Adagio Corse

From the posts of almost everybody who's tried custom wheels from a reputable wheelmaker, it appears the consensus is that for under $600, you can not buy an off the shelf wheelset that comes close in terms of weight, performance and repair/maintenance.

So why is it people continue to buy the off the shelf stuff? Is it just ignorance, brand loyalty, or fear of the unknown?

I'm about to upgrade my OEM Aksiums and am looking at Ligero wheelworks to maximize my $500 budget.

CastIron

Time and simplicity. It's was just too easy to think how much I 'needed' the Easton Orion II's on the shop wall today. Mmmmmmm.....shiny objects and instant gratification.

SpongeDad

If you buy a complete bike at an LBS, especially if it is on sale, you're a more constrained on the package.

Ramjm_2000

The only negatives to going custom I can think of are:

1. If you need the wheels now. A custom set can take several weeks (perhaps months) to get in the "que" and be built.

2. Service. Unless the builder is in your home town, issues are more difficult to address. Not as convenient as going to your LBS.

3. Logo Lust. Many customs builds look fairly tame compared to the bling bling look of some off the current shelf wheels (not gold, red, multi-colored spokes,etc...). Not really a negative in my book.

That said, the performance for the price makes it worth the issues IME.

Zinn-X

I'm not sure. I never really thought about having custom wheels made. One of the nice things about buying an off-the-shelf wheelset is that you can rely on the feedback of tons of other people, read reviews, and be ensured of a consistant performance. Custom may be cheaper, but there is an element of unknown to it. And then there's the thing of having flashy decals on a name brand wheelset... this may be the ultimate consideration to the crowd riding super high end bikes that are way above their knowledge or riding levels. Ultimately, I don't think there is a simple answer to your question, and I don't think the benefits of a custom wheel outweigh those of an OEM wheel in every single scenario.

urbanknight

+1 on the instant gratification. Actually, built wheelsets are pretty good themselves now, and can often be serviced to the quality of custom wheels. Come to think of it, the only reason I DO buy custom wheelsets is because I build them myself and get an overdeveloped sense of pride when I finish them.

covenant

Convenience.

There are hundreds of websites where you can look at every wheelset. Compare specs and prices, add them to your cart and checkout.

Most custom makers won't list prices for possible builds. Some will only accept phone inquiries.

Bob Ross

+1 Well put.

Adagio Corse

Thanks for the responses, makes sense now. I guess it's also easier to sell a "known brand" on Ebay than a custom wheelset.

I should have thought about instant gratification... unexpectedly spent $100 on some jerseys I didn't know I needed while browsing online the other day