Building Wheels. Opinions.



PeterF

New Member
Sep 13, 2004
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After looking at a number of available wheelsets on the market in the $500 (US) price range I decided that I would rather have a set built. I picked up as set of Record hubs (pre 2007 models) and now I'm trying to decide on a rim and a builder in the Northeast US. My use for these wheels will be training and racing (crits and circuit races) and currently my thoughts are to go with Velocity Aerohead rims (32 spoke). I weigh about 200lbs but really don't want something too heavy since I do ride on some hillier terrain. Currenly my race bike has Campy Eurus', but they've been through a good crash and although fairly straight, they seem ready for b-bike status. Peter White in New Hampshire seems to come highly recomended, but would appreciate any opinions you could offer. Thank you.
 
PeterF said:
After looking at a number of available wheelsets on the market in the $500 (US) price range I decided that I would rather have a set built. I picked up as set of Record hubs (pre 2007 models) and now I'm trying to decide on a rim and a builder in the Northeast US. My use for these wheels will be training and racing (crits and circuit races) and currently my thoughts are to go with Velocity Aerohead rims (32 spoke). I weigh about 200lbs but really don't want something too heavy since I do ride on some hillier terrain. Currenly my race bike has Campy Eurus', but they've been through a good crash and although fairly straight, they seem ready for b-bike status. Peter White in New Hampshire seems to come highly recomended, but would appreciate any opinions you could offer. Thank you.

I think what you've got in mind is perfect. You might also consider some 30mm niobium rims. I think 28f 2x, and 32r 3x would be just right. Of course, there's no fault to be found with the Record hubs. It's a well known fact that the force driving the leap into existence of that singularity known as the Big Bang was the need for Campagnolo products.
 
alienator said:
I think what you've got in mind is perfect. You might also consider some 30mm niobium rims. I think 28f 2x, and 32r 3x would be just right. Of course, there's no fault to be found with the Record hubs. It's a well known fact that the force driving the leap into existence of that singularity known as the Big Bang was the need for Campagnolo products.
Thanks Alienator. I will take a look at the niobium as well. It appears that Campy is slowly phasing out their hubs. I would have been happy to find some Chorus', but they seem to have dissapeared. Also, I have heard that the newer Centaur's pale in comparison to the older ones.
 
PeterF said:
Thanks Alienator. I will take a look at the niobium as well. It appears that Campy is slowly phasing out their hubs. I would have been happy to find some Chorus', but they seem to have dissapeared. Also, I have heard that the newer Centaur's pale in comparison to the older ones.
I currently have a set of 36 Aeroheads on Voloce hubs with the OC for the rear on my touring setup and just recently had to replace my Mavic Open Pro rear wheel on my trainer. Went with an OC on Chorus 32 for that. So far I have been very happy with them. None of them have even required retensioning after about 300 miles on each. For the price I don't think they can be beat and with Record hubs I think you'll be happy and all the reviews and comments I have seen have been favorable.
 
PeterF said:
After looking at a number of available wheelsets on the market in the $500 (US) price range I decided that I would rather have a set built. I picked up as set of Record hubs (pre 2007 models) and now I'm trying to decide on a rim and a builder in the Northeast US. My use for these wheels will be training and racing (crits and circuit races) and currently my thoughts are to go with Velocity Aerohead rims (32 spoke). I weigh about 200lbs but really don't want something too heavy since I do ride on some hillier terrain. Currenly my race bike has Campy Eurus', but they've been through a good crash and although fairly straight, they seem ready for b-bike status. Peter White in New Hampshire seems to come highly recomended, but would appreciate any opinions you could offer. Thank you.


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=320184120571

Black Velocity Fusion 32H on Pre-2007 Chorus hubs, new and in your price range.
 
PeterF said:
Wow, those are sweet, but I already have the record hubs...
You can always make me an offer for my wheels including the Record hubs (X$ + your Record hubs for my wheels) , or I can build you a pair of wheels with Fusion, Aerohead, or Deep V rims on your Record hubs. I am in a suburb of Chicago. Shipping is expensive but I have shipped all over the USA.
 
