2002 Lemond Alpe D’Huez Upgrades. Help!
 

Hello everyone!

I am officially a newbie not only on this website but for cycling in general. I recently came across a 2002 Lemond Alpe D’Huez for $200 in really great shape. After doing some research I couldn’t pass it up.

I like to be tasteful in everything I own aesthetically, which is what drew me to such a beautiful bike. Unfortunately the previous owner did some not-so tasteful modifications to the wheels and some other things.

The small stuff I can figure out myself, but I can’t find a direct answer to changing the wheels. I want a classic style that goes with the bikes look, but I can’t seem to figure out what wheels will fit, and really even what good wheel set for a decent price point. All I know is that the original wheels were Matrix Aurora 700c. These are not what are currently on the bike, and it bugs the crap outa me. Any help is appreciated!

No help but welcome to BF! You get some good insights before too long.

Dont try to get the original wheels. Thats an arbitrary want. Wheels are constantly changed by owners, its common, so different wheels is totally fine.

You need rim brake wheels with 100/130 hubs. That means the front is 100mm distance between the locknuts on the hub and the rear is 130mm between those locknuts. That will fit your frame.
As for what you buy- what is your budget? A general answer is $400 gets you a decent entry level rim brake road wheelset. You can spend more and have it be lighter, faster engaging, nicer looking hub, etc. And you can spend less while still getting a perfectly fine wheelset, but it is more often hit/miss when you pay less. Again, this is a generalization and there are always exceptions.
I bought a set of these for $85 a few months ago when they were on sale. That is a goofy low price, but the current price is still quite reasonable and the wheels have so far been perfectly fine. https://www.merlincycles.com/en-us/f...et-275025.html

Some other options under $200...
https://www.merlincycles.com/en-us/s...rim-59395.html
https://www.merlincycles.com/en-us/m...set-75460.html


Again, spending more typically nets you better built wheels, lower weight, etc.
You should have a budget in mind and search based on that.

Also, what is so bad with the current wheels?

Thanks for the info.
I’d like to keep the total price under 400 if at all possible, however I found a few sets of used wheels for a great price local to me. I’m not sure what your thoughts are for that, but I don’t think it’s probably too big of a deal as long as I bring them into a shop to get them tuned before I install.

The sets all have Shimano 105 hubs which should fit. One set is Mavic Open Pro/ sport I’m not really sure which. Another is the Mavic MA2. And then Velocity deep V. The mavics are both less than $100, and the velocity is $200 for the wheel set.

And to answer your question, one is red and silver, and one is black. Lol.

As to wheelsets, general conventional wisdom is lighter is better. The Deep V's are going to be quite a bit heavier at the rim which will contribute a slower feel to the bike than the Open Pro's. Whether or not that matters is up to you. The Open Pro', although maligned as "dated" are better than people give them credit for.

As for myself, if I were to "upgrade" from the Open Pro's, I would look for a set that is tubeless capable to enable the joys of lower rolling resistance and puncture protection that tubeless provides. Even if you never decide that tubeless is for you, the potential future option of doing do is nice to have. Velocity A23's are one popular rim that would definitely look stellar on that bike in silver & be all the rim you'd ever need.

I'd ride the bike for a season first just to be sure it is indeed a match in the love department before sinking any money into wheelsets. If you do decide it's a match, then no dollar amount will be too high & you can spend in good conscience skipping the middle ground no mans land of dating wheelsets until the right one comes along.

I agree with not pursuing original wheels. I have a 2002 Lemond Poprad and 2001 Tourmalet. They have been switched to more modern group sets, components and wheels. I love Campagnolo Zonda rim brake wheels, Shimano freehub. They ride great, very durable, reasonable pricing. Especially if doing some shopping around and looking for sales. The Tourmalet is still maybe my favorite bike to ride.

Big thing for all to know is whether you want it to be kept mostly original or are you leaning to putting something more modern on it.

My personal choice would be to put a more modern 11 speed group set on it. However you'll not do that for just $400.00 bucks.

If the original decals and logos on the bike are in readable shape, then at most I'd just clear coat the frame to keep all the current character that the frame has from age in its current state.

Pic's will help us depending on what you are really wanting to know. Might also help us understand why you dislike the current wheels on the bike.

You can upload the pic's to the Gallery here on BF and just let us know they are there. Someone will find them and post them.

The big important thing to know is the OLD (over locknut dimension) which is also the spacing on your dropouts and fork ends. Probably 130mm on the rear and 100mm on the front. And whether or not the wheel is intended for rim brakes or disc brakes.

The mavic rims open pro might look more period for you on that particular bike. Though I think that through the years there were several versions of rims called open pro and some didn't look so period as they did more modern.