DLBroox

I ride a Bianchi San Jose. I'm going to try my hand at building a new set of wheels. I'm looking at buying Surly hubs, unless someone suggests otherwise, but the jury is still out on the rims. I've read lots of archived threads that recommend Mavic Pro and Velocity Aero, but then I read how Mavics crack and Velocity are not machined well sometimes.

The details: I ride freewheel, not fixed. Ride mostly on the flat streets of Miami but often take a good bump on tree roots and stuff like that so they still need to be sturdy. Am only a hundred pound gal that wants to keep the bike pretty light. And I still want it to look sweet!

Watcha guys think?

llalagen

look into DT swiss rims,... they're not cheap but neither are velocity or mavic rims

Re-Cycle

Mavic Open Pro

Hirohsima

I went with Velocity Fusions on my SS. PM me if you want to see pics. You really can't go wrong with any of them, they are all good. The only advantage of Aeroheads is since your ride SS, you will likely have a dished rear wheel,... maybe enough to justify a rear off center rim (which even out spoke length and tension on the back). Makes for a stronger rear wheel. OP's don't come in and OCR.

https://spinlitecycling.com/road_rims.htm

Also, I have heard from more than a few people that the Aerohead standard rims are getting heavier with age. Their extrusion dies are getting old. A lot of what makes the Aerohead an interesting proposition is that they are touted to be a super-light rim.... but in reality, they are not much different in weight than the OP's. Plus the OP's are welded and have eyelets.

I think I may try out the DT rims on my next build,... they look just so darn good.

Good Luck

veganaise

Surly hubs are fine. Rims: Salsa Delgado 29er/touring rims, 32 spokes laced 3x. Put on the fattest slick you can fit in the frame. Have fun running over tree stumps and potholes and alligators and children with impunity.

baxtefer

I wouldn't consider the surly hubs a huge upgrade over the stock San Jose hubs.

I'd go for Open Pros.
Light and strong. Some guys even use them for their 29ers.

veganaise

Cool. Any idea if they have issues with it's width?

drewcifer

+1

DLBroox

Then what do you think is better to upgrade with than Surly?

Take into consideration I'm not building 500 dollar wheels!

fivehoursfree

I built a wheel with a MAvic open sport, used for city riding, so it sees alot of curbs, potholes and the like (plus I'm ~200lbs) So far it's been steady, so I assume the open pros will be even better. I used a surly hub, and they seem very generic, and I had a hell of a time getting them adjusted correctly. Since they are the only SS hubs I have experience with, I can't comment on other hubs.

Aeroplane

I think he's saying that the stock hubs are pretty decent as they are. You may just want to put new rims on them if you need something better than the stock setup.

The only other upgrade hubwise that is arguably worth it is going to something like a Phil or a nice freehub.

mihlbach

Either Mavic Open Pros or Velocity Aeroheads will work just fine for you. Personally, I would choose Open Pros. I've built a number of wheels sets and in my experience, Mavic rims have always been the easiest to build into a perfectly round wheel with even spoke tension. For your weight, you could get easily away with a 28 spoke wheel and still be completely bombproof.

Surly Hubs are nice. I have two wheelsets with surly track hubs and neither have had problems, although the bearings are starting to get rough. However, bearings can be easily replaced. Philwood hubs are not necessarily any better and certainly not worth the price for a basic singlespeed wheel.

bward1028

get the aeroheads from IRO. like $40 for both.

thequickfix

^^^They're $50/pair and not machined. Not a bad deal if it wasn't for the need for a brake surface on a SS.

crushkilldstroy

I don't really want to be "that guy," but haven't you been asking the same questions about wheelbuilding since like June or July?

Get some Open Pros and lace them to some Surly hubs. Assuming you build them well, this set ought to outlast the bike you hang them on.

Landgolier

greatdealsonbikes.com. They're even in miami. If you want wheelbuilding experience, take them apart and put them back together, they will still be way cheaper than buying all the parts individually.

If you still want to build wheels, surly hubs are way overpriced, get formulas. Half as much $$, same quality. At your weight and for your use the rim doesn't matter, pick whatever you like the looks of or can get cheaper.

slabfoot

Have built up two sets with surly trackhubs and no probs. Used a pair of Velocity synergy rims(just the symetrical, Not the O/C) and one pair with a cheap set of Vuelta Stylus rims I got on ebay for 15 bucks.You really can't go wrong with building your own It's fun and it personalizes your ride. Fixies/SS's don't really care, anyway. They just want to go outside and play. Roger Musson's ebook on wheelbuilding is my favorite. (Wheelpro.com)

Bill