I'm looking to buy or build a super strong tubular wheelset that will be light enough for racing (sub 1400g) and strong enough for training on local rocky single track with a 1ft drop thrown in every now and then.

My first thought was to build the following:

Enve 45 rims
King Classic hubs - 28h/28h
Sapim CX-Ray
---1338g (est)

Would using King high flange cross hubs, a 35g weight increase over Classic hubs, make much of a difference in overall strength? What other wheels, either custom or factory built would be worth considering? Also, braking surface is a consideration as I will be using these with TRP CX9 v-brakes.

Any and all feedback is appreciated.

Get a beater wheelset for training and save the wicked wheels for race day.
I LOVE riding my cross bike on mtn. trails but it doesn't work. I get a flat almost every time I try the trails. If you do use your race wheels for training and don't flat tell us/me how you do it.

Agree on the smokin wheels for race day. That said wider flange hubs shorten the effective spoke length. Shorter spokes equal less flex and stronger wheels. King cross are excellent. Enve 45's best in class. Nice build.

Also, the Shimano DA 50mm deep tubulars are completely bomb proof and weight 1450g. The new C35 are really nice wheels as well and weight a bit less. You can often find the C50 wheels for really good prices.

i totally agree with this dude, the wheels are flawless, fast, stiff and strong. .... $h!t happens when your training, use crap wheels for training.

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Thanks for all the great replies.

At the time of my original post, I was just trying to justify building a set of stout carbon tubulars as a do everything wheelset. All the bike porn on the interweb sure has a way of influencing you to buy stuff you don't really need.

Shortly after my post, I did pick up a pair of 28h Enve 2.45 rims with the idea that I'd build them up to some King cross hubs. After the excitement of my impulse buy wore off, I'm thinking I should probably just sell the rims and build up a nice tubeless cross wheelset. (I.E. Stan's 355 29er rims/King cross hubs/CX-Ray spokes)

Of course I could just build up the Enve rims as planned but I don't know if tubular cross tires, even with some precautionary Stan's sealant, will be reliable for the single track riding that I enjoy. Racing is really just an afterthought.

Yeah, if you're serious about racing then blow all of your money on tubulars. If you're not going to race or it's just for fun once and awhile then don't bother with them.
Tubeless would be cool if you can get it to work. The problem is, from what I understand, the Stan's 355 29er is the best rim for tubeless cross but it's been discontinued. Apparently the new version isn't as good as the 355.

I could be completely wrong but I think that's what I read.

Thanks limba...

I am planning on racing a fair amount in the upcoming season although it is purely for fun and socializing with friends. However even with races, 90% of the time I'll be on my cross bike training. I was just weighing the pros/cons of my only wheelset being a pair of carbon tubulars.

Unfortunately I did notice that the Stan's 29er 355 rims are discontinued however some shops still have a supply of them so it shouldn't be a problem to get them. Actually I currently own a set of King cross/Stan's 355 but my wife has recently procured them for her cross bike. I really like the King/Stan's combo as they are stiff and I've never punctured with them even riding some rocky single track.

Let us know what your final setup is and how well it works for you. I'd love to try tubeless but I'm not sure it's worth the money/hassle.

Oh well I've been running tubeless for a while now. Stan's 355 rims with Hutchinson Bulldogs tubeless tires. I've yet to flat and can't even tell if I've ridden over anything to puncture yet.

I ride with about 35psi on single track. It's been great so far.

The Enve 2.45 rims I imagine will be strong enough but it's the punctures with tubular tires that I'm most concerned about. Maybe running 2oz of sealant in the tubular would be good for flat protection. At this point I guess i won't know unless I try it myself.

You should get the Stan's Alpha rims, they are great for CX. Just go 32 hole front and rear (maybe 28 front) and you'll be good. They have the advantage of a brake track when compared to the 355.


Also, the DA7850 scandium tubeless clincher wheels are quite nice. The new 7900 tubeless carbon laminate clinchers are good too, but a bit more $$. The Ultegra tubeless wheels make great training sets. Pretty light, very though, good hubs, and not expensive.

Right, Def Shimano DA 50mm deep tubulars are Bomb

how much more likely are you to flat running clinchers v tubulars for cross?

A lot! One of the keys to getting the most out of tires in cross is running low air pressure. Low air pressure in clinchers means pinch flat...

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