Spec Sirrus wheelset replacement?

[RufusA]

The rear wheel on my Specialized Sirrus has decided to throw a spoke again, so it's looking very much it's coming to the end of it's useful life.

I'm still running stock Alexrim R500 wheels shod in 700c x25 tyres. So thinking now would be a good time to buy a new wheelset to replace the stock.

I'm of average weight 75-80kg but carry a heavy pannier (laptop, clothes, detritus) on one side and have a few speed humps to contend with on my commute! I also want to stick with 25mm tyres with the option to go up or down a size or two as the whim suits!

I think I'll therefore need something tough where weight / speed aren't as important to me as durability, but if I can have both then great!

I've seen Mavic Aksium mentioned a few times on this forum favourably, but would this be tough enough to cope with me, as it seems a little light on spokes / crossovers.

Budget isn't too tight, but don't want to spend £200+ on a wheelset that's only 10% better than a £100 one.

Anything I should budget for replacing at the same time (brake pads? cassette?? skewers? etc.)

In fact any advice on selecting the right wheelset would be gratefully received!

Thanks - Rufus.

 

[John the Monkey]

The Aksiums are really nice wheels for the money, and worth considering. According to Sheldon Brown and Mavic's specs, you could go from 23mm to 32mm tyres on the Aksium rim. I'm about 12st and found the Aksium stood up to my commute with no problems (not used regualrly, but have switched to them on the few dry days we've had).

I don't think their strength is much of an issue, although if you do pop a spoke, the low spoke count tends to mean that the wheel will be unrideable.

One thing to consider might be a build - I got a set of wheels built up by an LBS following my off (as the rear was wrecked) - DRC17 rims on tiagra hubs. Not that exciting, but built to my spec (strong, high spoke count, traditionally laced) and not that expensive, streets ahead of the stock Alex DA22 that came on the bike.

 

[fossyant]

I've got Aksiums on my Training Bike, and they will stand up to a bashing - only been trued slightly (by me) once in 18 months.

 

[jimboalee]

No need to ditch them wheels.

Take them to your LBS and ask them to release the spoke tension to mid-range.

Factory wheels are built with way too high tension.

When I bought my Dawes Giro, ( a bit of deja vu here ) I slackened the tension by 1/8 turn all round.
The last wheelset I had someone else adjust was in 1992 when Steve Thornhill re-laced a pair of MA2 on Maillard Normandy. I just didn't have enough spare time what with a newborn son, an all.

I tension to mid range. Only DT Swiss DB and the DT Swiss book tells the tension range.

No broken spokes in fifteen years.

 

[goo_mason]

I bought a set of Aksiums back in May and put them on the bike. Like you, I was worried that they wouldn't be able to handle the condition of Edinburgh's roads and my weight (15st), but they're still as true as the day I bought them.

Well worth the money - and they made my SCR2 feel like a completely different (and much smoother) bike to ride.

 

[RufusA]

Thanks everyone, LBS are going to do something magic on the existing wheel with spoke tensions and stuff.

Then if another one goes ping, it's a new set of Aksiums for me. Almost tempted to just order some anyway, but with credit crunch etc. SWMBO isn't too keen!

Rufus,

 

[008]

Just out of interest RufusA, how long have you had your Alexrim R500's and is the braking surface starting to concave yet?

I've had my Sirrus Elite 2007, with the same wheels, for about 15 months with just over 3,000 miles of commuting through London. The braking surface is just beginning to concave slightly but no broken spokes... yet! So I'm researching some new wheels at the moment.

fwiw, I'm also thinking about the Mavic Aksiums... or maybe the Ksyrium Equipes.