FordTrax

I am building up a classic steel road frame it takes side pull calipers. It is pretty nice. I am #215 and a 13-15 mph average rider. I have a couple of road bikes. A local guy offered me and older set (2) Mavic 700c 36 hole Open Pro Wheels still in the wrapper for $50. I have always thought that the open pros were nice looking rims.
But I have read about cracking over time around the spoke holes. Some say improper tension some say it is a wheel weakness issue.

I believe the Open Pros are 15mm inter width so I am probably maxed out at 28-30mm tubed clinchers. The frame and fork will take to 32mm.

Are these Mavic Open Pros a good choice for me as a 13-15 mph roadie @ 215lbs? I would appreciate any opinions and experiences with the Mavic Open Pros - especially the ones made maybe 10 years ago (since this set is definitely not recent production) based on the dust and packaging/wrap.

Thanks for the assist!

bboy314

They’re solid rims, I’ve had good experience with them. I ride some that are probably 15-20 years old now, 36 hole as well. Haven’t put a ton of miles on those but I’ve built tons of wheels with open pros over the years and don’t recall any coming back with rim issues. Hard to go wrong for $50 for the wheelset. I’d have no problem putting 32mm tires on them as well but I’m pretty liberal when it comes to tire/rim width matching.

rccardr 

I’d take that deal, although it’s unclear whether it’s $50 for a pair of RIMS or the same price for a pair of WHEELS.
Either way it’s a good deal.

FordTrax

Sorry for the confusion. It is just the rims still in the plastic wrap for $50. I would probably put them on some 105 QR hubs with db spokes.

Andrew R Stewart 

All the better as on can control the spoke choices and their tensions. I second the thumbs up for Open Pros. I've had a number over the years and built many wheels for others with them. While I have seen some with spoke hole cracks I have seen more that were just ridden into the road and would no longer hold true. But they were considered an event/competition grade when they came out and with most any race focused product performance when new is more important than when seasons old. Weighing what you do only shortens the cycles of use before fatigue issues develop and makes small road crap act bigger. No rocket science but the usual shade of grey. Andy

79pmooney

I have two suggestions. (Rather strong ones.) Use butted spokes. Keep the spoke tensions uniform. Butted spokes are far kinder to rims. I've killed Open Pro wheels that came with 14g straight spokes. Now, I also did not loosen and re-build them. I've also put lots of miles on rims built with 2.0-1.8 and/or 2.0-1.5 spokes. Those were all on wheels I built and so, had uniform tensions. (I true wheels more for uniform tension than exact true.) I weigh 155 and have used both 36 hole and 32 hole Open Pros.

bikingshearer 

I weigh 255 and ride wheels with Open Pros - 36 and 32 hole. They hold up just fine for me. I'm pretty careful about watching the road and avoiding ruts, potholes, debris, etc., but still . . . .

If someone offered me that deal, I'd jump all over it. I say: Go buy those rims. NowI.

Russ Roth

I'd follow 79PMooney's advice, its what I would do with them too. I wore out the brake track of two sets of these and never had one crack and I weighted about 230lbs at the time so I'd trust them and the price is solid if you hubs to match.

FordTrax

The last two sets of wheels I had built used 2.0/1.8 DB Spokes. I have read - that the DB are actually less likely to break. I have had good luck with the 2.0/1.8s. So that is what I would run in the Open Pros.

dedhed

12K midwest potholed road, pannier carrying, commuting miles on my 36h open pros with rarely even a true needed.

cpach

That sounds fine. You're losing out, theoretically, to wider rims at those tire widths, but it's probably no big deal, and obviously tubeless isn't an option if that was something you think you might want to try down the road. Hard to go particularly wrong at that price. Build them well. Double butted spokes are a good idea, as mentioned. Maybe avoid particularly high tension--I don't have crazy experience with them, but with their reputation I might choose modest max tensions closer to 100kgf.

FBinNY 

They're nice rims and a steal at $50/pr. For general sport riding on decent roads they'll be fine even at your weight. The tire width limitation doesn't matter because your frame clearance is what's actually setting the limit.

If I were building them up, I'd use 2.0/1.8mm DB spokes on the right rear, and something thinner on the left, ie. anything with a 1.6mm thin section, with either 2.0 or 1.8mm ends. The front can be built with the lighter spokes since it's usually the same length as left rear. That saves both weight and money.

Resist the temptation to go heavier because that raises the minimum tension, and doing so on the left rear may force you to go crazy high on the right. FWIW, I very strongly believe that most or all the issues people have with Open Pros is due to excess tension. However, you may prefer to use so called triple butted 2.3/1.8/2.0mm spokes on the right rear. Since the major length is still 1.8mm minimum tension is the same.

