I've scoured the group and found some good info, but not quite enough to make a decision. The wheelset that came with a used road bike I bought several years ago has started to jettison spokes. The rims are Mavic ceramic, the hubs Zipp (the ones with the narrow carbon fiber center sections, from the late '90s), and the spoke are, unfortunately, titanium, which I'm told is why they're breaking. I've popped at least two on the front and one on the back over the last two years. The first two I had the spoke replaced, but I'm tired of that game. My questions are: Should I have the wheels rebuilt using the old components (with all new spokes, obviously)? I have a pair of new rims I bought several years ago, so should I dump the old rims, keep the Zipp hubs and use them with the new rims? Or should I just buy a new wheelset? I probably ride that bike 50-75 miles a week at most, and only during the summer, so I'm not inclined to spend a lot on this project. But I also don't want to have to truncate any more of my increasingly rare riding opportunities.
I've scoured the group and found some good info, but not quite enough to make a decision. The wheelset that came with a used road bike I bought several years ago has started to jettison spokes. The rims are Mavic ceramic, the hubs Zipp (the ones with the narrow carbon fiber center sections, from the late '90s), and the spoke are, unfortunately, titanium, which I'm told is why they're breaking. I've popped at least two on the front and one on the back over the last two years. The first two I had the spoke replaced, but I'm tired of that game. My questions are: Should I have the wheels rebuilt using the old components (with all new spokes, obviously)? I have a pair of new rims I bought several years ago, so should I dump the old rims, keep the Zipp hubs and use them with the new rims? Or should I just buy a new wheelset? I probably ride that bike 50-75 miles a week at most, and only during the summer, so I'm not inclined to spend a lot on this project. But I also don't want to have to truncate any more of my increasingly rare riding opportunities.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
JR
If the bearings are in good shape, there's no reason why you shouldn't reuse the hubs. Same goes for the rims. However, if you have never built wheels before, and you don't own a proper truing stand and dishing tool, you would be better off finding an experienced wheelbuilder to do it for you. Any decent LBS should be able to do it, otherwise find a different shop. I am fortunate--I have a friend who builds wheels as a hobby. He charges me $30 per wheel for labor, new spokes and nipples--a righteous deal. He has built about 2,400 wheels--amazing!
I've scoured the group and found some good info, but not quite enough to make a decision. The wheelset that came with a used road bike I bought several years ago has started to jettison spokes. The rims are Mavic ceramic, the hubs Zipp (the ones with the narrow carbon fiber center sections, from the late '90s), and the spoke are, unfortunately, titanium, which I'm told is why they're breaking. I've popped at least two on the front and one on the back over the last two years. The first two I had the spoke replaced, but I'm tired of that game. My questions are: Should I have the wheels rebuilt using the old components (with all new spokes, obviously)? I have a pair of new rims I bought several years ago, so should I dump the old rims, keep the Zipp hubs and use them with the new rims? Or should I just buy a new wheelset? I probably ride that bike 50-75 miles a week at most, and only during the summer, so I'm not inclined to spend a lot on this project. But I also don't want to have to truncate any more of my increasingly rare riding opportunities.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
JR
If the hubset bearings are OK, the hub is compatible, you can try a set of new spokes. Ti spokes are known to have reliability issues, but breaking spokes can also mean a deformed rim, perhaps from the lack of support from ti spokes. Or just dump the whole mess, get a good set of shimano or Campag hubs, rebuild with the new rims with 14/15 spokes, built well, and be done with it.
I've scoured the group and found some good info, but not quite enough to make a decision. The wheelset that came with a used road bike I bought several years ago has started to jettison spokes. The rims are Mavic ceramic, the hubs Zipp (the ones with the narrow carbon fiber center sections, from the late '90s), and the spoke are, unfortunately, titanium, which I'm told is why they're breaking. I've popped at least two on the front and one on the back over the last two years. The first two I had the spoke replaced, but I'm tired of that game. My questions are: Should I have the wheels rebuilt using the old components (with all new spokes, obviously)? I have a pair of new rims I bought several years ago, so should I dump the old rims, keep the Zipp hubs and use them with the new rims? Or should I just buy a new wheelset? I probably ride that bike 50-75 miles a week at most, and only during the summer, so I'm not inclined to spend a lot on this project. But I also don't want to have to truncate any more of my increasingly rare riding opportunities.
Quoted message said:
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Quoted message said:
JR
If the bearings are in good shape, there's no reason why you shouldn't reuse the hubs. Same goes for the rims. However, if you have never built wheels before, and you don't own a proper truing stand and dishing tool, you would be better off finding an experienced wheelbuilder to do it for you. Any decent LBS should be able to do it, otherwise find a different shop. I am fortunate--I have a friend who builds wheels as a hobby. He charges me $30 per wheel for labor, new spokes and nipples--a righteous deal. He has built about 2,400 wheels--amazing!
I've scoured the group and found some good info, but not quite enough to make a decision. The wheelset that came with a used road bike I bought several years ago has started to jettison spokes. The rims are Mavic ceramic, the hubs Zipp (the ones with the narrow carbon fiber center sections, from the late '90s), and the spoke are, unfortunately, titanium, which I'm told is why they're breaking. I've popped at least two on the front and one on the back over the last two years. The first two I had the spoke replaced, but I'm tired of that game. My questions are: Should I have the wheels rebuilt using the old components (with all new spokes, obviously)? I have a pair of new rims I bought several years ago, so should I dump the old rims, keep the Zipp hubs and use them with the new rims? Or should I just buy a new wheelset? I probably ride that bike 50-75 miles a week at most, and only during the summer, so I'm not inclined to spend a lot on this project. But I also don't want to have to truncate any more of my increasingly rare riding opportunities.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Replace the spoke nipples. Replace the spokes. Replace the rims. Replace the hubs.
