joebrew

I plan on building up a wheelset for training, and am looking for y'all's advice/stories regarding the following:

1) Which Powertap hub is the best bang for your buck? SLC+, SL+, Pro+, or Elite+
2) What kind of front hub should I use?
3) What kind of rims do you recommend and why?
4) What kind of spokes do you recommend and why?

FYI, I weight 155 pounds and don't have a fortune to spend (less than $1700 msrp).

Thanks for any help!

bostongarden

Go ask aunt Psimet
Go ask aunt Psimet
Go ask aunt Psimet
And your wheels will be right

ljrichar

Yeah, even if you're not buying from him, he'd probably recommend some stuff. Send him a PM. I have the Pro+ & think it's definitely the best bang for the buck. Above that, it's mostly weight savings and as you have stated, this is a training wheel.

sstorkel

1) Pro+
2) White Industries H2... or anything else: they're all about the same
3) Kinlin XR-300 if you want aero, Velocity Aerohead OC if you want light.
4) DT Swiss Competition or Wheelsmith DB2 Double-Butted. Why? Because you probably can't afford Sapim CX-Ray or DT Swiss Aerolite. 2.0/1.8mm double-butted spokes provide decent strength, don't weigh too much, and are cost-effective

tspek

Ask PSIMET
www.psimet.com

cedricbosch

For $1700 you can get a used SRM and use any wheel you want.

tspek

Which is why a lot of people prefer a powertap...

joebrew

Thanks for all the replies so far. I work at a bike shop, and I'd like the experience of building my own (so, despite all the great things I've heard about Psimet, I'll be building up my own). That said, I am interested in anyone's two cents.

Any particularly rims/hubs/spokes to AVOID?
Thanks!

joebrew

Also - any advice on skewer choice would be equally appreciated.

sd790

I have asked PSIMET several times...with no response other than the automated acknowledgement that my message was recieved. And yes, I checked my spam folder.

ericm979

Get an ANT+ powertap. That way you have a wider choice of head units. The little yellow computer is ok but you can get ones with more memory, GPS, temperature, FTP display, etc etc. I think you can buy the hub without the computer now.

I have given up on Open Pro rims. They are not very stiff laterally, making a weaker wheel. They crack, and some of them have something loose inside that rattles.

Before you buy a power meter, buy the "Racing and Training with a Power Meter" book by Coggan and Allen. There's a 2nd edition just out. It shows you want you can do with the power meter.

You also need analysis software. WKO+ is the standard but the open source Golden Cheetah is pretty good too, and it runs on Mac and Linux in addition to windows.

joebrew

You're right - you do buy the hub and the "electro-pack" (computer head, heart rate monitor, usb download, etc.) separately.

I want to be able to download and analyze workouts afterwards. Are there alternatives to the cycleops yellow computer that still store data (averages, max, time at certain zones, etc.) and allow for post-workout analysis?

Urthwhyte

Garmin's Edge 500, 705 and Forerunner 310XT are the most popular devices. The 310 is actually a watch and targeted more towards triathletes than cyclists, but shares all of the same functions. Going with the 705 gets you mapping and navigation, and the 500 is just a cut down version of the 705.

ljrichar

Hence me telling the OP to send a PM.

Huh? I have hit everything w/ mine & they are still true. I think most would have similar stories.

Unless you need navigation / elevation, the head unit is fine.

nitropowered

Go all out. Get Edge 45 Carbon clinchers. You work at a shop, you can get a good deal on them.

But on a more serious note, Kinlin XR-270s or XR-300s.

Spokes either Wheelsmith dB14s or DT competitions. If you want to get fancy, use Competitions on the DS, and Revolutions on the NDS. Or if you want to get even fancier, get a 24h rear, use CX-Rays or Aerolites, 2x NDS, and 1X heads in DS

Front hubs are front hubs. My personal favorite is the Alchemy ELF. Next is DT240 or White Industries H2/H3. But again, you can save some bucks and get a 105 or Ultegra hub if you are just building a 32h front

asmallsol

Powertaps are great for around a grand. if your willing to drop 1500+ buy a crank based system (ie quarq) https://www.quarq.com/store#sram_130_/_110_bcd or wait for the vector pedal system

nitropowered

I would personally not wait for the Metrigear Vector. I mean no offense to them, but their release time keeps slipping (as expected for any sort of major project), and however you still look at it, it is still a V1 product. Essentially a public beta test. I know they have their super-human testing machine to totally abuse the pedal, but once in the hands (or rather feet/legs) of thousands, many things can change and problems will crop up.

