Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - New Rims~!

Hello all,

Just wondering, I've been riding with a pake frame and some beat up wheels that my friend gave to me for free when I first started.

I've saved up a bit of money and wondering what rims are decent (no need to talk about spokes or hubs).

Specifically - what rims are good - and the pros and the cons of the rims

Some rims i've heard of are mavic, velocity, etc etc....

thanks

google.com

mavic open pro, depends what your budget is.

I personally believe that if you're going to buy something, that it should be good quality. The better known companies are the best choices to me, because mostly, they stand behind their products(or they should).

There are things to like or love about all the top name components. So to me, I just do alot of research and ask questions on here, as you are doing.

I suggest that you go to your LBS's and as to see the choices they have. Feel the weight and sturdiness, touch it, caress it:D...

As a new FG rider, I got lucky and found a nice old/brand new frame, great used wheelset(Campy Record/Velocity Aerohead) and mixed new and used parts.

Look for yourself.

sooner or later someone is going to say "Open Pro" they are great rims, but a bit pricey usually around $60 each.

Other less expensive good choices that come up a lot are: Sun CR-18, Salsa Delgado, and Mavic Open Sport, and CXP33.

I just got a pair of open sports for $20 each which I consider to be a very good price. It's tough to find any 700c rm for less than $20, let alone a decent one.

It's all about the builder. But that's not what you want to hear.

If you don't know which shops build good wheels, ask around. Hopefully, the good builder will work with you,
and not force his ideas on you. Best to listen carefully, though.

My intended bling build:

Superbe 24h hubs

Spokes: Hoshi bladed for the radial front (no lube, elbows out!), and also for the radial spokes for the crows foot rear. Sapim CX-RAY for the cross spokes in the back

Sapim Brass polyax nipples

Sapim washers

Velocity Fusion black unmachined rims

among posters on these forums, velocity and mavic seem to be the most popular choices for rims. they each manufacture several quality rims with varying degrees of box sections and v sections. this isn't to say there aren't other choices, ranging from low-end (alex, sun, etc.) to high-end (campy, araya, etc.) but mavic and velocity seem to be overwhelmingly the favorites.

the most popular box section rim seems (in my eyes) to be the mavic open pro, while among v section or "aero" rims, velocity's aerohead, fusion, and deep v are all popular choices, as well as the mavic cxp-22 and cxp-33.

the search function will yield more specific comparisons between these rims, depending on which you are seeking to compare. first decide which factors are most important to you (price, durability, weight, whether it comes in a color that will match your completely pink and black bike) then see how they match up with the available options.

here are some links to get you started:

http://www.velocityusa.com/default.asp?contentID=580
http://www.mavic.com/ewb_pages/p/piste.php
http://www.nashbar.com/results.cfm?category=113&subcategory=1128&storetype=&init=y&pagename=
http://businesscycles.com/trwheel.htm

I have ridden on both Mavic CXP 22 and CXP 33 and both have held up very well. I would purchase either set of of these rims again.

it depends what you want. get a v rim for strength and stiffness, or a box rim for lightness, acceleration and deceleration. I just replaced a light, boxy wheel with a v-section rim. It is noticably more sluggish, but I don't mind, as I was after durability.

I have ridden on both Mavic CXP 22 and CXP 33 and both have held up very well. I would purchase either set of of these rims again.

I have actually considered these two rims for my new BFSSFG IRO build.

I have a great wheeset for my coming frame that are right now on my SS.

But I have checked them both out at the shop and they both look great.

I think I will go fo the CXP 33. Laced up to some Formula hubs. Thats a real decent wheelset.

aeroheads are nice.

I think I will go fo the CXP 33. Laced up to some Formula hubs. Thats a real decent wheelset.

Good call. You will not be disappointed. I have my CXP22 laced to Formulas. They make a great set of beater wheels for city riding. Not too blingy either to attract the attention of people with sticky fingers.

The cxp22/formula sets from the guy in miami are so cheap that it's almost not worth getting anything else in the low-medium range unless you already have rims or hubs. I have seen two sets so far, they were both supremely well-built.

The cxp22/formula sets from the guy in miami are so cheap that it's almost not worth getting anything else in the low-medium range unless you already have rims or hubs. I have seen two sets so far, they were both supremely well-built.

Who is the guy in Miami?

It really depends on the grade of hub and spokes you're going to lace them to.

What kind of hubs are you getting?

Who is the guy in Miami?


Bicyclewheels.com, they sell them via ebay also but it's not any cheaper. Formula 32h to cxp22's for $155 shipped. They've added some sun and weinman options for a little more and less $, some stuff in black but no other colors. The sets I've seen were hand built, spoke prepped, VERY even tension and very minimal windup. One friend has about 1000 mi on them with no issues. Only fixed/free as far as I know, 120 spaced but they have the long axles on the rear so you can do whatever with them. I'm a big fan of these guys, when my road wheels go I'm probably going to get their 105/open pro set that's $210 shipped.

