Wheel recommendation for 175lb rider?
 

I'm building my second carbon road bike and i'm good with choosing Ultegra 6800 as my drivetrain but when it comes to wheels - especially with all the offerings they have today - I get a bit lost.

With these priorities in mind, may I ask the Forum for some recommendations?
- 175lb rider
- clincher and traditional brakes (pad)
- light enough to help for climbing (sitting much more than standing, if that makes a difference)
- aluminum (carbon isn't necessary as I'm not racing, but more for endurance riding)
- a good balance between weight and bomb-proof (can't stand flexy wheels)
- SILENT hubs (no Mavics)
- Budget: $400 to $800 USD
- Add: black color scheme to match bike would be nice.

Thanks in advance!

H + Son archetype rims. Or DT Swiss R460.

For hubs Ultegra would be fine, smooth and silent. I know people like the DT Swiss 350 a lot too. Not sure if they make it in 130mm?

It's hard to buy junk. There is plenty around if you try hard & are super cheap. But in your price range, absolute garbage is hard to come by. Simple double wall aluminum wheels 24-32 spokes in the rear, 20-28 spokes in the front ought to do you fine.

I just bought a 20 spoke HED Belgium front from WheelBuilder for $350 It's 100 grams lighter than the Alex Race 28 it replaced. The full set with Powertap hubs is a full 10 ounces lighter than the Alex rims.

Db-R460's / R460's are plentiful & are plenty light, and relatively cheap too. They often come OEM on Fuji's and people just take them off because they want fancy carbon ultra-whatevers. YMMV. My only experience with those were what I saw on an all-weather bike, the guy claimed had 20,000 miles. The brake tracks were dangerously worn out. (That's why they were free to me) 20k miles is an awful lot for such light wheels imo. But they worked and felt good.

My commuter has Velocity A23's. They were $75 each plus the usual build cost. The rims weighed ~470 grams or so.

I wouldn't shell out big bucks for carbon unless you had a specific purpose in mind. They are nice, don't get me wrong, it's just that the cost benefit over quality aluminum isn't as strong as industry advertizing would have you believe.

Typically would just recommend a pair of Campy Zondas.
However, I like the offerings from Hunt.. my next set of alu wheels might be from here. Eg. for your description, these are supposedly safely ok for up to a 185lb rider, with spec to upper limit of 220lb.
https://www.huntbikewheels.com/colle...-31deep-24wide

Check out the Vuelta's at Nashbar. I've had good luck in the past.

I got a set of Fulcrum Racing 3s for a "beater" build, and 3 years later (10,000 miles?) they are still totally true. Truly an impressive set of wheels. I think the set was sub $400.

I weigh 190.

Thanks Guys

It seems that a 20 x 24 spoke combination would be a good start.

Sounds cheesy but if there's one color I can't stand on a bike it's red... too many wheelsets with this color. Maybe i'll just pull the decals off lol

What does everyone think about the Shimano Ultegra RS-81s? I don't hear them mentioned and they look to be a decent set up...

RS81 C24s are decent wheels. They're essentially the same as Dura Ace C24s without the lightweight Dura Ace hub (i.e steel freehub and axle instead of titanium and alu). However, the design is quite dated now in that the rim is internally narrower (14.9mm) than the current fashion (18mm+), and the low spoke count of 16F/20R may be a cause for concern for heavier/stronger riders.

Shimano make the quietest hubs AFAIK, but their options for handbuilt wheels are limited to 32 or 36 holes except for the expensive Dura Ace hubs, which you can get in 24-36 hole options, and the factory built options all have narrow rims and low spoke counts.

If the OP doesn't mind low spoke count or narrow rims then RS81 C24s or Ultegra 6800 might fit the bill. Otherwise, perhaps a set of 24F/28H rear Dura Ace hand builts may just be within budget, especially with cheaper rims like the DT Swiss R460s. Mavic Open Pro UST or Kinlin XR22T or Kinlin XR31T rims are also worth considering. With a bigger budget, HED Belgium Plus would be a great choice.

Good points and especially the low spoke count of 20/24 still makes me nervous... I did some digging and found these by Williams Racing that could fit the bill - I'm partial to the 24/28 count without too much of a weight penalty, not that that's my biggest priority.

Alloy Wheels - Rim Brake

You can buy some pretty great handbuilt wheels on Velomine for your budget. I've got 3-4 wheelsets from them and have always been satisfied.

Those Williams look decent enough, and I suspect they are using the excellent Kinlin XR31T rim for the System 31 (XR22T for the System 22). The hubs look similar to Novatec, Bitex or Powerway options, which are pretty standard fare, but I very much doubt they will fit your criteria of being silent.

Actually seem pretty similar to the Hunt Dura aero model, which though at similar weight gives you a 28/32 spoke count

https://www.huntbikewheels.com/colle...-31deep-24wide

Yes, I believe Hunt have said that they use Kinlin rims on those wheels. Both are just assembling wheels from other manufacturers' parts. One other difference is that the Williams are using Sapim CX-Ray spokes, whereas the Hunts have cheaper Pillar spokes.

You're right Bob, there is the "noisy hub" issue... will seek a wheelset with Shimano hubs and a 24 x 28 configuration... the search begins to narrow down :thumb:

You'll get more responses if you start your own thread.

and thanks guys for all the feedback. :thumb:

You might want to check these out....

+1 for tubeless ready rims .... I had a wheelset built which consisted of HED Belgium Plus rims for my Giant TCR:, Chris King R45 ceramic bearing hubs and Sapim Cx Ray spokes .... I currently have IRC tubeless tyres but my next set of tyres will be Specialized Turbo Cotton clinchers

I have just bought a new gravel bike and am looking closely at a new set of wheels that are tubeless ready .... I'm very keen on the new Hunt wheels that come with a Son 28 Dynamo hub .... (I will be using this bike for my daily commutes and for some Audax/Randoneur rides ... they are also tubeless ready rims .... £499 for the wheelset:

https://www.huntbikewheels.com/colle...-24deep-25wide

Hunt have some really good wheels at good prices:
https://www.huntbikewheels.com/colle...m-brake-wheels

Update: I ended up choosing the DT Swiss R24 Spline Road Wheelset. :thumb:

Link?

I'm guessing you bought the rim brake version?

"Obnoxiously loud rear hub though" and "the free hub's very loud" according to a couple of the reviews here:

https://www.merlincycles.com/dt-swis...els-90700.html

Also 1725g for a 20F/24R wheelset is pretty hefty.

It's always a bit funny or curious when after any/all advice proffered in a thread like this, the OP goes with something nobody mentioned.