Wheels for my BTwin hack bike

[Dec66]

I was heading into work this morning when I had a rear wheel p*nct*r*. After replacing the tube and tyre and putting the wheel back on, I couldn't turn it properly as it was catching on the brake blocks. At that point I noticed a pronounced kink. Examining that, I then found some nice cracks in the rim (one such pictured).

Looks like some new wheels, then. My commuter is a BTwin Triban 500SE. I could go to Decathlon and get the 700 Triban wheels for £60 for the pair, but apparently they are cack. They do Mavic Askiums, with tyres, for £149, but they also do their own 700 Aero wheels, well reviewed, for £96 for the pair on a multibuy. These are the wheels they use on the Mach 700 and Ultra 720 CF bikes.

Should I go for their Aero wheels, the Askiums, or something else entirely?

 

[Spiderweb]

I have a pair of shimano R501 wheels on my commuter. They have done almost 5000 miles now with no issues at all and I'm not a particularly lightweight rider (13 1/2 stones).
A pair from Ribble will cost £70 including skewers and postage.
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/shimano-pr-whls-r501-standard-spoke-clincher/#pid=28981

 

[Diggs]

Yep +1 I bought those very wheels from Ribble for my winter bike.

 

[cyberknight]

Running r501s for a couple of years , apart from regreasing hubs a lot last year they are good, could have been the cacky weather i rode in though .

 

[Bazzer]

+1 for 501s.
Replaced the wheels on my Cannondale which kept snapping spokes.

 

[Johnsop99]

Another + 1 for R501's. Upgraded my T3 about 3 years ago. Vastly superior to the original btwin wheels and excellent value at around £70 pair.

 

[Racing roadkill]

View attachment 152241
I was heading into work this morning when I had a rear wheel p*nct*r*. After replacing the tube and tyre and putting the wheel back on, I couldn't turn it properly as it was catching on the brake blocks. At that point I noticed a pronounced kink. Examining that, I then found some nice cracks in the rim (one such pictured).

Looks like some new wheels, then. My commuter is a BTwin Triban 500SE. I could go to Decathlon and get the 700 Triban wheels for £60 for the pair, but apparently they are cack. They do Mavic Askiums, with tyres, for £149, but they also do their own 700 Aero wheels, well reviewed, for £96 for the pair on a multibuy. These are the wheels they use on the Mach 700 and Ultra 720 CF bikes.

Should I go for their Aero wheels, the Askiums, or something else entirely?

They don't use the 700 aero wheels on the 720, they use Mavic. The Aksium with tyres for 149 quid would be my choice from your list. I've got Aksium on two of my road bikes ( one of which is a Triban 520) and I really like them. For an off the shelf wheel, they are very nicely built, and not too heavy. The braking surfaces are impressive with regards to winter wear and overall effectiveness. 149 quid with tyres is a steal IMO. I'd avoid R501's on a winter / hack on account of the flakey hubs, if you don't mind having to repack hubs continually during the harsh weather, then everything else on the 501's is hunky dory.

 

[Joffey]

I've got a Mach 720 and they use the 700 Aero Wheels on them as stock. They are decent wheels for the money and they will repair / replace easy enough if they pop under warranty.

 

[Racing roadkill]

I've got a Mach 720 and they use the 700 Aero Wheels on them as stock. They are decent wheels for the money and they will repair / replace easy enough if they pop under warranty.

That's odd, my 720 came with Mavic Cosmics.

 

[Joffey]

That's odd, my 720 came with Mavic Cosmics.

You got lucky there then!! I asked to upgrade to the Mavics but they said no.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/mach-720-carbon-road-bike-105-id_8339670.html

 

[Racing roadkill]

There's mine, actually I may know the reason for the Mavic rims, it's an AF, not a CF.

 

[gbb]

Assuming R501's are basically the same as R500s, I can't recommend them enough for the money they cost.

Its been a long time coming.....
£25 for a tatty 531 Clubman at the carboot sale last summer.
Completely stripped back, except for the headset cups, which wouldnt move even with the jaws of a vice, wrenches...anything. So they stayed.
It started like this (wish i'd took pics of the old thing assembled)....

Also see these.. (rather than clog up the post )
http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r269/gbb_photo/Raleigh clubman/?action=view&current=DSC01508.jpg
http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r269/gbb_photo/Raleigh clubman/?action=view&current=DSC01505.jpg

£200 or so turns it into this....

Not cheap...but very satisfying. Its surprised me how comparatively simple it was. I cant think of one area that was problematic...apart from getting the bits as cheap as possible

That was back in 2008. While it's only generally been used as a winter commuter, it's probably done 5 all winter commutes, slush, everything thrown at them.
5 winters and I only had to service the hubs twice, which was really just lubing. Theyre still super smooth now.

 

[Dec66]

Taken a punt on the Shimano R501's from Ribble, with Vredestein Fortezza Sensos and Vittoria Road Lite tubes, £119.99 bundle, with another £6 off on a Black Friday thing.

We'll see how we go.

Cheers all