Chris King Open Pro combo -vs- ????????

Hello, I am LONG overdue for a decent set of wheels for all around road use. I weight about 137 and was thinking of going with Chris King hubs and Open Pro rims, 28 spoke. According to the excel sports catalog, this would put me at about 1491g for about $500 or so. Another option would be using the Ritchey Aero Pro rims, which would shave the weight down to about 1470g for about the same price. Anyone have experiences with the Ritchey's?

I see that many people like the Ksyrium SL's and campy wheelsets. But, I thought with the king/open or king/ritchey combos that I can have a strong light wheel, a comfortable ride, normal spokes and a some of the best hubs money can buy for only $500. Am I right? If so, why do people pay so much extra for wheelsets that don't offer all of these things? Thanks in advance!

 

You are right about what your $500 buys. The other stuff is more about bling bling. For your weight, you don't need the'stiffness' of Ks and even heavier riders have griped about poor ride qualitites.

 

I think you should give serious consideration to the Ritchey Aero rims. The OCR rear rim helps even out the load from right to left.
There are no eyelets, so some builders won't use alloy nipples.
.... there goes the weight savings in your comparison. However, I still like the rims.
I think you could also consider the Velocity Aerohead, which has an OCR rear, but again without eyelets. Some of the Aerohead rims are available without anodizing or brake surface machining. I have a pair of them in black that are that way. If you go this way have your shop check directly with Velocity USA in Michigan. They will tell your shop what they have available.
Also remember that Chris King hubs come standard with an aluminum cassette body. .... yes I know that is what Shimano did with the FH-7800/10 Speed. My point is that CK shaved some of the comparitive weight that way.
While you are looking at Excel think about their DURA ACE version for a few more grams but $190 less. DURA ACE FH-7700 uses Titanium cassette body that handles 8, 9, and 10 speed HG cassettes (yes.... also 7 speed HG with a spacer)

 

Yeah, thats alot of wheel for the money. Often overlooked and bypassed for the stuff with more bling,and little else of real value.

 

i could get used to this usage of bling bling, especially if it replaces hooey. seriously, who says that?

 

Bling and bling bling is in no way a replacement for hooey. Loosely translated to cycle speak, bling bling has great lust appeal to poseurs, and wannabees. AKA, expensive shiny stuff.

 

Thanks you for all the help. I did look at the dura ace version and it does seem like it is a great value. I just thought that the Kings would mean that I never have to mess with them. I really like the idea of not having to repack them. Plus, they do have that bling bling. Who wouldn't want that?

 

sometimes spending a little more (if 190 is a little) to get some bling and a better component is ok. nothing wrong with shimano hubs - I've put a lot of miles on them - but I feel ck hubs are the best out there. I've got a pair of hand built wheels...ck classic hubs and open pro cd rims, 28 hole. great wheels, and as has been pointed out, for a lot less $ than big name boutique wheelsets.

 

I am very curious about the Ritchey rims. Does anyone have any experiences with these they can directly compare to the open pros? thanks

 

I've spent a little time one them, and have friends that ride/train on them exclusively -- the basic WCS rim, for one, is inexpensive and solid. I couldn't give you an accurate comparison to OpenPros in good faith, though. They're both fine rims. Am I wrong, or are the Ritcheys a tad heavier in general? Need to check on that.

Are these wheels for your all-chrome build? If so, there's no choice; you've got to go with the OpenPros for minimalist charm. Hands down.

 

IMO, you shouldn't base your decision on a mere 20grams. 20 grams can easily be saved in other ways. Both good rims, however, the Ritcheys have an asymetrical wall and offset holes. Mavic Open Pros have standard eyelets. A lot of debate over whether the offeset holes build a less stressed wheel. My opinion is, go with the Open Pros. They're more of a known commodity. Many riders have used them reliably over the years. Don't know about the Ritcheys.

A word about the King hubs. A lot of people will rave about that, but I find that they are more noisy when coasting. You hear the clicks much more than a say Dura Ace or Campy hub. The old DT Hugi hubs were the worst in that aspect. King makes an awesome headset, but I'm not sold on the hubs.

For your weight I'd get a custom wheelset, built with DA or Campy hubs and double-butted spokes and alloy nipples (instead of brass). The double butted spokes and alloy nipple combo would easily save well over 20 grams. You get a better hub too.

Don't listen to lokstah. He doesn't have a take.

 

yes, the chris king hubs are more noisy when coasting. some people like it, some don't. the 64 tooth ring drive on mine - new ones have 72 teeth, - will make more noise than the typical pawl mechanism, but will also engage faster when pressure is applied to the pedal. I like the noise.

 

Geez! The King Hubs were noisy enough with a 64 tooth ring drive! I can't imagine how noisy they'd be with the new 72 tooth drive.

 

as someone interested in getting a set of custom wheels soon, how accurate are these weights? any reliable source for say a ck/open pro combo with a 32 spoke count?

 

mine - ck hubs, open pro cd rims, 28 hole, straight 15 gage spokes, alloy nipples, rim strips - weigh 1585g on a lab scale (each wheel weighed independently).

its been my experience that very few components weigh the advertised weight. sometimes you're pleasantly surprised, but most times not.

 

Thanks for all the help. I have decided to go with king hubs. Probably 28h but I am wondering if 24h would be suitable for the front? I only weigh about 138. I am also strongly considering the velocity aerohead rims. So, here are my two choices for the wheelset below. Also, brass nipples with the aeroheads?

Choice 1
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front: 28h 2X
rear: 28h 3X

Choice 2
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front: 24h 2X
rear: 28h 2X