gholt

Does anyone have any experience with the Mavic Open Pro rims w/ Ultegra hubs. I am contemplating buying them because they have a 32 spoke count and are not too expensive. I wondered what your thoughts are.

I have the bontrager race and they came back last week from the dealer. They replaced the rear wheel and I bought a new front wheel. Already the back wheel is out of true. I am almost positive that I do not want to deal with these type of wheels again. Too few of spokes for commuting.

If these wheels are not very sturdry, then what wheels would you suggest for a F 32 and R 36?

RonH

I've had Mavic Open Pros and Ultegra hubs on my road bike for ~6 years.
I've had to true the rear wheel twice, the front wheel once, and have had two broken spokes (rear - two different occasions).

georgiaboy

Had mine for close to 6 mos. Fast and true no problems. Remember, the widest tire they accept are 28's. I wholeheartedly recommend them. They will smooth out your ride.

HardyWeinberg

I loved my 32/36 open pro/105s for commuting. Light (relatively), bombproof. It's all about the build quality though. Anyone can make a crap wheel out of good parts (which I think was the problem w/ the 'handbuilt' wheels the op/105s replaced). My op/105s were handbuilt by *reputable* people (vs interchangable lbs gnomes, I'm thinking of one particular lbs w/ high turnover, not the lbs as an institution, which I love, by any means), cost something like $400, maybe twice what I later saw nashbar or performance pushing open pro/ultegras for. I have since tried one pair of nashbar wheels, and they are great too, but 32h 26-inch wheels should be bombproof. Anyway, I was happy enough w/ those that I would try them again for open-pro ultegra combo if I needed such a thing, but I have gone all 26" all the time now.

SDRider

I have a pair of Open Pro/Record wheels I bought from Performance Bike for $299 on sale. They are 32H front and rear and laced up with double butted spokes. I had to true the front wheel once in about 1500 miles but otherwise they have been flawless and bomb proof. I run 700x23c tires on them for commuting.

InTheRain

+1 on the Mavic Open Pros with Ultegra hubs. I have these exact wheels on my touring bike. I have the 32 spoke variety. I did break a spoke on the rear wheel a few weeks ago. This was after about 1200 miles on the wheels. I replaced the spoke. The wheel is still true. I'd like to find a good deal on a 36 spoke Open Pro with Ultegra for the rear. Anyway, I've been happy. I sold my Bontrager Race wheels and bought Open Pros. I didn't have any problem with the Bontrager's, I just felt I was too heavy (220) to be riding a low-spoke wheel and then loading a rack and panniers over the top of it.

caloso

I got a pair of Ultegra/OPs on sale from Nashbar. They lost tension after about 50 miles but I had them tensioned and trued by a master wheel builder and they have been absolutely bombproof since. Very recommended.

ChezJfrey

Solid wheels. I buy the inexpensive Performance wheelset and retension/true them myself before use. Definitely the way to go for a lightweight yet strong commuter wheel. 32h is just fine for my front/rear even with panniers.

Mariner Fan

I have a set of 32 spoke Open Pro's with 105 hubs and they have served me well.

gholt

Thanks for the overwhelimg response. I think I will buy them. I just think that I will sell the race wheels because I am too heavy for them. 190 + backpack + rack.

Just another question: Do you normally have to detension and retension the wheel after it has already been machine built at the factory, or does it just need to be checked for trueness and then true up what needs to be true?

roadfix

Buy them on sale, prebuilt, and retension them later. You won't find a better wheelset deal elsewhere.

mjw16

I've had my Open Pros/XT in a 36 spoke wheel for 4 or so years now. The back gave out at was replaced and the front is original. They've been great, needing truing only once or twice a year, and I've used them for everything from: daily commuting to road rides and loaded touring. Also, I've about 250#'s and like to hop curbs to and from work. I'd say they're a tough, reliable wheel.

acroy

I think you Bonts are fine wheels, just need a really good tension & true.

