Handbuilt wheels, choices choices...

[Rob3rt]

heavy?? heavy ??? you must be kidding - i'm 16st12lbs and all last year i rode on shimano r501's f20 r24 and had no problems whatsover

As a racer he may indeed be on the heavier end of the spectrum for his height (unknown) in his chosen sample and what little mileage he does on his kit may be done in much more demanding conditions (he races Cyclocross and Criteriums) hence his reservations, that said, I really do doubt that his weight would pose any issue for a lightweight wheel, especially on the road.

Some of the guys I see at races must weigh a tonne, they are built like brick shoot houses!

 

[VamP]

heavy?? heavy ??? you must be kidding - i'm 16st12lbs and all last year i rode on shimano r501's f20 r24 and had no problems whatsover

The 501s are a strong rim though - not what I would call lightweight.

I am talking about something like Stan's Alpha, or Amrosio Excellight. Great rims, just not for people over 12 stone, well 11 really...

 

[jowwy]

The 501s are a strong rim though - not what I would call lightweight.

I am talking about something like Stan's Alpha, or Amrosio Excellight. Great rims, just not for people over 12 stone, well 11 really...

i get what you mean VamP - i was going more by spoke count than rim strength to be honest

 

[VamP]

As a racer he may indeed be on the heavier end of the spectrum for his height (unknown) in his chosen sample and what little mileage he does on his kit may be done in much more demanding conditions (he races Cyclocross and Criteriums) hence his reservations, that said, I really do doubt that his weight would pose any issue for a lightweight wheel, especially on the road.

Some of the guys I see at races must weigh a tonne, they are built like brick s*** houses!

6'1"

I am deffo on the heavy side in most races I do. Having said that, I have ridden a coupple of TTs of late and the testers do tend to run a fair bit bigger than me

If I get brake rub in out of saddle sprintig than that's my rule of thumb for the wheel being too flexi for my weight. So it's reflective of the stiffness as well as the strength of the build, and certainly doesn't just mean the spoke count. I have had quite flexi 32H in the past.

 

[jifdave]

Do you know what kind of spokes you have on your wheels?

Sapim strong.

 

[Judderz]

6ft 3" and 18.5 st here, ran on R500's for 12 months without problems, then switched to handbuilts last year, Mavic CXP33 rims, 32h, on 105 hubs (round about £220), never had a problem with them.

 

[jonny jeez]

my mavic CP 22 thingys exploded last weekend..literally... so i went for 36 hole Open pro with double butted, double nippled spokes and a fairly loud Hope freehub and Hope cartridge bearings (i couldn't service my last cones so I may as well opt for a simple to replace option). Have been told by a competing LBS that these are pretty bullet proof.

They were priced at £60 and I got them for £30. They seem pretty light and strong, and certainly roll better than my old (17 month old) knackered set.

 

[PK99]

I'm 98kg and ride 36 spoke Mavic Open Pro on Ultegra hubs, built by Harry Rowland -still true 2 years in

 

[oldfatfool]

Said it before, will say it again, Rose, well built and bloody cheap.

 

[outlash]

Thanks everyone , at least I know I'm on the right track. TBH, the roads round these parts are bad in some places so I'm prepared to have a slight weight penalty to have wheels that'll stay true for longer than 5 minutes hence I'm thinking 36 spoke but I'm hoping to find a local wheel guru to have a chat to, otherwise I might as well order online.


Tony.