Bicycle Mechanics - Replacing hybrid wheels with road wheels?

I ride a ten year old Dawes Discovery 601 hybrid for commuting, averaging around 90 miles a week commuting in London [edit - for the last few years so aprox 12k miles total]. It does the job fine, but the wheels are worn out (rims worn through and creaky hubs). So the question is, what to replace them with?

The original wheels are hybrids of the following;
Rims: 700c Alesa X Plorer ETRTO 622x19 Alloy Double Wall
Front hub: Shimano Deore HB-M510 (MTB) 100mm spacing
Rear hub: Shimano Deore FH-M510 (MTB) 135mm spacing
700x28c tires

My priorities are;

speed; I only ride on roads and tend to be trying to get places quickly
longevity; it's for commuting so I'd rather they don't wear out too soon
for use with a 9speed SRAM (Shimano compatible) rear cassette.
Total budget of not more than £140 for both wheels. I'd be perfectly happy to spend less for the right product!


I was wondering...

Do I have to use MTB hubs like the original ones, or could I use road wheels instead?
The rear spacing is 135mm, are there any road wheels available at that width?
Which quick, highly puncture resistant tires would you recommend?


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Road specific hubs are all 130 mm OLD so you would either have to respace them to 135 mm, reset your frame or compress the stays evey time you installed the wheel.

Actually, for commuting, 135 mm MTB hubs are better since they build up into a wheel with less dish which is inherently a bit stronger. Also, good quality MTB hubs don't weigh much more than their road counterparts and are better sealed.

You could fit lighter rims which would still take 700x25 or 700x28 tires but as to tires, speed (low weight, high pressure) and longevity tend to be at cross purposes. Good durable commuter tires can't be too light or they would wear out fast and puncture often.

You are going to have problems staying within that budget if you want good hubs, rims and spokes. If your current wheels lasted 10 years, I'd buy some equally good replacements which means Shimano LX hubs at a minimum.

And you can also switch to road tires, while staying with those mtb rims. Check in a LBS for tires. I switched my mtb to slick tires, and they were slimmer and lighter

Frankgt2; they're 700c road rims but I take your point, I do intend fit slimmer tires

HillRider; well it has only been used for regular commuting for about two and a half years. I'd estimate the total mileage is somewhere around 12,000 miles.

Thing is, I've been struggling to find a decent set of replacement hybrid wheels... there doesn't seem to be much to choose from.

Thing is, I've been struggling to find a decent set of replacement hybrid wheels... there doesn't seem to be much to choose from.
Not surprising since hybrids tend to be sold to very casual riders who won't pay for upgraded wheels and don't tend to wear out the OEM wheels either. You may have to have a set of proper wheels built up by a custom builder. I'd use Shimano LX hubs, Mavic CXP-33 rims or equivalents and 32 DT or Wheelsmith 2mm spokes laced 3X. They will probably exceed your budget but should be durable, reasonably light and very strong.

Your Deore hubs could probably be overhauled and the rims replaced for that price, although if the new rim didn't match exactly then new spokes would be needed, making a new wheelset probably the better option.

Since you're in the UK, bike-components.de should have reasonable shipping prices from Germany, and they have a selection of wheels that they label as Trekking, rim brake here (http://www.bike-components.de/index.php?cat=c403_Trekking-Rim-Brak.html&sort=&XTCsid=87d390edfdbe78054959a099be23f2a1&limit=40&filter_id=&order=). This pair (http://www.bike-components.de/products/info/p22382_Deore---Rigida-Snyper---Mach-2-0mm-36-Loch-Laufrad---Laufradsatz.html) are similar to your old ones and only cost 80 euros, but you could get something pricier, which would probably have tougher rims.

