Originally Posted by
Hydrated
This is my thing. As a professional engineer, I love the engineering marvel that is the bicycle wheel. The bicycle wheel is perhaps the strongest structure ever devised when you look at it ounce-for-ounce.
Yes, Jobst Brandt stressed this in his book. It's quite a marvel.
And your wheels have more impact on a bicycle's ride and performance than any other component on the whole bike... bar none.
I disagree. To me, the one choice that makes the most difference is the tires.
But lightweight wheels come in close, probably in second place.
A great wheelset can transform a bike from a slug to a gazelle. I learned to build wheels just so I could know all the secret black magic that those pro mechanics practice... and now I don't trust anyone else to build my wheels.
I don't blame you!
I haven't worked much with Dura Ace hubs, but I trust they are of the very highest quality. And I agree that high quality hubs are a good investment. I've done well with old Campagnolo Record hubs.
I recently had to remove a sprocket and lockring off a Dura Ace track hub. They were on insanely tight. I went through various abusive techniques to get the lockring off. It withstood all my abuse, only because it was extremely well made. I left hardly a scratch on it.
You can ruin your rims, but your hubs will last.