HuckMeat

So say you get parts free or at cost. (pretend cost is not an issue, although it always is). Which wheels would you choose, and why? Wheels for rough courses? Wheels for fast courses? Wheels for courses with lots of on bike climbing? Wheels for muddy courses?


I've got a sweet line in on a set of mavic cosmic elite wheels, which seem like a reasonably durable wheel, and the areo profile would help shed mud/snow. I've not got them yet, but am thinking about it. Otherwise I was going to build up a set of ultegra with mavic CXP-33 or whatever. I'm ~ 145 lbs.

Then again, I've seen "pro" bikes with spinergy revX wheels on them. Is it just for looks, or do the spinergys really get raced? Are they tough?

Anyway, just wanted to see what people would build up of they could, and get the thoughts behind it.

CrossProvidence

Yeah the rev-x are just for looks. And they do look so cool with cross tires but really, theyre heavy and they are a really rigid ride. The vectran spoked spinergys are better for cross. They're lighter and have a better ride for cross. I use the old style spox which can be found on ebay for not much dough. I would use the Ksyrium wheels any day. I used to be down on these wheels because of the cost but they've proven to be very durable for me. If I were to choose a wheel without looking at cost then I'd probably get something like a zipp440 or a pair of Lew palermos.

-c

Wayno

I used some HEAVY, but strong LX hubs with DT Alpine III triple butted spokes and Sun CR18 rimmed wheels last year. I was new to 'cross, and figured I needed super strength...wrong. I saw super light road stuff getting whacked around and coming back for more. Well made wheels are strong enough to take a wooping. Your Ultegra/CXP set should be nice. I'm planning to run 32 hole Ultegra/Open pro...because I already have them. I have a set of Ksyrium SSLs for road racing, and may give these a go on some of the smoother courses here in New England. Its not like I'm sponsored and can get wheels when I trash them.

velocipedio

i use open pros with campy centaur hubs. great wheels -- tough and light. the only ptoblem is that the box section rims are prone to mudsuck.

Wayno

I forgot about mudsuck! The CR18s were way strong, but with the box section, they did gather a healthy layer of slush at a race last year. The Open Pros are not necessarily flat, at least the ones I have, what year are yours?

HuckMeat

Is the zipp 440 the same rim as the 404? There is a (sponsored tri geek)guy here with slightly used 2003 404 clydesdales for sale, $400. Probably don't need them, but wouldn't they look cool?

RacerX

The Rev-X's are the fastest wheels I've ever ridden. I would buy them but they are no longer made. It's too expensive to manufacture so Spinergy stopped last year.

I would go with a standard wheel with open pros or cxps. they are the easiest. I like the xero spinergys and the spox but the spox bearings suck.

If you're going carbon, I would recommend tubulars. It's the biggest bang for the buck for cross.

velocipedio

the problem i find with relatively deep-section rims, like the cxp-33s, is that they don't have eyelets. that makes them fill up with water and nasties in bad weather. does anyone know of a decent semi-aero rim with eyelets?

RacerX

xaero has eyelets but they still fill with water. So do Open pros though.

don d.

Spinergy did stop making Rev-x wheels because they were too expensive-too expensive for the legal department!

Check out this b4 you consider NOS or used Rev-x wheels:

https://home.interlynx.net/~pjdu/

They were definitely the fastest wheels to get you to the hospital.

RacerX

that's not the reason they stopped making the Rev x.
.
I'm sick of talking about this so you can do a search on rev x's to read all about it.

velocipedio

op's fill with less water, because they're a lower profile rim. i find that uneyeletted rims let in all sorts of other gunk and grit, though, and that can be a problem.

bicyclinghub

What ever type of rim you ride make sure it's a tubular rim. Any thoughts on tires. I like the Tufo.

Best regards,

Doug

Limba

Ksyrium wheelset for me if I didn't have to pay for it
Nobody said anything about Chris King hubs.No good for 'cross?

velocipedio

too damned expensive for cross!

the neat thing about cyclo-cross is that you really don't need the superlight super-aero super-trick stuff. i think ck stuff would be overkill.

JayT

Click here to read the recent discussion about cx rubber on our local message board. If you want a summary... Tufo!

Hope the link helps. JayT

velocipedio

tufos are great, but damned pricey... and you need tubular rims, unless you go for the tufo tubular clinchers. the pro of tubbies are that you can run them at insanely low pressure. the cons are that they are expensive, require some expertise to set right [i always left dribbles of glue everywhere], and when you get a flat, it's not just the tube...

i've been running a set of maxxis larsens this year and, frankly, they're the best tires i've ever had.

Limba

Maxxis larsens huh?You like them better than the Michelin 'cross tires?

velocipedio

i went through two green [rear] michelin muds last year. they grip like glue and wear like putty. i don't know how well the maxxises will hold out, but i like the grip and i find their mud shedding somewhat better. ask me again in a month.

Racing Aardvark

if money's no object, go hole-hog, but hey, don't expect the stuff to last as long as it would on the road. Also, I don't REALLY want to think about what happens if you pile drive a brand new Zipp or Reynolds wheel into a barrier (like I see guys regularly do).

I have a set of Spinergies for my main race wheels, and I don't find them too stiff at all. In fact, the flex in them makes them nice, and they sure do give off the "woooooow!" factor (hey, I coach juniors, so that's important )..I also got them for dirt cheap, or I wouldn't have dropped the coin.

My other wheelsets are all traditional spoked wheelsets, with tubulars. Tufos kick ass. I've gotten great milage out of a set of Ultegra8spd hubs laced to Mavic Reflex rims.

shinomaster

campy bora, zipp carbon, new carbon bontrager, ummm...ADA's?

Lectron

The Maxxises does not hold out at all. They wear out quickly and have very poor puncture resistant. Not recomended

lunacycle

I've been using a Mavic Cosmos wheelset for cyclocross. I'm 175#, and surprisingly, those wheels have withstood a lot of abuse. I knocked the front wheel about 1/2" out of true last fall during a race, but other than that they have held up well. I only bought them because I thought the cartridge bearings would require less maintenance than loose bearings. However, the freehub and the cartridge bearings haven't held up as well as the rest of the wheelset. My next set of wheels will be the tried and true Ultegra/Open Pro/32 hole combo. As for tires, I have gotten extremely good service out of the Continental Twisters. Good traction, good durability, but very heavy.