HillRider - ok, right. We are looking at;

Shimano LX rear hub £20 http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=18482
Shimano LX front hub £17.50 http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=861

Mavic CPX 33 rims £49.99 x2 http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=17152

spokes £20 x2 (help! No idea what I'm looking at here; http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Categories.aspx?CategoryID=818 )

£25 x2 for my local bike shop to put them together

So about £230 in total (277Euros / $339). Ouch! ;)

Chris_W - cheers for the link! I'll think carefully about those.

I discovered this thread from a search on very much the same topic.

I have a c.1999 Trek 7500 that is in good shape, apart from the wheels which are showing signs of falling apart, the rear in particular is a bit out of shape. I found some good prices on the Shimano WH-R500 wheels, but I'm not sure if these are really suitable for a commuting hybrid bike?

Based on the above information I can see that I'd need to cater for the potential 5mm difference in hub axle width - is there anything else I should worry about before fitting the WH-R500's to the Trek?

Thanks

Jon

MarkN - I looked at the more road oriented WH-R500 as a possible replacement, they are coming in at <£100 for the set from a number of sellers in the UK/Europe.

Jon

Jonnyboy77 - Yeah, I looked at those too but wasn't particularly inspired and as you say, wrong spacing at the back.

There's a lot of decent hybrid wheels out there. But they are calling them 29'er wheels. The rims used on 700c hybrids, road bikes and 29'ers are the same diameter. The set I got takes a nice 28mm road tire.

Other lower priced options than building up those wheels are to get a road bike set and then just swap out the rear axle for an MTB length axle and add or alter the spacer shims to the stack of cones and locknuts to achieve the 135mm spacing with the road rim. If you do this right you can put most of the new space on the non drive side to keep the cassette closer to the dropout. Then tune the spokes to lower the offset in the dishing to recenter the rim. This will give you a more equal tension for the rear wheel. And if you're like many and don't use the smaller two rear cogs often it'll even improve your chain line by doing it this way.

A second low price option would be to just find a set of narrower rims that have the same ERD and just replace your wider rims.

For tires that'll do excellent rough duty I'd like to suggest any of the 25mm tires from Panaracer. They make a TG tires in both the Pasela and T-serv lines with the Pasela TG being a bit lighter for a snappier get away. There's other kevlar belted flat resistant tires but these are the ones I have good experience with. The Pasela TG tires that I commuted on for about 3 years did not receive one flat that I can remember. The later T-serv set I got for a different bike went about 5 years. Again I can't remember gettting a flat with that set other than when my rim tape let me down. Can't really blame THAT on the tire though... :D I like the 25mm size for lightly loaded commuting. The extra couple of mm's give you a little more protection from pinch flatting on potholes or curbs while at the same time providing that slightly smoother ride. I found 25mm to be an excellent compromise between the "dainty" 23mm's that pinch flat too easily and the 28mm size that is even nicer to ride but that is noticably a touch harder to spin back up to speed due to the slightly greater tire and rim widths and weight.

A wheel builder is more than likely going to be cheaper than piecing out the parts yourself and paying the LBS to build them. They've (wheel builders) already got all the parts in stock, and they can get them cheaper than you can even online.

Shouldn't be difficult to find somebody who has mountain hubs and narrow 700c rims in stock.

Other lower priced options than building up those wheels are to get a road bike set and then just swap out the rear axle for an MTB length axle and add or alter the spacer shims to the stack of cones and locknuts to achieve the 135mm spacing with the road rim.
You don't even have to change the axle. A 130 mm OLD hub uses a 141 mm axle and that leaves 5.5 mm sticking out past each locknut. If you add a 5 mm spacer to the non-drive side and recenter the axle you have 3.0 mm protruding from each locknut and that is plenty to position the wheel in the dropouts. You will have to redish (actually undish) the rim a bit to center it in the new OLD spacing.

Well there ya go!

.... grumble, grumble... should'a done the math first.... grumble grumble.... :D

29er wheels should work fine.

I have a c.1999 Trek 7500 that is in good shape, apart from the wheels which are showing signs of falling apart, the rear in particular is a bit out of shape. I found some good prices on the Shimano WH-R500 wheels, but I'm not sure if these are really suitable for a commuting hybrid bike?

