Cyclocross - wheel durability. low spoke count. radially laced, straight gauge spokes?

I'm getting ready to buy a new wheelset and I wanted to get some feedback.

I'm thinking about cane creek volos ss's, some campy stuff, or maybe ultegra laced to velocitys.

Does anyone ride lower spoke count wheels (24 or less)
radially laced fronts
or straight gauged spokes (I'm considering a pair of cane creek Volos SS's)

This would be a race wheelset so I'm looking for somethng that can handle hard riding (not just road stuff)

anyone riding something they really like or really dislike?

My LeMond came with Bontrager Select wheels. 20 spokes, radially laced front, 24, radial non-drive/2x drive rear.

I've beaten them in a full season of cyclocross racing and taken them off road on the same trails that I ride my MTB. The rear developed a tiny wobble that was quickly dealt with.

I'm getting ready to buy a new wheelset and I wanted to get some feedback.

I'm thinking about cane creek volos ss's, some campy stuff, or maybe ultegra laced to velocitys.

Does anyone ride lower spoke count wheels (24 or less)
radially laced fronts
or straight gauged spokes (I'm considering a pair of cane creek Volos SS's)

This would be a race wheelset so I'm looking for somethng that can handle hard riding (not just road stuff)

anyone riding something they really like or really dislike?


I personally am a big fan of velocity deep V's. I bought a set of velocity deep V's with the velocity hub and double butted spokes. They arent the lightest wheels ever, but they are very very strong and can be built for a very reasonable price. For my road bike I have a dep V in back and an aerohead up front, and I even rode that setup on my cross bike. But I crashed on an aerohead rim this past week riding cross. Rode right into a pot whole wheel was taco'ed. But the deep V was the smallest bit off. (the aeroheads are still very very strong but any wheel would have been greatly affected by how hard I hit the pot hole. So if you want to spend at most 350 dollars on a set of strong wheels thats my opinion.

Man I sound like a velocity shill haha, but thats what happens when you are a devoted fan I guess :D

personally I think the whole low-spoke count wheel-system thing is the worst hoax ever foisted on the cycling community. If you don't pay for your wheels (ie sposored racer with support) I suppose its ok but I tried Kyseriums and Reynolds for a couple seasons and it just doesn't make sense, there is no substantial weight advantage, the aero advantages are questionable unless you are TTing and they are less durable than a conventional laced wheelset that will likely cost less money (particularly if you learn how to build them yourself). Its been discussed in BF at length, particularly in the road forums, deep dish CF aero rims are the required fashion statement at the moment and the price of admission to the club is high. CX elite riders are almost all on the same big profile wheels as the roadies but it doesn't mean mortals need them. I'm beginning to hoard wheel components because my theory is that they won't be available in another 3 or 4 years.

Your weight would be very important to know in relation to any recommendation. although beej has had excellent results with Bontrager Select wheels, I went through 2 rear rims in less than 6 months and I was riding exclusively on the road. of course I am also 6' 6" and weigh 260 pounds. YMMV. I have much better results with traditionally built rims. Even so I still pulled the spokes out of a 36 spoke Ultegra hubbed/Open Pro rim rear wheel But at least it lasted a year and Mavic replaced the rim and my LBS rebuilt it for me.

AC Hurricanes. I'm 240 and ride them on the rough streets of Montreal on my CX. No problems with about 3500km on them.

Your weight should be a consideration. You certainly don't want to use low-spoke count wheels for psychocross if you have a "downhill-specific" body build. Consider that at some point your wheels will have to be trued and perhaps repaired as traditional wheels tend to be cheaper to repair.

Hi - I apologize for the thread-jack, but I thought I'd mention that regarding "hard riding" - I rode head-on into a 16" curb two weeks ago on a set of Mavic OP w/ Ultegra hubs (32 spoke, I believe). I drove the front wheel back about 4" or so, past the down tube. Totaled my Nova, that frame is kaput. The force of the wreck popped the back wheel out of the dropouts; there is a wobble in the front wheel that I think can be trued out and the carbon fork is still in one piece...

So, I'm pretty much sold on the OP/Ultegra combo from here on out. FWIW I weigh about 195 lbs.

BDS

How much do you weigh and what kind of riding do you want to do? These must be answered first. Buy a good set of 3X 32h wheels to ride and a low count redially laced set to hang on the wall with your bike when you aren't riding.

I weight 175. This would be a race wheelset. I already have a set of 32 spoked 105/cxp 22's. I was thinking about getting another wheelset. If given the choice I would probably go with someting 32 spoked with a better hub and nicer rim. I'm too lazy to build them myself or have them built so my options are what I can get through QBP or J&B. Those options happen to be lower spoked wheels.

I weight 175. This would be a race wheelset. I already have a set of 32 spoked 105/cxp 22's. I was thinking about getting another wheelset. If given the choice I would probably go with someting 32 spoked with a better hub and nicer rim. I'm too lazy to build them myself or have them built so my options are what I can get through QBP or J&B. Those options happen to be lower spoked wheels.You sure you can't get ultegra/open pro (32 spokes) wheelset through either of these places? I see them all over the place.