Custom wheels.....where to start?

[SadieKate]

WI hubs definitely have a high drool factor rating. Glad to see you have excellent taste.

[indysteel]

Ladies, thanks for your help. In a fit of upgraditis, I called Troy and Ligero Wheelworks in TN this afternoon. His name comes up a lot as being a really good builder. He COULD NOT have been any nicer or more helpful. It was a very easy process.

So on to the build:

Velocity Aerohead/Aerohead OC silver rims
WI hubs (sweet)
Black Sapim butted spokes, 24 2x front, 28 3x rear (driveside) and 2x nondriveside

He expects them to weigh in at just under 1400 grams. All for just under $500. I feel really extravagent right now, but I'm also really happy. I could not buy factory wheels at that weight for that price. I should have them by the end of next week, although I don't plan on riding them until Spring.

Thanks again,

Kate

[SadieKate]

Nice fit!

Be sure to get those veloplugs for 30 grams of weight savings! Actually the ease of tire mounting makes them worth it.

[Mimosa]

I have one set of custom build wheels, the rim is Mavic CPX33 and some reinforced round spokes on shimano ultegra hubs.

These things stay true no mather how deep the hole in the road is. These are strong wheels, have a bit of aero look, maybe not the lightest but very strong.

Here are some reviews

And I used the custom wheels of excel sports to see what they cost and in the end it said that it was about $400 (for a whole set).

When you have a campa group on your bike the stick with a campa hub (no matter what people say). If you don't you could run the risk that shifting of gears becomes hell. And the quality of a campa hub is said to be better then that of a shimano hub, though the pice if often higher.

[indysteel]

Kathi, those are gorgeous (and light) wheels. I really like the Tune hub.

I think I'll be happy with Troy's build and am really excited about them. Assuming I love 'em like I think I will, I'm going to start preaching to people about custom wheels. They just seem to be the way to go from just about every perspective--price, serviceability, performance.

[indysteel]

SadieKate, thanks for reminding me about the Veloplugs. I asked Troy about it this morning, and he confirmed that that's what he will be using.

Do you find the WI hubs to be noisey? If so, does it bother you at all? Also, what brand skewers do you use? I don't want to break the bank buying really light skewers since they don't affect rotational weight as much as, say, the rimbs, but I don't want to nullify the benefits of lighter wheels by buying "clunkers" either. Any thoughts?

Thanks again to everyone who chimed in on this thread and for your recommendations. Building these wheels was almost as much fun as getting the bike!

I ran into cyclist friend of mine last night at the Y and told him about my wheels. He got really excited when I told him that I was using WI hubs! I think he was impressed!

Kate

[SadieKate]

Bubba has Campy QRs on his Seven with silver WI hubs. I have FSA on my Kelly that has black WI hubs (the wheels spec'd above). My Titus mtb has silver WI hubs and has black Salsa skewers. American Classic used to make some pretty QRs. You might take a look at those (and laugh at their anniversary seatpost which must have been designed during happy hour).

I look for a quality skewer that completes "the look." They have to look right with the whole ensemble and come from a reputable manufacturer.