BikingMD

Hey all. I have a 60cm Moser M76 frameset. Stiff as hell and for a roadbike, its on the heavier side at 1.8kg (incl. bottle cages). Imp. Note: This bike will be mostly a hardcore trainer/racer bike. I'm a college student so this bike will 'do it all'.

SO, time for a wheelset.

ME: 6' 1"+ and 200lbs. in full riding gear.

I NEED: a Strong, light, and cheap wheelset. I know, I know, but there MUST be an acceptable compromise for wheels among the three categories.

RIDING: Suburban/rural MD roads so lots of road chatter and the occasional roadkill.

What I've found through a little research:
I can pay less for durable but slightly heavier hubs and move that extra $ to more expensive rims that will provide less rotating mass. Best option for me will be a 24h front and 28-32h rear OC rim.

Where you come in: Wheel/spoke/hub options that you guys can advise me on. I know very little of available Off-Center rim options that are acceptable in weight (sub 430g). As far as hubs, I looked briefly at the Ritchey WCS hubs but turned away when I learned of their problems (true?), so I was back at square one for good, low-$ hubs. Also, what spoke patterns are preferable for my weight/riding cond. etc?

BTW: The rims/hubs/whole wheelset doesn't need to really match. I am more interested in performance than looks, so feel free to mix and match.

Thanks a lot and I hope this thread becomes helpful for others too looking for Wheelsets in my weight category.

Eatadonut

If you're really looking for durable wheels that won't break the bank, 24h is NOT the way you want to go.

Ultegra/Open Pro. It's a classic, for a reason.


Do you have a price range to work off? If we're talking $800, there are many options out there, if we're talking $150, there are still options, just different ones.

Jesus Christ

i'm 200lbs and 32 hole open pros do the trick. campy migrage hubs. not light. no zoot here, but so far quite tough.


btw... 1.8kg?

Jesus Christ

your bike weighs like, four pounds.

CPcyclist

That's not really bad when you consider it is a 60cm Frame with I assume Fork, Headset, and Cages....


Ditto to what is your Price range...

formulaben

Welcome to 1985...

My 2 cents: for those living in the 21st century, if you want a bulletproof wheelset for cheap, go with 32h Velocity Deep V.

Grimmreaper

I weigh in at 240lbs and I used to pop spokes all the time with a alex at 450 wheel, I now have a Mavic CXP-30 real wheel, with 14 gauge spokes on the rear and I have never had a problem with spokes popping off.

If you can not find a Mavic CXP 30 then the next best wheel for you would probably be the Velocity Deep V, and I think it will probably cost around $130 tp $150, depending if you have a your own hub.

The front wheel on my bike is still original (Alex ATX 450) so I guess the front wheel is not a big player in the handling department.

pelotonracer

Campagnolo Vento G3's, $200.

https://www.totalcycling.com/ProductD...9-22c864a8fc19

Lighter than Velocity Deep-V, bulletproof, semi-aero, not to mention BLING! You WILL get attention with this wheel.

You DO have a Campy drivetrain, right?

Grasschopper

Yea but it isn't going to be light...count on >200g heavier wheel set with those rims over an Open Pro.

To the OP - I am 220 and will agree with those that say going with spoke count. You want 32 spokes in the rear for sure but you could get away with less in the font. I can't believe they haven't been mentioned here yet but here is the obligatory oddsandendos.com plug. I ride a set of Mike's wheels and they have been perfect for me so far. 28 spokes front, 32 spokes rear, DT swiss RR1.1 rims (similar design but lighter than Mavic Open Pro) with his SpeedCific hubs. Total weight is 1540g which is only JUST heavier than the CLAIMED weight of the Mavic Ksyrium SL3 (notorious for having higher actual weights), and they cost less than half as much at $389 shipped (remember shipping on a wheelset generally runs $20-$30 due to size).

If you don't go with Mike a local wheel builder can also due the trick...my second set of wheels are tubular and weigh in at 1510g, Sun Venus 19-AII aero rims laced 32 spokes f/r to Campagnolo Chorus hubs...another sub $400 wheelset that will be bomb proof and is relatively light.

