Originally Posted by
rydaddy
I have to argue about the factory wheels being most economical. I think it's true for low end wheels but not so much for higher end wheels. First off, I think it's ludacris that people spend $1000+ on aluminum rimmed clinchers.
I've built a few sets recently with a total cost below $400. One set was Dura-Ace hubs with Kinlin xr200 rims and revolution/comp spokes. They weighed in at 1475 grams and that's with 28f/32r spokes. Cost was $385 for everything (I shopped around for deals).
Another example is a set I recently built for racing. Novatech hubs, Kinlin xr300's and cx-ray spokes. Total cost was $400 for everything, weight was 1520 grams. Show me a factory wheel that comes even close to that in price/weight/quality of components.
Yes, it's worth it (in more ways than one) to build your own wheels.
You ain't going to be building anything close to the performance of say a pair of zipp 404's with off the shelf parts like that, or if you are it isn't going to be cheaper. Weight isn't always the primary emphasis, espeically total static weight. There's aerodynamics, stiffness and rotating weight.