Lighter wheels (road bike)

[gazza285]

yellowjack said:

Thanks for the last few replies everyone. The wheels will almost certainly be "off the shelf" wheels. The rear brake track is so bad the mechanic felt it necessary to let down the tyres because the non drive side was so concave. So I need 'em quick and can't really afford to wait for a wheelbuilder to pencil me in, nor the infinite research I'd feel the need to do before selecting one.

okgo is closest to what my bike shop's mechanic said. Avoid Mavic was his advice - due to too many proprietary parts and the fact that they've dipped into administration recently. Campag Zondas were on my list but he also pointed me away from those simply due to the G3 spoke spacing - too much rim between spoke groups, and given that I work my wheels hard he was concerned that I'd find any rim damage difficult to straighten out away from a spoke group.

So, like okgo advised, I'm going to look at Fulcrum Racing 7s now. Serviceable, sensible spoke lacing, and about on a par with the Bontrager wheels which are coming off. Maybe Racing 5s if I can afford them. Aside from those, I'm not sure. I can't really go to town with the wheel budget now because I need chainrings on the front and it looks like a complete 105 chainset will be similar in price to buying two Ultegra rings. Plus headset and bottom bracket bearings. And my car insurance is due too. Not a great month for my bank balance at all...

I would not get Fulcrums, they have half the number of spokes on the non drive side, and replacement rims are rare and expensive. I never got round to servicing the hubs, as the rim wore out quicker than the bearings.

[TheInternet]

I replaced the bearings on the rear of my R5s after disappointingly low mileage. Coupled with two breakages of the single whisker of a pawl spring (leaving me stranded) I'd look elsewhere. YJ strikes me as more of a cup and cone man for some reason.

[okgo]

Everyone will have horror stories of any cheap wheel. The best way to avoid is as said by others and spend 400 on solid rims, hubs and spokes from a builder.

[TheInternet]

okgo said:

Everyone will have horror stories of any cheap wheel.

Indeed. Those particular wheels have a reasonably good reputation, but the issues I had were very much related to the design and maybe not best suited to my year round commute.

[Maximus_Meridius101]

If it wasn’t for the issues caused by the pandemic I’d always go for a bespoke built wheel, from a reputable builder. You get to spec number of holes, material of rim, and spec the hubs you want, without having to make do with whatever the ‘off the shelf’ offering has. However, there’s no realistic way to do that easily at present. As off the shelf stuff goes, I find that some of the off the shelf Mavic offerings work well. It depends on your budget as well. Lightweight or Zipp Carbon numbers are usually superb, but don’t come cheap. Campag or Fulcrum are usually pretty good, and then there are slightly left field choices like Corima ( for example). Hunt wheels get mixed reviews, but are generally considered to be pretty good bang for the Buck.

[J4CKO]

Yeah, I have a Spec Allex Elite, I killed the rear wheel in no time at 100 ish kilos, so got one built, was indestructible.

£300 Mavic set on current bike seem to be coping, took a while to kill the oem wheel though.

100 odd kilos out of the saddle uphill I think is what does for them, not outright power so much.

[addey]

I was going to suggest some Hunt wheels but it looks like they've not got any stock so probably no good for you. A lot of people like to bash Hunt but they are essentially what you are looking for i.e. fairly standard rims and spokes rather than proprietary systems like mavic, campag etc. But really you'd be best getting some handbuilts that are made to your requirements but I appreciate you need a quick fix. Could you borrow a wheel to keep you going whilst waiting to have something built?

[yellowjack]

I was in the shop on Saturday, and they got up their distributor's site. £159.99 would buy me a "same again" wheel from Bontrager, but the lead time was "four to five weeks from their European warehouse".

I wish I hadn't hammered the American Classic wheels I was given so hard now. They really should have gone onto the Emonda when I got them, but like an idiot I put them on my "gravel bike" for a beach race. Alloy nipples and salty conditions make for poor bedfellows. I may have a solution in a (rather heavy) set of Alex Rims laced to Ultegra hubs. The freehub is nominally a ten speed, though, so not sure if an eleven speed cassette will go straight on. They are solid wheels as far as I know, but I'd need to check.

If they work out and I can get away without new wheels for a few months, then I could order up a Bontrager wheel or maybe get a set built by a "proper" wheel builder. As it is I've currently got 28 tabs open in my browser. comparing spec and prices between any on-line cycle supplier that has stock. Beggars can't be choosers, etc...

[Harpoon]

yellowjack said:

I was in the shop on Saturday, and they got up their distributor's site. £159.99 would buy me a "same again" wheel from Bontrager, but the lead time was "four to five weeks from their European warehouse".

