Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Are these good wheels for a clyde?

I have been riding my new road bike for about 1 month and love it. My biggest problem is that my wheels (Alex Race 28 with 24/20 spokes) have come out of true twice in about 300 miles:mad:. I am looking to upgrade, and I found these wheels online. Would they be good for a 270 pound clyde???

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mavic-Open-Pro-Silver-32H-Shimano-Ultegra-Hubset-/140350531129?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item20ad8b2639#ht_1597wt_1139

I'd recommend these over the Mavic's anyday. I have Velocity road wheels on my Allez, and almost 4 years on the bike with absolutely no issues at all.

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Velocity-Deep-V-Road-Wheelset-Purple-Aero-Wheels-/250833499896?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3a66d776f8

Velocity makes an awesome wheel.

Tom speaks true!

Would they be good for a 270 pound clyde???

That depends: how good is the guy building them? What support do you get if there's a problem?

I've read a lot of good things about Neuvation's M28X Aero (http://www.neuvationcycling.com/wheels.html) wheels. Right now, through noon Pacific time on Monday the 13th, a set is on sale for $179 plus shipping. They come with a 1 year warranty, and if you want to extend it to two years at the time of purchase you can get their "protection plan" for another $30 a set.

I don't have any first-hand experience with them, but I just ordered a set for myself in case the OEM Shimanos on the new Cannondale decide to fold like a taco shell under me.

I'm not a fan of the Open Pro rim, but not out of any stability issues. However, if you're set on getting an Ultegra/OP wheelset you can get 'em for hella cheaper than $330.

Pricepoint has Ultegra 6600 (previous model) with OP rims for $264.
Amazon has a pair from Niagra Cycles for $296 (straight 14g spokes, though.)

I'm not a fan of the Open Pro rim, but not out of any stability issues.

+1.....I've had 3 hand built Mavic OP wheels by 3 different builders and not one has gotten me over 2,000 miles at 230lbs. Go with the Deep V ( or similar 30 mm rims). Solid if built correctly. At 230 +, I got over 20,000 miles out of a rear wheel.

I've read a lot of good things about Neuvation's M28X Aero (http://www.neuvationcycling.com/wheels.html) wheels. Right now, through noon Pacific time on Monday the 13th, a set is on sale for $179 plus shipping. They come with a 1 year warranty, and if you want to extend it to two years at the time of purchase you can get their "protection plan" for another $30 a set.

I don't have any first-hand experience with them, but I just ordered a set for myself in case the OEM Shimanos on the new Cannondale decide to fold like a taco shell under me.

I have a set of Neuvation's M28 Aero2 (or maybe Aero3? I forget) wheels. They're well-built and seem pretty strong. Still, with 16/20 spokes I'd be a bit hesitant to recommend them to uber-Clydes. Spoke tension on these wheels is very high. If a spoke were to break, I think crashing would be a very real possibility. Given the spoke tension and the limited number of spokes, I'd want to check the spoke tension on a regular basis.

+1.....I've had 3 hand built Mavic OP wheels by 3 different builders and not one has gotten me over 2,000 miles at 230lbs. Go with the Deep V ( or similar 30 mm rims). Solid if built correctly. At 230 +, I got over 20,000 miles out of a rear wheel.

Interestingly, if you look at Bicycle Wheel Warehouse, their handbuilt Ultegra/OP wheelset is listed in the "Under 220 pounds" section of their site.

I've read a lot of good things about Neuvation's M28X Aero (http://www.neuvationcycling.com/wheels.html) wheels. Right now, through noon Pacific time on Monday the 13th, a set is on sale for $179 plus shipping. They come with a 1 year warranty, and if you want to extend it to two years at the time of purchase you can get their "protection plan" for another $30 a set.

I don't have any first-hand experience with them, but I just ordered a set for myself in case the OEM Shimanos on the new Cannondale decide to fold like a taco shell under me.

I've read good things, and seen decent reviews from riders here on BF; but when I mentioned them at my LBS, the wrenches all shook their heads and said to stay away. Apparently they've seen a bunch of failures with them.

