Road Cycling - new wheelset for me

i'm in the market for a new wheelset and i'd like to get some opinions.
i've tipped the scales at 165-180 this past year, and i am looking for a
good set of training wheels. i'd like them to be reasonably light,
affordable (~$200-350), and be able to withstand many miles (150 to
400 miles per week depending on the season).

presently, i am thinking about custom-built wheels with ultegra hubs
matched to Mavic CXP-33 or Mavic OpenPro rims and 28/32 or
32/36 spoke counts.

any thoughts?

thanks in advance,
-astrocub

Either one should be fine. I'd just stick with 32h cross three though. I have to admit I got CXPs just coz I like the look of deeper dish wheels, but the Open Pros are certainly a good choice.

How well they withstand your training schedule depends mostly on whether your wheelbuilder knows what they're doing, so pick a good one. Can't stress that enough.

have you tried using the search feature of bikeforums.net, you will find so many threads about wheels you wont even know what hit you.

have you tried using the search feature of bikeforums.net, you will find so many threads about wheels you wont even know what hit you.


hey, i'm not an idiot; i know about the search function. i really enjoy this
forum....it is just difficult to sift through all of the material sometimes,
especiallly since many threads diverge or have subjects that poorly relay
the content.

No need to spend so much on training wheels. Here is a set for $12.99.

Custom all the way. Open Pros have served me well since I got my bike in October. Find a good wheelbuilder and get yourself a set that's been tied and sauldered. They'll be bombproof.

Just wondering, how do you find/identify a good wheelbuilder? Is it best to go on the recommendations of other riders, or are there wheelbuilders who are generally regarded as good?

Steve Gravenites has opened a shop right here in little old San Anselmo and builds a mean wheel.

He has built wheels for a lot of names you will recognize, you can see his site here:

http://www.gravywheels.net/index.htm

They are good folks and he is a good wheelbuilder, check out the site.

Whit

Just a silly thought, why not consider Torelli Master Series rims? Their $20 cheaper per rim than the Open Pros and weigh the same plus their the rim is used by a lot of Euro pros as their training wheels. You could lace these up with DT Competition spokes and go with a 32 spoke rim. You could use alloy nipples if weight is a concern for you, but brass is more durable. And then lace them 3x for strength as well.

presently, i am thinking about custom-built wheels with ultegra hubs
matched to Mavic CXP-33 or Mavic OpenPro rims and 28/32 or
32/36 spoke counts.


32-spoke Open Pro, hand built... end of thread.

I took 10 years off the bike and along the way my weight shot up to 235.

With the intent of racing again I dusted off the old mount with this exact wheel combination. It's now 12 months later, most of the weight is off and other than two *very* minor truings I have not had so much as a squeak out of the wheels.

32-spoke Open Pro, hand built... end of thread.

I took 10 years off the bike and along the way my weight shot up to 235.

With the intent of racing again I dusted off the old mount with this exact wheel combination. It's now 12 months later, most of the weight is off and other than two *very* minor truings I have not had so much as a squeak out of the wheels.

i hope that your right. i ordered my wheels this morning. i went with
exactly what you stated 32-spoke Open Pros, laced 3x to ultegra hubs
with 14/15 tapered spokes and alloy nipples.

i hope that your right. i ordered my wheels this morning. i went with
exactly what you stated 32-spoke Open Pros, laced 3x to ultegra hubs
with 14/15 tapered spokes and alloy nipples.

Even at 180lbs you should be fine but if I were you I'd have a few spare alloy nipples in the tool box. At my porkiest I snapped a few of those on my MTB. I used brass on the road bike just because that's what I had handy at the time.

You know, the only time I've broken spokes on a road wheel that I built was a 28H rear that I built for road racing. Fairly light rim and it just didn't hold up when I used it in a crit. The funny thing was I was hurting so bad in the pack I was wishing for a puncture then I heard TWANG... THWAP, THWAP, THWAP Ahhh... music to my ears.

hey, i'm not an idiot; i know about the search function. i really enjoy this
forum....it is just difficult to sift through all of the material sometimes,
especiallly since many threads diverge or have subjects that poorly relay
the content.
Who called you an idiot.