Based on the above information I can see that I'd need to cater for the potential 5mm difference in hub axle width - is there anything else I should worry about before fitting the WH-R500's to the Trek?

The R500s are a very basic racing wheel. They won't be as sturdy as something built for commuting, and the maximum recommend tire size on them is probably 28mm or 32mm because the rim is narrower. However, these may still be a decent wheelset for some commuters. See above for ideas of how to handle the rear axle spacing.

A local bike shop near me who build bikes themselves (using aluminum frames from Taiwan) actually has a popular hybrid model that has a stock setup of racing wheels with 130mm rear axles on a hybrid frame with 135mm-spaced dropouts. They don't respace the frame or the axle. So it is possible to do it without making any modifications, but I wouldn't advise it (it makes getting the rear wheel in and out more awkward, makes the rear dropouts not completely vertical when the wheel is in their, and adds extra stress to the chain stays and seat stays).

I've been investigating custom wheel builders and called up a few of them for quotes. The choice basically seems to be between relatively expensive hand-built wheels (over £220) and cheap pre-built 700c hybrid wheels (under £55).

I've just discovered parker-international.co.uk who seem to do a range of hand-built wheels;

Mavic CXP22 Rear Wheel Mavic CXP22 Silver/32hl/Shimano Tiagra 4500 9sp REAR/DT DBB 58.14
Mavic CXP22 Front Wheel Mavic CXP22 Silver/32hl/Shimano Tiagra 4500 FRONT/DT DB £53.39
Postage (approx - for UK): £3.95
Total: £115.48

Which is pretty much spot on my price range.

Is there anything majorly wrong with this option?

..I've just discovered parker-international.co.uk who seem to do a range of hand-built wheels;

Mavic CXP22 Rear Wheel Mavic CXP22 Silver/32hl/Shimano Tiagra 4500 9sp REAR/DT DBB 58.14
Mavic CXP22 Front Wheel Mavic CXP22 Silver/32hl/Shimano Tiagra 4500 FRONT/DT DB £53.39
Postage (approx - for UK): £3.95
Total: £115.48

Tiagra is supposedly road (130 mm) standard. Not an insurmountable problem, but something you'd have to deal with. If they really are hand built to order I'd suggest you ask to have the rear substituded with a LX instead. It would make it a direct fit and save you some bodging.

We've been mostly discussing wheel options and sources but, if I may, I'd like to return to one of your statements in the OP:


My priorities are;

•speed; I only ride on roads and tend to be trying to get places quickly.

If you think a new set of wheels is going to magically make you faster or you are in for a fairly expensive disappointment. Your old wheels may indeed be worn out and in need of replacement but they weren't an impediment to speed, your bike is. A hybrid pretty much forces an upright riding position and rider aerodynamics are by far the major cause of drag for any bike. A different bike with drop bars and a more aero riding position will do more for your speed than the most exotic wheels you can buy.

dabac - ooh whoops, thanks for the reminder - I did email them about LXs hubs (not an option on the website) and they said they'd do it for £150/ €180/$222 which is the best price I've seen by far.

Hillrider - I hear you, I'm not expecting it to magically make me able to pass the guys going round the park, hunched over their ultra light-weight weekend-special racing bikes. That said, I did notice a significant difference when switching from the original 32mm tyres to 28mm tyres. I'm assuming 25mm or 23mm tyres on lighter wheels would make a bit of a difference again, wouldn't they?

I ride every day and want to make the most of the time time spent doing it. But I like my old bike - it looks great and works fine, besides the worn out wheels, and I can't afford a new bike anyway. So yeah, I suppose I could go for the cheepy generic hybrid wheels, and might end up doing that. For the price I could just make do with replacing them more often.

