BigFloppyLlama

Well, now that I have a new bike, it’s time to spend more money! But in reality this is just me planning ahead for when I get some (a lot) of spare change. I’m content with the frame and components, but the wheels leave a little to be desired. Price/weight is the biggest thing for me probably, and I’m not really wanting to drop $700+ for a set of boutique wheels. I’m also looking for durability and reparability at the same time. So, I was thinking about building up a set of more traditional wheels from various parts.

Front Wheel:
Chris King Hub Road Front Black 28 Hole 112g
Ritchey Rim Aero Pro Front Black 28 Hole 395g
Revolution spokes, 3 cross lacing 140g
Black alloy nipples 10g

Rear wheel :
Chris King Hub Road Rear Black 32 Hole 263g
Ritchey Rim Aero Pro Front Black 32 Hole 395g
Drive side Revolution spokes, 80g
Non-drive side Revolution spokes, 3 cross lacing 80g
Black alloy nipples 10g

So, total without skewers or rim tape it's estimated at about 1485g for the pair. I can get them built up for $500 even which is just over the price of the rear wheels of comparably light wheels. So, at a much lower price, similar weight, etc. is there some catch I’m not getting? Will these things come untrued every few hundred miles? And what would you think about them being used as an every day wheel (provided I avoid potholes and rough roads)?

Side note: Anyone have any experience with those rims? Just trying to save a few grams off the rim compared to Open Pros, but if they’re not that great I can take the weight hit.

dexmax

oh my, those are light wheels!!!

especially those rims! 395g? wow!

I think its time to get myself some new rims.. My rims are 520g!!

RiPHRaPH

that weight is unreal. i wish i'd feel confident on wheels that light given my weight <182lbs> and the rutted roads out here.

amazing.

TrekRider

Why Chris King hubs? Why not Dura-Ace? Or, why not Phil Wood? I have heard many people rave about Phil Wood bottom brackets, calling them the best ones ever made. If his bottom brackets are the best, it would follow that his hubs must be near the top, too. Of course, the are quite expensive! Probably raise the cost of your wheels by about $300.

Anyone use them?

BigFloppyLlama

I've heard nothing but good things about both Chris King and Phil Wood hubs. However, the Chris King hubs are a bit lighter weight and cost less than both the Dura Ace and Phil Wood hubs. And with a 5 year warranty behind them, I'd feel pretty confident in the quality.

TrekRider

When I was still bike shopping, I was worred about wheel strength, being 6'3" and 240lbs. I wrote Peter White and asked about a set of bulletproofs, and he recommended 36 hole Mavic CXP33's with Dura-Ace hubs. The price difference between Ultrega hubs was minimal, and, according to White, the difference in price was well worth it.

I also went to the master wheelwright at my LBS, and he recommended 36 hole Open Pro rear/32hole front and Dura-Ace hubs.

If the stock Bontrager Race wheelset on my Zurich can't stand up to my weight, I will opt for having my LBS build the OPs for me. They quoted a price of about $375-400 for the set and they will give me the same guarantee as Peter White. If they ever go out of true, they will true them for free. If I ever break a spoke, they will repair it for free. Ain't no bad deal!

Given your confidence in the Chris King hubs, if I have to get the OPs, I will certainly ask about them. The Phil Woods would be nice, but at $360, they are quite expensive.

BikeInMN

I have a road wheelset built with Kings and I've also had MTB wheels with King hubs in the past. They're great hubs and are as bomb proof as any I've owned (I've had a good number of high end wheelsets over the years). If you can get past the noise made while freewheeling, they're fantastic. King hubs also take some time to break in as the seals are pretty tight so don't freak out if they don't spin forever out of the box like a set of DuraAce wheels. Mine are also built on Ritchey rims (24 front & 28 rear) with revolutions and they're just fine at my weight (160lbs). The rear rim has an off center spoke bed for reduced dish which also builds into a stiffer wheel. With Veloflex Pave tires, 70 gram tubes and Zipp Ti skewers, they are super light but are also very reliable.

With all the good things about them, they're still not a better value than DuraAce or Record dollar for dollar but hold their own very well against other like priced hubs such as the Hugi 240 or American Classic.

halfspeed

Speaking of ultralight rims, has anyone any experience with IRD Cadence rims?
https://interlocracing.com/rims.html