One of the downsides to living in Chicago is that the roads in and around the city that are best for cycling are not necessarily, well, smooth. I have been training the past couple of years on the set of Bontrager Racelites that came with my Trek Madone, and they were great for the first 2-3 years, but they are increasingly difficult to keep tru’d and the bumps, potholes, road seams, etc. probably aren’t helping the cause.
I am looking to invest in a new set of wheels - maybe something in the $500-$750 range - with the primary concern that they be extremely solid and durable. I’m not so worried about the weight (though obviously, all things being equal, lighter would be better).
Any thoughts/suggestions on wheelsets people have experience with that can withstand Chicago’s roads?
32 hole, 3 cross, 14gauge spokes, on DT Swiss rims.
i’m in chicago too.
pick up a set of mavic open pros.
build them on ultegra hubs, dt 240s if you want to get extra fancy.
solid lacing, you’ll be fine. they can take a beating, and are easily trued/rebuilt by any shop.
take a look at bicyclewheelwarehouse, they have good deals on hand-built. performance sometimes has decent deals on them too.
if mavics aren’t your cup o’ tea, look into neuvations. i can’t attest to them, i’ve never owned them, but i hear they are solid & right for the price of hand-built.
-ed
Wheelbuilder. Kinlin XR-300.
cheers
S.
There really is only one answer. The Real Design Ultrasonic 30. Best. Wheels. EVAR!!
http://web.mac.com/musiccitycycleworks/Real-Wheels/UltraSonic.html
That makes for a great wheel.
Seriously though, get a set of hand builts. Make sure you use at least 28 spokes and it would help to run a 25c tire. I use Kinlin TB25s 24h 2x front and 28h 2x rear on my cross rig and they came in at about 1500g. Super solid under my bulky 185lbs I’ve been tempted to have another pair built up for the road and mount some 24c Pave’s on there. That woudl be super nice.
Rich over there at Wheelbuilder had that suggestion (give the man a call and tell him what you are looking for and where you live) and in the NE (where the roads are shit in the more populated areas and the snowplows have taken their toll) so far I have no complaint.
They were savvy enough to suggest different nipples based upon the amount of corrosion I would encounter in the region for instance. Sure thats a small thing…but they pay attention to the details.
cheers
S.
My dad rocks Open Pros 32holes. at 6-4 230, with calves the size of quads and quads the size of… really big quads… they’ve been able to hang without truing for 3000mi or so
his mavic CPX21 or some shit that came with his bike, popped a spoke every few hundred. what a mess.
Thanks all. Very helpful suggestions.
i’m in chicago too.
if mavics aren’t your cup o’ tea, look into neuvations. i can’t attest to them, i’ve never owned them, but i hear they are solid & right for the price of hand-built.
-ed
I ride the Neuvations (M28 Aero4 Clinchers) and they are vely solid, affordable and, in the right light, attractive.
open pro to chris king hubs 2-cross dt swiss
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