Just wanted to consider something that might add to the thrills of the daily commute (as it were ;) )

If the 32 mm tires you replaced had a heavy tread or even small knobs and you replaced them with lighter, smooth 28 mm tires, you certainly would notice a difference. Replacing smooth 28 mm tires with 25 or 23 mm tires will probably not make a great difference. Lighter tires and wheels are indeed an advantage but they aren't magic.

Just to be clear, you're saying there's not much point going for custom wheels on my bike because I won't notice a significant difference from cheep generic hybrid wheels which cost 1/3rd (or less) the price?

I mean, there's not much I can say to that (except thanks for the warning!), If that's absolutely true then you're completely right, it would be foolish to bother with custom wheels on my bike.

I can keep up with lighter road bikes on my all steel cross bike with 35mm tires.
I think the key, as mentioned, is your body position, along with quality of tires.

Panaracer Pasela, for instance, is a really good, low rolling resistance, semi-slick tire.
narrower tires cut through wind better, but fatter tires have less rolling resistance, because they deform to the road surface much better than narrow tires.

and since aerodynamic drag is about 70~80% of the resistance holding you back, a position that will get your back flat, through the use of bar ends, longer and lower stem or different bars is the best improvement.

If your bike has wide fenders, ditch them, since they act like a bucket and add a lot of drag.

Just to be clear, you're saying there's not much point going for custom wheels on my bike because I won't notice a significant difference from cheep generic hybrid wheels which cost 1/3rd (or less) the price?

I mean, there's not much I can say to that (except thanks for the warning!), If that's absolutely true then you're completely right, it would be foolish to bother with custom wheels on my bike.
Well, I didn't say high quality wheels won't have advantages. They will be truer, stronger, more reliable and, yes, lighter than poorly made generics. However, my point is don't expect a miraculous improvement in your speed.

AEO reiterated my point that aerodynamics are the single most important factor in bike speed and an aerodynamically poor rider position will trump every other mechanical item you can buy.

I've been investigating custom wheel builders and called up a few of them for quotes. The choice basically seems to be between relatively expensive hand-built wheels (over £220) and cheap pre-built 700c hybrid wheels (under £55).

I've just discovered parker-international.co.uk who seem to do a range of hand-built wheels;

Mavic CXP22 Rear Wheel Mavic CXP22 Silver/32hl/Shimano Tiagra 4500 9sp REAR/DT DBB 58.14
Mavic CXP22 Front Wheel Mavic CXP22 Silver/32hl/Shimano Tiagra 4500 FRONT/DT DB £53.39
Postage (approx - for UK): £3.95
Total: £115.48

Which is pretty much spot on my price range.

Is there anything majorly wrong with this option?

CXP22 is a good rim if there is no gap at the pinned joint. Should last a very long time if properly built. Look for 36 h hub for best reliability.

Hillrider - I do see. To be fair, I genuinely wasn't imagining that these things would transform the bike into something amazingly quick. I just liked the idea of better quality wheels and, given that I do push myself when I cycle, I thought I might notice the difference of thinner tyres. But yeah, I get that there are plenty of other considerations that would make more of a difference to speed including the ones mentioned above, but also the fact that I quite often carry pannier bags which more than off-set the gains from better wheels, and the state of the roads which are in such poor condition that I doubt I could tell a 'true' wheel from a square one for all the difference it would make to the ride!

Perhaps another option would be to for the custom wheels for the sake of the build quality, but to keep my existing 28mm tyres. Then, as and when I fancy it, I could have a go with some narrower tyres to see what's what.

furballi - Ok, thanks for the tip! :)

Well, you've all helped me gain a clearer picture of my options, now to make a decision...

Thanks, all!

I might suggest XT hubs as a good value for the money rather than Deore or LX. They share the Boron coating with the XTR and don't cost that much more than the LX.

Cheers, blamp28, I'll check those out.

One wheel builder is offering ACI Alpina spokes, 20p each. Would those do the job or are cheap spokes definately a bad idea?