PeterF said:
It appears that Campy is slowly phasing out their hubs. I would have been happy to find some Chorus', but they seem to have dissapeared. Also, I have heard that the newer Centaur's pale in comparison to the older ones.
FWIW. I find it difficult to believe that Campagnolo is phasing out of their hubs ...

I believe the current (2007) inventory may have been in short supply ... and, most bike shops do NOT carry Campagnolo components, regardless, much less their hubs, so it may certainly seem as though Campagnolo is phasing out their hubs if you have difficulty finding them.

I believe Peter White prefers to provide the rims/spokes [that is, a reason that he guarantees his wheels is because he takes great care to match components] ... if you choose to supply YOUR own hubs, that's probably "okay" (and, probably a little less expensive if you don't count the shipping you've paid & will pay to get the hubs to him), but spec the rest of the components & he will provide them.

BTW. YOU can probably build a set of traditionally spoked wheels whch are almost as good as those turned out by many of the top wheel builders, and comparable to most, and better than some -- buy a PARK tensiometer (the least expensive that I know of AND better [i.e., easier to use] than some [e.g., Wheelsmith]), and you'll be good to go ...
 
alienator said:
I think what you've got in mind is perfect. You might also consider some 30mm niobium rims. I think 28f 2x, and 32r 3x would be just right. Of course, there's no fault to be found with the Record hubs. It's a well known fact that the force driving the leap into existence of that singularity known as the Big Bang was the need for Campagnolo products.
In one of the other wheel discussions I saw on here, someone mentioned that increasing aerodynamics was not only about increasing rim depth, but also about reducing spoke count. Would the 32/28 spoke count tend to offset any aero advantage the 130mm Nobium might have over, say for example, 22m rims with 20/18 rear/front bladed spokes? You are probably suggesting 32/28 spokes to make sure the wheel handles the OP's mass without any problem.

Just trying to get a little more info on this spoke count versus rim depth issue and its relation to aerodynamics. Thanks for any comments.:)
 
chainstay said:
In one of the other wheel discussions I saw on here, someone mentioned that increasing aerodynamics was not only about increasing rim depth, but also about reducing spoke count. Would the 32/28 spoke count tend to offset any aero advantage the 130mm Nobium might have over, say for example, 22m rims with 20/18 rear/front bladed spokes? You are probably suggesting 32/28 spokes to make sure the wheel handles the OP's mass without any problem.

Just trying to get a little more info on this spoke count versus rim depth issue and its relation to aerodynamics. Thanks for any comments.:)

That's really not possible to answer without testing. The relationship between drag and wheel design is complicated. All you do is say that for the same number of spokes, an increased rim height is likely to have less drag, and for a given rim height, a low spoke count will tend to have less drag. For your question, though, my inclination is to think that the 20/18 combo will have less drag.
 
alienator said:
That's really not possible to answer without testing. The relationship between drag and wheel design is complicated. All you do is say that for the same number of spokes, an increased rim height is likely to have less drag, and for a given rim height, a low spoke count will tend to have less drag. For your question, though, my inclination is to think that the 20/18 combo will have less drag.
Ok, thanks.
 
chainstay said:
Ok, thanks.
FWIW, my daily training rides take me along the coast and the cross winds can be tough. I don't mind mid profile's like Eurus', but honestly I would place strength as my first concern, followed by light weight and then aero. The Aeroheads appeal to me because the profile is not super deep, but they have a good reputation for strength while still making for a light wheelset.
 
PeterF, Good luck in getting Peter White to return your e-mails (if that's the method of communication you plan on using). He just ignored mine, so to tell you the truth, I don't have much time for him.

In the end I decided to build my own (28H Chris King Classic hubs, Velocity Aerohead rims - OC on rear, DT comp spokes on the rear, DT rev spokes on the front, all laced 2X) and couldn't be happier. Best decision I could have made (so maybe Peter White's poor service should take some credit).
 