I've read good things, and seen decent reviews from riders here on BF; but when I mentioned them at my LBS, the wrenches all shook their heads and said to stay away. Apparently they've seen a bunch of failures with them.

I personally know of two riders that have lost a section of the hub on these things. :eek:

Thanks for all the advice. I love the Deep V's Tom, just couldn't justify the purple. I have been to several of my local shops, but either they don't have a good set of wheels for me (One guy wanted to sell me a set of super-light race wheels that cost $2000) , or they don't want to make a wheel, but will gladly order one for me:notamused:. I found a site called Bicycle Wheel Warehouse that has wheels they recommend for riders 233+. I saw a set of DT Swiss wheels that looked awesome. Anyone have any experience with these guys or have any other recommendations for buying online???

The guy s got a ton of Deep V's and similar. You pick the rim and components, they build it. You can go on the custom section enter weight and they rec what should work for you weight wise. If money is a factor, heck, go with the rear wheel first, get the front later.

I get a Deep V at JensonUSA for $55 then build them myself. If the shop doesn't want to build a wheel for you, that' not saying much for their skill level. Find another shop.

http://www.prowheelbuilder.com/products/rims.html

BWW does good work, handbuilds, and seemingly charges out the wazoo for it (from the one pair I looked at.) Those same OP/Ultegra that are under $300 other places (machine built) are over $400 when you throw in taxes, etc. at BWW.


Peter White Cycles makes good wheels.
Psimet (posts on forums) makes a good solid pair.

I'm a big advocate of the build-'em-yerself school, just for the fact that if you build your own, you'll also know how to tune them down the line when they need it, and know how to keep them in good condition for years to come.

I have two wheel sets I use regularly, a 32h open pro on Campagnolo hubs and a 36h Velocity Dyad on Deore XT hubs. The OP with 25mm tires are fast, the Dyads with 27mm (real width 31mm) are a lot of fun, as I can get away with a lot more :D

You don't mention what tire size you are using. If you ask me this makes a huge difference.

I've been happy with my Open Pros. I weigh about as much as the OP, and get ~10k miles on a rear. My fronts last forever. I recently bought a front at Performance (I'm sure it was machine built) for $80. I retired the old one to be the spare, but it was still true with 20k+ miles. My rears I get hand built. I've had wheels from Peter White, and Colorado Cyclist. I think that a the Open Pro get a bad name because a lot of them are machine built, but I believe that if you get a hand built one they should last a long time. Looking at the CC web page you can get a custom hand built rear for $208, and specify stronger spokes.

I think that a the Open Pro get a bad name because a lot of them are machine built, but I believe that if you get a hand built one they should last a long time.

Open Pros get a bad rap because (at least on the old, red-label version) if you tension the spokes high enough for a 250 pound rider, they have a tendency to rip the eyelets out along with a section of rim. I haven't seen that happen with the new blue-label version of them except for once; and I know the guy was beating the hell out of his rims on some very bad roads during a daily commute, so they were likely under other stresses than just high tension. Whatever they did for the new version, it's stronger; but I think they're noisy. Open Pros seem to amplify road chatter like a PA system.

I'm a fan of Open Pros as well. They're light and if they're hand built with 36 spokes 3 cross, they can be pretty darned good. They've worked quite well for me at between 230 and 270. I'd be wary of them if they were machine built.

Wheels are probably the most important component on the bike for a clyde. Whatever you decide, don't go for something just because you found a great deal on the internet. Save your lunch money, get them custom built by a good builder and if you choose good components, they'll last a long time.

Once again, I appreciate the feedback. I have the itch to build my own wheels, but how hard is it. I am fairly mechanical, and tune up most issues on my own bikes, but I am a bit leery if my LBS is hesitant to build me a wheelset. I know I would need a good truing stand, but how difficult on a scale of 1-10 is it to build and properly tension your own wheels???

Once again, I appreciate the feedback. I have the itch to build my own wheels, but how hard is it. I am fairly mechanical, and tune up most issues on my own bikes, but I am a bit leery if my LBS is hesitant to build me a wheelset. I know I would need a good truing stand, but how difficult on a scale of 1-10 is it to build and properly tension your own wheels???