Panaracer Pasela TG foldable 28. The kevlar bead saves weight. The thin sidewall saves weight and rides comfortably over bumps. The kevlar belt gives puncture protection. The low weight in theory gives better acceleration but you wont notice it. However you will notice more nimble steering.

Maybe I'm a simple sort but 12,000 miles doesn'r seem like bad performance from your original rims. Why not just get a new set like the ones you have worn out?
Red.

.... The low weight in theory gives better acceleration but you wont notice it. However you will notice more nimble steering.

Maybe it's a personal thing but whenever I've gone to some attention to make wheels/tires lighter I've always noticed a big difference in how well the bike leaps away from a stop or when I power down to accellerate away from riding slow. Now I agree that a change of tires has to be a pretty big change to notice the difference. But if MarkN goes from wide rims and big tires down to narrow and lighter rims and lighter tires on top of that the difference IME is going to be like night and day. On the other hand while it likely does make the steering lighter I've always found bikes to be so light to steer compared to any of my motorcycles that I just didn't notice at all. But when jumping between long to short wheelbase bikes THEN I really notice how nimble the shorter wheelbase is.

Mark, not only would I not recomend the cheap spokes I would suggest you want to spend a little more and go for butted spokes. But I draw the line at aluminium nipples. But the smallest brass ones that work will save a few grams out on the periphery where it really counts while not compromising the durability at all. Again, this all needs to be a package. Narrow and light box style rims with 32 butted spokes combined with a nice kevlar bead tire will make you seem like you suddenly got dressed in blue and red tights and have a big gold "S" on your chest. As for the 32 spokes this is a nice compromise between boutique low count spokes and the 36 or 40 that are often suggested for loaded touring. I've ran 32 spoke wheels for years now and on occasion carry back 25'ish lbs of groceries or the big bag of pet food on the rear rack in panniers and the wheels have not shown the slightest sign of concern. They aren't exotic at all but they get the job done. And note that I suggested a basic box rim. Unless you're someone that can top 30 kph for hours at a time and ride out in the open country where you can ride at that speed undisturbed for long distances then there's no aerodynamic penalty to using a basic "flat box" section rim. And if you check you'll see that all the lightest rims are of this style. While there may or may not be a slight drag penalty to be had by using them the real world aspect of enjoying a quicker get away from ever stop more than outweighs this for myself. And while I don't have any long term studies I've never dented a box rim but I've dented an aero rim. And it got dented from a bump that I don't even rememer feeling. Just one day the bike rode perfectly smooth and the next time out it had a bump....bump....bump....bump in the rear wheel as it rotated. Meanwhile I've ridden my box section rims over the same route for years (to work) with nary a single issue. So needless to say I'm not a big fan of aero rims for how and where I ride.

Redlock - aah, the voice of pragmatism. Yes, they're done their bit. :thumb:


Maybe it's a personal thing but whenever I've gone to some attention to make wheels/tires lighter I've always noticed a big difference in how well the bike leaps away from a stop or when I power down to accellerate away from riding slow. Now I agree that a change of tires has to be a pretty big change to notice the difference. But if MarkN goes from wide rims and big tires down to narrow and lighter rims and lighter tires on top of that the difference IME is going to be like night and day.
Sounds good. I'm thinking I'll go for custom wheels on the basis of quality, without too much expectation in the speed department. That said, I do kinda hope I'll notice a difference as you describe :rolleyes:




Mark, not only would I not recomend the cheap spokes I would suggest you want to spend a little more and go for butted spokes. I see, I'll look into it. the DT Swiss spokes I've looked at are a bit more expensive than I was hoping, though. I've yet to find anything in between. Any advice on a good mid-price spoke?




Narrow and light box style rims with 32 butted spokes combined with a nice kevlar bead tire will make you seem like you suddenly got dressed in blue and red tights and have a big gold "S" on your chest.
I have no desire to wear tights of any colour but it still sounds good. Heheheh.



And note that I suggested a basic box rim ... While there may or may not be a slight drag penalty to be had by using them the real world aspect of enjoying a quicker get away from every stop more than outweighs this for myself.

