Lelandjt wrote:Yikes! Well, chapaeu for riding in those conditions. I don't think I could bring myself to do it. Along the lines of what you said, I don't think I'd want just a different wheelset but an entirely different bike, like the £200 Btwin model Cycling Weekly showed in their aero/non-aero comparison. The thought of my drivetrain being ground to bits while my bearings rust out would make me shiver. I think a disposable one season bike would be my solution.
Obviously a frame doesn't wear. It'll only be grouppo, wheels and cables, that'll be exposed - especially moving parts. In northern europe most riders that take them selves seriously, have both a winter and summer bike. Some people buy cx bikes just to do something else than road riding.
If you have hubs with good sealings, then they're not much exposed. Braketrack is the big issue with winter training. That's why I was curious to what everyone was riding. I see mostly lower end Campy, Fulcrum or Mavic wheels in here. Not as many custom build wheels as I had hoped.
I'm considering building a set with Shimano 105 hubs, since they are very reasonable priced, have good durability, and a steel freehub body, that wont get gouged by cassettes. For rims I'm considering lower end Mavics. Open Pro or maybe something even cheaper. At least with a thick sidewalls for lots of braking with no issues. For spokes I'd just pick the cheapest ones, maybe DT Champion. That will be a wheelset at around 150 € or maybe even less.