use them beforehand to make sure they're ok, but not too - the rims might take a bit of a battering in the great British weather, so better to use them for your commute after the trip.

    I'd go handbuilt - they can then be tensioned to your needs.

    Fwiw, too, I've used Mavic CXP33s on Ultegra hubs for the commute (150 miles a week approx) and sportives, too. Not the lightest, but great for all-round use.
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    PBK have a sale on Campag Wheels atm - could be worth a gander:

    http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?cat=campagnolo%20wheels&START=12&LIMIT=12#toc
  • gpsBRM
    gpsBRM Posts: 123
    Try SJS Cycles. I bought a set of their Deore Hubs on Mavic A319 rims last year and they've been brilliant. I use them on my Kaffenback which is a commuter and touring bike, normally laden with alot of gear, plus I weigh 92kg. They are not a light wheel like the Planet-X B set you mention above (I run those on my old road race bike), but they are still running true after 3000miles

    http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-Hand ... -18133.htm
  • Aidy
    Aidy Posts: 2,015
    iPete wrote:
    The Bike Whisperer - £270-£300. Custom touring wheels with MTB hubs, pushing the budget on a £600 bike IMO but could be worth it for a long lifespan.

    ... but surely then incorrectly spaced for your frame? (MTB hubs are slightly wider than road hubs).
  • iPete
    iPete Posts: 6,076
    That did strike me as a little strange, they just said in the e-mail that they were more water resistant.

    Derek from Wheelsmith has got back to me already, for the budget I suggested to him (£250) he has said he can do...

    Ambrosio Excellence rims on Ambrosio hubs with ACI spokes, 32h.
    Sound good? from what I've read on here this guys highly rated..
  • itboffin
    itboffin Posts: 20,052
    The planet-x B & C are pretty much the same C's have more spokes which is good for CX & touring, I bought mine over a year ago now and they're still true and trust me I punish my bike wheels, I always see potholes after the event :oops:

    Cheap too - do it......!
    Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
    Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
    Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
    Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.
  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    The Fulcrum 5s for £150 at Merlin are excellent value. If you can go to £300 I've never seen Fulcrum 3s (which I have on my good bike) so cheap.
  • Aguila
    Aguila Posts: 622
    iPete wrote:
    That did strike me as a little strange, they just said in the e-mail that they were more water resistant.

    Derek from Wheelsmith has got back to me already, for the budget I suggested to him (£250) he has said he can do...

    Ambrosio Excellence rims on Ambrosio hubs with ACI spokes, 32h.
    Sound good? from what I've read on here this guys highly rated..

    If you're going handbuilt I'd go for these. If factory the planet X model B's look best value but you would struggle to go touring on them.

    My vote for the ambrosios.
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    I'd go for the Ambrosios, too.
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • iPete
    iPete Posts: 6,076
    Thanks a lot, time to start saving 8)
  • General thoughts:

    - 10-15kg is quite heavy for touring. Be absolutely ruthless when packing. Remember every village in France and Italy has a bike shop or bike-friendly garage mechanic.

    - I'd be tempted by a 36h rear / 32h front combination, if you can spec. If you break a spoke, then 36h doesn't go out of true so much (break a spoke on a 28h and the wheel will rub against frame)
    - learn the basics of how to true wheels, and buy a spoke key for possible running repairs
    - sturdy touring wheels would be pretty useful for your commute, and could be "blinged up" as fast wheels with a pair of superlight tyres for the days you want to blast.
    Commute: Langster -Singlecross - Brompton S2-LX

    Road: 95 Trek 5500 -Look 695 Aerolight eTap - Boardman TTe eTap

    Offroad: Pace RC200 - Dawes Kickback 2 tandem - Tricross - Boardman CXR9.8 - Ridley x-fire
  • iPete
    iPete Posts: 6,076
    Thanks ex-pat scot!

    Sounds like you know your stuff, feel free to amble over to my gear thread! :D

    http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12670354