ribble audax bike builder - so much choice!

[crumpetman]

I like the look of the audax/winter trainer on Ribble, 7005 alu frame with carbon forks and decent mudguards and you can choose the spec on pretty much everything else. That's where the trouble lies, so much choice!

Given a budget of upto £1k, I have chosen to upgrade the groupset and wheels/tyres from the default options giving:

Sram Rival 10 Spd Groupset
Fulcrum Racing 5 Wheels Pair
Continental GP 4 Season Vectran Folding Tyre

With some money left over to maybe change the bars, stem etc.

Does that look ok for a near all year round commuter bike? I figure it's better to go with a decent components on an alu frame than bottom of the range components on a carbon frame.

 

[PpPete]

None of the wheelsets on offer on wheelbuilder seem ideal for an all year round commuter...

 

[crumpetman]

Well it would be most of the year (April to November?). I'm managing ok with whatever wheels (something cheap, I don't even know what they are!) are on my current bike. Just trying to get the most out of the £1k C2W limit by speccing up the wheels and groupset.

 

[PpPete]

It's not so much the time of year, as the hammering commuter wheels take on the potholed streets. All those wheels have fashionably low spoke counts... often 20 front radial, 24 rear.... one spoke goes, you are walking home.

IMHO a commuter needs 32 or 36 spoke wheels. Might not be fashionable but they'll not let you down. (How many spokes on your current wheels BTW ?)

For the £200 or so that Fulcrum 5s cost, you could get a reasonably classy pair of handbuilts.

Sorry --- I'm starting to get a bit ranty about this subject, comes from having read too many threads about broken spokes on factory wheels.

Actually another thing you might want to investigate .... can you use the wheels off you current bike on the Ribble, and save the Fulcrums for "Sunday best"?

 

[crumpetman]

There is no sunday best for me, just the commute. I take your point about spending the money on different wheels but it will be a personal expense rather than putting it on the C2W bill. I will have a closer look at what I have currently got but one of them was replaced recently for about £50 so I am fairly sure they are at the bottom end of things.

 

[Oldlegs]

Now I don't want to get into an augument on trad v reduced spoke patterns.


but my current wheels (Shimano 561's 16 / 20 spoke) are coming up to 30k miles on very rough Norfolk lanes. In all that time I've lost one spoke and the wheel was fine to ride home on. In fact distorting less than the 32's I rode previously.

Straight pull have less stress concentrations than elbow jobs and (if honestly made) should be equally as tough.