It would be at least a year after initial release before I could recommend the Vector. That is unless you don't mind spending the money and possibly having a years worth of worthless data.

I'm not saying their product is crap, in fact, if they can successfully pull it off, it will be amazing. Just be careful of new V1 products, this applies to anything.

Get a powertap now, or save the pennies and get a Quarq CinQo.

nocondorfx

I just picked up a PT SL+
I did:
rims-DT Swiss 465
spokes- DT competition
front hub-ultegra

cheap. reliable.

CrimsonKarter21

I've got a PowerTap Pro in the rear, PowerTap dummy hub up front.
Laced 32 hole, 3x to Velocity Aerohead rims, regular up fornt, Off-Center on the rear
Used 64 DT Swiss Competition spokes.


They've worked very well for me so far. I've got about 1000 miles on them in this setup, and maybe 20-30 miles of cobbles thrown intermittently in there, as well as some just plain bad roads.
I did however run 80 or 90 psi in the rear tire a few days ago and dented the brake track by hitting a big rise in the pavement.

RoboCheme

This is what Psimet recommended for me except that I got the CX Rays. I'm very happy with it. The Pro+ is the sweet spot for value.

kleinboogie

1) Pro+ with the Elite axle then the SL+ (which is what I have).
2) I used the DT Swiss 240s which I'm very happy with. I don't know enough about front hubs to recommend a particular one.
3) I went with DT Swiss RR1.2 which is replaced by the 585. I'm 200 lbs and they work great. Not sure how that much stiffness would work at your weight. I'm coming off the Mavic Equipe that came with the bike which is more flexy which I didn't like. I need a more responsive wheel and these fit the bill.
4) I went the DT Aerolite Race just because I liked the flat spokes my Mavic stock wheels came with and didn't have alignment problems after 1K miles so I figured they'd be good. They are.

GL

ericm979

You use software for analysis.... WKO or GoldenCheetah or RaceDay. It's far better than depending on the computer to do it.

You really need to read the book I referenced above. Do that before you buy a PM.

Get a computer that can be downloaded by the software of your choice. Garmin didn't release the specs for the 500's .FIT format and still won't send a copy to just anyone who asks. So it's not yet supported in GoldenCheetah, although it should be soon.

rjtokyo

Hey joebrew,

I've had two sets of these for the past 2 seasons and have liked them a lot:

1) SL 2.4
2) American Classic Micro
3) Velocity Aerohead front (24h), Aerohead OC rear (28h)
4) Sapim C-Xray

Front lace: radial
Rear lace: 2X both sides

Good cost-performance. Nothing flashy, but it's all about the engine, anyway.

Cheers! - rj

joebrew

Thanks for all the very helpful replies. I just bought the Coggan and Allen book (thanks ericm979), and am planning on making some purchases soon.

As of now, this is what I'm leaning towards.
Front hub: DTSwiss 240s or 340s
PT hub: Pro +
Rims: Velocity Aerohead or DTSwiss RR1.2
Spokes: DTSwiss Competition

I still haven't heard any input on skewers (yes, I realize it's not that big of a deal, but if anyone has an amazingly good experience with a certain kind, or an amazingly bad experience, it'd be worth knowing).

One more question: Would a 32h rear wheel be overkill for someone who weights 155? I want these wheels to be super durable, but I also plan on doing workouts and the occasional race on them...

Thanks!

Urthwhyte

I'm no expert and will once again suggest you talk with Psimet, but 32 and 36 are more for tourers and Clydes than people around your weight, you could likely get away with 28 or lower.