Road Cycling - More Wheels For Clydesdales

My LBS recently changed hands and also has a new head wrench, who is also a master wheel builder. I was talking to him about wheels for me, 6'3", 240lbs. I asked about Mavic CXP33's and he said they were good, but he though Open Pros were just as good. He recommended 36 hole, four-cross in the rear, and 32 hold, three cross in the front. He told me he had built a pair of these for a Clyde that runs 300+lbs, and they are now 5 years and almost 10,000 miles old and still going strong.

Sounds like a good deal...unless he was blowing smoke. But I don't think so.

Seriously, that is one over-engineered wheel! I'd feel very confident about that wheelset's chance of surviving a small nuclear accident.

Seriously, that is one over-engineered wheel! I'd feel very confident about that wheelset's chance of surviving a small nuclear accident.

Well, the previous head wrench nicknamed me "The Spokinator." Perhaps I need a nuke-proof set.

I'm just 10lbs heavier than you at the same height and I've had fabulous success with Cane Creek Arrowhead wheels. I raced them all last year and I never knocked them out of true and never had a single problem. My new ride has Ksyrium SSC SL wheels on it, but they scare me. I kept the CCs for training and such, but those Mavic's scare me.

I'm just 10lbs heavier than you at the same height and I've had fabulous success with Cane Creek Arrowhead wheels. I raced them all last year and I never knocked them out of true and never had a single problem. My new ride has Ksyrium SSC SL wheels on it, but they scare me. I kept the CCs for training and such, but those Mavic's scare me.

I am getting a Lemond Zurich with Bontrager Race wheels. Like you and the Ksyriums scare you, the Bongrager's scare me, but my LBS assured me the Race is a very strong wheel, and the Kysrium is supposed to be better, if not stronger.

Time will tell.

They are light and beautiful, but the last thing I want to do is destroy a $900 set of wheels.

My LBS recently changed hands and also has a new head wrench, who is also a master wheel builder. I was talking to him about wheels for me, 6'3", 240lbs. I asked about Mavic CXP33's and he said they were good, but he though Open Pros were just as good. He recommended 36 hole, four-cross in the rear, and 32 hold, three cross in the front. He told me he had built a pair of these for a Clyde that runs 300+lbs, and they are now 5 years and almost 10,000 miles old and still going strong.

Sounds like a good deal...unless he was blowing smoke. But I don't think so.

I am 6'2" and run about 265. I had a very good wheel builder make a rear wheel for me that was 36 hole and four-cross. It did not hold up very well. After 500 miles, I had spokes breaking or coming loose just about every week. I eventually got tired of spending so much time in the bike shop on the weekends, so I went to another wheel builder and he basically told me the four cross is just not the way to go for a Clydesdale. I forget the long explanation he gave me. He built me a wheelset that is 36 hole and 3 cross for both front and rear wheels. They are approaching 10K miles and I have only had one broken spoke and one other adjustment. I take them back in every 2 or 3K miles to have them check them over and so far they've been true and looking good at every check up. I believe the rims he used were Velocity rims. If you search on my posts, you'll see where I talked about this in more detail.

If I were to go with pre-built wheels, I'd probably look at some Cane Creek wheels or the Mavic Krysiums (sp?).

I'd rethink getting a 4 cross wheel, or at least ask him about it.

I am 6'-3", 230 lbs. The guys at Colorado Cyclist built me a wheel set using Mavic CPX 33's, 36 spoke (3 cross) with King hubs. I have over 5000 miles of not so smooth training miles on this wheel set, and have had not one single problem. In fact I took the wheels in last week just to be checked for true, ans spoke tension, and the shop was shocked that the wheels needed no tweaking at all.

For riding in the "real world" these wheels are hard to beat. Particularly when you consider that they cost me less than $450.

Hi,
I weigh 260, andI have CXP 33's with 32 spokes. I have ridden 1K on them so far. They only time they needed anything was after I hit a pothole doing something over 40. The hole was in shadow, so I just slammed into it. The rear wheel got slightly out of true. They have a rough ride. This doesn't bother a lot of guys, but I am looking at other wheelsets. My LBS says that Aerohead has a smoother ride that the CXP33. I have never tried that wheel. I am thinking about putting some wheels together with MA3's, 32 spokes up front, and 36 in the rear.

My girl got me a set of Mavic Cosmic Elites, they are discontinued, so you can get them cheap. $280 a pair @ performance, and yes I tried my LBS first, but they said they couldn't get them anymore.

20 bladed spokes front and rear, but with a real sturdy rim. I weigh in at about 210 now, and Im impressed with them so far. I got them for christmas, so I only have about 500 miles on them. We have a fair amount of railroad tracks here and most are pretty rough.

I expected them to go out of true, but so far they have not.