kawasakiguy37

I've heard both good and bad things about Blue Sky Cycling but they do seem to be dirt cheap on a lot of stuff.

For most parts I wouldn't care less if the shipping took a day or two less, but is Blue Sky actually building the wheelsets they sell? Anybody comment on the workmanship?

I'm specifically looking at these two for a touring build:

BlueSkyCycling.com - Shimano Deore Wheelset w/ Sun CR 18 Rims 29er

https://www.blueskycycling.com/produc...-A119-Rims.htm

Same price - one has better hubs, but is 32h instead of 36h. I weigh only 155 pounds + gear so I figure either should be fine. I do like that the mavic is a wider rim

fietsbob

Going for low price, expect a machine not hand built wheel.. IDK if the seller hand finishes them before delivery ..doubtful..
... like, the same parts, a distributor shipped machine built wheel , thru an LBS you walk into, may offer you.

gorshkov

I don't know whether they build their wheels or anything about the quality of workmanship, but the price blue sky has is probably less than what you'd pay for the hubs, rims, and spokes if you built the wheel yourself. My advice is to buy the wheels, and ride them a few hundred miles before you do any long tours. The worst case is that the build quality is poor, and then you have to pay your LBS $50 to true and tension them - and you've still got a decent wheelset at a pretty good price.

bwgride

If you buy one of those wheelsets, it would represent a good opportunity to learn to true wheels. I would also recommend buying a wheel truing stand, or make one (lots of examples online), and truing the wheels yourself. This will provide independence and confidence. I don't recommend riding a few hundred miles on machine built wheels; I recommend checking wheels first for tension and true before riding otherwise you could damage the wheels or spokes if a spoke or two is too loose.

hueyhoolihan

they are boat anchors, probably last forever, and a great price. if i bought them, i would re-tention and true them.

at 155 pounds i'd probably go for the Deore's. i have some Alivio stuff, and although i like Shimano components, the Alivio is a little borderline cheap for me.

robert schlatte

Blue sky also had this wheelset at $135. Better rims and hubs comparable to Deore but with 130mm rear spacing which may fit your dropouts better.

BlueSkyCycling.com - Shimano Tiagra Road Wheelset w/ Mavic A319 Rims

kawasakiguy37

Is Tiagara really better than Deore? I would expect them to be about similar level and the mountain hub to have better sealing......then again the 130mm would mean I probably wouldnt have to cold set my frame (or at least a very minor set which I could do myself)

Mavic AR319's are heavier but who really cares - I like the 24mm width - still 32h though!

I have trued wheels myself before (not fully built a wheel - just fixed up some old 80s wheels that were out of round) so machine wheels really shouldnt be too much of a problem.

robert schlatte

[QUOTE=kawasakiguy37;17052147]Is Tiagara really better than Deore?

No, I meant that the rims were better and the Tiagra hubs were comparable to Deore.

robert schlatte

[QUOTE=kawasakiguy37;17052147] still 32h though!

At your weight, I think you would be absolutely fine with 32h.

fietsbob

easy enough to do a thinner left spacer on a 135 hub and do some local shop work to have only a 130 wide set-up when the work is done.

You can (?) even Ignore any disc mounts on the Mtb hubshell ..

kawasakiguy37

Ended up with these:

Velocity - Dyad Touring Commuter Sport Wheelset 700c - *blemished*

24mm width which is what I wanted, and 130mm rear hub spacing. I couldnt find much on the velocity sport hubs, but everything I did find seemed to be decently positive so Im crossing my fingers!

robert schlatte

Nice! You should be very happy with that wheelset.

fietsbob

FWIW ... People who have trouble on the road , like out here, with their wheel , either get a Spoke replaced or a machine built wheel from stock .

because no one wants to hang around a few days for anything more fancy to be built. [Though hotel/motel rooms food and drink abound]

and if they have a high end hub, it will be boxed and shipped home ..