TDK08

Hello fellow vintagers,

I've been slowly restomoding an 86' Tri-Series I picked up off of Craigslist for cheap. I was disappointed in my modern bikes ride and wanted to give a steel road bike a try. I have a steel mtn bike so I figured things would work out the same. Needless to say it is just what I was looking for, I did change the drivetrain to a complete Shimano Ultegra 6600 kit. It's my main road bike so I really wanted the modern amenities.

It's time for another upgrade, how about some wheels. I'd like to build up a light set. I have Hope hubs on my mtn bike and would probably use them on the road bike too. What 28-32 hole rim would be recommended? I'd like to stick with 25 or better yet 28cc wide tires.

Fahrenheit531 

As with most things, it depends on how deep you want to dig into the ol' bank account. Budget rims with decent quality (say, Sun Ringle) are readily available and will serve most purposes. Higher up the spending tree you could check out H Plus Son rims (TB-14 has the classic "box" profile if that's what you're after), which I have on my Paramount and absolutely love. And then there's probably some top-level stuff that I'll never be able to touch, much less recommend.

An alternate route is to watch the CL Bicycle Parts category. You can often find high-quality complete vintage wheelsets at reasonable prices.

Salamandrine 

For 28-32 holes you are best sticking with semi aero section rims. I'm currently using Velocity A23 28H F and 32H R, and they are holding up OK. For box section rims 32 or 36h is better. All IMHO of course. Nobody ran 28 on vintage bikes except as a front race wheel.

FWIW 25c Conti GP4000II are 28mm actual width on those A23 rims.

TDK08

The velocity rims are intriguing. Like you I'd probably run 28 front and 32 rear. The tubeless comparability and somewhat classic look is great too.

Velocivixen

Be mindful of the dropout spacing on mountain hubs vs road hubs. They're different. Measure the space, in millimeters, between the rear dropouts, or measure the "OLD" of your current rear wheel and buy a hub with same OLD.
I know this isn't what you asked, but you mentioned Hope hubs....I guess they do road and mountain.

H Plus Son TB 14 rims build very easily. Velocity rimes I've used (? Aeroheat) were a little more finicky.
I had H Plus Son "Archetype" 700c in black on my Cross Check and they looked hot.

Salamandrine 

IME eyelet rims tend to build smoother. Less friction I guess. My A23 wheels required a couple touch up trues while settling in. I didn't build them, out of laziness I guess. They seem to be holding up well enough for general recreational riding, now that they're settled in. I'm a fairly big dude but not a clyde.


I guess the H+ Son archetypes are another one to consider.

So you like both H+ Son rims @Velocivixen? No preference? I was thinking I'll probably try either the TB14 or Archetypes next, as I need to build up some 36H touring wheels. I guess the TB14 look more traditional and might ride smoother, but the Archetypes will be stronger (and aero!). The TB14 would get me more C&V brownie points I s'pose, but I'm not stuck on tradition for tradition's sake. Urgh, can't decide. Got to go polished though...

TDK08

Polished for sure! Much like you I'm not terribly concerned with keeping it traditional, but if can get a well performing wheelset that looks the part I'm game.

Choices choices. I'm not stuck on the Hope hubs I just like them on my mtn bike, brand loyalty I guess. Ive already set the frame for 130mm spacing, I'll be sure to get 130mm road hubs. Did I say tubeless was really on my mind?

Once I get ten posts I'll put some pictures of the bike up. It's a gray and black model tri-series which I haven't seen often. Most of them I see are red and white. Nonetheless a great riding bike and the 54cm size fits me great.

At 168lbs and dropping I'm not terribly concerned about knocking wheels out of true.

carbomb

I've built up Archetypes and they were ridiculously easy to get true and I really like the feel of them. You're right, not really vintage in the slightest, but they're nice and I think the lettering design is quite attractive.

Dfrost 

Another vote here for H+Sons TB14 rims, especially the polished version. They built up easily and haven't needed any touch ups in over 5000 miles. But do note that these aren't the lightest rims at about 500gm, although that weight gain comes from double eyelets that carry spoke loads into both rim surfaces.

I've just built 650B wheels with the new Pacenti Brevet rims and they are also very nice.

I wasn't too impressed with Velocity Synergy rims that I used about ten years ago, but that's probably "old news" these days.

BTW, I chose the Synergy rims for the offset spokes in the rear, but didn't really notice much benefit from that feature. These days, no offset and thinner spokes (2.0/1.5/2.0) on the NDS gives the benefit of more balanced tension.

Velocivixen

The Archetypes are silver and very zippy compared to the TB 14's.

Salamandrine 

Interesting comments. OC sounds like a good idea, but it's perhaps a bit oversold. I was originally considering the A23 OC offset rims in 36h for light road touring, but I suspect they'd be a touch too light. Polished A23OC are quite expensive. H+Son offer a lot more bang for the buck, and QC appears to be better - at least according to some reviews. That said, Velocity moved production a few years ago I think, so I may not be fair to compare rims from 10 years ago.

Thanks! I wonder if you mean zippy in aesthetics or zippy in feel? I'm leaning towards polished Archetypes at the moment. Just to try something different.

Velocivixen

I had the Archetypes laced to Velo Orange high flange hubs and when both wheels were handed to me I stopped to look - I thought something was missing (they were unexpectedly light). Seriously!I built black TB 14 rims to the original hubs of my 1978 Univega Gran Rally. They were great to work with - just a dream. The Archetypes seem faster, lighter, effortless to get up to speed fast. It's a specific feeling. They're laced with butted Sapim Race spokes so that makes an agile feeling.

peugeot mongrel

BHS & BDop both have build kits that are hard to beat for bang for the buck. All black kits though.

I'm going to build a silver set with BHS hubs SL79/SL210 and silver Kinlin xc279 or xr22T rims. I'll use CN Aero424 superlite bladed spokes instead of CXRey's to keep the cost down. Should be $350ish for 1450-1500g depending on which rims. Use non aero Lasers and drop the cost $50

jimmuller 

The point being, light wheel/tire combinations DO feel faster. If you (generic) aren't racing the seconds gained on an acceleration don't matter but the fun factor sure does.

Of course it depends on the intended use of the bike. TDK, think about why you'd ride this bike over some other one. If you want zippy, go lighter. If you commute or like comfort or ride rougher roads or gravel/dirt trails pretty often, go wider and heavier. Just my opinion.

Velocivixen

@jimmuller - definitely a fun feeling. Too bad they're not being used on anything now - I'd have to spread some dropouts...
Yes, just because something feels faster doesn't mean they are.

TDK08

That's the truth. I'm getting ready for a mtn biking trip to Arkansas in a few days. I decided doing the rigid single speed thing probably wouldn't work well for me in the bigger hills. On goes the gears and front shock. The bike in rigid SS form feels faster, clock says different!