Help buying new wheels

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Space Chicken
Posts: 3
Joined: 25 Jun 2022, 7:08am

Help buying new wheels

Post by Space Chicken »

I have a gravel bike that I also use for cyclocross. I am looking for some new wheels that will run tubeless and with discs. I can't afford top of the range. Looking for something that is fairly light weight but won't break the bank. What would be some suggestions to look at

Thanks
Jamesh
Posts: 2963
Joined: 2 Jan 2017, 5:56pm

Re: Help buying new wheels

Post by Jamesh »

Hi

Can you supply more details?

Through bolt or QR?

Centrelock or 6 bolt?

Seems disc wheels are a nightmare and lightweight ones the holy grail of wheels!!
Jdsk
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Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Help buying new wheels

Post by Jdsk »

I don't understand bike wheels. So I email Spa Cycles with details of the HPV and the intended use and ask them for advice.

https://spacycles.co.uk/contact.php

Jonathan
Mike Sales
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Joined: 7 Mar 2009, 3:31pm

Re: Help buying new wheels

Post by Mike Sales »

Consult your local artisan wheelbuilder.
It's the same the whole world over
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It's the rich what gets the pleasure
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TrevA
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Location: Nottingham

Re: Help buying new wheels

Post by TrevA »

You need to state what your budget is. £200, £500?
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Space Chicken
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Joined: 25 Jun 2022, 7:08am

Re: Help buying new wheels

Post by Space Chicken »

Thanks for the replies.
My budget is £300
Through Bolt.
6 bolt discs
mattsccm
Posts: 5101
Joined: 28 Nov 2009, 9:44pm

Re: Help buying new wheels

Post by mattsccm »

I'll guess you have been to Planet X/On One. Try them.
As to what, well there are milions out there :roll: They will all be much of a muchness assuming same spoke count, bearing type etc. You need to decide if you want cartridge type bearings or cup and cone (very much a matter of opinion that one).
Tubeless compatiblle ?
Freehub? Do you need something other than bog standard Shimano/SRAM if you are running 1X
Deep rims do have a benefit of shedding mud well rather than flat ones but only in certain types of mud!
It won't matter a monkeys whatever which you chose really. I would build/get a set built to your spec. It may be as cheap and they will be better made.
Otherwise companies such as Superstar components are good.
Don't discount 29er MTB wheels as long as the hubs match and they are not too hefty.
Jamesh
Posts: 2963
Joined: 2 Jan 2017, 5:56pm

Re: Help buying new wheels

Post by Jamesh »

Not saying you should get these but gives a indication of what's available for £300

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/275242861266 ... media=COPY

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324522654316 ... media=COPY

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334482876334 ... media=COPY

If you want reliability go for Shimano, if you want lightweight go for bitex sealed bearings.
rareposter
Posts: 1993
Joined: 27 Aug 2014, 2:40pm

Re: Help buying new wheels

Post by rareposter »

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/fas ... prod203203

Chain Reaction often have some good deals on - these are 1/3rd off at the moment.
6-bolt / centrelock are interchangeable, you can get adapters for centrelock that convert to 6-bolt or just put some new rotors onto it.
Valbrona
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Joined: 7 Feb 2011, 4:49pm

Re: Help buying new wheels

Post by Valbrona »

Space Chicken wrote: 25 Jun 2022, 7:42pm Thanks for the replies.
My budget is £300
Through Bolt.
6 bolt discs
DT Swiss.

They do tubeless, disc brake wheels that are compatible with both thru-bolt and quick re;ease. Although not of the six bolt design, each pair of wheels come with a free pair of adapters to allow the fitting of six bolt rotors if you don't want to use centerlocks.

