Cyclocross - good wheelset
Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.
i am also looking for a good wheelset. i weigh 190 lbs and will ride 90% road(some rough) and 10% very light trails. i've seen a lot of bikes coming with the aero spoke wheels which would be nice but really want a set that aren't a hassle.. again thanks
velocipedio
07-22-02, 05:53 PM
Your best choice is the olf standby: Mavic Open Pros with 32 double-crossed spokes. With Ultegra hubs, this is an exceptionally strong, light and affordable wheelset. It would come to about US$300 for the set.
You're a pretty big guy at 190 lbs [no offense, just an obso] and even light trails have hits -- sinkholes, roots, etc. Low-spoke-count wheels will not only be relatively fragile, but boutique wheels are a pain to fix when they go out of true.
Unless you're a supported 'cross racer, get something like the OPs [the CD finish is a great choice for 'cross]. You might even want to consider a set of wheels built with Mavic MA3s -- heavier but tougher -- and 36 spokes.
Hi Pat
I'm a 180 pound roadie, I ride in new england where the roads are not as good as trails most other places. I ride 10,000 miles a year give or take a couple of hundred. I find the most durable wheels that give you strength and dependability are Mavic T-519 (now T-520) laced to ultegra 36 hole hubs with wheelsmith 14 DB spokes to be the best. I've tried many different rims and I find that these stay true, carry heavy loads well and can take a beating. I build my wheels myself and make sure the spoke tension in uniform around the wheel, and tighter is better. The only draw back to these wheels is, the thinest tire you can install is a 700 - 28, this is not a problem for me because I ride Continental ultra 2000, 700 - 28 with a kevlar bead, I get about 5000 miles per tire and they ride well. I run the tires at 95 PSI, the rims have a max pressure rating of 105 PSI and they mean it, I have blown a tire off the rim at 120 PSI on a hot day, so if you choose to ride these rims, keep that in mind. Good luck with your wheel choice, Build your own wheels, no one can do it better, the shops can't afford to put the time into the job to build you a perfect wheel.
I'm 236 and I use the Mavic CX, 36 spokes... I tried them hard on tuesday and they are still true :) I guess they'd be good for you too!
-- fabien, HW breaker