Wheels

[Fredwina]

Having to wait for specail spokes from mavic - I would recommend finding somebody to custom build you a set of wheels - you really don't give up anything as far as price, strength, or weight - mine got an ran over by a car and they're still true enough that you could leave the brake Q/r on

[mauisher]

Thanks for your replies. To answer your questions above, the ride is fully supported, so I won't be riding with heavy panniers, etc. I cannot take a second set of wheels as back-up, however extra spokes and nipples will be no problem. My current wheels (Easton aka Velomax Ascent II's) have several thousand miles on them and, I hear, are a bit prone to problems, but so far I haven't had any.
From your replies above, it seems like maybe custom wheels...Open Pro or DT Swiss rims with Shimano or Chris King hubs, with moderate spoke counts might be the best.
Also, would you recommend alloy or brass nipples?? Thanks, again

[Fredwina]

I've had absolutely no luck with Mavic products( I pulled a spoke out of "bulletproof" Kysrium Elite. Twice), but I've had no problems with Velocity rims. but my clothing has a "W" after the size
But listen to what your wheelbuilder recommends.

[indysteel]

You could go with the custom build that SadieKate and a number of other TEers have gone with (including me): Velocity Aerohead rims, White Industries H1 hubs, and Sapim double butted spokes. They'll put you back about $650 and will weigh in somewhere between 1400 and 1500 grams. Bring some extra spokes and nipples with you and you should be good to go. Mine needed to be trued once after they were "broken in" a bit. Since then, I've put about 10k miles on them over some rough roads, and they've remained true. They're wonderful wheels and the WI hubs have just the right amount of bling!

[Fredwina]

mine are velocity fusions (32 holes) with Ultegra hubs. The fusion is an areo, rim(deeper than the aerohead, but not as big as the Deep-V) you can also get the aerohead o/c (off center Drilling to make the rear stronger), or have them anodized pink

[SadieKate]

Have you looked at Velocity's rim colors lately? Look all the way down to the bottom. Yowza.

http://www.velocityusa.com/default.asp?contentID=550

BTW, both the Bubbster and I have multiple sets of wheels with Velocity rims for different applications and they've been bomb proof.

[indysteel]

Thanks for the link SK. Yowza is right!!!

That gives me some food for thought as to wheels I wanna order for my Moots (my first meeting with my fitter is November 17th). I'd planned to just get silver rims, but since I'm planning to accent the Moots with red, I wonder how the red rims would look. I'm not one for much flash, so they might be too much.

[Eden]

I've had absolutely no luck with Mavic products( I pulled a spoke out of "bulletproof" Kysrium Elite. Twice), but I've had no problems with Velocity rims. but my clothing has a "W" after the size
But listen to what your wheelbuilder recommends.

I have unfortunately found Velocity rims to not be very hard wearing.... After burning through a rim each winter (excessive wear on the braking surface) I'm not going to purchase any more deep V's... I actually had one disintegrate on me! I was on a trainer at the time so I did not get hurt when it broke, but its not a chance I care to take again.

[DebW]

Personally, to get something you'll be comfortable on riding long miles every day across the country, I'd get handbuilt and something that's not too stiff but sturdy and repairable. Like an OpenPro rim with 32 butted spokes (28 front) and 28-32 mm tires. I'd use standard brass nipples.

[aicabsolut]

Why brass? (Just curious).

I think 14/15g double butted spokes are probably a good durability for the weight.

You can probably build a good, durable wheelset for $500 or less. I don't have much experience with Velocity, Mavic, or DT Swiss rims, but I can say that Shimano hubs are quite durable (and are QUIET). Criss King hubs have that classic CK freewheel sound that some people love.

[SadieKate]

Brass nipples are more durable.

[DebW]

Why brass? (Just curious).

Aluminum are more expensive and potentially more prone to failure, though that is arguable. For a cross-country ride, I'd want a somewhat wide, study tire that softens road shocks substantially. Since the tire won't be super light, why waste the money on super light nipples?