Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - light-weight wheelsets

so i need to reduce some weight off my bike, mainly in the rear. the heaviest thing on my bike right now is the wheelsets (vuelta zerolte). the weight of the frame isn't a big deal. i just need lighter wheels and "super deep v's" are a little distasteful for me, personally. even my zerolites looked more decent w/o the stickers. (are super deeps even significantly lightweight?) i will probably keep the front zerolite because i need the msw for the brake.

any recommendations on a lightweight wheel set, preferably under $300? (unless they are absolutely worth it!)

thanks everyone.:thumb:

Aerospokes

aerospokes are wonderful, and i've considered them. but it's a calling card for bike thieves. doesn't really deter me from buying one though.

edit: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=280517 - people seem to be saying that aerospokes are actually quite heavy if not equal in weight to traditionally spoked wheels.

lace just about any hub you want to some Mavic Open Pros and you'll be set. :thumb:

Aeroheads to surlys

aerospokes are wonderful, and i've considered them. but it's a calling card for bike thieves. doesn't really deter me from buying one though.

edit: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=280517 - people seem to be saying that aerospokes are actually quite heavy if not equal in weight to traditionally spoked wheels.

He was joking.

$180 over your budget gets you a pair of Soul S2.0 (1330g).

http://www.bikesoul.com/2009/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2&Itemid=10

how about these......http://www.bdopcycling.com/Wheels-FGSS.asp#FORCE

1741 gms is about as good as its going to get for that price ($200).


You could get down to 1350-1550 gms by building a custom wheelset, but its probably going to cost you a bit more than $300. You could probably do it for less than $400. To get the lightest wheelset for your money, you would need a pair of Kinlin rims (19, 27, or 30mm depths to choose from), some strongly double butted spokes (2.0-1.5-2.0, or 18-1.5-1.8) (Wheelsmith, DT, or Sapim all make spokes like this), a front road hub (with a bolt-on skewer if you ride track), and the rear track hub of your choice. Unless you weigh a ton, put 20-24 spokes in the front (1x) and 24-28 (2x) in the rear. The deeper rims will make for a stronger wheel, and are more aero. They also allow you to use fewer spokes, which increases aerodynamics, but the consequence is slightly more weight.


Also what tires are you riding.....you might be able to loose a good bit of weight where it counts the most by using a lighter tire.

Also what tires are you riding.....you might be able to loose a good bit of weight where it counts the most by using a lighter tire.

I like the Fyxation tires on my Hour, but they weigh 2x what I have on my Wabi Classic.

czar cst comp in the rear, generic in the front for now.

those novatec's seem great. not a big deal, but it'd look better if that writing could be removed. i really liked the S2.0's as well, too bad they don't have an option for track hubs.

thanks for all the great replies so far! and yeah, i guess the aerojoke's on me :)

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?539905-homebuilt-affordable-lightish-wheelset&highlight

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?561075-Lightweight-track-wheelset-finally-done%21&highlight

24h XR-270, DT comp 2.0/1.8mm DB spokes, brass nipples and novatech road hub. Front wheel landed in at 701g for me with no skewer and no rim tape.

total cost is around $110 including the price of shipping for the parts. I built it myself, so you can add around $40~60 to have it built up.