Originally Posted by
3chnalava
ok, so I have been scouting the intraweb for my best options for all around wheels and have come to the conclusion that custom might be the way to go.
here are the constraints:
less than $500
under 1500g
must be fairly strong (support 160lbs in bumpy/pot hole roads)
use KinLin xr-300 rims (cheap, light, and the right profile)
pluses:
color choices on hub/spokes
the stiffer, the better (I'm young and don't care about comfort)
even lighter
Good luck hitting that 1500 gram target.
You can get some pretty nice, quite strong wheels for $500...however, something's going to have to give in order for you to hit that weight.
I just built a 1600 gram set with Kinlin XR-300 on the rear, XR-270 front, with white industries hubs and DT swiss Comp spokes and just the parts (from a very competitive source
) cost me $500 shipped to my door. I had to do the building.
A less proven light weight hub set that's MUCH cheaper is offered by Novatec. (
http://www.bdopcycling.com/Hubs-Road.asp ) I think PSIMET builds with them and has had good luck. That could bring your weight down a bit, and perhaps allow you to afford sapim CX-Ray spokes to lose a few more grams. Not sure how that would shake out for weight exactly, but you'd be putting some super high end spokes, and quality rims onto some comparably cheap hubs to make it happen. It would be up to you.
I'd suggest doing a bit more research, and also think hard about how important that 1500gr limit is to you. Personally I prefer a wheel that I can trust to last a long time and be relatively (if not perfectly) trouble free. In most cases (I'm not trying to start a fight here) the lighter weight wheel sets do come at a cost to convenience and reliability.
-Jeremy