Oh right, that guy... he doesn't ship to Canada, sadly. I'm looking for a cheap rear flip-flop with enough axle to space out to 130mm.

m.

mavic open pros or cxp 33

mavic open pros or cxp 33

two very different rims. open pro for lightness, cxp33 for strength.

what happend to the Deep V's I saw on the original build?

I ride a Pake and deep v's work fine. Durable, aero and cool as f**k.

open pro for light weight and cxp 33 for durability and strength

If we were to compare the open pro light weights to velocity rims such as the aero or aerohead which are also supposed to be lighter, would the open pro still be lighter? and how durable is the open pro since they're so light

as far as the cxp 33 - what's the difference from cxp 22's and as far as the durability goes, how is it compared to the deep v's?

as far as the cxp 33 - what's the difference from cxp 22's and as far as the durability goes, how is it compared to the deep v's?

My two cents. CXP-33 are lighter than Deep Vs but almost as strong. Deep Vs look better and are available in a range of colours. (CXP-33s can be found in black, silver and maybe, just maybe if you're very lucky red).

CXP-22 aren't as profiled as the 33's and they weigh more. They're a little more of a budget rim than the 33's.

Velocity Fusion are supposed to be between the DeepV and the Aerohead. Something to think about.

I have the Aerohead, and they are great!

While we're kicking around a lot of very different rims, how big are you, what's the frame, and what are the riding conditions?

160 lbs - riding conditions are fine - frame = 57cm

i'm assuming the velocity fusion is just lighter than the deep v's but still strong

lets see...

aeroheads should go ~ 1.9lb for 2 rims.
fusions~2.1 or 2.2ish pounds.
deep v's~ 2.5-2.6ish pounds.

I've got my eye on Aeroheads and Fusions myself, I need to get a wheelset soon when money becomes available.

if it helps in the discussion of fusions, they are a pretty deep profile... i believe they have a larger v section than cxp-22's, but not as large as cxp-33's. i have a friend riding them, and after being properly trued and tensioned, they have been incredibly resistant to the beating he gives them each day.

160lbs you should be able to ride uncooked spaghetti laced to a soggy donut and be fine.

if it helps in the discussion of fusions, they are a pretty deep profile... i believe they have a larger v section than cxp-22's, but not as large as cxp-33's. i have a friend riding them, and after being properly trued and tensioned, they have been incredibly resistant to the beating he gives them each day.

that's good to hear, i've been considering them because i think deep v's are overkill, but i had my heart on some aeroheads from ben's cyclery too.

does anyone know how tough the aeroheads are? do they stand up to curb drops (not that i'm one to really drop curbs, but for those rare cases) and potholes? obviously they won't be anything near deep v's but i'd hope they're pretty as it is?

i weigh about 160 too.

160lbs you should be able to ride uncooked spaghetti laced to a soggy donut and be fine.

+2
hahahahaahahaha:D

that's good to hear, i've been considering them because i think deep v's are overkill, but i had my heart on some aeroheads from ben's cyclery too.

does anyone know how tough the aeroheads are? do they stand up to curb drops (not that i'm one to really drop curbs, but for those rare cases) and potholes? obviously they won't be anything near deep v's but i'd hope they're pretty as it is?

i weigh about 160 too.

I weigh 190 and I use aeroheads. A couple of weeks ago, trying to avoid hitting an IPod head, I ran off the curb. Screamed. Got off and checked... all was fine... still today, they are still nice and true.

I really like them.

Holy cow! 4 pages and Mike Garcia's name never came up. Every wheel thread on the Roadie forum mentions him for his great prices, service and wheelbuilding prowess. Hmm, he doesn't mention ss/fg hubs on his site but I'd be surprised if he doesn't do them, too.

www.oddsandendos.com

Holy cow! 4 pages ...

www.oddsandendos.com


Page 2 of 2

What 4 pages?

I second the recommendation for oddsandendos. The tension in my roadie wheels is unbelievable.

As far as rims go, DT Swiss is currently producing (arguably) the best road rims at the moment. Look for the RR1.1 and the 1.2 for the deep profile. They are welded at the joint and then machined. Very high quality.
Velocity joins their hoops with a pin, which always bothers me. But then I ride with brakes, so you always notice that spot where the rim is joined.
Mavic does the same weld/machine that DT does, so it may be apples to apples there.

This is the kind of thing that can be and has been debated ad nauseum, but there are good arguments for pinning and against welding. Short version: Joints aren't subject to as much abuse as you might think because of the stability provided by the spokes, so it may be better to just pin it rather than do nasty things to them with heat. You can read more elsewhere, but the point is that it's not really the best feature on which to choose a rim.