If you do most of your own wrenching, then you've got the know-how. The tools are a toss-up between how much you want to spend and what ROI you expect to get on them. Most home builders don't need a bajillion dollar Park top of the line pro stand. You can build a good stand for fairly cheap (plans all over the internet), you can get a Minoura Pro for around $60 online if you poke around a bit. I got mine for $55 on sale at Nashbar. I paid $35 for a WAG-4 dishing tool from Park, $12 for a set of generic black/green/red spoke wrenches, and I made a nipple driver by filing down a screwdriver bit for my drill (to speed up my builds). The most expensive thing I have is my Park TM-1 tension meter, and I think it was $65. While not necessary if you have a reference wheel for truing-by-pitch, the quality of my wheels has gone up since I started using one. My initial build was done using Sheldon Brown's wheelbuilding instructions for lacing. I read Jobst Brandt and Roger Musson's books on wheelbuilding.
Overall, it's not that difficult. Start out with building a front wheel, then move on to a dished rear. I'd say it's a 7/10 the first one you build of any specific type, then gets progressively easier. After a couple pairs I didn't even need to look at my lacing guide any more.

have any other recommendations for buying online???

+1 for Peter White. http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/wheels.asp

Even if you don't go with Peter, spend some time reading his website; lots of very good information.

I am with CliftonGK1 - I build them myself, they don't fail and never need re-truing. The stress relieve step is the critical one to building a maintenance free wheel.

I have purchased custom length Wheelsmith DH13 spokes from Peter White - which is my only relationship with him.

...with 16/20 spokes I'd be a bit hesitant to recommend them to uber-Clydes.

Good point, and one that didn't even occur to me, maybe because I'm getting mine as a backup to the same-spoke-count OEM Shimano RS10s that come on my new bike.

At your size, Velocity Dyad rim, 32h or 36h front, 36h rear, both laced 3x to either Shimano 105 or Ultegra hubs. Double butted spokes, and brass nipples. Relatively easy to build, and the Dyad is borderline bullet proof, which is amazing for a 460g rim. It is one of Peter Whites favorite rims, and I initially dismissed it as it is sold as a trekking rim, and 24mm wide. Then, everybody started falling all over themselves over the wider HED rims, and Velocity jumped on the bandwagon with the 23mm wide A23, which has been receiving some fine reviews. The Dyad is just 1mm wider (about the thickness of a paper match), a smidge taller and heavier, and clyde worthy.

If you want to through more dollars at it, the DTSwiss TK540's are bullet proof, but about $90 per rim and 540g each.

Don't know what you are running for tires, but I would suggest a 25 at absolute minimum, and a 28 would be be better still. I'm just a bit over the clyde border, and run 32s on my everyday Gunnar Crosshair.

At your size, Velocity Dyad rim, 32h or 36h front, 36h rear, both laced 3x to either Shimano 105 or Ultegra hubs. Double butted spokes, and brass nipples. Relatively easy to build, and the Dyad is borderline bullet proof, which is amazing for a 460g rim. It is one of Peter Whites favorite rims, and I initially dismissed it as it is sold as a trekking rim, and 24mm wide. Then, everybody started falling all over themselves over the wider HED rims, and Velocity jumped on the bandwagon with the 23mm wide A23, which has been receiving some fine reviews. The Dyad is just 1mm wider (about the thickness of a paper match), a smidge taller and heavier, and clyde worthy.

If you want to through more dollars at it, the DTSwiss TK540's are bullet proof, but about $90 per rim and 540g each.

Don't know what you are running for tires, but I would suggest a 25 at absolute minimum, and a 28 would be be better still. I'm just a bit over the clyde border, and run 32s on my everyday Gunnar Crosshair.

Another rim suggestion is the Sun CR18. The beauty about these is that the tooling has long since been paid off on the original design, so they're cheap as ever these days. I think I picked mine up for around $50 for the pair. Definitely run 28mm or wider tires on them.

