Your Favorite Wheelset

[Becky]

I have Mavic CXP 33s with Ultegra hubs on one bike, built by a local master builder, and a set of Mavic Open Pros with Ultegra hubs from Performance on my commuter. I love Ultegra hubs- bomb-proof, easily serviced, and they roll like a greased watermelon downhill when properly adjusted.

My favorite wheels are the Mavic XC717s with XTR hubs that I built myself for my mountain bike

I'm curious to see what others like- I'm in the market for a set of road wheels for another bike and I'd like something different than my CXP33s/Ultegras. Still on the fence about buy vs. build.

[nscrbug]

I am really liking my stock Shimano RS-80 C24 wheelset. These are, essentially, a Dura-Ace wheelset...but with some durability added in. They are a carbon/alloy rim, as opposed to an all-carbon rim that comes on the DA. So far, they've held up great on the crappy IL roads that I have to ride. Plus, they look pretty cool, too...with the flashy red nipples and white text graphics on the rim. I see absolutely no reason to swap them out, at the moment...so I'll probably ride these wheels for a long time.

Linda

[itself]

NSCRbug,

One of the guys in the local bike shop has your Shimano carbon/aluminum wheels, with the carbon hub. These are nice looking. And he loves the wheels. Can you post a picture?

Can any of you gals explain the difference between spokes? There are Aero spokes, DT Swiss, etc. The Aero ones sound like a pain, so what are good choices?

Thanks!

[Eden]

NSCRbug,
Can any of you gals explain the difference between spokes? There are Aero spokes, DT Swiss, etc. The Aero ones sound like a pain, so what are good choices?

Thanks!

The Aero ones are only a pain if you are hard on them..... I've had one spoke replaced and had to have one wheel trued once and both were from accidents, not normal use. I don't think if you are having a wheel built that its worth it to bother with them, but don't let them scare you away from a stock wheel that already has them.

[Becky]

Aero (bladed) spokes aren't so much of a pain unless they're hard to find when you need a replacement. Something like a J-bend Sapim Cxray shouldn't be too hard to get. I keep a few spare spokes for my wheels anyway, just in case, and they're all just boring round DT Swiss spokes.

Truing a bladed wheel requires using two hands, one to hold the spoke straight and one to turn the wrench, but it's not really any more work than round spokes. I'm rebuilding a bladed wheel right now and the biggest difficulty has been its paired-spoke lacing, not the spokes themselves.

[jobob]

Another plug for indysteel's wheelset (since its mine too).

They're very strong wheels, and surprisingly light.

(At least, some guy with a snazzy low spoke count wheel that had to bail out of a ride because he had a broken spoke and there was no way to fix it on the ride was surprised)

[Alex]

Another plug for indysteel's wheelset (since its mine too).

They're very strong wheels, and surprisingly light.

Yes, indeed! Some of the best advice I ever got on TE was to get those wheels. Strong, light, comfortable, and fast.

Alex

[eofelis]

a set of Mavic Open Pros with Ultegra hubs from Performance on my commuter. I love Ultegra hubs- bomb-proof, easily serviced, and they roll like a greased watermelon downhill when properly adjusted.

+1 for the Open Pros on Ultegra (or DA) hubs. The bf likes to build his own wheels and he likes this set up a lot. We have a slew of these wheels in the house and they are great for everyday riding.