Also, speaking generally about choosing rims, other that weight and aero issues (which go hand in hand since deep V's are always on the table around here), if you're not racing at a pretty high level, you could pretty much pick any rim on the market and be happy from now until forever and never really even have to think about them. There are a crapton of A to A+ rims out there, and to find something that anyone could sensibly say deserves less than a B+ you'd have to cut it out of a walmart bike.

can anyone compare dt swiss rims to mavic and velocitys?

If Mike is that good, maybe we can check him out and do a group Purchase!!!! :D

can anyone compare dt swiss rims to mavic and velocitys?

Warning: huge ******* generalization ahead

DT cost a little more and might be worth it if you really, really need the performance. I personally think velocity are a better value than mavic, others will disagree.

Warning: huge ******* generalization ahead

(I don't know how to do the ROTFL smiley but if I did, that's what you would see here)

I personally think velocity are a better value than mavic, others will disagree.

I will strongly disagree. Velocity's offer only two things: colors and the offset rear one of those is useless with and ss/fg hub.

As I have said before if we compare velocities to the mavic rim that it closest to them in price every single aspect of the velocity will be of poorer quality.

they do come in colors though which will outweigh anything I can say about quality in many peoples minds.

How do you think they're poorer quality besides not having eyelets and being pinned instead of welded? I personally prefer pinning (see above) and don't really think eyelets are worth the weight.

Also, price point comparison is kind of weird anyway, the velocity flagship is the aerohead at $48 or so, whereas open pros are $60 and open sports are $30. Not that $24 wouldn't be utterly worth it for a better wheelset, but you see my point.

I really don't care about finish or color, FWIW.

How do you think they're poorer quality besides not having eyelets and being pinned instead of welded? I personally prefer pinning (see above) and don't really think eyelets are worth the weight.

Also, price point comparison is kind of weird anyway, the velocity flagship is the aerohead at $48 or so, whereas open pros are $60 and open sports are $30. Not that $24 wouldn't be utterly worth it for a better wheelset, but you see my point.

I really don't care about finish or color, FWIW.


The aerohead is more in line with the opensport in terms of quality, yet far more expensive.

Yes eyelets, and welded joints are big things but the quality of the aerohead extrusion is dubious and the alloy itself isn't as good as mavics.

The aerohead is more in line with the opensport in terms of quality, yet far more expensive.

Yes eyelets, and welded joints are big things but the quality of the aerohead extrusion is dubious and the alloy itself isn't as good as mavics.

so mavics are better........? bc it's built with better quality

aerohead more in line with open sport..???

Yes, Dutret thinks the aerohead is comparable to the open sport. I mean, we're kind of doing apples and oranges here anyway, the open series are eyeletted box rims, a better comparison to the aerohead might be the CXP22 (or the 33, which is eyeletted). I don't personally know enough metallurgy to say anything about the alloys, there has been past kvetching about some of the velocity extrusions but I really think they're making good stuff these days. We hacked one up at the shop last month and looking inside I didn't see any pitting or noticeable uneven wall thickness (checked with calipers).

As for what you should get, again, unless you want to talk weight there isn't really a bad choice out there, you can think about this as much as you want now but as soon as you start riding them you will probably never notice the rims until they're shot. Wheel build quality is way more important, and I've already shilled for the bicyclewheels.com guys on that point.

DT's can be had for under $60. They are eq. to Open Pro's in design.
I still believe both are superior to Velocity, PERIOD.

DT Swiss rims seem to be about as good as Mavic (RR1.1 = Open Pro; RR1.2 = CXP33) and around the same price. I can't notice a difference between the two in terms of quality. However, DT Swiss rims come in a wider variety of hole options, so if you want 28 spoke (or fewer) wheels, you'd have to get DT Swiss.

Never ridden Velocity rims. I'm sure you wouldn't feel ripped off if you got them, though.

When you can get Open Sports for $20 (http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&brand=1317&sku=19380&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=Shop%20by%20Brand%3A%20Mavic%20Inc%2E), why even debate the various Velocity rims?

For what it's worth, I've had the same CXP12s running for about 3 years now, true as the day the wheels were built, and I'd wager to say that any of the CXP#s are just as sturdy. CXP12s, 33s, and 30s all have aero profiles, each with a deeper profile 12-30 respectively. And the cxp12s come unmachined and are relatively cheap when they pop up on ebay every once in a while. I think I paid $30 for the pair. What's the point? Paying $60 for a rim, when you don't even really know what you want and you have to resort to asking people on the internet to decide for you is stupid. At 160lbs, you don't need the supposed strength of a deep v, and they're ugly and heavy anyways. There are better, more reputable rim makers out there -- Mavic, DT Swiss being the ones already mentioned, others, including Sun and even Alex, make good enough rims for what you'll probably need. You can even buy an Open Sport or MA3, peel off the stickers, and from far away, tell people you have Open Pros.

So contrary to my previous posts, I did not pay for a low flange hub. I paid a 165 for a double fixed high flange phil wood. Apparently the shop forgot to add a percentage for them to make money. Thats just a guess though.

I just picked up the wheel tonight and I am ****ing excited.