Yeah, city riding features an awful lot of stopping and starting. Quicker acceleration would be a big help.

So, in terms of a basic box rim I take it we're talking about something like this (http://www.mavic.com/road/products/a-119.324120.2.aspx) or this (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=17147)?

Yep, those two are good examples of what I'm talking about.

One of my commuter bikes that I recently sold to a friend (I'm cutting my fleet down now that I'm retired. Trying to get it down to 4 or maybe 5 bikes) uses Open Pro's laced with butted spokes to XT hubs to turn a Specialized Stumpjumper into a high performance hybrid. I did this back in the late 90's when no one was yet making lightweight serious hybrids with disc brakes. All in all it cost me a good chunk of change to buy the bike and then convert it with the self built wheels. The very next year Kona came out with the Dr Dew set up exactly as I'd done with my Stumpjumper but at literally 1/2 the cost.... GRRRRRRRR....... But I digress and we're supposed to be talking about YOUR wheels. :D So yeah, the Open Pros I used laced up with 32 butted spokes per wheel and shod with 25mm tires served well for a decade of regular riding and are still going strong. Being disc braked the rims haven't seen any sidewall wear and the wheels should last pretty much forever. After the initial check of the tune they have held up well with maybe a very slight tweak of a spoke or two here and there over the years.

As I say, some will recomend a heavier and stiffer rim. And for a low spoke count you need that. But I like the school of thought that goes with a smaller section that can flex when it hits something really hard and rely on the spokes to support it during use. And note that the Open Pro rims are significantly lighter than the A119's. Also being 19 mm wide vs 15mm the A119's are intended more for bigger hybrid tires. And since you're looking for road performance I'd suggest sticking to the Open Pro or something else in that width since that width will support from 19 to 28 mm tires anyway.

You may also want to look at some of the Ambrosio rims. I've used a couple of sets of them over the years and they held up well. Their Evolution looks like a nice budget option at 24 Euro and the weight is not bad.

Hmm - I can't afford a set of disc brakes as well as all this so it's going to have to be rim brakes.

Would it work if I got disc brake compatible hubs but still used V brakes, so that I can have the option to switch to disc brakes as and when I can afford them?

Regarding the 32h thing, I have to say I haven't even considered anything else. My current wheels are 32h and have withstood the ~12k of riding I've subjected them to over the last few years, in all conditions and on London roads (potholes all over the place) and even the occasional curb hop.

No, no, no... I only used my own example of the disc wheels. You'll just go with a hub that happens to fit your frame be it a disc hub or a regular hub. IF by some chance your frame has disc mounts as well then it's worth getting disc hubs now just in case you decide to make the change later on. And yes, disc hubs work just fine with rim brakes. The only difference is that there will be a slight dish offset on the front when using a disc hub.

LX hubs are nice. Heck, I've had great luck with the plain Deore hubs as well. There's no need to go with bigger money options. The only thing you don't get with a budget hub is quite as good a seal system so you will want to do cleanings and repackings a touch more often. But that's still a year of sloppy riding between attention to the hubs.

If your roads are really bad I think I'd be looking at 28's despite the slight extra weight. And come to think of it having seen downtown London around Picadilly circus and for about a km all around. Yeah, 28's sound like a good idea for a commuter in that hellish stewpot... :D If you do commit to 28's then I'd suggest looking at that slightly wider A119 again. It'll give you a better shape mounted on that width of rim vs the big wrap around that would occur on a more narrow rim like the Open Pro. Or try to find some other lighter option that is the same 17 to 19mm wide between the flanges. I know that Sun made some nice light basic rims but their only one I like at the moment is their ME14A. It's back to the same width as the Open Pro though.

