mr_reality

Performance Wheel for heavy rider
Looking for a better wheel for my Roubaix SL4 Expert. Currently running DT axis 4.0. I am riding about 125 miles a week in mixed flat and rolling hills. Trouble is I weigh around 235 and I am having a hard time finding something that may support me. I have thought about having something made up but would prefer to have a factory warranty. My preference is for a non aero rim but would really like to have everyones input.

Does anything exist that is <1600gand still durable in this class? My budget is between $1000 - $2000. My most recent 20 mile ride had a 17.1. No land-speed record but i was really pleased. Thanks.

JakiChan

I have the same exact bike (in the black/grey/blue) combo and the same weight. I went custom. Chris King R45 hubs, Velocity DeepVs. Bombproof.

TJClay

Shimano C24 Dura Ace. Just got a set of the 9000 tubeless ready. Under 1500 grams, very stiff, no weight limit and a 3 year warranty.

mr_reality

I really like the c24's too. Any flexing or creaking?

jsigone

with that budget I'd get a set of Mavic Carbone SL $1200 and a set of Spinergy PBO xAERO lites $450. Don't forget 2 cassettes, or use the old one + new one.

TrojanHorse

Why on earth would you spend $1,000 to $2,000 for non-aero rims? I'm assuming you mean "carbon" when you say "aero" because 30mm aluminum rims aren't really aero.

Boyd will make you a nice set of carbon rims for well under your 2k limit and from all the comments on the road board, he'll support you too. Personally, I'd rather have some guy protecting his good name than some corporate warranty. Having said that, I have a set of Easton EA 90 SL wheels that have been very solid for me from 245 down to 215 and they're under your weight requirement too (1500+ g or so). I also have a set of wheels that weigh in at about 1900 g and frankly, I'm not sure I can tell the difference, even on mountain roads.

What are you trying to achieve with new wheels? Bling? Light weight for mountains? Durability?

Congrats on your speed record by the way.

TJClay

No flexing or creaking that I can notice, I've only got about 500 miles thus far. They're replacing a set of Fulcrum Racing 1s, they were good wheels but I broke 2 spokes in a year of riding and the spokes are hard to find and $15 each! The C24s are much stiffer.

TrojanHorse

Honestly, that's a good reason to stay away from "system" wheels like mavic... custom spokes that you can't readily find and when mavic stops supporting the wheel you're hosed.

slowride454

I am in the same boat. I currently ride some low spoke count Alex wheels and consider myself lucky I haven't broken anything yet. The stock wheels (Mavic CXP22) are heavy and slow so I put the Alex wheels on from another bike. I am still a noob, but ignorance was bliss. Now I worry every time I ride that bike. I've been gathering quotes for custom since it is hard to find "standard" wheels rated for fatties. I want something alloy and deep, so my search would not help you much. I have a much lower budget too.

jsigone

^^ budget wheel build, I'd do something like Ultegra hubs, Kinlin XR300, DT double butted spokes w/ brass nipples for about $250

slowride454

I like the newer 23-25mm wide rims for their greater air capacity and potential handling properties. I love the looks and strength of deep 40+ section rims like the H Plus Son 42s on my commuter. Weight is not as much of a concern for me.

For the OP, contact www.psimet.com he will give you recommendations and a competitive price.

jsigone

the velocity A23s are nice rims. The idea behind the wider rim isn't for more air, it's actually to run less air and get a more tubular tire feel through the bike and handling. My buddy has those A23s on king hubs and they ride super smooth around 85psi front and 90 rears on 23c tires

psalm

I was riding Easton EA50's but they tend to flex a bit, especially since I've put some weight back on. Right now I'm riding on DT Swiss RR585, 32 spoke 3 cross laced to 105 hubs. I'm really happy with them. Super stiff wheels. Got them for about $350.

bigfred 

As a 115kg clyde, I really don't concern myself with sub 1500grm wheels. Such wheels, if I owned them, would be event day only wheels. The most important characteristic to me for day to day riding/training wheels is that they remain true and are reasonably maintenance free. Subsequently I'm currently running DT Swiss 585's laced to Ultegra hubs and am extremely happy with that combo.

However, if one were to inform me I was being given two sets of free wheels (one training, one event day) and that budgets were not a consideration, my builds would look something like this:
Everyday wheels: Cycleops Powertap or Chris King R45 rear hub, Chris King R45 front hub, HED Belgium C2 rims or if they would do them for me a custom drilled set of Zipp 101's, the HED rims would get laced with a pretty typical double butted combo of spokes and brass nipples. If Zipp drilliumed the 101's for me, well, then I suppose I would have to have some bladed spokes on those, but, probably still brass nipples.