PeterF said:
After looking at a number of available wheelsets on the market in the $500 (US) price range I decided that I would rather have a set built. I picked up as set of Record hubs (pre 2007 models) and now I'm trying to decide on a rim and a builder in the Northeast US. My use for these wheels will be training and racing (crits and circuit races) and currently my thoughts are to go with Velocity Aerohead rims (32 spoke). I weigh about 200lbs but really don't want something too heavy since I do ride on some hillier terrain. Currenly my race bike has Campy Eurus', but they've been through a good crash and although fairly straight, they seem ready for b-bike status. Peter White in New Hampshire seems to come highly recomended, but would appreciate any opinions you could offer. Thank you.

Peter, I bought a set of wheels like you're looking for at Spin Lite Cycling (www.spinlitecycling.com): Velocity Aerohead/Aerohead OC rims (24fr, 28rear), White Industries hubs, Sapim CX-Ray spokes. Lyle Strickland builds 'em by hand. 1425 gms! 2000 miles later haven't come near them with a spoke wrench and they are still perfect. I expect Lyle would be happy to build on your hubs. Great guy, great customer service. Check him out!
 
www.yellowjersey.org they can build up with your existing hubs for about a $100 each with the Velocity Aerohead and Aero OC...looked it up and for an additional $300 you can go to ceramic bearings (wish I had thought of that when I had mine built).
 
Just an update. Thanks everyone for your advice. I went with a set of Velocity/Velocity OC built by Dave Ornee. After finally getting a chance to get some miles in on them, I must say I am very impressed. My CAAD8 has never felt smoother, and these babies climb, corner, roll, sprint and do everything as well or better than my 2005 Eurus' when they were new. In fact the lower profile is perfect for the cross winds. Great decision, and now I want another set.

By the way, Dave had them back to me in less than a week. I can't begin to describe how well packaged they were too. There was 0% chance that these things were coming back with even the slightest scratch.
 
Good news.
Keep an eye out for fatigue cracks on the rear rim - I weigh a little less than you and I managed to create little splits running along the Aerohead OC rim just below the spoke holes with less than 10,000km use. I had big problems with spoke breakages, however, so the repeated cycles of loading and unloading the spoke holes may have created the fatigue problem.
 
artemidorus said:
Good news.
Keep an eye out for fatigue cracks on the rear rim - I weigh a little less than you and I managed to create little splits running along the Aerohead OC rim just below the spoke holes with less than 10,000km use. I had big problems with spoke breakages, however, so the repeated cycles of loading and unloading the spoke holes may have created the fatigue problem.


Time will tell on the rim durability, but part of the reason I went with handbuilts is for the easy replacement if something does get damaged.
 
alfeng said:
FWIW. I find it difficult to believe that Campagnolo is phasing out of their hubs ...

I believe the current (2007) inventory may have been in short supply ... and, most bike shops do NOT carry Campagnolo components, regardless, much less their hubs, so it may certainly seem as though Campagnolo is phasing out their hubs if you have difficulty finding them.

I believe Peter White prefers to provide the rims/spokes [that is, a reason that he guarantees his wheels is because he takes great care to match components] ... if you choose to supply YOUR own hubs, that's probably "okay" (and, probably a little less expensive if you don't count the shipping you've paid & will pay to get the hubs to him), but spec the rest of the components & he will provide them.

BTW. YOU can probably build a set of traditionally spoked wheels whch are almost as good as those turned out by many of the top wheel builders, and comparable to most, and better than some -- buy a PARK tensiometer (the least expensive that I know of AND better [i.e., easier to use] than some [e.g., Wheelsmith]), and you'll be good to go ...

2006 saw a really nice hub selection from Campagnolo. Minor differences of Record thru Centaur, all with nice design and aluminum axles. Enter 2007 and Record only with aluminum axles(AND 32 and 36h only-gone 28h), Chorus gone, Centaur now a relabeled veloce hub(nice hub but old design). Campagnolo wants you to buy their wheels, not hubs.

So, believe it. Campagnolo is reducing their hub offerings in a big way which is disappointing to this wheel builder. For the OP...If you are a pretty light rider in terms of technique-Velocity Aeroheads(OC rear), 14/15 spokes laced 3 cross rear and Revolution spokes front, laced 3 cross, assuming it's 32h.