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Old 09-17-11 | 10:10 AM
  #13  
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ericm979
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Joined: May 2007
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From: Santa Cruz Mountains
I'd avoid cheap carbon wheels if you are concerned about durability or you descend steep twisty roads.

What makes a wheel durable is the rim stiffness, hub geometry, and build quality. A stiffer rim will flex less, which means that the spoke tension will change less. When spokes detension they flex and eventually they break. It's almost always the rear NDS spokes that break because they have the least tension due to rear wheel dish.

"aero" rims have a larger cross section and thus make a stiffer rim. Going to say an XR270 from an Open Pro there is a noticeable increase in lateral stiffness even though the rims weigh the same. The larger cross section is what does it. I have stopped using low profile rims for this reason. The higher profile rims make a more durable wheel. Unfortunately the 27 and 30mm rims, while stronger and stiffer, aren't noticeably more aero than low profile rims. You need to get up to 45mm or so before you notice a difference and even then it's quite small.

The tension differential can be addressed by hub geometry in two ways- the NDS (non drive side) flange can be moved in, or the DS can be moved out. The DS flange can't go too far out of course, otherwise the spokes will hit the derailleur. 20mm is about as far as practical. Bringing the NDS flange in increased the NDS tension but at the cost of making the rear wheel flexible because the spoke bracing angle is now low on both sides.

Most builders of inexpensive wheels won't even tell you whose hubs they use, let alone the hub geometry. So you need to go fishing for the information by figuring out which hubs they are using and looking for the specs.

Build quality has a big effect on a wheels durability. A good build will have even tension on the spokes and will have been stress relieved. A bad build may start coming apart after only a few rides. I have had that happen from well regarded custom wheel makers (no one who is still in business).

One thing to keep in mind is that the overseas builders will be difficult to deal with if you have a warranty issue with the wheels. If you search the forums you can find posts from people who have had difficulty getting warranty service from those guys. Some of the US based builders in your list (i.e. Williams) have a better reputation for service.

Another option is to get a good custom wheel builder to make a set of wheels. That way you can get good hubs with good flange spacing, and any custom tweaks you like (for example 20f/28r spoking or different spoke lacing patterns).

Of the options you listed I'd get the Williams 30s, or custom from Psimet.
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