16spokes

Bontrager Race X Lite Aero. Ebay 400.00 with tubes and tires NEW! Havent ridden them yet so I have no feedback as far as performance contact my58VW for testimony.

steve_wmn

Personally, I think the "32 spokes for a clydesdale" theory is a bit too conservative. My primary wheel set has 20 in front, 24 in back and they've been just fine after 2000 miles with just a break-in tune up at 500 miles. Newer, "aero" deep V cross section rims are stiffer than the old box section rims like the Open Pro and can work with less spokes, so long as the rim ferrules, hubs and spoke nipples are built for the increased load.

merlin70

I agree. I'm 6' 3" and now 230 lbs. and have been on Mavic Kryserium Equipe's (20 spoke f/r) for two years. I was doubtful at first but they have held up great, still tight and true.

Before that I rode conventional 32 spoke f/r at weights up to 265 (yikes) and never had a problem.

At "only" 200 lbs. you will be fine with almost anything unless you are riding bombed out streets or something. Give some of the newer factory built wheels a try, you will be impressed I think.

big john

I'm 210# and am very hard on wheels, have broken or ruined many over the years. I use Open Pro 36 hole with Ultegra hubs and the rear lasts me a year,(5000 miles).

BikingMD

Wow, thanks for all the replies so soon.

My price range is a maximum of $300.

BikingMD

Yup, the -frameset- included the Carbon Moser fork (w/ al steerer tube of course), 2 bottle cages+bolts, and frame.

bigbossman 

When I consulted with Mike for my wheel set, his opinion was that the DT swiss RR1.1 rims were the "new" Open Pro's. He said they were like the OP, but with improvements.

BTW, I weigh 230 lbs and he spec'ed 24/28 spoke counts for me, using the Niobium Aero rim he sells. They are on tha way as I speak, so I cannot review them for you yet. I fretted over the low spoke count, and called him 3 times to see if he was sure of the design. He is, and said that if I don't like them to send them back and he'll re-lace them to higher spoke count hubs/rims at no charge.

BikingMD

Lol, actually I'm stuck on whether to go Campy or Shimano. I have big hands (4"x4" palms) so the Campy-hand position is a little more comfy than shimano's, and well, campy also offers bling. But since I'm a college student, I have to really hunt for low-$ parts. I am semi-settled on Ultegra-10.

blandin

I'm 6'1', weigh 220 lbs. and ride a variety of wheels from American Classic 420's to the Ultegra/Open Pro's. Variety of rim depths and spoke counts and I've had no trouble with any of them.

Am. Classic 420's
FSA RD400's
Velomax Circuits
CaneCreek Aeroheads
SpeedCific/Aeroheads
Spinergy Xaero Lite's
SG Korso's
Ultegra/OpenPro's
Am. Classic/DT Swiss R1.1 (Newly arrived - maiden voyage this weekend.)

bigbossman 

In that range, you might want to try the Neuvation M28 Aero for $289:
Neuvation Wheels

I talked with the owner, and he said they'd be ok for me at 230lbs. He offered a money back guarantee if I wasn't satisfied.

Dubbayoo

I bought some Mavic Ksyrium Elites off ebay, basically new. I'm 240 lbs but relatively easy on wheels, if a 240 lb person can say that. No problems so far.They replaced standard 32-hole Sun Mistral sewups. If $1,500 falls out of the sky I'll get some Zipp 404's for duathlon/triathlon.


I can't really get a good look at the spokes on it. My Ksyrium Elites are 18/20 but the spokes are pretty big. Without seeing it in person I would say go 24/28.

AndrewP

but you are only 200 lb. Get a deep V, 28 X 14-15-14 spoke wheel at the back. go for a lighter rim 24 spoke at the front.

platypus

+1 for these. I'm 270 and these wheels handle uphill downhill potholes, whatever. Great wheels.

Eatadonut

Oh whoop de dip. The Open Pro builds a wheel that's just as strong as a Deep V, is almost exactly the same price, the only difference is that the Deep V will ride stiffer than the Open Pro.

The DT R1.1 is an awesome rim, but I've not been able to find them for less than about $120/pair, though that could be well within the OP's budget depending on the rest of the build.

DocRay

I have Vento G3s, they are very durable, but they are heavy at 1.9kg. The campy skewers are way too heavy. For better aero I prefer my Easton Vistas.

200lb/61cm frame.

CastIron

I've got the Vento G3's on my new 'cross bike. ~60 miles on 'em--so far, so good for this 225lbs clyde. the '06 Vento's have been lightened by ~15% if memory serves.