Cyclocross - Which second wheelset for Tricross Sport?

My 09' Tricross Sport came with an Alex ACE-19 rim/Specialized hub wheelset which I would like to leave equipped with the stock 700x32 tires and 11-34 cassette for offroad for rides with more or steeper hill sections.

For recreational road rides, though, I want to use a 12-25 cassette as I hate wide ratios on the road and I want to keep some 700x28-32 road slicks on the bike.

Changing tires and the cassette is becoming annoying chore and I'm willing to pay for the convenience of having those road tires & 12-25 cassette.

I could just put some Open Pros or other road rims on the bike but I want the rim's width to be as close to the Alex ACE-19's as possible, that width being 22.5mm.

Suggestions? The budget will be set at $300.

I see a Specialized Pave wheelset on ebay (http://cgi.ebay.com/2009-Roval-Pave-SL-Wheel-Set-Brand-New_W0QQitemZ120350262107QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCycling_Parts_Accessories?hash=item120350262107&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50) right now. Is their rim external width 22.5? Are they worth $300 as take-offs or $400+ as off-the-shelf?

I've seen others recommend the Salsa Delgado Cross 22.5-width rim but I see them on Bikeman.com bult into wheelsets with a 135mm hub whereas I believe my bike has a 130mm hub.

One other idea is to collect some Delgado Cross rims and build them 32 3x with some Shimano hubs. Problem- either I pay someone to bulid them or they become my first build. Either way, it means weeks of waiting. Probably wouldn't have them together until late January.

Other suggestions for built wheels would be great.

TTT

Roval Pave's? Others?

inline brake adjusters and then dont worry about rim width.

I have the single speed version of the Tricross that uses the same wheelset. First thing on the list to get upgraded are the wheels. Much to wide and heavy. They don't need to be that wide for a 32c tire. I would take that $300 and buy a pair of Mavic's and put a closer ratio cassette on it and use them full time. You may not need the 11/34 gearing if you were spinning a lighter wheel.

My Masi came with Ritchie rims that are very similar to the Alex rims that come on a Tricross. Aksium wheels made a world of difference, I use a 11/27 Ultegra 9 speed cassette. The heavy and wide original wheels will never get mounted to the bike again. I use the Mavic wheels on and off road.

Take this opportunity to upgrade your wheelset, don't spend more money on a wheel set that is just as big and heavy as the originals. You'll feel the difference of a lighter wheel set with every pedal stroke. That's my advise.

Look into American Classic Hurricane's. They might fit the need, and can sometimes be found at a decent price online.

I have them on my CX race bike, and I find the bike suprisingly road worthy, even w/ the maxxis locust tires.

Thanks for your replies.

I'll look into that barrell adjuster today.

Regarding the Aksiums, I can probably find Ksryium Equipes on ebay and stay w/in my budget. Will it be less durable and less advisable for occasional offroad excursions?

Those Pave's are nice. I have the classic version of those wheels and I like them very much. The SL versions are pretty light and bullet proof. I'd buy them if I was looking for a wheelset.

If aksiums work, there's something going on with the british pound or mavic stuff is just cheaper over there, cuz you can get a pair of aksiusm for $180 here:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=23225

Shipping is only $23. The other day the price was $172, dollar must have been up or pound down or something.

I like the heavy duty ACE 19's that come stock on these bikes. They're bomb proof, no worries when I see a bunch of potholes.

The Equipes are a great wheel for what you want to do.

I like the heavy duty ACE 19's that come stock on these bikes. They're bomb proof, no worries when I see a bunch of potholes.

I'm just not too sure about mine. I've gotten some pinging sounds coming out of it when I'm out of saddle on dirt trails- spokes tension-relieving themselves as I ride? As for the rear, it wasn't quite laterally true when I got the bike and when I tried to tension the rear per the instructions that came with my Park Tensionometer, I could either bring the 2-3 out-of-range spokes into range and have a wheel that's laterally very untrue or leave them out of range so that I can have a truer wheel and close my v-brakes a bit more. I believe the rim is just not reconcilable but I'm new at this and might be wrong.

I generally wanted to just ride them since I'm stuck with them- who's going to buy them and what would I get for them?- but even when I replaced the 450g stock tires with 320g 700x28 conti gatorskins, they still wind up pretty slowly and roll with plenty of resistance. I think it's the hub as I have some 32 3x open pro/6600 ultegra wheels/700x25 gatorskins on my road bike and they roll noticealy more smoothly.

Dunno. So tempting to go with the Aksiums/K Equipes since some factory bikes like some Kona Jakes, Cannondale Cross, etc. actually come equipped with such wheels. Either they've made an error in judgement or those wheels really can take a beating.

/novel

The Mavic's feel sooo nice with a light weight 32c tire mounted on them. There has been no error in judgement from the manufacturers.

I bought a set of Nimbus wheels from Excel Sports built with Salsa rims, Ultegra hubs, DT Swiss spokes, and 3X 32 spoke lacing for just under $300. I use the stock wheels for studded snow tires and the Excel wheels for everything else. Just swap and go. They are great wheels for the money.

http://www.excelsports.com/new.asp?page=8&description=Nimbus+Cross+Wheel+Rear&vendorCode=EXCEL&major=8&minor=9

Get the same rims (the Paves). Why mess with the brakes to fit a different set of wheels?