Custom Built Rim Recommendations - Page 3

jackchoo · #31 07-28.-2008

looks like i will be going for the more popular build

- 32 spokes
- Ultegra hubs
- Mavic Open Pro Rims

Hope these will be a lasting set for me....at least i will still have my shimano R540 as backup..

Peter@vecchios · #32 07-29.-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by swampy1970

I never got this arguement either. I used to ride, in training, 36 spoke wheels all the time, even though I was only 145lb. (Chorus hubs, 7 speed freewheel, Mavic Open 4CD rims). I still have those wheels, even though they were built in 1989, and the only battlescar they've collected is a slight 'ding' in the edge of the rim where a pothole the size of the meteor crater in Arizona, took a bite at it at 50mph. All those "wasted miles" done during weekend clubruns through the crappy roads of North Western England and off into the hills were no match for these wheels. The only maintenance they ever required was regreasing 4 or 5 times a year and new rim tape once a year "just because". Then again Paul Hewitt is a damn good wheel builder.

Yep, I giggle when somebody talks about a wheel design being 'overkill', as if those 4 spokes will cause him to lose the stop sigh sprint.

We do quite well truing poorly designed wheels, poorly built, from other builders or wheelsouttaboxes. Often, after the thing finally goes to hell and the rider wees his $850 fly away, we design and build him a decent set...for less $. No big decals and red or gold spokes but.....the bike/wheels are there to get you there, nothing more.

Mister C · #33 07-30.-2008

Just to close the loop I have decided on Hadley hubs laced up to Mavic Open pro rims with 36 DT Swiss 14 gauge spokes and brass nipples. After much research the Hadley hubs seem the most bombproof and have a fast engagement.

I agree with the other posters concerning 36 spoke count--a few extra grams for the additional spokes is nothing and gives the wheelset much more reliability and strength. Brass nipples should also help durability (I had an alloy nipple corrode on another set of wheels which caused a spoke faliure (on a 36 spoke wheel, nonetheless).

Thanks to all who provided advice,

Mister C

jackchoo · #34 07-31.-2008

sorry guys....still some questions. Basically, I've bought the Ultegra hubs but....still a little confused over rims.

apart from the open-pro which i'm more or less swaying towards, there is the Velocity Aerohead which offers 'some' aerodynamic-ism. The difference is in the eyelets; the open pros have double eyelets while the aerohead does not....is this a problem or will the V shaped aerohead perform just as well not having eyelets (in terms of strength....i do not want the nipple ripped out of the eyes...) ?

Also, over here the we cannot get the aerohead O/C (off centre version) for the rear...can i just use the normal aerohead? read that the OC will make only significant difference for new campy hubs...true?

Thanks!

artemidorus · #35 07-31.-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackchoo

apart from the open-pro which i'm more or less swaying towards, there is the Velocity Aerohead which offers 'some' aerodynamic-ism. The difference is in the eyelets; the open pros have double eyelets while the aerohead does not....is this a problem or will the V shaped aerohead perform just as well not having eyelets (in terms of strength....i do not want the nipple ripped out of the eyes...) ?

Also, over here the we cannot get the aerohead O/C (off centre version) for the rear...can i just use the normal aerohead? read that the OC will make only significant difference for new campy hubs...true?

Thanks!

Eyelets probably make little difference to rim strength. I (87kg) have used the Aerohead OC rim and found that it failed at about 8000km due to fatigue cracks unrelated to the holes. I had problems with spokes repeatedly loosening, so the rim was probably abused unfairly. I can't think of any rim that I have seen failing at the spoke holes, in fact, although I'm told it happens.
Aesthetically, I prefer v-profile rims to box rims and so would never use an Open pro. Each, however, to their own.

Peter@vecchios · #36 07-31.-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mister C

Just to close the loop I have decided on Hadley hubs laced up to Mavic Open pro rims with 36 DT Swiss 14 gauge spokes and brass nipples. After much research the Hadley hubs seem the most bombproof and have a fast engagement.

I agree with the other posters concerning 36 spoke count--a few extra grams for the additional spokes is nothing and gives the wheelset much more reliability and strength. Brass nipples should also help durability (I had an alloy nipple corrode on another set of wheels which caused a spoke faliure (on a 36 spoke wheel, nonetheless).

Thanks to all who provided advice,

Mister C

I would highly recommend 14/15 spokes rather than straight gauge..makes a more durable wheel.

Peter@vecchios · #37 07-31.-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackchoo

sorry guys....still some questions. Basically, I've bought the Ultegra hubs but....still a little confused over rims.

apart from the open-pro which i'm more or less swaying towards, there is the Velocity Aerohead which offers 'some' aerodynamic-ism. The difference is in the eyelets; the open pros have double eyelets while the aerohead does not....is this a problem or will the V shaped aerohead perform just as well not having eyelets (in terms of strength....i do not want the nipple ripped out of the eyes...) ?

Also, over here the we cannot get the aerohead O/C (off centre version) for the rear...can i just use the normal aerohead? read that the OC will make only significant difference for new campy hubs...true?

Thanks!

First, the 'new' Campag hubs are the same dimensionas 'old' Campag hubs, in terms of flange ctr to ctr. OC is a great idea for any rear wheel, using any rear hub.

