Spectacular Off # New wheels!!

[Nozzer]

Had my first "off saturday", wheels now look like a popadum!! I have a budget of £150 ish for wheelset, im about 105kg and doing a Lejog next year. Need something strong.

Im thinking of Fulcrum Pair Wheels Racing 5, shimano RS20 or 30's. Also the pro lite rims seem to get good reviews. Budget is tight so want to get best i can.Are there any i should be looking at, durability is key as my mavic cx22 of my secteur have gone out of true loads.


Thanks(still bruised from going overbars!!!)

 

[PpPete]

im about 105kg and doing a Lejog next year. Need something strong.

So why are you looking at wheelsets with 20 spoke radial front and 24 spoke rear?
Not saying that Fulcrum wheels are not good, but in my book an E2E needs something with a few more spokes.

Hand-built Open Pros would be my vote, if you can up your budget to £200, you can get them on 105 hubs.

 

[fixedfixer]

Thinking about Lejog, are you going to do this B&B / hostels or camping? For a lightweight trip I'd go 32 spoke 3 cross pattern - nothing too fancy just in case a spare spoke was needed on the way. For carrying a bit more weight I'd go for a 36 spoke 3 cross on the rear and stick with the 32 spoker on the front. Hubs most likely good old shimano Deore and Mavic rims. They'd be strong, durable and not too expensive wheels.

 

[John the Monkey]

Thinking about Lejog, are you going to do this B&B / hostels or camping? For a lightweight trip I'd go 32 spoke 3 cross pattern - nothing too fancy just in case a spare spoke was needed on the way. For carrying a bit more weight I'd go for a 36 spoke 3 cross on the rear and stick with the 32 spoker on the front. Hubs most likely good old shimano Deore and Mavic rims. They'd be strong, durable and not too expensive wheels.

I like Deore, but I'm assuming the OP needs road spacing (130mm) which would mean a mismatch between front & back, no?

My commuting/winter wheels for the road bike have Tiagra hubs & DRC ST-18 "Elegance" rims, 32h, 3 cross. Cost me £108 from the local builder in 2009, I daresay you can pick up something similar for not much more. Whilst I like Mavic rims, my impression is that they're a little overpriced (or at least were, last time I looked seriously).

 

[Nozzer]

So why are you looking at wheelsets with 20 spoke radial front and 24 spoke rear?
Not saying that Fulcrum wheels are not good, but in my book an E2E needs something with a few more spokes.

Hand-built Open Pros would be my vote, if you can up your budget to £200, you can get them on 105 hubs.

Thats why im asking as ive little clue!

A lot of people have said mavic aksium's for money?

 

[Nozzer]

Thinking about Lejog, are you going to do this B&B / hostels or camping? For a lightweight trip I'd go 32 spoke 3 cross pattern - nothing too fancy just in case a spare spoke was needed on the way. For carrying a bit more weight I'd go for a 36 spoke 3 cross on the rear and stick with the 32 spoker on the front. Hubs most likely good old shimano Deore and Mavic rims. They'd be strong, durable and not too expensive wheels.

We are doing B&B's.

 

[John the Monkey]

Thats why im asking as ive little clue!

A lot of people have said mavic aksium's for money?

I have a set and I like them - if you break a spoke you're SOL though, you're sending off to mavic for replacements. A set built with "normal" double butted spokes should be repairable at any LBS.

 

[vorsprung]

Had my first "off saturday", wheels now look like a popadum!! I have a budget of £150 ish for wheelset, im about 105kg and doing a Lejog next year. Need something strong.

Im thinking of Fulcrum Pair Wheels Racing 5, shimano RS20 or 30's. Also the pro lite rims seem to get good reviews. Budget is tight so want to get best i can.Are there any i should be looking at, durability is key as my mavic cx22 of my secteur have gone out of true loads.


Thanks(still bruised from going overbars!!!)

For someone of your weight, planning a long distance trip and with a limited budget handmade wheels like these

http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m2b0s178p1956

are more likely to do the job without problems. Any wheel of this price point is just a little bit likely to snap a spoke. With a 20 hole factory wheel this means the wheel is unusable and you need a new wheel. With a handmade 32h you may have to back off the brakes a little but usually it will be ok
On 36h wheels I have broken 2 spokes and ridden home

I am a bit wary of low end factory wheels. I can see the attraction, they are just a bit faster and prettier than handmade wheels. I got some Mavic Aksiums with my new bike and they are nice and whizzy. I will be fitting some hand mades before I take the bike on any long routes however.

I wanted get factory wheels for long distance I would get Campag Neutrons or Fulcrum 3. They are more expensive but stronger, despite the lower spoke count and weight. You get what you pay for.

 

[Moodyman]

For someone of your weight, planning a long distance trip and with a limited budget handmade wheels like these

http://www.spacycles...d=m2b0s178p1956

Agreed. They have an excellent wheelbuilding reputation and specialise in touring cycling.

Their prices are very competitive too.

 

[John the Monkey]

From that Spa page, Exal XR2 look like a good bet too - I've built with their LX17 rim for Mrs. Monkey's touring bike and liked those a lot.

 

[HLaB]

Thats why im asking as ive little clue!

A lot of people have said mavic aksium's for money?

Askiums are great light and strong wheels IME (caveat I'm a lightweight though, 60kg) but they've got bladed spokes which means it can be hard to find a replacement. I was on cycling holiday to Sardinia a few years back and one of the riders snapped a spoke first day on his similar Mavic Kyriums he couldn't get a replacement anywhere on the island and had to do the whole trip on a borrowed wheel (not practical IMO unless you are fully supported).

 

[Kestevan]

I've got a pair of the Fulcrum 5's, I'm a similar weight to you and use them to commute every day with no problems at all.

However, if I was considering an E-E I think I'd want to have a few more spokes just for peace of mind. I'd also make sure they were "standard" spokes so you could pop into a shop and pick up a spare easily. Any of the bladed non-standard length spokes can be a nightmare to replace.

 

[PpPete]

From that Spa page, Exal XR2 look like a good bet too - I've built with their LX17 rim for Mrs. Monkey's touring bike and liked those a lot.

Rigida Chrina rims are good too. I built one up for a mate just before our JoGLE. Went with 36 spoke, because he is definitely no lightweight. He said it felt a lot faster & more responsive than the factory wheel that was on the bike before.

Might try those Exal XR2 for the next set I build.

 

[John the Monkey]

Might try those Exal XR2 for the next set I build.

Lighter than the Chrina (at least the quoted weight is).

The LX17 were £18 or so when I bought them, seemed well made & were a pleasure to build with - 17mm internal rim diameter is useful too, handles middlingly thin tyres up to fairly cushy ones nicely.

 

[Norry1]

What did you get in the end?