My current favourite cheap and strong rim is the IRO Cold Fusion. 95% sure they're a whiteboxed Velocity Fusion, which is just 5mm lower profile than the Deep-V. I've been punishing a pair on my singlespeed CX bike and my singlespeed commuter just got shoe'd with a set of these.

In the past I've used Alex DA16 and DT Swiss RR1.1 (now the RR465) with good results.

My LBS called me today and said that they got in a set of Velocity Chukkers built up with 36 spokes on Deore hubs and would let me have them for $249. I looked on Velocity's website and they said that the Chukker is a beefed up version of the Deep V. I went to look at the wheels and liked them. One problem, though, they are 24mm wide. I want to run them with 25c tires and they fit on the rims, but is this a wise decision. The guy in the shop said they should work fine. My other option is to go to 28c tires (as mentioned by Staggerwing), but I am concerned that they might slow me down too much for some of the rides I am doing.

I have been riding my new road bike for about 1 month and love it. My biggest problem is that my wheels (Alex Race 28 with 24/20 spokes) have come out of true twice in about 300 miles:mad:. I am looking to upgrade, and I found these wheels online. Would they be good for a 270 pound clyde???

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mavic-Open-Pro-Silver-32H-Shimano-Ultegra-Hubset-/140350531129?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item20ad8b2639#ht_1597wt_1139

The Mavic Open Pros are 430 gram rims which make nice training wheels for bike racers who weigh 140-180 pounds.

You'll be less likely to bend a rim on a road obstacle with something heavier like a 520g Velocity Deep V. Something lighter like a Velocity Fusion might be fine, but why take chances if you don't already own the wheels (then you ride them until bending or wearing out a rim at which point you decide whether the life was acceptable (replace with an identical rim) or not (pick a new rim and buy new spokes)?

Build quality is the biggest issue. Wheels which have been put together by a competent builder will be stress relieved and have spoke lines corrected so they don't break spokes, have high tension so nipples don't unscrew and non-drive side spokes don't break, and have uniform tension so there aren't a few spokes that will have problems. Wheels put together by machines turning out product as fast as they can will not.

28s won't slow you down. For the longest time I used 28s on my brevet bike before moving up to 32s. If anything, at 270 you'll see benefits by moving up to 28s or 30s. By running a lower pressure, higher volume tire you'll experience less road chatter as the tire will soak up more than a higher pressure 23 or 25mm. This lower chatter translates to less fatigue and more comfort over longer rides.
The only reason you'd see a majour slow-down after swapping out to a 28 is if you get a tire like the Marathon Plus with a huge rotating weight, or something with a lot of tread that saps your power for extra resistance. A 25 or 27 like the Schwalbe Ultremo, Challenge Paris-Roubaix, or even a 28 Grand Bois Cerf or their 30mm Cypres will exhibit little in the way of resistance while letting you zip over the rough stuff without beating yourself up.

(Just one guy's opinion)

Once again, I appreciate the feedback. I have the itch to build my own wheels, but how hard is it.

It's not hard. Jobst Brandt tested The Bicycle Wheel (http://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-Wheel-3rd-Jobst-Brandt/dp/0960723668) by having his grade school sons each build a pair of wheels with no additional help.

It's more an issue of patience (a few hours worth, but I find it enjoyable).


I know I would need a good truing stand, but how difficult on a scale of 1-10 is it to build and properly tension your own wheels???I think it's about as hard as setting up a front derailleur (but takes much, much longer).

28s won't slow you down. For the longest time I used 28s on my brevet bike before moving up to 32s. If anything, at 270 you'll see benefits by moving up to 28s or 30s. By running a lower pressure, higher volume tire you'll experience less road chatter as the tire will soak up more than a higher pressure 23 or 25mm. This lower chatter translates to less fatigue and more comfort over longer rides.
The only reason you'd see a majour slow-down after swapping out to a 28 is if you get a tire like the Marathon Plus with a huge rotating weight, or something with a lot of tread that saps your power for extra resistance. A 25 or 27 like the Schwalbe Ultremo, Challenge Paris-Roubaix, or even a 28 Grand Bois Cerf or their 30mm Cypres will exhibit little in the way of resistance while letting you zip over the rough stuff without beating yourself up.