I wish I hadn't hammered the American Classic wheels I was given so hard now. They really should have gone onto the Emonda when I got them, but like an idiot I put them on my "gravel bike" for a beach race. Alloy nipples and salty conditions make for poor bedfellows. I may have a solution in a (rather heavy) set of Alex Rims laced to Ultegra hubs. The freehub is nominally a ten speed, though, so not sure if an eleven speed cassette will go straight on. They are solid wheels as far as I know, but I'd need to check.

If they work out and I can get away without new wheels for a few months, then I could order up a Bontrager wheel or maybe get a set built by a "proper" wheel builder. As it is I've currently got 28 tabs open in my browser. comparing spec and prices between any on-line cycle supplier that has stock. Beggars can't be choosers, etc...

Maybe worth ringing Spokesman to see what they have available?

https://www.spokesmanwheels.co.uk/current-stock/

You can buy via eBay but cheaper to order direct. Some of the eBay builds are a week's lead time, so not far off something in-stock from Wiggle etc

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kinlin-XR26T-RT-wheels-...

[Jimbo.]

yellowjack said:

I was in the shop on Saturday, and they got up their distributor's site. £159.99 would buy me a "same again" wheel from Bontrager, but the lead time was "four to five weeks from their European warehouse".

I wish I hadn't hammered the American Classic wheels I was given so hard now. They really should have gone onto the Emonda when I got them, but like an idiot I put them on my "gravel bike" for a beach race. Alloy nipples and salty conditions make for poor bedfellows. I may have a solution in a (rather heavy) set of Alex Rims laced to Ultegra hubs. The freehub is nominally a ten speed, though, so not sure if an eleven speed cassette will go straight on. They are solid wheels as far as I know, but I'd need to check.

If they work out and I can get away without new wheels for a few months, then I could order up a Bontrager wheel or maybe get a set built by a "proper" wheel builder. As it is I've currently got 28 tabs open in my browser. comparing spec and prices between any on-line cycle supplier that has stock. Beggars can't be choosers, etc...

I believe a 10sp Ultegra hub will accept a 34t 11sp cassette. Else you’re into machining a little off the freehub and/or cassette. Do-able, just a lot of faff.

[yellowjack]

Harpoon said:

Maybe worth ringing Spokesman to see what they have available?

https://www.spokesmanwheels.co.uk/current-stock/

You can buy via eBay but cheaper to order direct. Some of the eBay builds are a week's lead time, so not far off something in-stock from Wiggle etc

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kinlin-XR26T-RT-wheels-...

This could well be a plan! I've seen their eBay listings, and while they're slightly more than I'd have liked to be paying they aren't "silly money" either. I've pinned my colours to a set of Fulcrum Racing 500 LG wheels at £239.95 for now, but I was looking at the Campag Zondas to start with at £355, so the Spokesman wheels are about that too. Plus the 6% off for buying direct. And some jiggling of the spec could lose a few grams off the build. They're a lot more money than the Flucrums, but surely hand built wheels have the edge long term over something like those Racing 5/500s? A phone call or email tomorrow to check lead times and tweak the build spec might well be in order...


ETA: Crumbs! Quite a few wheelbuilders out there too. Spokesman, DCR, Cycle Clinic, Strada, and more I didn't get to. Over two hours down that particular rabbit hole too. Some builders saying that they stock pre-built wheels to popular specs. Prices look a LOT lower than I'd feared too. Some as low as 1300 grams in weight and less than £450. Not sure they're what I need, but none of the wheelsets I saw could really be described as "hefty" in weight. Gotta get some sleep now and tomorrow get a list of my stats/requirements written to send out to various builders to see what they recommend against what I'm willing to pay. But it definitely looks like I can get a lighter, more sensibly laced wheel than a Campag Zonda while still paying Zonda money. Just a question of stock and build time really.

Edited by yellowjack on Monday 15th March 01:55

[lufbramatt]

If you go direct to Mark at Spokesman rather than through ebay the prices are a bit cheaper.

mpollard60 (at) btinternet dot com

I had a pair built by him- kinlin xr31t rims, 24/28 spoke, miche primato hubs, black Sapim race spokes, black brass nipples, including postage it came to £345.

turnaround was about a week.

[yellowjack]

lufbramatt said:

If you go direct to Mark at Spokesman rather than through ebay the prices are a bit cheaper.

mpollard60 (at) btinternet dot com

I had a pair built by him- kinlin xr31t rims, 24/28 spoke, miche primato hubs, black Sapim race spokes, black brass nipples, including postage it came to £345.

turnaround was about a week.

