Where to buy custom wheels

[Duff Man]

Hi,

I'm looking to get some new wheels. I want Deep-V's(32F/32R), DT240s, and CX-rays(??). The only thing am unsure about is the cx-rays so I would be open to recommendations here.

I'd like a great build at a competitive price with good service and turn around time so let me know who I should look into that carries all these brands.


Thanks,

Chris S

[bdinger]

Check your LBS? Make sure to talk to the guy who does the wheelbuilding, most every shop has a "wheel guy". You will know when you find a good one.

[CliftonGK1]

Deep V's and DT240's are pretty easy to find anywhere. The Sapim CX-Ray spokes, maybe not so much... but they are a QBP item so your LBS should be able to order them.

My thoughts on the Sapim CX-Ray:
- 274g per 64 count.
- Polyax (?) alloy nipples
- 2.0mm end profiles
- $50 - $60 per 20

Well, I'm not a big fan of alloy spoke nipples; but if you're building a 32h rim you can leave a little lower tension than if you were building a 24/20 set, so the chance of stripping one out or pulling one through is less likely. Still, for the minisule weight difference you may want to consider standard brass nipples. Moving on, the profile on the Sapim CX-Ray is identical to a couple other manufacturer's aero-blade spokes. 2.0 head/thread with a 0.9 bladed center section. I'm not sure what Sapim's metallurgic process is that they claim more strength than any other spoke on the market (direct from their website), but it sure sounds good for marketing. :)
They're expensive, but most ultralight bladed spokes are. They're not out of the routine price range for comparable items.
At 32h front/rear, I wouldn't be worried about any of the issues that plague low count bladed wheels, like differential cross patterns and drive-side weakness at the spoke heads. (I'm assuming you're going with a 3 cross lacing in the rear.)

I think it sounds like you'll end up with a really kick-butt pair of light, strong wheels with the setup you've chosen.
If your shop can't get Sapim spokes, consider DT Swiss Aerolites. Approximately the same price, and identical profile.

[cohophysh]

universalcycles.com...they have a wheelbuilding program that you can select your components

[c_m_shooter]

Pro Wheel builder has a pretty good selection of pre-built wheels, or you can select your own components and they build them for you.

[superslomo]

I went to a store near where I work that does a lot of higher end sales, had the hub and rim, and they did up the build/lacing/spokes/nipples for about 35 for the rear wheel I needed. Can't say a bad word about it, and I was surprised that it was as cheap as it came out to be.

Not sure where you live, but you might want to look into picking out parts and bringing them in somewhere locally to get built.

I think www.excelsports.com has a pretty detailed set of "pick your own" parts for wheelbuilding as well.

[Duff Man]

Thanks for the help so far guys. I have a couple pretty good LBS's near me; however, I would like to skip them in this instance. Both have to order the parts, then find time for assembly, etc. etc. I was hoping to get my hands on them a bit quicker and from someone who builds wheels regularly.

I've seen prowheelbuilder, speedgoat and a couple others, but I don't know if they are good places to deal with so I was looking for recommendations on a standup company or person to deal with.

Thanks,

Chris S