Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - formula vs surly vs paul vs soma

theres the situation:
-will be riding daily to commute
-strong/durable
-long lasting
-price range: under $300

here are my options:
-somax rims w/ formula hubs
-soma wheelset (soma rims and soma hubs)
-mavic rims w/ surly
-mavic rims w/ paul


what would be my best bet?? or can anyone offer their opinion. it would mean a great deal. thanks!

You have all this trash and then you have Paul. What do you think?

i beat on my formula hubs. beat as subjecting them to a daily bath of sand and road salt, all the while going full speed over potholes. with a little push it seems that my (1x laced yet still true) front wheel can spin forever. formula/iro/velocity hubs are rediculously street durable. honestly, to upgrade you'd have to go with a phil or a leVel.



theres the situation:
-will be riding daily to commute
-strong/durable
-long lasting
-price range: under $300

here are my options:
-somax rims w/ formula hubs
-soma wheelset (soma rims and soma hubs)
-mavic rims w/ surly
-mavic rims w/ paul


what would be my best bet?? or can anyone offer their opinion. it would mean a great deal. thanks!

i think this is a silly thread. the paul tracks are far better than the formulas or surlys. my friend just got a pair and they are beautiful. paul also makes an awesome lockring that goes with it.

i think this is a silly thread. the paul tracks are far better than the formulas or surlys. my friend just got a pair and they are beautiful. paul also makes an awesome lockring that goes with it.

I like this guy.

I like this guy.


why thank you

Phils: ~ $300/ pair
Pauls: ~ $200/ pair
Formula ~ $100/ pair

the guy is looking for COMMUTER hubs. formula are proven to take street beating, and still roll buttery smooth for half of what pauls go for. while i'm sure one could notice the $100 difference in a velodrome, on the street it's not going to make jack difference.

Me too. Because he's from Santa Cruz!

they are all prime choices.
just depends what your wallet's telling you
cause your going to be riding them down to the ground anyways.
btw, i'm DEAD shure you can feel the diff between phils and forumlas.

pauls are like 250-275 a pair!

Out of what you listed I would say to go with the Formulas, and when you need to replace the bearings order a set from Phil.

i'm sure one could notice the $100 difference in a velodrome

Yeah, your bike would be 2 pounds heavier than necessary. Pauls should stay on the streets and fire-roads.

Is it $300 for hubs or $300 for wheels? If you need rims as you indicated above, Paul is not an option.

Really, I'd just forget the question asking and pick yourself up a set of wheels from IRO when they re-open.

I've been commuting on formulas for 6 months in CT salt/sand/slush grime. I had to tighten up the "cones" once. They are cheap, and they do the job for me.

my only problem with formulas is I am a heavy weight and I ride brakeless as you can guess they don't last long at all maybe a month or so before th cog is spinning free but they seem sturdy to me otherwise if your a fly weight or run a brake go with the formulas

Dead threads are the best.

Amen. If your cog is spinning free, it doesn't sound like a hub problem. Lockring maybe? I was upset that nobody here mentioned that pauls have a strange chainline. 44mm?

girl: "Who's Zed?"

guy: "Zed's dead baby, Zed's dead."

i got my first fixie wheelset like half a year ago.. with surly hubs..
they seem fine and all.. except i've already had to replace the rear bearings..

basically i'm not too hot on them cause they're pretty friggin' boring and nothing special.. and the like half-ass high flange...

the last time i listen to "yeah, those are totally what you need."

i hate bike shops that basically feel like car dealerships..

if hanging out on these boards has taught me anything, it's that the DW knows his stuff.

Pauls were $168.30 when I buddy and I got 15% off on our two hubset order from universal cycles. Just make sure they have it in stock, took a week and a half for them to ship, cause they had to get it from pauls, and not QBP. When I finally got them, man, I was blown away by that huge lockring!