Thanks for that. I've been looking at his listings on eBay with a view to picking a "standard build" as a starting point then letting him tweak it to suit me and my riding. Also looking at DCR wheels, which seem to use similar components but tend to come out a little less expensive. I'm beginning to drift away from the idea of instant gratification now. Seems to make no sense to buy a cheap 'factory' wheelset only to find it's only fit for the bin when spokes or bearings give up. All the wheelbuilders seem to make a virtue out of using elbowed spokes rather than straight pull, and all claim to be able to support a wheelset long term with bearings and "rebuildability". And no gimmicky spoke lacing either. The more I look, the more appealing I find the aesthetic of a plain black rim laced with quality spokes to a serviceable hub. Gaudy decals and "trick" spoke lacing might look good on a café stop, but I don't stop at cafés much so I just need a robust, reliable set of wheels that could be described as offering good value for whatever money I end up spending...


...although I still tend to find myself falling into the "buying by wheel weight" trap and looking for the lightest set that I can afford. I suspect any wheelbuilder whose questions I answered honestly would steer me toward a stronger build rather than concentrating on lightness over all other considerations. Especially with the state of some of the rural roads I end up riding, and my questionable habit of nipping off road onto byways and bridleways in pursuit of the odd VeloViewer tile here and there.

Edited by yellowjack on Monday 15th March 09:37

[Harpoon]

I've got a set of disc brake wheels from David at DCR which I've had zero issues with and he'd be my first call next time I want wheels.

[mooseracer]

Whilst I've nothing against the major brand offerings, knowing the riding you do I'd also agree to go to a wheelbuilder.

Everyone has their favourites, I'd vote for some Race 30s from here https://www.wheelsmith.co.uk/

I've had both rim and disc wheels from him and they've been great.

[Master Bean]

Lightweight Meilenstein Obermayer.

[yellowjack]

Master Bean said:

Lightweight Meilenstein Obermayer.

Anywhere I can get a set for about £400 max...?

[yellowjack]

Harpoon said:

I've got a set of disc brake wheels from David at DCR which I've had zero issues with and he'd be my first call next time I want wheels.

I've hovered over the Vivaldi wheelset on his website several times. a 1460 gram wheelset for £300 sounds almost too good to be true, and I might even be tempted to up-spec the spokes. I'm struggling now because there are just too many options on the various wheelbuilder sites, and choices mean procrastination. And procrastination just ramps up my anxiety levels. I just need to man up and type up an email, or pick up the phone now...

[yellowjack]

mooseracer said:

Whilst I've nothing against the major brand offerings, knowing the riding you do I'd also agree to go to a wheelbuilder.

Everyone has their favourites, I'd vote for some Race 30s from here https://www.wheelsmith.co.uk/

I've had both rim and disc wheels from him and they've been great.

Thanks for the link. £415.00 is just a little too much for me right now. The budget has already crept up from about £240 for "factory" wheels that I was looking at to north of £300 (when postage gets added) for those DCR Vivaldis. I can't afford to let it creep up too much this time. But the endless possibilities when it comes to wheel specification mean that I'd like to maybe spend a bit more on another set in future.

I've seen plenty of 'mixed reviews' about various brands of off-the-peg wheels, but no-one seems to have a bad word to say about these independent wheel builders. I'm 90% certain that the replacement wheels will be from one of them now.

At the same time, I need new chainrings (or a new crankset). Tomorrow I'm going to chat with my bike shop about the possibility of going up to a 52/36 crankset (no difference in cost for that change). Wiggle knock out a cassette upgrade kit of a 105 GS derailleur and an 11-34 cassette (£77.00) which might make it workable. Supply issues for them mean that they are happy to fit stuff I can get online at the moment. Although if I'm honest with myself, I'm not sure a bigger "top end" is what I need really. I might struggle to turn a bigger gear over at my age and fitness level...

I reckon I'll just keep the gearing as-is for now, though, to keep the bill as low as possible. See what the bike shop's bill is likely to be before pressing on and spending money I haven't really got. I'm a complete stress-ball at the moment with all these decisions turning over in my mind.

[yellowjack]

Just to update things...

I've emailed David at DCR Wheels. A long email full of waffle, as is my style. So now it's a case of 'sit back and wait'. One thing is for sure - unless I order some off-the-peg wheels, or put in an order with a wheel builder, I'm not going to get any new wheels at all. First step taken, after a week of digging about for reviews and threads about wheels and builders. I know I'll end up stretching my budget this way, but hey? Fingers crossed I'm making the right decision and that I'll end up with the "right" wheels for me and my limited budget...