Remember that Aeroheads are lighter than OpenPros and DT 1.1. No such thing as a free lunch, lighter rim, less robust wheel.

Eyelets or no are just the way the rim was designed. No problem with no eyelet rims as long as they were designed properly.

I'll send ya a OC rim, where are ya??

Mister C · #38 07-31.-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter@vecchios

I would highly recommend 14/15 spokes rather than straight gauge..makes a more durable wheel.

Thanks Peter. I will look into that.

jackchoo · #39 09-09.-2008

hi guys, I'm about to build my wheels up.

One question : my ultegra hubs are brand new. Do I need to do anything to them? like perhaps add grease or re-adjust the tightness etc prior to building/riding? or are they good to go, out of the box?

daveornee · #40 09-09.-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackchoo

hi guys, I'm about to build my wheels up.

One question : my ultegra hubs are brand new. Do I need to do anything to them? like perhaps add grease or re-adjust the tightness etc prior to building/riding? or are they good to go, out of the box?

Adding some grease and precision adjustments to the bearings under load of tightened QR against fork ends is a good practice. You will find fork ends very handy to make (tweak) the final adjustments. Proper bearing adjustment and good lubrication extend the life of the bearings and make the wheels perform at the highest level possible.
I keep a couple of sets of fork ends around for the purpose of precision bearing adjustment + I use them during final adjustments in addition to the TS-2 truing stand. The addition seems to stiffen the stand.
Sheldon Brown approach shown "Special tool for rapid cone adjustment under load" is his article

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/cone-adjustment.html

is a good idea as well.

jackchoo · #41 09-25.-2008

hi, was wondering if as opposed to using 14/15 DT Swiss, my LBS told me that I could use 15g Phil Wood spokes which he brings in.

Are 15g spokes ok for a wheel built (32 spoked ultegra hubs + mavic open pro)? I suppose it would be similarly strong to the 14/15 but slightly lighter. Not to mention cheaper too.....what do you think? should i insist on double butted 14/15?

I'm about 195lbs at the moment.

Sikhandar · #42 09-25.-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackchoo

I have a set of Ambrosio Montreals (which came with the steel frame i restored) which has 36 spokes laced onto mid 80's Dura-Ace hubs, front and rear....they roll very very well even for the age and the wheel condition seems to be good.

Hey man the montreals were extremely light (350g? 370g? something like that)...they were quite common in Italy, sometimes (nowadays) you see some custom built set with them (anyway: they're good rims, though the braking surface is not as good as a mavic reflex one).

Talking about clincher wheels, instead, mavic open pro are known cos they are reliable and light (430 g), cxp 33 are heavier (470 g)... but more aero :P

anyway you're not that heavy, it's not mandatory for you to have a pair of custom wheels... why don't you take (same money) a pair of F3? or F5evo?

alienator · #43 09-25.-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sikhandar

Hey man the montreals were extremely light (350g? 370g? something like that)...they were quite common in Italy, sometimes (nowadays) you see some custom built set with them (anyway: they're good rims, though the braking surface is not as good as a mavic reflex one).

Talking about clincher wheels, instead, mavic open pro are known cos they are reliable and light (430 g), cxp 33 are heavier (470 g)... but more aero :P

anyway you're not that heavy, it's not mandatory for you to have a pair of custom wheels... why don't you take (same money) a pair of F3? or F5evo?

If a guy's gonna save money to buy a boutique set of wheels, why not used that saved money to build a set of custom wheels that blow the boutique wheels out of the water?

Custom are not only cheaper compared to the majority of their boutique counterparts, they also allow you to get exactly what you want without having to accept some of the concessions that wheel manufacturers make for mass production. I had a set of wheels built from some 25-ish mm tall niobium rims, cx-rays, and White Industry H1 hubs ano'd black. They are one sweet set of wheels, and WI hubs are veritable works of art.

artemidorus · #44 09-25.-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackchoo

hi, was wondering if as opposed to using 14/15 DT Swiss, my LBS told me that I could use 15g Phil Wood spokes which he brings in.

Are 15g spokes ok for a wheel built (32 spoked ultegra hubs + mavic open pro)? I suppose it would be similarly strong to the 14/15 but slightly lighter. Not to mention cheaper too.....what do you think? should i insist on double butted 14/15?

I'm about 195lbs at the moment.

Don't use straight 15G spokes at your weight. Spokes fail mostly at the elbow and occasionally at the thread. It makes no sense at all to save 0.2g per spoke in order to buy a much weaker wheel.

Sikhandar · #45 09-26.-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by alienator

If a guy's gonna save money to buy a boutique set of wheels, why not used that saved money to build a set of custom wheels that blow the boutique wheels out of the water?

Custom wheels have some properties we all agree:
- lightness/price ratio better than the average
- you can find replacement spokes easily
- are more comfortable

Factory built wheels have some other properties that (personally) I prefer:
- they (generally!) need less servicing
- they're stiffer (and, since I do only circuit races, this is a very important characteristic for me).

Everyone chooses the wheels that he prefers, of course! just wanted to say this to the topic writer... (ps my training wheels are: veloce 1999 (10 speed is ok) + 32 2mm alpina spokes in 2nd + ambrosio TQB Excellence...!)

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