Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - another wheelset thread, help me out please...

i'm back on my fixed gear bike in a big way, and have really been enjoying the twilight rides now that it's practically dark by the time i get home from work. anyway, dented a rim last night on an unforgiving pothole. wheels were crap, need new.

what are some popular hubs to consider, it seems the overwhelming majority of fixed wheelsets are made with formula hubs. my current set is made with sealed bearing formula hubs, which are still rolling fine after about 4000 miles, i'm not opposed to using them again, but i want to know whats out there, what i'm seeing is:

formula (both loose ball and sealed bearings)
phil wood
DA

who else??

pre-built wheelsets - who's selling besides velomine and bicycle wheel warehouse, that i can just order already built, i'd like to have these things asap.

ideally, i guess i would like something durable, say 32 stainless spoked wheels, brass nipples, phil hubs and open pro rims, can this be done for 3 - 400 ?

other suggestions.

wheels are mainly for light commuting and wet weather, winter/spring/fall riding. i'm fairly heavy on the miles, nothing too crazy, about 2k a year(ish)

???

There's these (http://www.benscycle.net/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=188_2084_194&zenid=eecb2016b383107aaa62a27d60f54949). But you really got the top three, arguably, in your sights.

There's bookoo sites out there slinging pre-built sets, but Velomine has a good customer recommendation around bikeforums. Other sites, I cannot attest.

Phil and Open Pro could be done for the high side of 400. I'd get the Phil hubs used, if possible. That'll shave the price down considerably.

phils are expensive. 3-400 might be tight. Velomine has phils to open pros for $450.
Maybe u can see if u can find a used set somewhere.

I like miche hubs and they are not all that expensive.

Velomine also had Dura Ace to open pro last time I checked for around ~$350 ?? It was something I would have jumped on if i needed a wheelset

Formulas are great budget hubs. I have 4 sets of rims that are using formula hubs with no problems at all.
Phils are great expensive hubs. I have one pair arriving today that I get to ride.
There are many in between. Allcity, Miche, DA.

All depends on your budget.

Bells Bikes sells complete wheelsets, good deals.

if you don't mind going to 36h iro has some good hubs for cheap:
iro hubs (http://www.irocycle.com/bargainbasement.aspx)

I've laced the high flange hubs to a set of araya pro-class rims for a fat tire fixed gear project with good results.

^ Agreed, lace them to a set of Kinlin XR-270 and you're good to go.

Are the IROs rebadged Formulas?

32h open pros laced 3x to formula fix/fix hubs with butted spokes. $300. All you will ever need. Phils are for people who love showing off how much money/debt they have.
/thread

Thats funny because you can build a set using phils for near the price of your recipe for the perfect wheel.

I dont have much money, I'm in college and have no debt. I have a pair of phils.

Also, velo mine has a built set laced to velocitys for 425- Not that much more than your perfect wheel. If search for deals, buy used and lace them yourself you can do it for cheaper than that.

However, formulas will probably be just fine, but in that case I'd find some laced to velocitys on ebay for around 175 new.

Maybe you can try the miche hub which is better than formula (I have used both of them)and not expensive.

the bike in question:

http://i1003.photobucket.com/albums/af153/aero_dynamic8/DSC_0699.jpg

Philwood for a lower end conversion.... :rolleyes::roflmao2:
Honestly, just throw formula hubs on it... and save yourself the money.


Are the IROs rebadged Formulas?

Yup

i like my ellipses. you can get a used set ~400.

Philwood for a lower end conversion.... :rolleyes::roflmao2:


what difference does the bike make? for the record this is certainly not my only fixed gear rig, but the one that gets beaten up the most over the winter. good wheels transcend many bikes.

what difference does the bike make? for the record this is certainly not my only fixed gear rig, but the one that gets beaten up the most over the winter. good wheels transcend many bikes.

I know, it was more of an at the moment thing; when I saw the bike you were planning to use the wheelset on as contrasted to my phil laced to b43 wheelsets on my vigorelli and concept. I thought the bike you were talking about was of a higher caliber; "more worthy of philwood" lol. Sorry if I can't explain this clearly as I had a couple of shots of patron.

32h open pros laced 3x to formula fix/fix hubs with butted spokes. $300.
/thread

This is the way to go. There is zero benefit to using more expensive hubs. Put your money were it counts....into good rims and spokes. Personally, I would use Kinlin rims, with a Novatec rear hub, which has a hollow axle and is a bit lighter than a Formula. I would use a lightweight road hub in the front with a bolt-on skewer. That'll save you about 100 extra grams.

I know, it was more of an at the moment thing; when I saw the bike you were planning to use the wheelset on as contrasted to my phil laced to b43 wheelsets on my vigorelli and concept. I thought the bike you were talking about was of a higher caliber; "more worthy of philwood" lol. Sorry if I can't explain this clearly as I had a couple of shots of patron.

no worries, i had a few glasses of scotch down the hatch when i responded myself:p

anyway, dented a rim last night on an unforgiving pothole. wheels were crap, need new.


Did you have enough pressure in your tires? You must've bottomed out the tire on in the pothole you hit. Since you're riding on rough roads, I'd recommend getting the widest tire you can fit in your frame to prevent future wheel failures. Even the strongest rim won't hold up to getting smashed against pavement. I dented a BMX pretty bad like that when I was a kid.

i like my ellipses. you can get a used set ~400.

I really like the looks of the ellipses - and the good reviews they get. I'm leaning towards getting a set; I'm just not sure about the low spoke count.
Should that be a concern for someone riding some rough streets at 210 bodyweight?

I really like the looks of the ellipses - and the good reviews they get. I'm leaning towards getting a set; I'm just not sure about the low spoke count.
Should that be a concern for someone riding some rough streets at 210 bodyweight?

i am 5'9 120< lbs, if that means anything to you.

I think you should be ok though.

Wabi cycles has decent pre built wheelsets for like $150. I am quite satisfied with mine.

I really like the looks of the ellipses - and the good reviews they get. I'm leaning towards getting a set; I'm just not sure about the low spoke count.
Should that be a concern for someone riding some rough streets at 210 bodyweight?
I remember carleton has/had a set of them on his Bianchi and he's quite buffed. If it's good enough for a track racer like carleton, I think it's good enough for you.

he has zipp 404's.

i r haz zipp to.

I meant his old Concept.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4048/4546861518_157f927c76_o.jpg

oops. i was thinking about TT.

carry on.

Thanks guys. I was pushin close to 250lbs while riding the Ellipse on the street with no problem. Bumps and potholes and all. A really solid wheelset. I'm 6'1". Built more like a linebacker than a bike racer. It they can handle my weight, they can handle 99% of riders out there.

BTW, My race wheels are Zipp 808 track. Also have a Zipp 900 disc.

I'm not sure how you could really do better than Formula/velocity on a street bike. Maybe by putting phill woods bearings in the hubs, but some mechanics I have talked too think the formula and phil woods bearings are the same.

the ellipse is a very strong wheel. We pull up to 3-4G's in a sprint on the track. They can take a bit of force. Mavic states clearly they are not for road use, but I can't imagine why not.

FYI, the new ellipse is even lighter (50gr) than the one people have been using for years. They are rated at 220lbs (including bike). I maybe they are more fragile than the traditional ellipse?

From Mavic:

Use: for track bike use only. Any other use (such as on a road bike, tandem,
cyclo-cross bike, or off-road use...) is highly inadvisable, is the sole responsibility
of the user and voids the Mavic warranty.
Recommended maximum weight of the cyclist and equipment: 100 kg.