Build them carefully, and if you don't crash these wheels could outlast you.

jgwilliams

I've worn out a pair of Open Pros due to riding in foul weather and hence wearing out the braking surface and had no sign of cracking. I didn't hesitate to replace them with new Open Pros.

rosefarts

Double walled, eyelets for spoke holes, and machined brake surfaces. You won’t do better than that at any price.

delbiker1 

I have owned 2 sets of Open pro, both 32 hole with Shimano hubs. One set, which I still have, is actually the early version of Open Pro, Reflex SUP rims, even narrower, with Ultegra 600 hubs. I bought both used, so I do not know total mileage, but I have put thousands of miles on them with only basic truing needed. The 600 hubs probably need maintenance as the front has a bit of a click to it. The only drawback, maybe, is the width, but really not an issue. I have had up to 38mm, actual width, mounted on them with no issues. So; rims a nice ride, durability and low maintenance, and great price. What's not to like? As stated above, the frame set is likely to be the limiting factor for tires.

79pmooney

+1 I kept my post above simple but what you suggest is exactly what I've done for a bunch of Open Pros. (Never went 2.3 but at my weight and riding style, I'll negver need to.)

FBinNY 

I VERY RARELY used 2.3 butted spokes, and only for limited purposes. But there's a strong proponent of them on the forum and I wanted to preempt a debate.

FWIW, I've built wheels for loaded touring, and rear wheels on tandems, including one headed cross country and back, using 2mm DB spokes, and never had issues.

TiHabanero

FBinNY, I have the same experience as you with 2.0 straight gauge spokes. I am 235 pounds and build my own wheels, using Mavic Open Pro rims whenever possible, and have never had any issues with DT Swiss 2.0 spokes. They just don't break for me be it on a mountain bike, commuter, daily workout machine, or touring rig. My brother has the same experience as myself, and he weighs a bit more than me. My friend Al, who is in the 160 pound class has the same experience as myself. No issues whatsoever with DT Swiss 2.0. Now if it is Wheelsmith spokes, that is another story. I get about 300 miles from a new build before spokes start popping when using Wheelsmith spokes.

The Mavic Open Pro rims have been rock solid for me as well. Currently running hard anodized Open Pro rims and they are just fine. FWIW, I run 25 to 45 mm tires on Open Pro rims with zero issues. Not sure where the notion of being unable to run over 28mm tires on a narrow rim came from, but I have been doing it for decades.

Keefusb

I recently rebuilt a set of wheels using 25 y/o Open Pro CD rims (32 hole front/36 hole rear) with NOS Shimano 600 tri-color hubs, and Sapim db spokes. These wheels were originally custom built by Colorado Cyclist using straight gauge DT Swiss spokes and RX100 hubs. These were my foul weather/winter wheels for many years, and eventually the RX100 hubs started getting gritty and it was time to re-do them. I have weighed between 205 and 220 pounds over the years, and these wheels have been bulletproof. I mostly used 25mm tires, with a brief period of running 28's with no issues.

sweeks

I paid more than that for a single one of those rims at two separate times. 32 holes, though. I weigh about the same (~215), and the rims have held up nicely... though I've only got a couple thousnd miles on them.

I built this in 2018 while I was laid up with a broken ankle.



Front and rear wheels, built at different times, with Mavic Open Pro rims.

Speedway2

I've had Open Pros on my Giant roadbike since ~2002.
Never had any issues with them and glad I invested in a set back in the day.......

Bob Ross

I had a pair of Open Pro 36-hole rims built up on the original circa 1986 hubs that came with a 2nd-hand Bridgestone 600 that I got off eBay for use as a commuter bike in 2007, and those wheels outlasted nearly every other component on that bike even after 10 years of commuting, winter riding, and training in the Greater New York metropolitan area. $50 for a pair of rims is a great deal, just make sure you trust the wheelbuilder.

frdfandc

Open Pro's are a very reliable rim. Reason most develop cracks is either incorrect spoke tension or a heavy rider. And by heavy rider, I'm not really talking about weight. I'm talking about how hard a rider is on their equipment. I had a buddy who bought all expensive high end parts thinking they would last longer. But he was just rough on equipment. I, myself, at 230 lbs was mountain biking with light wheels. 1500 grams for the pair. I never broke a spoke or damaged a rim because I'm easy on parts.

mikeread

I have completely worn out quite a few Open Pro rims and never had any problem - other than them wearing out of course. I have fitted most of them myself and I am no expert wheel builder, so they are probably quite tolerant of less than perfect lacing too.

Sounds like a bargain, I would jump at such a deal.