Ivo_Shandor

On my light touring bike, I've been using a set of Dura Ace 8speed wheels to matrix rims from 1989 for touring and it is time they get replaced before they fall apart.

My ideas are

1) 105/archetype/dt swiss champion from velomine

2) XT/Dyad from some other ebay seller or handspun.

Both wheelsets are about $200

Me:
170lbs (during the season, 180ish in the offseason)
lots of road racing and lots and lots of track racing experience
doing some light tours this year (ranging from weekends to a two week tour, partial camping, partial credit card).

Bike:
Gunnar Crosshairs ultegra/xtr mix
Current tires: Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 32s
Rear rack only.

Which wheels would you choose? $300 max. Silver/Silver only!

rifraf

What is the spoke count?
What type of spokes?

Very happy with my Dyads which seem a decent balance between strength/weight/cost.
Might be out of date info now but remember reading about some long distance tourers preferring lower spec hubs than XT (specifically STX) due to XT either utilising a thin axel or it might have been small bearings.
Pretty sure it was one of GJ Coops touring Australian outback blogs that first brought the issue to my attention.
The bottom line was an opinion by more than just him that the lower spec'd hubs had better durability at the expense of some weight.

"It might simply have been a case of replacing pitted cones, ball bearings no longer in the ball shape, etc, it appears the smaller 3/16th ball bearings of the XT required a higher level of maintenance than I subjected them to, ie, none. The rubber seals, dirt roads and lack of grease combined for the obvious result, ie, despair, but on the other hand it had the decency to decombust in a major, OK, minor town, ie, one with a bike shop specialising in mountain bikes. I attempted a look at the internals, 2 × 5mm Allen keys got me part way but the unique cones need both 15 and 17?mm cone spanners to delve deeper. One of the deciding issues: out here obscure replacement parts are in the same vicinity of cost as a complete new hub.I researched the radical alternative of swapping to the DT Swiss sealed bearing hub, sounded a great idea at the time. The 240 cruises in at $440 and then you need new spokes and a $200 specialised tool for replacing the bearings, but it only comes in a 32 hole version. Made sense, or should I say dollars, if I was building a new wheel but not after spending a motza on the mighty 36 hole Rigida rims in Perth.
Ultimately from the x [SUP]n[/SUP] possible options I’ve plugged for replacing the not-so-easy-to-service XT hub with the SLX, ie, Shimano’s touring version, standard 1/4 inch ball bearings, similar to the ever popular LX, able, and will be, self serviced at more regular intervals, ie, at least every second day for the first week or so. Remember GJ, grease is the word. Same hub diameter equals same spokes. And I can refurbish the old XT hub with parts from the internet to give me something else redundant to lug along."
cycle trails Australia: End of the year: the wheel turns, sort of

There were other sources of similar info I found at the time but in the end I went in the IGH direction for myself so put the research to bed.

nfmisso

First question: what is the rear drop out spacing of your bike? 130mm or 135mm or something else? 105 are now 130mm, and XT are now 135mm.

I have Dyad rims on several bikes, they are my go to rim for ETRTO 622; very easy to build because they are round and flat. They are also strong, and fairly light. A little lower cost; the Alex Adventurer (Surly LHT standard equipment) are quite good too.+

If you have the budget; go with Phil hubs.

Ivo_Shandor

Thanks for the replies!

The dyad wheels will be 36 hole dt champion spokes
Archetypes will be 32 dt champion spokes

The rear spacing on my bike is 130. I was concerned about this because I know the xt/lx hubs are 135. However, my frame is steel and the consensus is that pulling the frame open to accommodate the wheel is ok.

I was thinking LX over XT because of the steel axle and larger bearings which seems to be the consensus in the long distance touring world. I just found a great deal on a set of xt/dyad wheels that I was considering jumping on. These

or the Archetypes which have 105 hubs which will require no cold setting of the frame and Im sure will be adequate for the weight I will be carrying (me, 2 panniers, tent, sleeping bag, gear) for my shortish tours: These


Im going to pick something tonight because I am getting a little obsessive!

nickw

If it were me I'd get the dura-ace hubs rebuilt to some new H+S rims. Beyond that, I'd go 105 hubs since they fit your frame as is.

Ivo_Shandor

The Dura Ace Hubs are a no-go. They are Uni-Glide 8 speed (only made in 1989) which have all symetrical splines and the 12 tooth cog threads on as a lockring. While I could find a DA 10 speed freehub body and maybe get it to work, it would be alot of guesswork and more money than I want to spend on a hack job. They will be retired to my singlespeed commuter build Im working on and probably go for another 30 years!

Ivo_Shandor

Bought the Archetype 105 wheels from Velomine (came out to 237 with shipping) Ill give a review in a few days when I get them