Sweet spot Wheel build.....

[Gutsyfungus]

Hey guys.

I've just spent forever trying to sift through data regarding wheels, rims spokes and hubs and.....short of sticking hot needles into my eyes....am struggling to get any sense any time quickly. So much choice so little clarity.

So I thought I'd ask you guys if you can assist...Wheel builders have the inside gen. Hope you can help.

I am looking for a 700c (622BSD) wheelset that I can build myself that...for a full wheelset...comes in around the 1400g - 1600g. As economically as possible.

Here's the brief:

1. I want to build the wheel myself.
2. Mid section aero.
3. Not into an all black look - ideally alloy and shiny but happy to compromise with a shiny ally brake surface and some black as well.Looks do play a little bit of a part.
4. budget: Here is the tough part damned cheap as possible. between £300 & £500. Feck knows if that works or not.
5. Campag cassette at the rear.
6. 1400g target. Okay with 1500g...anymore than that and reluctantly I would accept if there is no other option.
7. Ideally clincher...might be okay going tubs......Tubeless....sorry am too old fashioned for this leap of faith.

Any pointers advice from the collective know how out there would be welcomed...



Gutsy Fungus

On a related topic... best balance between cost and weight for rubber on the road too? I appreciate some latex inners and a good tyre can provide big savings.

Apologies for being a wheel and tyre noob.....thanking for your assistance in advance.

[morganb]

Kinlin XR31 to Bitex hubs with CX-Rays will put you at around 1500g and be close on aero at reasonable yaw angles to a mid/shallow carbon wheel.

[petromyzon]

Unfortunately it is very hard to find silver rims aftermarket. Hunt wheels seem to have spotted this as a gap - they have a new set of polished alloy hoops based around the Kinlin XR31 which fit your brief.

I get that you may want to build them yourself - I do this for the simple pleasure of making something. However it's absolutely not a money saving exercise - I could have picked up an extra shift or two at work, paid a professional to build them for me and still have some time and money spare!

There is no need to draw a distinction between tubeless and clincher - recent rims fit both, it is the tyre that is tubeless capable or not.

[fitty4]

h son plus archetype could be the right amount of silver, it is also possible to make a complete wheelset about 1450 gram with 20-24 spokes within your budget

[Gutsyfungus]

I get that you may want to build them yourself - I do this for the simple pleasure of making something. However it's absolutely not a money saving exercise -

Yup. I like to build them myself. It's the pleasure and knowing you have done it yourself. I also like to tie and solder the spokes too (where practical).
Just built up a 1952 steel frame with a modern groupset and this will take it 9.5kg with the correct tyre and inners selection. The 27" wheels at the moment are top class. Don;t get me wrong. The 700c 622 BSD option is a easier option as I use the bike as a daily commute; 27" wheelsets are very limited in selection!
All silver groupset and wheels so ideally a polished silver wheelset too.

I really appreciate the steer gents. Specially the silver wheels, I'll be investigating those. Some great options there.

Guys, you guys are great!!!!! Many thanks!

Gutsy Fungus!

[Gutsyfungus]

Spent the day crunching some numbers and getting a feel for what is available and what I like.
Thought I would share...

Hubs and spokes in silver: no problem. For what I am looking for the Bitex RAR 12 appears very attractive as do a set of Sapim CX-Ray Aero spokes. Whilst the spokes are pricey... they have good reviews, are light and aero too!
So far so good.

The rims are where it starts to get difficult on aesthetic grounds.
I was after silver rims. The best I arrived at was the H Plus Son Archetype Road Rim. This came in at 1496g & £355.76.

Unfortunately the silver option only goes down to 28 hole. In contrast, the
back Archetype rim goes down to 24 holes. Built up it comes in at 1460g & £327.4

If I were to reconsider my obsession for silver options, this build might swing me: It's the HUNT Race Aero Rim black coming in at an impressive 1382g & £355.74...

just where did silver go wrong? It's shiny and pleasing!

Comments welcomed.
Gutsy Fungus

[Gutsyfungus]

Just been looking at reliability and longevity as a function of spoke number and patterns and concluded I need to, ideally, look into this a lot more.

Probably a radial 20 on the front and 24 on the back, whilst would work does not come across as the stiffest or durable option.
(Comments welcome - I think I'll need to use the search function on here after this post.)

Modifying the Hunt Race Aero for a 24 front and 28 rear brings us to: 1418g & £374.42

[Multebear]

I would stay away from Bitex hubs. One of the main reasons they are light is, because they are sealed poorly. Dirt and moist gets very easy in the bearings and ruins them. I killed bearings in a rear hub after 10k km. I replaced the bearings, but it seemed impossible at the time to get new dust covers. Don't know if this is still the case.

[grahus]

@GutsyFungus....

I just posted this tonight, and then read your post, viewtopic.php?f=113&t=151215

Might be similar to what you are looking for, might not, all in the cost was £230, and for not much more you can get lower weight by using lighter spokes.

@Multebear... r.e. the Bitex hubs, I think my choice was based on the fact that I knew they will not be nearly as long lasting as more expensive hubs, but it was a compromise I was willing to live with in my case.

[bremerradkurier]

Tough to beat BDOP for build kits unless you live in a country with nigh-confiscatory import duties.


http://www.bdopcycling.com/DIY%20WHEELS.asp