tjayk

alright, i know this topic comes up a lot, so please bare (sp?) with me. i'm looking to build up some new wheels (fixed) for my cross-check. the wheels will be ridden a lot around the city, but also i'd like to do some longer rides in the country, and even some light trails/offroad possibly (i live in madison, WI, so it's not like there are too many technical/challenging trails).

so i am looking for the right balance between weight and strength (and price). i want them to be strong enough to handle curbs, small drops, potholes, light trails, etc... (i like to take shortcuts/bike aggressively through town). i am only 140 lbs, so i'm wondering how lightweight of a rim i can get and still trust it to be strong and stay true through my abuse.

some rims i have been considering:
salsa delgado, or velocity dyad on the more burly side, and also mavic open pros, or velocity deep V's/aero/aerohead. i like how the aerohead is light, but would it be strong enough? deep v's are heavy, and everyone here has them, so they are lower on the list right now.

other q's:
32 or 36 hole? i think i like the look of a high spoke count, but is 36 that much stronger?

high flange or low flange? i think i prefer the look of low flange, but have read high flange makes a stiffer/more responsive wheel which seems good for a fixed wheel.

atb or road hub? since i have the cross check i could build w/135 rear atb hub, but do they make any affordable flip/flop hubs in 135?

many thanks to anyone who read all that and can offer some advice.

cc700

140lbs, with curbs and drops will be worth the weight of a 36 hole... but you'd probably be fine with 32. dimension hubs come in any size. high flange are liked well here but i don't know if you'll notice any difference.

Igneous Faction

I am of the position that any of the rims meant for road use manufactured by reputable companies will be perfectly fine for the kind of riding you plan on doing. I ride Aeroheads and think they're great. I'm sure comparable Mavics, DT Swiss, other Velocities, etc... rims are great too.

Severian

Dude! where in madison are you?

I'd go with high-flange my self. Most of the tech manuals that I have the opportunity to peruse point out that a hub with high flanges tends to be stronger and make a stronger wheel. Reasoning: spokes can be the weakest link in any wheel and the less spoke length you use the better. Hence the trend towards high flange hubs laced into deep section rims.

Any of the rims you mentioned would be pretty good for your intended use.
If you want to do some trail riding I would pick a rim that gives you the greatest range of compatible tire sizes (say between 25c and 35c or so would do the trick). And hope that your frame has enough clearance for those tires.



full disclosure: I do work for a bike shop

skanking biker

Go see the guys at Yellow Jersey on state street. GREAT shop. I just had them build me a set of velocity aeros. A lot lighter than the Deep Vs I have--i like them much better. I've had them for about 2 months and have not needed to true them yet, even after riding around the pockmarked debris-ridden streets of Milwaukee. I don't see the need for aeroheads if you just bumming around town.

Everyone has Deep-Vs, but IHMO they are overrated. The are noticibly heavier and act like a sail in a crosswind. GO with Aeros on a formula high flange combo---cant go wrong

mathletics

+1 Yellow Jersey. Go talk to Tim or Andy. Both will have a lot to say on the issue.

TimArchy

High flange surly hubs (make sure you check the lock nut adjustment) laced 36 hole 3x to open pros.
That should be a pretty strong set for 140lb. I've taken my old mavic MA 40's offroad before and they did well.

Keeping a good sized tire on there will take a lot of the pressure off the wheels.

And the weight difference between 32 and 36 hole is really small.

tjayk

thanks everyone for the help. severian - i live near vilas just south of campus. and to those who mentioned yellow jersey - there's a bike shop back home that i ordered my surly through and they give me a pretty good deal. i want to ask them if they'll give me a good deal, like 20% over wholesale (i figure that's a good deal, isn't it?) and then i'll build them myself and have a pro inspect them. pretty sure that will be a lot cheaper, unless maybe i'm wrong.

i guess i'm leaning towards the aeros now, but i've never had light wheels and the aeroheads are still tempting, and i'm still wondering if i should get the dyads b/c they would be pretty bombproof, no? sorry... i have a hard time making decisions and am sort of talking out loud...

JohnnyDoyle

I run formulas laced to Sun Ringle Venus rims (32 hole). No one really seems to run those, but my experience with Sun in the DH mountain bike world has been excellent. They're not THAT old yet, but they are still straight as an arrow.

skanking biker

I'm 185 and no probs w/ the aeros

wearyourtruth

i used to have surly hubs laced to salsa delgado's. they aren't too pretty, but they're cross rims, they hold up great, just as well as my trendy-friendly deep v's

Aeroplane

Any modern road rim will probably treat you well unless you are a horrible, horrible rider. The nice thing about bikes is that any riding that will hurt your rims is probably very uncomfortable for you too, so you learn to avoid it.

I've got delgados, and they are solid, but you can feel the weight difference going to a more roadish/racy rim.

As far as hubs, they're all the same to me. Formulas or dimensions spaced to 130 will treat you fine on a cross-check.