Campy khamsin wheels. Advice please

[jetblack9090]

Yes I wanna get some new wheels for my specialized allez and I've been running a pair of velocity Spartacus wheels that I've had for about three years and looking to get a new wheelset. Came across some shimano compatible campy khamsin wheels for a great deal and was wondering if anyone has had campy wheels or knows about them. Can you tell me If they're durable tough wheels,do they stay in true, just the particulars. I've had a great experience with the velocitys but they've stopped making them plus I wanna try something new. Also just for reference I weigh 195 and I ride on rough to semi smooth roads where I live thank you.

 

[alienator]

Campy makes excellent wheels, although at your weight you might want to consider something a bit burlier. Campy says for people between 180 - 240lbs should be extra vigilant about checking the wheels and should also consult their "mechanic" to see if the wheels are appropriate. That's a lot of Campy lawyer-speak, but it is also good advice. If you do go with Campy wheels you'll need to specify that the wheels come with a Shimano compatible freehub. I tend to advise people to consider custom built wheels. I know you just came from such wheels, but custom wheel builders will work with you to put you on a set of wheels appropriate for your size and how you ride. There are a lot of wheel component choices that would make for a wheel set different than what you have/had. You can surf the interweb tubes to see what different wheel builders are offering, and you can also check some of the online dealers who build their own wheels and do custom wheels. For instance, Excel Sports has wheels that they prebuild, and they'll also build custom wheels. In what sort of price range are you looking?

 

[Nag456]

I have been running a set of Khamsin on my commuter for past three years. Roughly that would be a total of 7500 Km. or 4660 miles. I am, um, er, well into the Clydesdale classification.

On the minus side the decals are a bit fragile and started peeling after the first year. As well the freewheel ratchet has to be the loudest I've ever heard. That may be annoying to some. On the plus side the rims have remained true and there have been no mechanical issues. They are mounted on a “nervous” crit road frame and they do keep up with it. On the whole I think they are a fantastic deal – I manged to get the set, minus the bags, for ~$260.

 

[Wes Bradshaw]

I rode the wheelset for 2 years. In that time I burned through 2 of their Ti cassettes and 1 freehub body. Now the front hub is wobbling so the wheels sit in storage and have been replaced with some Mavics at twice the money for half the quality of the Campy wheels.

 

[alienator]

I rode the wheelset for 2 years. In that time I burned through 2 of their Ti cassettes and 1 freehub body. Now the front hub is wobbling so the wheels sit in storage and have been replaced with some Mavics at twice the money for half the quality of the Campy wheels.

The key is to not use Ti cassettes. Instead use Veloce or Centaur. They're steel, and they shift just as good as any other cassettes in the Campy line. As for the hub, get thee to a Campy dealer. Campy stuff can be rebuilt.....easily. "Wobbling" might just mean the bearing preload has backed off a bit. I can't see any other way that a hub would "wobble".

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Ti cassette gears melt in rain.

I've killed Record Ti cassettes in under a season of race use only. How did you kill the freehub body?

Yeah, the pawls are a bit loud, but I love that Campy sound!

 

[Wes Bradshaw]

The free hub body, front hub, chains and cassetts couldn't stand up to the 20,000 miles I put on them last year alone.I will dig up the pics of what I did to the 'you'll die before these tires', they lasted a few months before wearing multiple holes through to the Kevlar or whatever it is in them. I emailed Specialized with the pics and story, they weren't interested in replacements but said they would forward the info.

The campy hub sound is awesome and can keep you out of trouble in groups, I miss it everyday.

 

[alienator]

The free hub body, front hub, chains and cassetts couldn't stand up to the 20,000 miles I put on them last year alone.I will dig up the pics of what I did to the 'you'll die before these tires', they lasted a few months before wearing multiple holes through to the Kevlar or whatever it is in them. I emailed Specialized with the pics and story, they weren't interested in replacements but said they would forward the info. The campy hub sound is awesome and can keep you out of trouble in groups, I miss it everyday.

It's no surprise at all that a chain wouldn't last 20,000 miles. You need to check that regularly and ditch it when chain stretch is 0.75 - 1.0%. There is a bit of debate on what exactly in that approximate range is too much. The freehub and front hub bearings should have given some notice that they were dying. No matter, these are things that need to be checked periodically. Those bearings can of course be replaced. Just like the other things mentioned, the freehub splines do need to be checked now and again to make sure they're not being eaten up by the cassette. With that said, Campy freehubs are steel and tend to last as close to forever as entropy allows. Shimano cassettes do have a tendency to gouge aluminum and to a lesser extent Ti freehubs. I consider aluminum freehubs to not only be disposable but also bad designs.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

"With that said, Campy freehubs are steel..."

I must have a faulty magnet in my hand...

My Chorus and Record freehubs are aluminum and my Campy cassette gears burr the hell out of the bodys. I stone them after removing the old cassette gears, prior to installing a new gear stack.

 

[Wes Bradshaw]

I was kinda often polishing burrs off the old freehub body. It would wiggle it's way loose a little and cause a whirring or howling sounds when the burrs would build up high enough.

With the front hub it is still fast as ba**s! and will also still out free spin the pricey Bontragers and Mavics.. It just bumps the brake pads from side to side. We don'y have a Campy dealer here and the LBS I use would have to get the Campy tool for the C clamps, check the damages, order the parts and reinstall. I'm tired of chasing the Campy dreams, though we attached at the hip for life

 

[Wes Bradshaw]

Does anyone know if there is a way to remove the tiny C clamps w/o having to order a special tool? A DIY version that won't mess things up when re-install time comes around?

 

[jetblack9090]

I've actually found a great deal on some hand built wheels at my LBS but thanks for all the advice guys.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

"Does anyone know if there is a way to remove the tiny C clamps w/o having to order a special tool?"

Freehub/wheel bearing C-clips/circlips?

If they have a pair of small holes:

It is possible to remove the C'clip by carefully prying it inwards and away from the opening with a small, flat blade screw driver (or better yet, two of them). Remember...screwdivers are not prying tools and never use them for such...if anyone is watching! Proper small pry bars are not always handy though...

I do NOT recommend that as deformation of the clip can occur and flying snap rings can make for shrapnel (eye pro, most definitely when dealing with springs and objects under tension/compression) and just finding small flying objects after their sub-orbital trips can be a pain.

Get yourself a pair of proper C-clip pliers for the $5-$10 they cost and you will thank yourself every time you use them.

If they just have gapped ends that expose a small pry area:

Special pliers are available for this type of snap ring, but they are a bit more expensive and harder to locate at hardware stores...might have to buy online. Here, I do use small prybars or screwdrivers. Use tape to prevent the ring from becoming Sputnik.

 

[Wes Bradshaw]

Ahh yes, the Sputnik thing.. .