Originally Posted by
mudboy
The "best" custom combo is going to be the one that works for you and suits your riding style. What's your weight? What's your riding style (masher, spinner, sprinter)? What types of roads do you usually ride on? What size tires do you plan on running? Is weight more important than durability, do you want a compromise, or do you want wheels that will last you forever?
Personally, I've moved away from Mavic rims because of QA issues and now use DT and have had no problems. If I were to go with sewups, the Ambrosio Nemesis seem to be the go-to rim (good enough for Boonen, good enough for me). The wheels that I build for myself tend to be 32 hole, 3 cross, 14/15 front and NDS rear, and 14 DS rear. Brass nipples, as alloys aren't worth the risk...if the weight is important to you, and you're light enough, drop your spoke count to 28 to make up for that. FWIW, I use boiled linseed oil as a spoke prep.
For your original post, I would go with 293's and 291's, and not compromise. It can certainly work if you have to make it work, but I'm funny that way.
Pete
Thanks Pete. I know that a real "best" is impossible to establish, and I'm pretty happy with my Record-Open Pro-DT Comp combo, as it was cost-effective, and it provides a good balance of weight and strength (as I mentioned, it's 32 hole, 3 cross). Just interested to know what everyone on here likes.
I went with the campy, as being in Italy and riding with Athena, it was a convenient choice. I like the look of Chris King, but they're expensive here – about double what I paid for the Record set. I chose the Open Pros based on reputation and the fact that they were €20 cheaper per rim compared to the DT Swiss RR415 I was looking at. What are the QA issues with Mavic stuff?
Pete, you also hit on something I meant to ask about
: Spoke prep. You simply cannot buy it in Rome (where I live) or Dublin (where I'm from). I can't even buy it online from an EU shop. No one seems to use it, and I've always got away with using chain lube without any hassle. Is it worth sourcing?