DOH! Almost forgot the Alex rims. I'm likeing what I see with their Crostini rims in the Cross/Trekking section. They come as a front and rear specific style with the rear using an offset shape to reduce the dishing offset of the spokes. And they are a decently light 480 gms front/510 gms rear for a rim with 17mm between flanges so it would mount up a 25 or 28 mm tire with a really nice shape. In particular the 28. Another nice looking option is the Ace19 although it's a little deeper than I like to ensure the rim stays supple

I wouldn't know a disc mount if it tried it on me, could you take a look? Here's the filthy beast;

Dawes Discovery 601 (circa 2001)


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Hehe yeah, London roads are particuarly shocking after last winter, and what recent weather trends and the councils cutting spending all over the place, I suspect they're only going to get worse. My current 28mm tyres still have some life in them so I'll carry them over to the new wheels for a while.

I'm definately leaning towards a certain deal one wheel builder has offered for LX hubs and Open Pro rims with DT Swiss stainless double butted spokes though.

With all the other options, since I can't tell one thing from another at this stage, I'll just have to leave them to learn about in the future as I gain experience. At some point I'd like to build a wheel myself. Hmm. Perhaps I'll try-rebuilding my old ones some time.

Your bike is pristinely free of disc mounts. It's rim stoppers for you!

That would not be a bad idea at all. It's excellent training.

So I eventually made my mind up and went for hand built Mavic Open Pro rims on Shimano LX hubs with DT Swiss Stainless Double Butted spokes, from parker-international.co.uk (http://www.parker-international.co.uk) (I had to email them for that specific build). I did loads of hunting around but that seemed like the best best price-to-quality balance. Order placed last Monday morning, package arrived on Friday morning. All items present and correct, including two light and perfectly formed wheels. Parker-International were plenty helpful enough and have some nice prices relative to the competition so based on that experience, I would definitely recommend them.

Half of Saturday was spent over-hauling the bike. My first time doing most of this stuff but I gathered the relevant tools and had a lap-top at the ready in case I needed to throw dumb questions in this direction.


Put on rim tape, tubes and tyres. Easy! All the 700x28 tyres I used on my old 19mm rims ranged from moderately hard to fit to tyre spanner-snappingly stiff (Specialized Nimbus, Schwalbe (HS348), Continental Touring Plus...). I thought maybe it would be even more difficult on 15mm rims but apparently not. Both the Vittoria Zaffiro Pro folding 700x23 (at the front) and Vittoria Zaffiro 700x25 (rear) tyres went on with fingers without any trouble at all.
removed the SRAM PG980 cassette from the old RW, cleaned it, and put it on the new RW.
removed the old SRAM PC971 chain. It's only a month old but a stiff link was removed. I intend to add another power link to get it back to full length, and cycle it with the new chain to test the theory that this will slow the ware on the cassette.
cleaned the chain wheels and derailleurs before fitting the new chain. A brief moment of confusion as to which way the chain goes through the rear derailleur but it went together fine. Very easy to connect with the powerlink.
Adjusted the handle-bars to a lower position (flipped the stem) causing the steering tube to come apart, so I cleaned and re-greased the bearings and attempted to figure out how to make it go back together without wobbling. Luckily an engineer friend came round for a beer at this point and made helpful suggestions. All fine.
Fitted two new sets of brake pads – by far the most fiddly part of the whole operation. They're the £2 ones from Chainreactioncycles and the nuts on the end seem to be made from some kind of cheese. Camembertium or something. Perhaps I was rushing to finish at that point.
put air in the tyres. (115psi -ish)


Initial thoughts;

Aah, I'd forgotten the beauty of an absolutely round wheel. So smooth, so quiet!
Shiney! I won't be locking it anywhere until I've ridden it enough for the road grime to take the edge off the bling.
The 23mm tyre is 2.5cm high from the rim, compared to 3cm on my old 28mm tyres. I guess this will effect the gearing?
It rides really nicely and rolls beautiful but it's a bit too hot out there for me to bother seeing if it makes any difference to how fast I can go. For now I'm just happy to have wheels that don't creak and judder and eat brake pads for breakfast.