new wheelset vs. new bike

[goddess1222]

i am interested in purchasing a new bike with a steel frame, only because i don't like how my aluminum frame takes the bumps. a friend told me that i should get a custom wheel set first because he says that the wheel set will take care of the "bumpy" ride problem. for those of you in the know regarding steel frames and new wheel sets i need a little guidance here.

[newfsmith]

A lot depends on the size of your bike frame. If you have a small frame the harsher ride of Aluminum is more pronounced. Changing wheels probably won't make that much difference. On the other hand, hand built custom wheels are a thing to covet. I'm afraid my answer would be "get both". You might as well go for the custom frame, too. Doing the whole package would probably be cheaper than piece-mealing it.

[marianne]

what about a carbon bike?

[goddess1222]

i have never ridden a carbon bike. obviously, they must take the bumps better. who makes a good carbon bike? i do have my eye on the Fuji Marseille. it is steel. pretty light too.

[marianne]

i think trek has the best carbon bike because they make it in a whole different way tha other carbon bikes; their carbon is called oclv, and it's handmade!just surf to www.trekbike.com, and you will find everything about it!and.... a garantee on the frame and fork for life!!

[Kathi]

Yes, wheels make a difference. Good handmade wheels will help, but if your frame is small and aluminum like my Cannondale they will improve the ride. I gave up on aluminum and bought and Aegis "Swift". It's carbon fiber, handmade in Maine and only made in small sizes. With my Mavic Open Pro wheels the ride is awesome. The neat thing about carbon is that the materials can be manipulated, the softness and stiffness can be built in where the rider needs it. Aegis built the Swift with small riders in mind. I feel none of the stress I used to feel on the Cannondale
BTW, Trek does not make cf frames in small sizes.

[marianne]

trekbike wsd are especially made for women, i'm rather tall and i bought myself a men's bike size 58!!, wsd is too small for me!!

[Kathi]

Yes, Trek makes the WSD for small riders but they do not have a carbon fiber version. The frame is aluminum.
Aegis makes carbon fiber frames for every rider, no matter what the size

[marianne]

there is the trek 5200wsd in carbon; size 49 till56!! very small ,no?and they are soooo beautifull, don't you agree??

[Trek420]

Yes, I'm glad that TREK has OCLV in WSD. When I got my TREK I had a choice of their then top of the line in 47 cm, or the TREK 420. New to riding and not sure how I'd like it I got the 420. Since then I've upgraded wheelsets and have the Mavic Opensup Pro rims and a whole lot o' other fancy-schmancy stuff on this entry-level frame. Yes, wheels make a difference, not so much in comfort but acceleration, handling, less rolling resistance, more zip and pep.

My partner had a Cannondale and threw good money after bad to try to make it comfy; fat tape, thicker tires, new rims, suspension seat post, you name it...could have bought a whole new bike ;-)

Finaly...she did! Her Mondonico Futura Legero has all day comfort that you get from steel and get this, it's lighter than the aluminum bike that is now just used on the Cycleops!

Our vote is steel if it's comfort you want but as always whatever the frame material the most important thing is fit.

[Dogmama]

I rode an aluminum Trek (small bike) for several years before I had a custom steel bike made. It's like night and day, especially on crappy roads.

If you're thinking about OCLV, be sure to ride one quite a distance before you buy. For me, the OCLV was way too squishy in the corners. The ride was definately smoother, but I like to feel a little road. I couldn't get comfortable or feel like I really had control on the OCLV. There are people who love their OCLV's, so different strokes, eh?

Just my $.02.

Kim

[missliz]

Handbuilt wheels by The Master (theres one in your neighborhood, you just need to find him/her) are awesome. I ride custom sweet handbuilt wheels and they are the single most fabulous upgrade around. Besides the other eight or so most fab upgrades, that is. Handbuilt means handbuilt - if the shop brags about its wheelbuilding machine don't bother with them.
Alu bikes can be fine, and only you can judge whether it's time to move on. One possibility is new wheels and a carbon fork, which the boys in my shop swear by. If you want to move to a steel or carbon frame later, the nifty upgrades go with you.
Wheels are the ride. Even the finest factory set up bike in the world will improve with a great set of hanbuilt wheels. Mine were worth every cent.
About that carbon fork- MT bikes were originally alu with suspension forks to compensate for the stiffness. Not harsh, stiff. Good quality in a cross country ride. Alu for the road always seemed weird to me, steel is the stuff for pavement, but we've all noticed how fashion driven cycling is? Carbon fiber forks do for the road what suspension does in a hard tail, or so I'm told. Don't have one yet, riding steel with custom wheels that blow my mind. Gonna add the fork when my mileage improves.
So, the middle ground is wheels and fork.
Hows your back Goddess?

missliz

[goddess1222]

my back is doing quite well, thank you for asking. i am now seeing my physical therapist once every couple weeks. i have made extreme improvements. the pulling and chronic tightening has stopped. i feel it pull MAYBE once a day, but i just do the stretching she taught me,and i am great. amazing. don't think i will need to go back to the chiropractor ever. the massage therapist told me if i don't have the joint mobility, it doesn't matter how many times someone puts me back to neutral, i will always pop back out. she basically said that chiropractic is just a bandaid on a problem that just needs joint stretching.


ok, back to the wheels. i have a carbon aero fork on my bike and suppose that it is great only i don't have anything to compare it to. sorry for my ignorance here.
i have found some wheel builders that work with track racers and triathletes, i didn't know there was a wheel building machine. i will keep this in mind when shopping, and know to run the other way.
the wheel builder i found makes custom track bikes too. i have heard that on the bikes he tends to heat the materials a little to high. some say this weakens the frame. i havent' heard the same about their wheel building. i will need some guidance here. i may get on a local cyclists website here and start asking around. if i do decide to get some wheels built, what material should i go for? carbon? do they tend to crack?
my wheelset now is radially laced. will the custom wheel set be the same or do they do 3 spoke cross? have been told that radially laced is more aimed toward racers, and therefore gives a more tight or "rigid" ride.

thanks everybody for the great advice. it is taken with the greatest affection.

[missliz]

My own experience with the amazing Adam Watts (Adams Bicycle World.com) was that he asked questions, made reccomendations, and left me in the dust as far as what he did. He explained it all, I just didn't get it till I rode out the door of the shop. A master wheel builder will be able to guide you as far as what you want- these guys usually raced for years and Bikes are their proffession. They know whats best for your wheight and the use and terrain you'll be riding.
Racers have several wheelsets, fancy carbon straight spoke ones for competition and then everyday training wheels with three cross lacing that are sturdier to take high milage pounding. I f you're touring or doing intro racing thats what you want. You gotta pick out hubs,rims, and spokes- the spokes are the big deal. I have spokes so fancy I know nothing about them except the ride is so different they were worth every penny.
What part of the world are you in? Portland? I can ask Adam if he knows who to go see, he knows bike people all over. People who can do this well can guide you , and won't screw you around. Another option- my road wheels came from a local racer/ mechanic who built himself these slightly exotic unusual road racing wheels with stainless steel mountain bike hubs, then needed to cash them out to finance the next set of toys. I got some amazing custom wheels for a really good price, and racer boys from all over ride up and ask how I got Joe to build me a set of those! No romance out of that yet but it gives one hope . The point is guys build and buy and then liquidate stuff all the time, you may be able to get a deal on a lightly used toy from somebody chasing fashion. Just a thought.
I'll try to call Adam tomorrow.

missliz

[goddess1222]

ohhhhhh liz that would be great. i would love to know if he knows someone in the portland metro area. even if it is the outskirts of town. thanks for the advice.