StarBiker

Possible Rim, and maybe hub replacements for a Centurion Expert? Wolber Rims on the bike now.
No issues, but I thought the bike is nice enough for an upgrade (Eventually).
The frame is 54 CM.

rccardr 

Depends on the Wolber rim. Lots of them were very nice, double eyeletted, not particularly heavy, easily take 23-25mm tires, keep a true, last thousands of miles. But many were also dark anodized, which over time becomes unsightly even though you have to wear out a lot of metal to wear out the rim.

My go-to performance rim is the Mavic Open Pro (or in previous model designations, the SUP). Also double-eyeletted, very well made, but with machined brake tracks so they stay lovely longer. Never had one fail. Right now have them on four bikes.

BUT if your Expert is red, then try to pick up a pair of Mavic CXP33's in red. Not cheap, but really nice rims that would match the bike. And if you're 175 pounds or less, look for Mavic Heliums. All red, including the hubs, very lightweight but durable. Most of them out there are tubies, but some clinchers surface from time to time.

StarBiker

Thanks. I saw those pretty Rolfs on another Members Centurion and thought they looked nice.

TimmyT 

I have this pair of Bontrager Race wheels that I will list shortly. Pm me if you're interested. They are "race" with bladed spokes. They would look hot on an ironman.

RobbieTunes

The Wolber Super Champion Alpine was the OEM rim, sandwiched between years of the golden/copper Araya and the almost identical Araya CTL-370. Very similar in design and characteristics would be the Matrix ISO, ISO II, and Titan. Also Wolber Profil. Also the Mavic Open 4 CD's.

Like Doc said, great wheels, eventually will "stripe" to the metal on the rims. No biggie but it's less attractive as time goes on. Still, an easier "street cred" than a huge patch of road rash.

Hard to beat some of the Bontrager Race and Race Lites for the current used bang for the buck, especially with replacement bearings running all of $7 per wheel.

Rolfs are out there, in red, blue, polished, and black. The models can be confusing, up to the higher end Prima, and they all look alike.

The machined brake track is where the newer ones come into play. A set of Open Pro's laced to some fine ball bearing hubs, packed and adjusted to within an inch of their lives, well, you'll roll past a ton of folks on descents. Super smooth.

Some great deals can be had on 10-speed-only 105, Ultegra, and Dura Ace wheels if you can run 10-sp. Because they are 10-sp only, they are hard to sell and often end up pretty cheap. Even some aftermarket wheels were 10-sp only, like the excellent Alex ACE-19 or the Alex Equation.

Used Fulcrums can be great deals, but are often beaten senseless. They are exceedingly easy to rebuild.

StarBiker

I guess the mistake I made was I was insinuating I wanted a race rim. I like the size of the Wolbers. Was just curious.
I would ride this bike more like a Tour Bike. I ride mostly on sidewalks that are ramped for miles. I would be taking my life in my hands on these nutty roads. I have been riding like this for years. Anyway......
I can't swing expensive purchases now. Thanks for the info, and the suggestions. Am always curious.

texaspandj

Not sure this is an upgrade. Perhaps I'm not good enough to detect differences in wheels but the ones on my 1989 54cm Ironman cost me 50 bucks on CL including new Continental 4 season tires. The front wheel spins for days, the rear wheel is loud compared to shimano hubs. But they've been great so far. Initially I didn't care for the black spokes but now I like em a lot.

StarBiker

So what kind of rims. Were your original rims damaged, or you just wanted to try something different?

tom25

Check out the Sun M13 wheelsets from velomine.com. I have a set on my iron man and I like them. They have a classic look and are threaded for free wheels, 126mms, and will run you $120

texaspandj

I got it as a frame from RobbieTunes with no more than 25 miles on it. Then got as a gift from my daughter (it was on craigslist 150 but she paid 125 she's a chip off the old block head) a 2007 cannondale (frame too big) with less than 100 miles on it and stripped all components including wheels and put them on the Ironman. So essentially a new bike, however I just wanted more modern wheels and got these for 50 bucks.

top506

When you find a replacement I'd be interested in one of the Wolbers foe a '87 Ironman project in the Barn.
FWIW, I built up a set of the Sun M13II rims on Normandy hubs and like them a lot.

Top

RobbieTunes

I've been lusting after these, cheap for hand-builts, just not enough space in the bike fund....
I could see a real weight weenie Ironman in their future. Or put them on a Kestrel 200SCi and fool a lot of folks....

Ambrosio Nemesis Endurance Tubular Road Wheelset

Wordwreckin

Those are nice, wish that popped up in my local CL.

Pretty common to see new oem wheelsets on CL's "Bike Parts" section that go for good prices because many people will immediately buy a better wheelset when they purchase a new bike.