(Just one guy's opinion)

BTW; Correct opinion!

For clydes far and near, quality wider tires are a revelation, not a hindrance.

As for wider rims, there is a current school of thought towards 23mm width rims, versus the more traditional 19mm width, even for those running 23 or 25mm width tires. As an engineer, about half of the claims sound borderline believable, and half sound like marketing drivel. I've run plenty of 28, and even a 32, 19mm width rims, and never had and issue, although the 32's definitively exhibit a light bulb profile. That said, I have been migrating towards the Dyad as my everyday rim choice.

Looked up the specs on the Chukker, and other than being a bit on the heavy side at 580g, it should be totally bomb proof.

For clydes far and near, quality wider tires are a revelation, not a hindrance.

As for wider rims, there is a current school of thought towards 23mm width rims, versus the more traditional 19mm width, even for those running 23 or 25mm width tires. As an engineer, about half of the claims sound borderline believable, and half sound like marketing drivel. I've run plenty of 28, and even a 32, 19mm width rims, and never had and issue, although the 32's definitively exhibit a light bulb profile. That said, I have been migrating towards the Dyad as my everyday rim choice.

Having used both 28mm and 32mm tires on both 19mm and 25mm rims, here's what I can tell you from experience.

- I didn't notice squat-all difference with the 28 on either rim, no matter if I ran the tire at top or bottom of pressure specification.
- I don't "corner like the pros" all heavy lean angles and such, so this might be where I'm missing out on the benefit of same-sized tire/rim width combos supposedly feeling like tubulars.
- I did notice a difference with the 32mm tires. Moving to the wider rim allowed me to corner a little quicker without the sidewall feeling "flimsy". I never felt like the tire was going to roll off the bead. I get that feeling on higher lean/speed corners with the 32mm tire on 19mm rim. It's even worse on my CX bike with 19mm rim and 37mm tires at low pressure.
- I did notice that I could let a few psi out at the wider rim and still maintain the same resistance feel while absorbing some more of the road chatter. Lower sidewall deflection allows for less loss of energy to tire flex. I wasn't any slower, but I was definitely more comfortable over rough chip-seal.

Looked up the specs on the Chukker, and other than being a bit on the heavy side at 580g, it should be totally bomb proof.

Hmm, Velocity has the chukker at 650 and the Deep V at 520.

The Deep V specs on the Velocity site have often been questioned and posted at an actual 560. I'd figure the Chukker is a little more than 580 ;)

Another vote for Neuvations.

I did have a hub failure on my wheel (after about two years riding, and weighing close to 280 at the time). Neuvation replaced it no questions asked. Since then they have probably 4000 miles on them and they are still going strong.

I also have two sets of Mavic Aksiums and find them to be nice, solid wheels as well.

Sun CR18 rims 48 spoke on shimano tandem hubs. This has to be about the toughest rim and hub combo out there. Not adding that much weight and you will never knock one out of true or wear out a hub. Folks think a good wheel is all in the name and over look using a wheel that is purpose built and correctly built. I dont care how big or how rough a rider is on there wheels you would be hard pressed to fail with this combo.

how is the a319 for a road bike rim for a hefty guy (300 lbs.) if it's hand built? bicycle wheel warehouse has a nice price on those mated to 105 hubs. i'm using the a719 on my hybrid right now and they have been excellent for me.

how is the a319 for a road bike rim for a hefty guy (300 lbs.) if it's hand built? bicycle wheel warehouse has a nice price on those mated to 105 hubs. i'm using the a719 on my hybrid right now and they have been excellent for me.

These rims, as well as the A719 and CR18 are used on loaded touring bikes and while not as strong as the A719, seem to perform well.

Brad

thanks! i like running 28s so the width won't be an issue.

I have great luck with my Mavic CXP 33s w/ 32 spokes laced to ultegra, dura ace, record, and now XT hubs. I wiegh in about 250 and ride a lot of bad roads, dirt, and race cross on them. run anywhere from a 23 to a 37 time with no problems.