EDIT: Have posted some pics of the bike further down.

Sometimes I wish I was one of those people who could walk into a store and make a decision on the spot.

Its time for new wheels, the nice old eyeleted alloy Araya rims/Joytech hubs have kinda past it and the gal spokes have started to pop. Some things I can't possibly decide on without asking online first:

(1) Looking at Velocity Fusion or Mavic Open Pro. I think the OP looks nicer, worth paying a bit more money for in terms of quality?
(edit: or also considerinMavic CXP22 - seems to be in between in terms of price.)
(2) Hubs - the shop I use has Novatech and Velocity hubs in at the moment. Is there much difference in kwality - I reckon they probably both run well enough until it gets to time to change the cartridge?
(3) The hubs I'm looking at won't take a QR. I'm in the habit of taking the front wheel off and locking with the back when I need to - but for my new wheels I don't want to be running a standard road hub on front --- so wondering is there a hub that has a nice flange that I could use on the front with a QR to match a rear track hub?
(4) Spokes - I don't know if I should go for 32 front/36 rear or just 32/32. I think 32/32 looks better, I only weigh about 72kg and don't do any real hard riding just fast road commuting- I never had any probs with the strength of the 36 spoke araya rims tha I have been using. I'm thinking something like a Mavic OP 32 at rear should be plenty good for me - or am I being silly?

Thanks for yoru ideas.

I'd pick the Open Pro over the Fusion, but it is totally a biased opinion because I'm not a fan of Velocity at all. Novatec front hubs are nice, road hub that is. I have a Novatec front hub and a Formula/Velocity rear hub, I'd go with that combo. Road hubs are much lighter than a heavy track hub, I'd go with a road front hub if you could, it will take a QR with no trouble. You could buy a matching track hub sets and swap the front axle to a hollow one and you could use QR with that.

As long as the wheels are well built & you're not a clydesdale and/or playing polo, 32/32 should be more than strong enough. Also, I would take OPs over Fusion. Lastly, if you do get a road hub front with quick release, you could get a locking skewer (e.g. from Pinhead, OnGuard, Pitlock, etc) to just secure the wheel to the bike.

That's what I thought I could do - but the guy in the shop siad you can't fit a QR to the Velocity or Novatech hubs that they had there - is that incorrect or do I need to look for a specific type of hub?

Thakns for the reply.

Thanks for the thoughts - havent seen the locking skewer - much appreciated.

The standard Velocity road hub should be QR...maybe your shop only has the track hubs. Which is a shame, really, as the Velocity road hubs are cheap, decent, and actually light as hell (80g for the front hub). Other than that, at your level all sealed hubs will perform the same. Go with something cheap (like Formula or whatever).

If you're looking at the Open Pro, also take a look at the Velocity Aerohead. It's a touch lighter than the Open Pro and builds up just as nicely. Another one to consider is the Mavic CXP33 if you can afford it. It has pretty much replaced the Open Pro as Mavic's flagship alloy rim.

Finally, at 72kg, 32/36 would be overkill. 32/32 at most. The strength of a wheel depends largely on how well it's built, not how many spokes it has.

This has my vote

Anything fancier and expensiver than the Mavic OPs is probably going to look like overkill when compared to my skills and frame.

Thanks for good info so far on here. After a good day of dodging work and thinking about new wheelsets, getting emotionally committed now to the idea of Mavic OP, butted DT spokes, with something like formula hubs. I probably got another five years of singlespeeding in me, so they should see me out nicely.

Getting the impression I can go less than 32/32 spokes. 28/28 OK for riding on reasonably good quality roads?

Not quite understanding why the track hubs are so much heavier than the road hub, but they are - hence farting about wondering whether can find a nice flanged road hub to go on front - been trying to find the weight of the velocity hubs online but not listed on the website. Anyone know where to find?

According to Harris Cyclery, their Harris hubs, which is same as Velocity/Formula; their weight is: Front: 275 g, Rear 330 g.

I don't know if it was mentioned (or if you scrapped the idea), but I'm about 95% sure you can easily convert Formula hubs to quick release. If that doesn't matter then no bother. Also, the only reason I can tell offhand that OPs would be heavier than Aeroheads is that the former have eyeletted spoke holes.

Another rim to consider is the Velocity Razor. I just built a set of wheels to these and while they are a little bit different than the Mavic OP they are pretty similar and a much better price. I can't testify to any long term characteristics of this wheelset, but Velocity really stands behind their stuff. The rims don't ride any differently than some Mavic OP rims I have on another bike. Plus, being in Australia I would think they would be a lot cheaper and easier to get hold of.

I like spokes. The set I just built up is 32 & 32, but I kind of wish I had gone 36 and 36 or 32 and 36.

I can see the weights on Velocity's site... https://www.velocityusa.com/default.asp?contentID=654

28/28 will be fine. However, you'll have to make sure the rims and hubs you choose are available in 28 drillings. Velocity track hubs are not. Neither are Formula track hubs. Ultimately, I don't think there really is a reason to not go 32/32 for you. It's the modern standard, is widely available, and has more tolerance for mediocre buildup. I feel like losing 8 spokes won't matter to you with regards to weight or aerodynamics, and otherwise there is no benefit.

Open Pros laced to Formula hubs with 32/32 double butted spokes sounds like a great wheelset to me. If your builder will do radial front for no extra charge, do it for ****** status.

Why? Did you already knock them out of true somehow?

Definitely. When i first went looking, Razors were at the top of list. I wanted a good box rim to match the kinda traditional look of the bike, and these fit the bill perfectly. Silver rims hubs spokes.

Then I saw OPs. They look so tasty. Black rims hubs silver spokes.

Torn between two different looks. What do you think? Here's it as is now...

Posted the pics on the Post Yr Pics thread too. Hope thats allowed.

No, I haven't...yet. I just like the way the high spoke wheels look. My reasoning is 90% aesthetic and 10% function.

If it weren't dark, I would go get a pic of my wheels: silver high flange hubs, silver spokes, and silver Razor rims. I think it is just a more classic and timeless look. Ought to look great once I get my gumwall tires mounted!

I'd like to see! Theres a lot to be said for it - still have an image in my head from a few years ago, courier in town on a sunny day - those spokes were schparkling.

Cal_Blammo, yer bike reminds me of a well used taxi cab. Yo gusto.

I like the way these look. If I weren't so vain, a set of silver formulas would have saved me a few bucks.

Thanks for posting! I can see these working for me. Not sure if that makes it easier - this morning i was leaning towards OPs. Argh decisions.

Very similar except my air conditioning works better!

Open Pros are available in 36h, as well as Formula hubs.

On a related note, can someone direct me to where I can buy track hubs (at least a rear fixed/free) with lower drilling counts (28 or less). I'm having a difficult time finding these. Another requirement is that they aren't mad expensive....any ideas?