Peter Bomberg

Hi everyone,

I would like your advice in what wheels you recommend for century bike, my typical ride is in the 100-160Km range with some shorter and a couple longer.

My options are Bontrager's Race X Lite TLR or Bontrager Aura 5 TLR but I can probably get the bike shop to look at Shimano Dura-Ace C24 or something in that price range as an alternative.

I am going to switch to 25mm tires but not sure what you recommend (puncture resistant and smooth, quite ride) the bike comes with Bontrager R4 or R3 tires but I can easily change that.

Again thanks for everyones help and yes I searched the forums and found a ton of info but no direct comparison so I am asking.

RR3

Bontrager's Race X Lite TLR are 18F/24R with 14/17g spokes. Not too many long distance riders would go with such lightly constructed wheels but they should be ok for a Century. I ride long events on a set of wheels with 20 spokes front and 28 rear (Sapim CX spokes) but I tend to see beefier wheels than what you are looking at.

I prefer HED Ardennes and FLO30 wheelsets. Cheaper and better in my view but if you are not too heavy, these Bontrager's are probably a good choice albeit a bit pricey at $1000-1200

Buy supple and low rolling resistence tires. Learn to ride outside debris and how to fix flats.

MilesDealer

I ride, and would recommend, 32 spoke wheels with Dura ace hubs. I've found these wheels to be more comfortable than the low spoke wheels. They are durable and easier to fix on the road if a spoke breaks. They're plenty light for centuries and longer rides. I'm not particularly a D-A man but I love their hubs. I'm 3500 miles into my first pair of 25mm Conti GP 4000 S II. I HIGHLY recommend this tire for rolling resistance, suppleness and durability. I'm 150lbs and run mine at 95psi.

RR3

I agree on the dura-ace hubs. I have a set in 32/28 and they are faultless and comfy wrapped with the right 28 or 32mm tires. A23 rims

chriskmurray

My go to recommendation for long distance riding is the Velocity A23 laced to what ever hub your budget allows (Shimano is great bang for you buck with road hubs and Dura-Ace is just great and still cheaper than others). Have it built by someone who is a good builder with double butted spokes and you will have a wheelset that is light, fast and super comfy for all day rides as the A23 is 23mm wide which adds a little volume giving a much smoother ride. This set of wheels would easily be good for tens of thousands of miles as well if it is built properly.

For tires, I am really loving my Panaracer Gravel Kings in 28mm, it rolls very well, is nice and supple and still very tough (I have rode singletrack with it a couple times)