bike-ninja

Hey everyone I'm sick to death of my Suzue/Mavic MA3 wheels and I want to upgrade badly this spring.

Some specifics:

- I commute in Chicago. The wheels have to stand up to rough pavement and a 210lbs rider.
- The bike is '06 Redline 9-2-5 frame with track spacing (120mm?)

What I need in a wheelset:

- Cartridge bearings (critical!)
- Machined sidewall / braking surface (also critical!)
- Flip/flop rear hub (fixed/free) (yup, critical!)
- Sturdy construction. Headache free. Yadda, yadda.

What I (think I) want in a wheelset:

- Eyelets (internal, double, whatever.)
- 32 holes/spokes at least in the rear
- Black hubs, spokes, and rims would be nice.

I have budgeted $300 for the set although I will pay more for the right wheels. I have looked at the Mavic Ellipse, the Bontrager Track wheels, and the Cane Creek Volos but I'm wary of investing in factory wheels which are designed for the velodrome when I need mine for Chicago's rough streets. Plus I can't really make out if any of these wheels meet my needs. (For instance, the Cane Creek wheels are out because they lack a flip/flop option. I can't tell if the others have machined sidewalls, etc.)

I've flirted with some of the budget sets from Harris Cyclery (the triple black forumula/mavic wheels would be okay if they have cartridge bearings) and NYCBikes (Yeah, I know.) But before I place my order I'd thought I'd seek out recommendations here.

I haven't been to Yojimbo's - I'm not sure if he can do anything for me at my price level.

Thanks for any and all advice. I haven't been to BikeForums in a long, long time.

Cheers!

trons

formula/mavic cxp whatever the cheap one is that bicyclewheels.com sells. all black one is around 150 i believe.

bike-ninja

Yes, but they are described as "sealed bearings" - not specifically "sealed cartridge bearings"... so that could mean anything as described here.
Formula hubs come in several flavors (explained here.) Some are cup-cone (specifically the front TH30 and rear TH31.) The TH50 (front) and TH51 (rear) apparently feature true sealed cartridge bearings.

I'll email Bicyclewheels.com to ask if the hubs are what I want. Thanks for the tip.

Hopetoditchcar

I am in the same situaction as you, I just moved to chicago and am selected parts for my first fixie. Almost everything you are looking for I am as well. Can you let us know what you find out/ decide on?

bonechilling

Bicyclewheels.com sells the kind with the cut-outs, which
appear from this Business Cycles page to be the of the
TH51 variety, and which are the sealed-cartridge bearing
type.

If you sort through the board, you'll find a lot of people
who run these wheels and are quite happy with them.

trons

they are definitely the sealed cart high flange ones

bike-ninja

Hey guys. I received a two word reply to my inquiry to Bicyclewheels.com which says simply, "Cartridge Bearings."

Er... I would have expected more of a cordial interaction like, "Hello. Thanks for the inquiry. I'm happy to report that the wheels feature cartridge bearings. Yadda. yadda. yadda. How many sets can I put you down for?"

At the very least a complete sentence would have inspired more purchasing confidence. Whatever. The price is less than half my budget, so I may just go for it. Secretly I was hoping for a wheel set maybe a little more up market, but if they work, they work.

I'll keep you guys posted - and also please let me know if anyone thinks of any other suggestions.

Hopetoditchcar

does a machined sidewall just mean that there is a surface that can be used with brakes?

ahand

indeed.
you can brake on a non-machined, but it won't work as well.

heads up!

If you wanna spend $150 more than your current budget, as opposed to $150 less through bicyclewheels.com, then I suggest considering the American Classic Track clinchers. Laced 3X for the street, but I'm not sure about whether they sport serviceable cartridge bearings. Please buy these and let me know if I should be getting a pair myself - I've been ogling them for a while but have yet to hear any ride reports.

Hopetoditchcar

..

666pack

does anyone know where i can find formulas fixed/fixed?
i really don't want a freewheel, but i don't want to spend a whole lot of money on a higher end fixed/fixed hub.

buzzybelmondo

just buy phils already

that said i have about 5000 miles on my formula/cxp's and the bearings are still smooth
as the day i got them,and that includes comuting through a wisconsin winter, and they are sealed cartridge bearings (how do you seal non cartridge bearings?)

newnoise

the harris cyclery hubs are rebadged formuals and come in fixed fixed. my friend just got a pair.

mander

With rubber. Look at almost any newer loose bearing shimano mtb hub and you'll see a big old external boot-type rubber seal over both cones, as in this pic.



Most of them also have some more rubber where you can't see it, under the cone somewhere.

bike-ninja

Update: Well, a few weeks ago I went to purchase the all black factory built mavic cpx22 / dt spokes / formula hubs from BicycleWheels.com. Only I couldn't find them on their website. So I emailed them saying, "Hi, I was wondering if you would be offering the black CXP 22 rims with the Formula hubs again? I wanted to order them, but I see they are no longer listed on your website. Thanks for any info - I really wanted those wheels!"

To which I received the following terse response:

"The rims are sold out.........3 weeks"

So that's it. I can't do business with someone who can't be bothered to respond in complete sentences. Perhaps I'm a stickler for cordial interactions where business is involved, but the guy who answers the emails at BicycleWheels.com doesn't really seem to care one way or another whether he gets my business, so I'll take it elsewhere. Further, if this seller doesn't care enough to exchange reasonably articulate and friendly emails with potential customers, just imagine what it would be like if you had a problem with your purchase.

I was getting ready to spend the extra $50 at Harris Cyclery (BicycleWheels.com sells them for $150 + shipping, Harris $200 + shipping) for the set until I found them offered by Wheel & Sprocket on their eBay store. The wheels were priced with "BuyItNow" for $154.50 + $30 shipping. I bought the wheels last night, and today received several pleasant emails confirming the purchase and forwarding tracking information. I should have the wheels tomorrow.

I'll follow up with my impressions of the wheels when I get them. I was hoping for something "nicer" but as far as I can tell there just isn't thing out there addressing single speed / fixed gear urban commuter needs. (Plenty of fancy track wheels, but I can't imagine these would be suited for pot-holes, ruts, and road grime.) At less than $200 if these wheels last a a few years they will be worth it I suppose.

Astronomical

I love my DP18's but they came with huge gauge spokes from Bicyclewheels.com and 36 of 'em too.

marqueemoon

My singlespeed commuter has Surly 36h hubs laced 3X to Salsa Delgado cross rims. Since I had the shop build em' they came out to just about... $300 with tax. Spendy for non-high zoot parts? Probably. Solid? YES.

mander

Sounds burly as hell marqueemoon.

nexus6

If you want flash wheels, you have to spend a bit extra. You can get Phil Woods in fixed/free and the bearings last forever. Team them with some strong rims and (as someone who owns a set told me) you'll be handing them on to your grandkids. Cost you much less in the US than here.

doofo

allegedlylol^

lol^

zephyr16

i like the american classic sugestion.. those wheels look solid, and if as actually designed for the street.

octico

I just purchased wheels from BicycleWheels.com they were GREAT. I just picked up the phone and called them when I had a question.

anomaly

Black CXP's are now back in stock at BW.com

and CXP > DP

phylum

DP18's have been crashed and smashed and are still true, on formula hubs. get fixed/fixed if you can, you can slap a freewheel on a fixed thread but can't install a cog on a freewheel thread, so if you strip your threads before you destroy your hubs/wheels you have a second chance