Budget wheels opinion

[warey4life]

Hi all,

I was going to get myself some wheels built in a bike shop in Bristol, still might, but I'm also considering buying these wheels from Bankrupt Bikes.
I'm building a bike (slowly) consisting of 1989 Reynolds mountain bike frame. Need a pair of 26" rim brake only wheels.
I'd be interested your opinion of these wheels. The bike will only be used for commuting and a bit of leisurely cycling so don't need high spec wheels.

https://bankruptbikeparts.co.uk/product ... ll-hp-rims.

Thanks

Ben

[PH]

Wheels at that price point can be good value, but you have to have realistic expectations about what you're getting. That price won't include much for a craftsman's care and attention. I bought a similar priced wheel from Madspeed via ebay, I gave the spokes a good squeeze then re-trued it and evened the tensions, and several thousand miles later it's still fine. You don't need to be a master wheel builder to do that, a spoke key and some youtube guidance will still improve what comes out the box.
Or, you could just fit them and hope, they're likely to be the same quality as those supplied on all sub £500 hybrid bikes and probably a good few at higher prices. Lots of people are riding such bikes without any wheel problems.
Spending more on wheels might get you better sealed hubs, spokes less likely to break, rims less likely to crack and some care from a wheel builder, but there's no guarantee of that till you start spending several times the price.

[oaklec]

They look decent value for money but it might be that your 80's frame is spaced at 130mm as was typical back then and this rear wheel is spaced at 135mm. It will be possible to pull the rear stays apart by hand and slot the wheel in place but it's not ideal.

It's worthwhile measuring the distance between the rear drop outs to see what you have

[oaklec]

Just one other thing, have you taken a look at the retrobike website? A wanted ad on there might get you some suitable wheels for not many £££

[oaklec]

Just one final final thing, a bit of a warning I guess. Once the Cycling UK Forum Grandmasters read this thread, it will explode into the pros and cons of simply springing the frame apart by hand and slotting in a 135mm spaced wheel. Then it will discuss all the technical details around re-spacing the hub down to 130mm and how the change in wheel dish will affect the strength of the wheel. Maybe there will be suggestions to build some wheels using road hubs and 26" rims (road hubs are usually spaced 130mm). Finally it is likely there will be pages and pages on how to permanently bend the rear stays to have a spacing of 135mm and how to realign the dropouts. Do not be put off by the pages of discussion, it will all be relative BUT, the easiest and simplest solution will be to just source some wheels suitable for the frame.

Retrobike.co.uk is your friend here

[531colin]

Warning….this post contains technical information.
It’s up to you whether you read it or not, but please don’t read it and then abuse me for posting technical information in the technical board of the forum.

The wheels in question will be machine built. It’s worthwhile spending a couple of hours stress relieving and balancing the tension, and adjusting the bearings if they are cup and cone.

There, that wasn’t too stressful, was it?

[fastpedaller]

I hope Colin will excuse me for adding .... If you follow Colin's excellent advice, also add some grease to the bearings!

[fastpedaller]

I hope Colin will excuse me for adding .... If you follow Colin's excellent advice, also add some grease to the bearings!
ETA I've purchased from Banrumpt Bikes and they provide a good service.

[warey4life]

Warning….this post contains technical information.
It’s up to you whether you read it or not, but please don’t read it and then abuse me for posting technical information in the technical board of the forum.

The wheels in question will be machine built. It’s worthwhile spending a couple of hours stress relieving and balancing the tension, and adjusting the bearings if they are cup and cone.

There, that wasn’t too stressful, was it?

In certainly wasn't.

I'm always a bit weary about adjusting spoke tension, as I'm afraid of causing a buckle. I'm pretty good with all aspects of bike building apart from the wheels. I tried to build a wheel once and it wasn't very successful. I think part of my issue was that I used a Hope hub with different spoke hole diameters on the right a left of the hub, and despite adding all the relevant data into a spoke length calculator, I don't think the spokes were the correct length, and that has put off ever attempting to build a wheel again.

I think I might wait a little while and spend a few more pounds on getting a better quality wheelset with sealed bearings.

[warey4life]

Just one other thing, have you taken a look at the retrobike website? A wanted ad on there might get you some suitable wheels for not many £££

Thanks I'll check them out

[PH]

I think I might wait a little while and spend a few more pounds on getting a better quality wheelset with sealed bearings.

As indicated upthread, IMO there's no guarantee that you'll get noticeably better wheels till you spend significantly more money. The difference between a £70 wheelset and a £100 one might be cosmetic. I don't think there are any incremental improvements between a budget wheelset and what I'd consider the starting point for a handbuilt set. I'd expect to pay around £170 for something well built with decent hubs, rims and spokes, without going over the top. So, I'd be choosing to spend £70 or £180 and expect to get good value from either, I'd be wary that anything I spent in between would be too much for one thing and not enough for the other.

[irc]

I agree with PH. I would either go for something like that Bankrupt Bikes wheelset or pay enough to get a pair of wheels from a recognised handbuilt place.

I got a pair of handbuilt 26" wheel for £145 plus delivery from Spa Cycles as they had a sale on. I was needing disc wheels though. No 26" rim only in the sale.

If you bought something like these you can pretty much be sure they would never break. I have have similar Spa wheels with Sputnik 700c rims used for thousands of miles of loaded touring. 16 stone rider and camping gear. No problems. The only reason not to would be if you wanted something a bit lighter.

https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m10b0s200p5 ... ce-of-Rims

Another option is buy a handbuilt rear wheel as the rear takes most of the abuse and a cheap front wheel.

[djnotts]

Personally I'd rather not have sealed bearings, for ease of maintenance. Unless for a heavily loaded bike and/or
harsh surfaces and terrain the Bankrupt Bikes set should be fine.

[fastpedaller]

'sealed bearings' means different things to different people! Some (maybe most) refer to sealed bearings at modern,complete bearings with an inner and outer race which are replaced as a whole, not to be confused with cup & cone bearings. Some hubs with cup and cone bearings have rubber seals which fit between the axle and the ends of the hub and provide sealing against the elements - they are often referred to as MTB hubs, and IMHO are the best type to have.
They look like this
https://www.bing.com/shop/productpage?q ... ORM=SSAPC1
More expensive and less expensive ones are available (indeed Bankrupt Bike parts sell them, or have in the past)

Some of the terminology in cycling must be very confusing to newcomers - especially clipless pedals! A more confusing name for a pedal which clips the riders feet in position couldn't be possible I understand (having ridden for 50+ years) why they are called clipless, but for younger folk?