ridethecliche

I'm just wondering what people think of buying used mavic open pro laced to a 105 hub (front wheel) and an ultegra hub (rear wheel). The front wheel is 5 years old and the rear is 2 years old.

I can pick up the used set for less than half the price of a new set of open pros laced to ultegras, and I'm pretty sure that the seller said it comes with a 9 speed cassette.

I weigh 150 lbs and the seller says that the wheels are in used but good condition/shape and are true.

The price is pretty attractive (Sub 100 bucks) and my Alex DA 22's aren't really making me too happy. Plus I can throw them on an 80's roadie I'm planning on using as a campus bike.

I want something that I can use for a beater/training wheelset until I decide what exactly I want to upgrade to. Think this fits the bill?

I don't want to spend 300 bucks on something that I'm not sure of, but I have a broken spoke on the rear wheel of my 80's bike and it needs a new wheel as the hub is notorious for popping spokes after the first one goes. I figure I can use the mavics for a season and a half until I decide what I want to buy, who knows I might even have a new bike by then!

Thoughts on buying a used mavic open pro with 105/ultegra wheelset? How have yours held up (I've heard they're 'bulletproof')?
What should I look for when inspecting the wheels?
Any other suggestions?

Thanks a lot!

jet sanchEz

Well, this is the time of year that a lot of stuff gets reduced in price, especially wheelsets as they will likely have different styling cues for next season. For example, my LBS has Easton Circuits on sale for $300, half the price they usually sell them for and Shimano R560s (which I believe are the 105 level) are on sale for $200.

So, to answer your question, I think that if money is an issue, get the old set for $100 but if you don't need the wheels right away, shop around and spend a bit more to get a lot more value.

Soil_Sampler

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Cyclist0383

Check for brake wear on the rims and play in the hubs. If you pick these up make sure to repack the hubs for a silky smooth ride.

eofelis 

We got a set of used Open Pros on Ultegra hubs with a 9sp cassette on them at a local gear swap. We sort of knew the guy who was selling them. Price was $35 for the set, and then we sold the cassette on ebay for $35. Such a deal. My SO had to repack the hubs on them.

We have a lot of wheel sets kicking around here and this one is a spare and is sometimes is loaned out to friends who need to borrow a wheel for a while.

My SO builds and maintains his own wheels and prefers Open Pros on Dura Ace hubs. My SO weighs 200lbs and has has very good luck riding the Open Pros for many years. Neither of us race, just recreational/distance riding.

tarwheel 

Do you know the approximate mileage on the used Open Pros? I've got a couple sets of Open Pros with close to 20,000 miles each and they're still doing fine. One of them I had re-spoked a couple of years ago. One issue with older Open Pros is that they tend to develop the dreaded "Open Pro click." It's an annoying clicking sound you hear with every wheel revolution. It can be fixed but you have to know how.

BTW, you can buy a new set of Ultegra/Open Pro wheels for about $200 from Performance. They don't qualify for free shipping, but if you order using the "red phone" at a Performance store, they will ship to that store at no charge. I recently bought a set of Ultegra/OPs at Performance for about $215 at one of their stores. For $200, I would be inclined to buy new rather than used unless you were very certain that the older wheels didn't have a lot of mileage and were well maintained.

merlinextraligh

If they've been ridden a lot , I'd say 5 years is beyond the time you'd expect to rebuild the wheel. So I'd consider the front wheel likely to be at the end of its useful life.

Personally, I'd buy new from Performance for $200, before I'd pay over $50 for these wheels.

I have a set of Open Pro/Ultegra from Performance, and they're fine. I haven't ridden them much, but they held up well to the Webster/Roubais Road Race which included 10 miles of dirt road.

ridethecliche

I talked to the seller today and he said they probably have about 2500 miles on them.

He's selling the wheels for ~80 bucks and the price includes a used ultegra cassette.

I want to use the wheels for the rest of this season and maybe some of next season too, while I decide which wheels I want to get. I'm thinking of buying a new bike in around september of next year and hoping to hold off on a wheelset purchase till then.

Money isn't really the problem, but I'd rather save for a new bike then spend 200-400 dollars on a set of wheels when my bike costs less than 600 bucks. That's 200 bucks that can go towards that felt/cannondale/whatever I want!

Let me know what you guys think. Thanks a lot. I really do appreciate it.

NealH

The solution to your dilemma is right here. No need to labor over it.

Pasqually

Just check they hubs for smoothness and check the spokes, make sure they look ok, not bent or anything.

Make sure you check the rims for any signs of stress around the eyelets, they can creak and cracks will form around the eyelets as they pull through a little.

Depends on your weight. I have destroyed many OP rims in the past, but kept buying them as a rim was around $50 Australian, which was around $35US (before your $ died in the arse).

Lots of folks swear by Open Pro's and if you don't weigh too much they do last for ages.

Hows the cassette look?

Mudu93

Love my Open Pro/Ultegra from Performance but for 80 bones you really have nothing to lose. Just check them out first for smoothness of operation. 2500 miles is not that much use. My .02.

ridethecliche

I weigh 150 and the original owner said he weighs 170 so I don't think the wheels should have issues as far as the weight goes. I will give them a thorough look over for spoke tension, cracks on the rim around eyelets, and hub for working order.

Anything else?