New Wheels? Which ones?

mauricer

Senior Retro Guru
I'm looking to buy a new wheelset for my Klein Stage Comp frame and haven't really got the insight into the different brands, but i want to use them mainly for road racing and daily riding. Can you recommend a good set at around 2-250£? Mavic, Fulcrum, Bontrager?

Thx in advance

Moritz
 
wheels

Definately Open Pro's on Record hubs. Entirely serviceable hubs that will last for years and rims that will also handle years of use.

Get them built by a local expert for around £225 with Wheelsmith, DT or Sapim traditional stainless round double butted spokes. They should turn out about 1700gms.

Aparently, the black rims are to be avoided. The Silver or CD versions are the ones to go for.

Alternatively, Ambrosio Excellence or Evolution are well respected.
A decent wheelbuilder will take your weight into account and suggest spoke numbers and spoke tensions.

Ksyriums, Bontragers and these other low-spoke boutique things are disposable items for high disposable incomes and they disappoint in many ways when they go awry.
Broken spokes can fold a wheel and they cost loads to replace. The hubs are heavy and they dont last as long as Record. Blah blah blah....
 
Re: wheels

lelobysfoot":qnirrhb7 said:
The hubs are heavy and they dont last as long as Record. Blah blah blah....

While not entirely in disagreement, that's a rather sweeping statement.

Fulcrum hubs on 3s and upwards are mechanically identical to Campag....

And personally I am not entirely impressed with the bearings in Campag freehub bodies....
 
You would have to use a Shimano compatable hub but the advice above was correct; handbuilt wheels are a better bet financially and they are probably faster until you get up to really high end Mavic / Campag stuff. (Retro cool, too)

Its probably the hottest debated subject on the internet...
....but I'd always go with tubular tyres and rims for racing (see the sprints vs clinchers thread!) They are lighter, they roll faster and I have never punctured one. There is a good reason why every single pro team uses them!!
 
wheels

I wonder if anyone has tried relacing a Fulcrum wheel? The rims are a cruel joke for a wheelbuilder let alone the amateur spoke changer. The factory tension is very high to compensate for low spoke counts and this often leads to spoke breakage. Most Fulcrum owners (the 3's especially) put them in for relacing at some point and thats when the trouble starts. As I said, these are entirely disposable wheels and will only lead to short-time fun and long term expense. Fulcrum have invested heavily in advertising and marketing and, well, you know what that usually tells you.

The hubs (for the Fulcrums I've seen) are nothing like Campagnolo - they have lower spoke drillings, use cartridge bearings (not always a benefit)and they share no transferrable parts. The 3's are £350 and for a 50-100g reduction in weight over custom-made wheels with easily available parts, make no real sense whatsoever.

The Campagnolo hub body (on Record at least) has a grease nipple which the user can inject at regular intervals to increase bearing life. (I have yet to see a properly regulated rear hub lasting less than 10 years).

One other benefit of getting your wheels built for you is that you can buy the rims and hubs in the vintage you require to suit the rest of the bike.

Sorry if thats sweepingly stated, but its from experience.

Anyway, if you are using Shimano - DuraAce hubs are excellent and available in 28,32 & 36 hole drillings. Forget the 16 & 24h unless you are a junior.

Edit: If you are put off by Shimano woes, try DT, Hope or Chris King. If you buy second-hand or in the sales you will have a great pair of hubs to start with.
 
wheels

Yep, they're good. Shop around a bit though, maybe you have someone local that can build them. You will need someone to retension them anyway after a few rides, so its better to have someone you can trust nearby.
If buying on eBay, do your research on the sellers feedback and remember that eBay can be a dumping ground for old stock and stuff that won't sell. I've had good luck on eBay both selling and buying but it can be a nightmare.
Better going local in the long run. Take your time - its worth it.
Good luck.
 
ref. Fulcrum

Fulcrum wheels are very similar to the 'aero' campag wheels like the Shamal and Vento which use different hubs to the Record groupset.

Apart from spoking patterns The Fulcrum racing speed is identical to the Campag Bora and the Fulcrum racing light is identical to the Campag Hyperion

I see what you mean about the advertising and I now think that Fulcrum wheels is a marketing ploy by Campag to sell wheels to customers that don't have Campag equipped bikes....
 
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