wheels trading weight for build quality?
 

ok so here is the deal.. new wheel set coming.. these are hand built DT Swiss 585 laced to Dua-ace 10..1840g but i am now riding Easton Circuts easton hubs..1640g. so im going be throwing a little less then 1/2 lbs on the bike.. rolling gp4000 conti 25mm.. if that matters... even with the 7oz difference i think its best to go with a better wheel set.. but i just taking a pulse here... have any of you folks upgraded wheel sets at the cost of weight for a better built wheel.. oh yea... im 6,2 and 210 or so,, so yep clyde... i now the best wheel set i ever rode was some hand built open pro SUP campy 8's... and those were near 2000g,,,, but i dont know any thing about DT Swiss 585

You didn't have to select such heavy parts if you didn't want to. Why did you do it? Custom built wheels don't have to be heavy. In fact getting custom built is a usual means of getting lighter wheels. I don't get it.

they came with the bike.. ok, that dose not really adress my question.. for any one else... have you ever traded weight for quality... this is not about going out and have some new wheels built.. its kinda seeing if how folks prioritize, a cheaper wheel set vs a slightly heavy wheel set but much better built... of course i could have a set built... i could shell out 3K and have some litghtwheights build.. im not going to...

Why trade?

There is no such thing as worse built that an hour with a spoke wrench won't fix. Or $100 paid to a competent builder. All the notions about better wheels are mostly BS. Good wheels are well built from decent quality parts. You don't need expensive hubs and rims to have excellent wheels. All that stuff is myth.

I think durability and reliability may better describe what you are talking about. Also, the intended use of the wheels is a primary consideration. So; to answer your question, yes I think strength and reliability are very important in an every day set of wheels. Many racers opt for heavier and more reliable wheels for training on because they ride/train a lot and the last thing they want to have to think about is their wheels. On race day, they pull out the lighter/less durable/higher performance/more expensive wheels to try and get an edge.

wow, welcome to the ignore thing, how do i put some on ignore.. i got to figure that out.. but better materials, double eyelit spokes holes, better hubs, better milled brake surface.. more durable.. all of that cant really be adressed with spoke tension. oh i give up...

you don't know as much about wheels and wheelbuilding as you think you do.

I wouldn't call Robert a master wheel builder, but he knows far more than most people here.

You seem to have read up about wheels, but Robert is speaking from actual experience.

I've seen plenty of high quality sub 1500g wheels. You can have your cake and it too. No reason to trade one for the other. You can also probably get custom wheels that are sub $1500 and as good of quality at the DA/DT Swiss for less money

Eyelets have been totally discredited in modern rim construction. And they have essentially disappeared from quality rims. Kinlin is among the cheapest and also best made rim available. Hubs are really just about bearings, and even the best bearings are relatively cheap. There is no point to spending a bunch on hubs. Novatecs and Bitexes work great. Spend what you wish, but don't make the mistake of thinking expensive wheels will do anything for you that well chosen, moderately priced ones will not.

There's an old saying, Light, Cheap, Strong (Durable) - pick two.

Most people going hand built are going for light and strong. Some custom options are cheaper than pre-built wheels or fit a certain strength level while maximizing weight savings.

It sounds to me like you looked at those three options and picked one.