Originally Posted by
Flimflam
Newb question.. I was reading an article today that mentioned the need of a strong lockring, good hub yadda yadda for riding fixed... I'm pricing up wheelsets and am thinking Ksyrium Equipes right now, but have noticed them with the likes of Ultegra/Dura-Ace/Mavic hubs and wondered whether these are still considered good/hefty for fixed use. I plan on riding my FG around town, and as we all know the streets here are ****, so I want to make sure I have some decent circles guiding my way.
Are there any fixed-specific/preferred brands/things to look for in both hubs and rims/wheelsets? Local stores/tips Keith, I respect your reputation amongst the crowd here and I want the best for what I can afford (I think I'd go as north as $350/4 - but I need other stuff for the build too, so can't budget more now).
The wheels you mentioned are all road hub and are un-suitable for fixed. As operator said any of Formula/Miche/Surly/Soma hubs will be fine for all but the most abusive riders. Miche I find to be a bit more durable in the bearing as they use a bigger size than all the others. That said Miche aren't readily available in flip-flop/double sided. For the $ you have to spend I would say any of the afforementioned hubs laced to some good hoops...Mavic Cxp's or Open Pro's. Keeping within the budget you should be able to get the complete wheelset with lockring and cog. Don't cheap on rims, Cogs (Dura-Ace, Soma, IRO or EAI all make good ones) Spokes (think DT...I like the Competitions) And again..the hub is only as good as the quality of the cog and lockring and the installation of both.