Event day wheels: Hmmmm, hub choices remain the same. But, the rims would probably be some moderate depth carbon clinchers from either Zipp or Enve.

The everday wheels could easily be built up within your budget. If having a lighter bike is going to motivate you to ride it more often, Great. Get some of the cheaper, deeper carbon clinchers. But, if you're like me, I've realized the most important thing to increasing my performance is riding and training as much as possible and that requires a durable bike that is ready to ride every day. And that leads me to wheels that provide me with the minimum of headaches.

mr_reality

I think i am going to get a Boyd Cycling Vitesse clincher with 24/28 spoke to carry the weight. Anybody have any experience with these?

hamiltonian

I just ordered some A23's. I'm going with OC 36h on the rear, 32h on the front, triple-butted DT Swiss spokes. I expect that will hold my 310# with no problem. I haven't decided whether to put 23c or 25c tires on them.

bigfred 

Thinking about wheels like those. Boyd rates them to 240lbs. Given your budget, you could also consider Zipp 101's. Which have even fewer spokes and less weight, but, which they rate to 250lbs. Just a thought.

bigfred 

Somehow, putting triple butted spokes on as light a rim as the A23 doesn't sound balanced to me. Initially I thought, "perhaps triple butted would be warranted on a Synergy/OC". But, then I went and looked at the specs and the Synergys aren't that much heavier and they are more of a box section, lacking the shallow V of the A23s. So, perhaps you're on to something with this combo. I can understand your concerns at #310 . Just feel as though, if you're an aggressive enough rider to be unweighting spoke elbows enough to warrant the 13ga./2.3 elbows you should probably also be on a more durable rim. If these aren't going on a cross bike and you're not that aggressive, you're absolutely correct. They should hold up. At least with regard to the spokes they're probably overkill.

With regard to tires: At your weight I would certainly opt for the 25s. I can't imagine avoiding pinch flats on the 23s unless you pump them beyond their recommeded max pressure. I would even go 28mm if there is clearance for them on your frame and fork.

adrien

Well, the budget should allow plenty of options.

I'd choose rim, hub, spokes and builder. For me -- Ambrosio FCS 28s (amazing, crazy hard to find in the USA -- deep Vs, much higher quality than Velocity). King r45s (flashy, make a fabulous noise, very expensive and durable) and Sapim C-Xray spokes (bladed) 3x 32. And a local builder you can actually talk to.

Other options -- hubs: White Industries is worth a look, as is Dura-Ace. On rims, DT RR585 (I have a pair).

Your budget is more than enough.

TrojanHorse

mr reality - loads of people on the road forum (aka the 41) seem to enjoy the vitesse wheels. Apparently they changed the design this year for the better too.

hamiltonian

I was originally planning on Synergy rims and a straight-gauge spoke, but I needed the rim in black, which I can't seem to get in Canada. It was my wheelbuilder who suggested the triple-butted spokes for the A23, and I guess I'll see how smart he is. I don't mind a bit of overkill on the spokes. These will go on a road bike (a Bianchi Brava), and I hope to ride the heck of it in terms of distance, though in a fairly sedate manner.

I have very good luck with wheels and tires, but I don't love the feel of 23c, so I've been slowly collecting up 25c replacements for them, and I put 28c on a recent build, just to try it.

I'm tempted to put 23c on the A23 just to see the difference the wider tire profile makes, and maybe I'll do it briefly, but I agree that 25c (maybe even 28c) are probably the smart choice for the long term.

bigfred 

I like what Adrien is saying about picking a builder and components vs a factory built wheel. For the stated budget there is no reason a really good builder couldn't be employed. My experience has been that I can far better tension balance a wheel than any I've seen come from a factory. The industry standard is +/-20% , mine is +/-<5%.

With regard to durability, I strongly believe that even and appropriately high tension are a huge, if not the largest, contributor.

If I were going to push the boundaries of weight and spoke count for a heavy rider, I would most certainly want to ensure that the spokes were as evenly tensioned as possible.

sstorkel

FWIW, I've been using the Synergy OC on my touring bike. So far, they require less maintenance than any other wheelset I own. Keeping the spoke tension more even between the drive and non-drive sides probably has something to do with that. The A23 is only 30g lighter that the Synergy, so I would expect it to be a pretty durable rim...

jsigone

zipp 101 are stupidly priced for alum 30mm rims and still not lighter then most of the market share.

bigfred 

Certainly can't disagree. However, they are somewhat unique in their shape. The whole toroidial deal, for whatever that's worth. Heck, with the OP's budget and the fact that he's not necassrily insterested in aero, he could be looking at Ksyrium SL's as well as a bunch of other reasonably light factory wheels.