I'm using P1800 Spline, which is a road-width wheel. But I believe the same wheels come in wider rim versions.
I should coco.
Dingdong
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Joined: 22 Apr 2022, 4:59pm

Re: Help buying new wheels

Post by Dingdong »

Mike Sales wrote: 25 Jun 2022, 6:17pm Consult your local artisan wheelbuilder.
A proper wheel builder will keep you right on price/quality and I've found invariably you'll get a better wheel then any big brand machine made set.
rareposter
Posts: 1993
Joined: 27 Aug 2014, 2:40pm

Re: Help buying new wheels

Post by rareposter »

Dingdong wrote: 26 Jun 2022, 7:03am A proper wheel builder will keep you right on price/quality and I've found invariably you'll get a better wheel then any big brand machine made set.
By the time you've bought the rims and spokes and hubs and the labour of building them up, you'll be over budget or you'll be on a cheap set of wheels.
Factory builds now are spot on - they're churning out hundreds of wheelsets to consistent standards with good quality control and the bulk buying and building means they're now far cheaper than the cost of buying individual parts and paying someone to lace them up.

I'm not saying artisan wheelbuilders don't have a place, I think they absolutely do - especially for anything non-mainstream like touring wheels, Rohloff hubs or very specialist rims or a particular custom build - but at the budget end, I'd be buying a wheelset with the best discount I could find from a mass-market source (like Chain Reaction). That way you can potentially get a £500 "end of line" wheelset for £300 which will more than do the job.
slowster
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Joined: 7 Jul 2017, 10:37am

Re: Help buying new wheels

Post by slowster »

What compromises are you prepared to accept?

I have a pair of very light factory built 'gravel' wheels. Lightness is achieved in part by 28 spokes front and rear, aluminium alloy nipples, and an aluminium freehub (as opposed to Shimano's excellent, but heavier, steel freehubs). They are nice to ride and have performed well for me so far.

However, I am a not a heavy rider (~70kg) and my riding style probably suits the wheels, i.e. I pick my lines carefully to minimise the worst of the bumps etc. off road, as well as riding just out of the saddle to allow my arms and legs to to take much of the impact force (rather than sitting on the bike like a deadweight). Even with my high cadence/low force pedalling style, the aluminium freehub has notches where the steel cassette has begun to bite into the softer aluminium. That does not affect the performance of the wheel, but in the longer term it will probably make removing a cassette a bit more awkward. The alloy nipples are not as durable as brass, and I do not use the wheels in winter because I have read a few reports of other owners of the wheels finding that the nipples were prone to corrode.

If I were going to replace them, I would probably buy something like these wheels from Spa, with either the Kinlin XR-26RTS or XR-31RTS rim, and choose between 24/28 or 28/32 holes based on the advice of the wheelbuilder. With the option of Schwalbe tubeless rim tape and valves fitted plus 2 bottles of Schwalbe tyre sealant, that comes to £305 including delivery.

https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m10b0s178p4 ... im-options

Advantages of such wheels over many factory options:

- You can choose the particular specification to suit you, your weight, your riding style, and the sort of riding you do, based on a chat with the wheelbuilder.

- Bitex hubs, Kinlin rims and Sapim spokes are benchmark, high quality products with a good reputation for performance and reliability. The hubs have high quality cartridge bearings which you should be able to get replacements for if and when needed, and the aluminium freehub has stainless steel inserts to resist biting by the cassette.

With factory wheels it is not always apparent what compromises have been made in the choice of components and their manufacture, until that compromise proves to be weakness. If I were buying a factory wheelset, I would probably choose a brand which manufactured its own hubs and had a high reputation for the hubs, e.g. Shimano or DT Swiss.
Space Chicken
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Joined: 25 Jun 2022, 7:08am

Re: Help buying new wheels

Post by Space Chicken »

Some great advice. Thanks all.
Jamesh
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Joined: 2 Jan 2017, 5:56pm

Re: Help buying new wheels

Post by Jamesh »

Beware some bitex / novatex hubs are very lightweight and have smaller than normal bearings.

Not good for longevity.

I don't think there is much between factory built and hand built wheels having had both. Price wise you get the same weights for the dosh tbh.
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