Originally Posted by sloppy robot
the hubs are quite decent for the price... but so are arrowheads.. someone who is upgrading the rims.. most likely wants to upgrade the hubs to.. making the formula/openpro combo not the most popular combo
It's the "upgrade the hubs to . . ." that complicates this picture. The next "upgrade" seems to be the Suzue Pro-Max, but you generally have to buy them in pairs and I'm not convinced that the Pro-Max is that much better than the IRO/Formula (I have both). And with Suzue going out of business, they won't be available in quantity for much longer anyway. I will say that Sheldon currently has a good deal on Pro-Max Open Pro wheelsets, but I just need the rear wheel.
Then you move up to Dura-Ace low-flange track (great hubs but generally available only in pairs) and Phil Wood, with the latter in particular involving a huge jump in price.
In the larger scheme of things, the basic silver Open Pro is a fairly moderately priced rim, and I still think there is a market for a Formula/IRO Open Pro combo.
Dr. Bill