Originally Posted by
robow
For the money, I'd probably look very seriously at what Bikemig offered above, but then I'm a fan of name brand parts that are easier to find here in the US when you need to work on something.
Rigida is an extremely established company and name brand. The rims are now called Ryde, I believe. Rigida owned Weinmann(still might?) in the late 90s.
Olite hubs are part of KT, which is Taiwan's largest hub manufacturer.
Sapin spokes are extremely well known.
I agree that these brand names arent as readily available as Shimano branded hubs, DT spokes, or Alex rims here stateside, but they are all well established brands.
Really though, if a Sapim spoke breaks, take it to a shop and get a DT spoke instead. With wheels, there isnt much to work on that isnt actually component changes. Spoke breaks?...instert a new one even if its a different brand. Rim got dented?...get a new rim. The odds of a random shop having the same rim as whatever is on your other wheel is really small.
I have some wheels from velomine which is what bikemig linked and I love the wheels. I couldnt have built them on my own for less than I paid. Amazing deal and they have been perfect so far(only 400ish miles on em).
But I also wouldnt hesitate to use Rigida rims or Sapim spokes or Olite hubs as the only reason I dont is they arent as readily available by me and that isnt for lack of quality.