Originally Posted by stapfam
Originally Posted by cyclintom...Well when you spend that much money on a set of wheels I suppose you feel obligated to tell a difference.
We may be a bit different in the UK but we have specialist wheel builders that can build better wheels than any other company, and they are cheaper. If I were going to buy a high priced set of wheels, I would not go to Mavic, or Shimano or to Campy or any of the trade name Builders. I would go to the Man that I personally trust, and has a reputation to lose from just one set of badly built wheels. Good Reputaions are hard to get, and one bit of badworkmanship and he will lose it.
In that way, First of all I could take their advice, I could choose the hub, the spokes, the rim, the spoke count and the weight and strength of the things. They are still not going to be cheap, but the quality I get from my wheel builder is top notch, and the price is exceptionally good. Then on the other hand- from the same wheelbuilder I can buy a pair of wheels for training or winter use or for wrecking, that will be down to a price level that I would pay for just the rear wheel at my LBS, and the build quality will still be higher than I would expect for the price.
Not necessarily a distinct advantage to custom made wheels. We have similar wheel builders in the US and in fact one in particular enjoys tremendous popularity amoung BF members. Who can chose better components...you?...the single wheel builder or say venerable Campagnolo with teams of their fine engineers? How about interactions? Components you choose do not perform in the same harmony as Campy wheelsets that have been tested much more rigorously. Then there is resale...won't be much for your wheels but will be good resale with Campagnolo due to name recognition. Campy makes great wheels...from their modest Vento's all the way up to their elite wheels and in between. Are your wheels better? Maybe...but not much if they are and the cost differential will easily be negated by resale. Big factor is hand tensioned wheels are very reliable versus wheels that are tensioned by robot. But biggest overall factor is personalization and support...what you get from your wheel builder provided he is timely and supportive in the event of an incident...some are too busy for spontaneous support. Both approaches to wheel selection are effective....more a matter of choice than actual advantage.
George