Climbing Wheels

Hello,
im looking at buying some climbing wheels. I have a budget of around £1000. I would like to know some oppinions on some of the products out there on the market before i buy.

Im look for somthing lightweight of course, under 1400g and im looking at clincher rims, i dont want to make the jump to tubular as fitting looks fiddly for a novice, but i would be open to suggestions and advice in this area. I also need the hub to be shimano/sram.

I have seen two wheels that i like, the first being EASTON EA90 SLX

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Ea...et/5360041531/

and Mavic R-Sys
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/M...?ModelID=23212

I really like the eastons and the price is a real winner for me, but im not sure if its worth the extra £460 for the Mavics , can anyone tell me the differance between the two? which one would you buy?


If i've missed any info ill get back to you, id really appreciate any advice and thank you for your time

Gary

Neither...
Those Mavics tend to have issues exploding as shown by the Velonews editor on his post-recall set. http://velonews.com/article/93054/a-...-wheel-failure
You could not pay me to ride those wheels! The Eastons are nothing special. They have ND radial lacing that tends to cause a pretty large tension disparity making them flexy.

If you were to get a set of custom built wheels with Kinlin rims and Tune hubs they would be in the same price range and they would weigh about 90 grams less. Needless to say if they were well built then they would be much more durable than the Eastons and the exploding RSYSs.




visit www.ZenCyclery.com for the worlds finest hand-spun wheels.

wish i could be of more help, but you'll need a trip to the library which has the back issues of velonews handy. last year around spring or summer they reviewed four clincher (memory is a bit hazy, but i am somewhat sure they were all clinchers) rims with climbing as the riding style to test. they were quite thorough even including the other part of the climbing ride...descending. the tester/s pointed to a shimano set that seemed to qualify as the best bargain. and there in lies the problem, i no longer have that issue, nor can remember the specific models tested.

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Get thee to a custom wheel builder and have something built on Dura Ace, Record, White Industries, or DT Swiss 240s hubs, and you'll be gravy. Just about any wheelbuilder will be able to build you a set of wheels that weighs less than 1400g and is at least as good as any boutique wheel and is less expensive to boot.

Keep in mind that a climbing wheel also needs to be a descending wheel. Any wheel that's not so laterally stiff may decrease your confidence entering high speed corners on the way down. Also keep in mind that wheel weight really means squat. A good wheel will be a good climbing wheel.

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Do a search of the R-Sys recall and subsequent failure of a replacement front. Stay away from these wheels.

DT hubs laced to Velocity Aeroheads. Mix of Revolution and Comp spokes, built well. About 500 pounds and about 1450 grams. Take the rest of the money and pay for a trainer or massage therapist or dietician..or take a bike trip or......something to help the 'engine' rather than the bicycle.

The Easton's are good wheels though, at least the set i have are surviving well (5000 miles) so far and still very near true. I thought they were gonna's early on when i day dreamed into a massive 2-3" pot hole but they stood up to it no problem! I weigh about 190lbs.

I agree with the others, stay away from the R-Sys wheels; they seem to be too fancy for their own, and the rider's good... Also, I agree that you might want to look into a custom wheelset, and the weight of those Eastons can easily be matched by a good wheel builder.

However, if you'd like a factory wheel, definitely have a look at a set of Campagnolo Shamal Ultras, they're very nice wheels. Campy Record hubs, lightweight rims, and let's not forget the cool G3 lacing pattern.

Probably a few grams lighter than the Eastons as well. On top of that, these wheels are a relative bargain, at least if you get the standard ones (not the two-way type for tubeless tires) which can typically be had for just a little over $1k.

Take the advice above and get to a good wheelbuilder. The time spent chatting with a really good wheelbuilder about your requirements is enjoyable and rewarding and you end up with exactly the wheels you want.
If you want something bling and off-the-shelf have a look at the DT Swiss Mon Chasserals. They're hand built in a factory and they're marketed as a climbing wheel, although I can't for the life of me get my head around what a climbing wheel is when you're not a pro and aren't time-trialling up Alps for a living. As someone posted earlier, a climbing wheel also needs to be a descending wheel, and probably good on the flat as well to get you through the valley to the next climb.

I've used Rolf's Elan wheels and hated them, then shimmied on descents. Had to do with rim sidewall thickness issues...

I own the Easton EC90SLX wheels and think they're amazing (I even had the rear laced with a PowerTap.) You said you don't want tubulars, and I've heard and read about HED Ardennes wheels, but haven't test ridden them yet. Cycling news reviewed them last year (http://www.cyclingnews.com/reviews/hed-ardennes-wheels) Sound like a great option, they supposedly ride like tubies, and weigh 1361 grams.

Head to Paul Hewitt Cycles in Leyland. Paul builds wheels that are pretty much bombproof, regardless of what rim/hub combo you order. I've had 28 spoke Mavic GEL280 and ridden them with flat tubulars around the back of Chorley during the Horwich Hilly 25 - and those roads are fecking terrible - the wheels were still dead straight and true.

I've since moved to the US but I'm still considering getting Paul to build my next set of wheels and shipping them over - after I ship the PowerTap hub overthere...

http://www.hewittbikefitting.co.uk/i...hp?page=wheels

He's built wheels for national/olympic squads and UK pro teams and ran Deeside Cycles near Chorley and building wheels for Ribble Cycles before opening his own shop His shop in general is full of good stuff at reasonable prices. He always had a nice inventory of rims and hubs too...

Go have a chat - at the very least he's a great source of information and makes a mean cup o' tea.

His shop is one of the few things that I miss about England...