The Opne Pro & Ultegra parts are good parts... but the main component of a quality wheel is the build. They will be trash if poorly built. I'd really suggest getting your Bonts re-tensioned & trued by good smith before spending more $ on a new wheelset. If your dealer did a poor job already, go somewhere else. or, buy the tools & do it yerself!

best o luck

Sawtooth

I did a ton of research before buying my Open Pros/Ultegras a couple of months ago. In the end, I ended up paying a bit more for them to be built up by Colorado Cyclist ($266 shipped). I could not be more pleased. Very true, very solid. I figured the extra $30 or so over the performance price was worth knowing that I would have a solid build job on them. Overall, this is the perfect wheelset for 95% of the riding I do and the build job is wonderful.

nelson249

I have 36 spoke Open Pros with Campy hubs on my old Bianchi. They are very fine rims for the money.

SDRider

I didn't with mine. I bought from Performance so I'm sure they are machine built. They were true out of the box but after riding for a couple months they sat in my garage for a few weeks while I was riding my other bike and I went to ride it one day only to find the front wheel was slightly out of true. I had my LBS true it and they've been fine ever since.

ActionJeans

+1 again on the Open Pros w/ Ultegra. Not too expensive, and mine, while the build quality was pretty bad, required two truings, and haven't needed a tweak since.

These are on both my commuter and training bike, and I've no problems with either. I bomb my commuter, with a heavy rack/trunk mind you, off curbs, potholes, etc, and while it might shock me a bit, it hasn't done one thing to the wheels. I actually road about 7 miles with my back tire flat (had to get to work), and still, no damage was done to the wheel.

I ride mine with 700x32 Michelin Trans City tires, and the ride is pretty good too. If you can get them for less than $250, you're getting a pretty good deal. I think I paid $210 for mine. Might want to take them to your LBS for tensioning if they aren't built by anyone you've heard of.

2 cents.

caloso

I was under the impression that a lot of cross racers use these wheels. Can't get much more bombproof than that.

zac

I have several sets of the Open Pros, but with Campy hubs. I would say that the D/A or Ultegras should be pretty much a great set of all purpose wheels. If the price is right, go for it.

I have a set of Bonty RLs too (not sure of the spoke count, but they are radial front, 2x/radial rear). They are also bomb proof. I had to tweak them once just after about 2 weeks on them, that was 2 years ago. I would have yours serviced by someone who knows wheels and proper spoke tensioning.

Good luck

acroy

+1, Co Cyclist has built me a couple excellent wheelsets. I like they use spoke prep and give the wheels such a nice tension & true. 10yrs later, one set is still going strong, and the spoke nipples still spin smoothly when needed.

ChezJfrey

The build is definitely key. I now retension the machine built wheels first thing because of a problem I had in the past. I once bought a wheel and placed it on the bike because it was true on day one. I had to re-true several times over the next couple weeks before I finally just loosened everything and started over. I blame uneven tension. You can get a straight wheel with uneven tension, but it comes out of true over and over and over...

Now that I set everything right the first time, my wheels stay true for just about ever.

I'll also add that I can get by with a lower spoke count wheel for commuting with a rack/panniers as well. I have some old Rolf Vectors (rims have since been replaced with Velocity DeepV because of wear) that never need work because I spent a good deal of time getting the correct and even tension on them when I rebuilt them. So yeah, the Bontragers may be fine if they're redone.

robtown

I took a set of Open Pro CD 4 rims and Dura-Ace hubs off a bike I flipped. They sport an 8 speed cassette. I used them on my commuter for a month after one of it's spokes broke. I like the wheelset; though the hub is loud when coasting. It's also an older set - probably 8 - 10 years. I'm moving it to my Paramount.
One negative so far, it's aero w/o a machined braking surface. The break pads are wearing out the annodized surface.

Allen

I'm running OpenPros on my Salsa, different hubs though, they've been great.

pgoat

Would I be okay with a Op/Ultegra 32h rear at 220 lbs (commuting on city streets)? Or should i stick with a 36h - and if so, anyone know where to find it? Colorado Cyclist? Or is Performance okay? I am worried about initial build because -unbelievably - i can't find a shop in NYC that actually knows how to true a %#@$ing wheel

adrien

I had a set for a while -- had them hand tensioned and rebuilt after they popped out of true. Since then, I never trusted them for hammering up hills (standing) when on the commute. I'm about 230.

I ended up getting Deep Vs built up. No comparison -- the deeop V Ultegras are very strong, very rigid and I never give them a second thought.

The OPs are hanging in the garage now, with an ultegra 9-speed cassette that has less than 150 miles on it. PM me if you're interested in them.