shawneebiker

I'm looking at upgrading my existing wheels.

My LBS mechanic recommends DT Swiss RR 1.1 rims with 240S road hubs.

I've talked to several other people and they say that Ksyrium ES, Campy Eurus, or Fulcrum R1 would be much better way to go. They think my mechanic is nuts.

I can have the hand-made wheels done for a few hundred less. I don't mind spending the extra $$$ if the other wheels are better.

I weight 220lbs@6'2". I don't plan on racing, I just enjoy owning good quality things. I have upgraded to Chorus/Record on my Lemond Sarthe and would like advice for new wheels.

Please help. I've been given advice all over the spectrum and would like help making this decision.


Thanks.

timwat

Well, you'll probably get more advice all over the spectrum here too. Obviously, folks who have a good experience with their wheelset purchase are going to weigh in that that is the only way to go.

FWIW, I was having a dicey experience with the stock Xero wheels that came on my Giant. I purchased hand-builts from Mike Garcia at www.oddsandendos.com (he gets a lot of endorsements from satisfied customers here on bikeforums.net) and couldn't be more pleased with them. For the price I paid, the quality I believe I received in return, I would't consider purchasing factory - not because I don't think Mavic doesn't make a good wheel, simply because of the price delta.

That said, my buddy rides Ksyriums (the high end ones...I dont know if he got a discount through his team) and is very happy with them.

I realize this may not help you at all, but at least one opinion for you.

56/12 and 22/28

A pair of Mavic Ksyrium SL's can handle just about anything.

You can buy them new at ColoradoCyclist.com for about $700 plus shipping.

Or you can go the old reliable route. Get some Mavic Open Pro's, or DT R1.1's laced 2x to some 32 hole Campy Record hubs.

Either way you choose to go, you're going to get a very light, stiff, and strong wheelset.

mingsta

You can't really go wrong with either to be honest.

I went for handbuilts because even a quality handbuilt (White LTA and Velocity Aeroheads, in my case) is cheaper than Ksyrium SLs/Fulcrum R3 etc, easier to fix and I'm not good enough a cyclist to notice the difference.

Olebiker

Gitcha some Record hubs and Open Pro rims but make them 3X. You can get them from Performance for about $300. They will last you for years.

TCR

Me thinks Mike Garcia secretly runs this forum.

BigFloppyLlama

I've got the same setup as you and am quite happy with them very much because of the reasons you posted.

btmail

yes very funny!!!!

dekalbSTEEL

You hit the nail right on the head

https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...OKEN=66705311#

caotropheus

No dought

I have the same rims on Pélissier hubs and the bicycle rides as smooth as the wind ! I guess the Record Hubs will do the same job.

RossB

RR1.1 rims with 240s hubs and DT spokes are basically identical to the DT Swiss 1450 wheels, which are one of the absolute best wheelsets available in that class, which includes the Ksyriums, Eurus, Fulcrum, Ascent/Orion and a few others. All are excellent wheels and it really comes down to taste.

FWIW, when it became clear that the 2006 Eurus that I had on order for my new Look 585 (review to follow soon) would be too slow to arrive, I had no difficulty switching my order to some DT Swiss 1450s. Very stiff, very light, with some of the best rims and hubs in the business. The only hesitation is that at 220lb, Ksyriums or Eurus might hold up better, but custom DT Swiss wheels with 32 spokes instead of 28 should be just as strong and still lighter than the Ksyriums.

cs1

I have 2 sets of Chorus/Open Pros. They are both 8 speed that were upgraded with a 9/10 speed cassette hub body. They date to 1995 and have literally tens of thousands of miles on them. They work perfect. You can't go wrong with Campy hubs laced to Mavic rims. Good luck.

Tim

shawneebiker

Thanks for everyone's response!

I decided to go with the Campy Eurus. I found the 06 online at cbike.com for $799.00.

I figured you can't go wrong with these especially at that price...

My LBS wanted to charge me $770.00 for the RR 1.1, 240S hubs, 28 spokes. FWIW.....

alraicercsu

Go hand built, they are very strong, require very little mantence, easier to get parts for since they use common spokes, etc.

14max

I just ran through custom wheelbuilding on the Excel website. Here's what I came up with:

Front/Rear hubs - DT Hub 240S, 32 Hole, 344g (total weight) = $350.92 (after discount)
Front/Rear rims - DT Rim RR 11 Road Black, 32 Hole, 836g (total weight) = $125.92 (after discount)
Spokes - DT Revolution spokes, 3 cross lacing, 320g (total weight) = $57.02 (after discount)
Labor - $36.00 (after discount)
Total - 1,500g, $569.84 (after discount)

If you went with 28h you'd lighten up to 1454g and the total cost would be $562.72

fmw

The handmade wheels (with more spokes) will be a more comfortable ride than the reduced spoke count wheels. No question about that.

SDRider

I purchased some custom built wheels from Mike Garcia and couldn't be happier with them. They are lighter, stiffer and stronger than the crappy stock wheels that my bike came with. And they only cost $330.

One thing I'll say about Mike is he knows wheels and he loves to talk about them. He will take the time to ask you about where you ride, how far you ride, how often you ride, how fast you ride, how much you weigh, the condition of the roads you ride on, etc etc etc. He will then make some recommendations based on that. The guy is honest and will not try to sell you a more expensive wheel that won't be the best fit for your riding style. His selection is fairly limited but the quality of the wheels are excellent.

Unless you spend twice what a set of Mike Garcia wheels cost you won't get a better set of wheels anywhere.

BTW-I found out about Mike Garcia through this website. Thanks guys!

khuon

If you do go factory-built then make sure you get them checked out by a local mechanic for proper tensioning and stress relief. I have Ksyriums (original SSCs) that have been pretty much bombproof but they were checked and prepped by my mechanic prior to installation.

kc0yef 

Hand built only by a good wheel builder at your weight. I am 245 I would not dream of a mechanical robot building my wheel...

Pendergast

Um, he's probably already bought some wheels by now. Don't ya think?

Bob Dopolina 

Zombies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Drew Eckhardt 

They're unlikely to be noticably better (especially if you use a deeper more aerodynamic rim - people like the HED C2 and Velocity Fusion/Deep V) and can cost a lot more in the long run.

I've been riding the same set of Campagnolo Chorus hubs, spokes (DT 2.0/1.5 Revolution except 2.0/1.8 Competition drive side), and most of a nipple set since 1996 which I originally built with Mavic Reflex clinchers and have since been using Open Pros.

When I crash and bend a rim or wear out a brake track it's about $70 including shipping to get a new rim. I detension, lubricate the sockets with anti-seize, tape the new rim to the existing rim, and move spokes over one at a time taking the opportunity to re-lubricate the threads and replace any nipples that are damaged. It takes 2-3 beers to produce a wheel that's as good as new.

With boutique wheels replacement component availability is a lot spottier and buying a new one is likely (try to find a Campagnolo Shamal rim for the 1996 model year).

This ignores the lower spoke count which goes with popular wheels that makes being able to get a damaged wheel ridable less likely.

kc0yef 

Yes I do and the information is still relevant because people actually use the search function

M_Wales

I'm your size and went with a higher spoke count wheel (28f/32r) that Psimet recommended and they are a great riding wheel.

Contact Paimet and see what he can build you.
Boyd 24f/28r wheels
Williams 30x