Buying vs building wheels

[cribbit]

Putting together my first Campagnolo groupset bike.

I've got the groupset, I've got the frame... I just don't have a rear wheel. I have all the shimano wheels I could ever need and no campy stuff. Trying to stay on a budget. EDIT: 10 speed sadly

I've got two options:

1) Buy a Novatech or similar hub, some spokes and a rim, build a wheel.

2) Find a decent wheel on eBay/craigslist

The lack of options compared to a shimano hub'd wheel has me a little frozen. I don't even quite know what to do within each option.

Any recommendations?

[CMiller]

Is it 11 speed? If so, Shimano matches great

[Kontact]

Many Shimano compatible hubs have optional Campy compatible freehub bodies that you can switch them to. That would be the ideal solution. When I was working as a mechanic it seemed like I did this at least once a week.


Otherwise:
Wheelsmanufacturing made Campy 11 cassettes that fit on Shimano 10 hubs, but they are hard to find and limited in size.

IRD makes a Campy 10 cassettes for Shimano 10 hubs.



I see a fair number of Campy wheels on Craigslist around here.

[cribbit]

Many Shimano compatible hubs have optional Campy compatible freehub bodies that you can switch them to. That would be the ideal solution. When I was working as a mechanic it seemed like I did this at least once a week.


Otherwise:
Wheelsmanufacturing made Campy 11 cassettes that fit on Shimano 10 hubs, but they are hard to find and limited in size.

IRD makes a Campy 10 cassettes for Shimano 10 hubs.



I see a fair number of Campy wheels on Craigslist around here.

Where is around here?

There are a couple of companies that makes campy spacing for shimano hubs, but they're expensive or hard to get in stock.

Acquiring a campy freehub for those sort of wheels seems to be non trivial. Where did you source them?

[Kontact]

Is it 11 speed? If so, Shimano matches great

If he has Shimano 11 freehubs. If not, a modified 11 speed cassettes will work - here's an article about modifying them and a place that sells the modded cassettes.

http://darkspeedworks.com/blog-11speed.htm

[Kontact]

Where is around here?

There are a couple of companies that makes campy spacing for shimano hubs, but they're expensive or hard to get in stock.

Acquiring a campy freehub for those sort of wheels seems to be non trivial. Where did you source them?

I worked at a bike store. If it was for a Hed wheel, we got the freehub from Hed. Other brand freehubs we got from wholesale suppliers, like Olympic or Quality.

I'm taking about the freehub, not the cassette. This thing:
http://chainreactioncycles.scene7.com/is/image/ChainReactionCycles/prod80917_IMGSET?wid=500&hei=505

What brand are your wheels or their hubs?

[cribbit]

I worked at a bike store. If it was for a Hed wheel, we got the freehub from Hed. Other brand freehubs we got from wholesale suppliers, like Olympic or Quality.

I'm taking about the freehub, not the cassette. This thing:
http://chainreactioncycles.scene7.com/is/image/ChainReactionCycles/prod80917_IMGSET?wid=500&hei=505

What brand are your wheels or their hubs?

Yeah I'm familiar with freehubs and the process to swap them, they're just expensive to buy.

The current wheelsets that I have (mavic aksium, mavic helium) either can't or aren't good target for a freehub swap.

I'm looking at a sub $200 wheel.

The other thing I'm having trouble with - this is a decently nicer bike than I've been on before and I should probably go for nicer wheels, but I don't know what to be looking for.

[Louis]

Major thread drift, but I have to ask:

Why is this freehub built so that you can also install the pawls so that it "locks" in the CCW direction, instead of the CW direction (when viewed from the right side of the bike) which is the way they are shown in the image and the way you would expect them to work?

Do some folks run the chain on the left side of the bike, and therefore would want the freehub to engage in the opposite direction? If so, this freehub makes sense. If not, there's no reason that I can think of for the extra set of "pawl support locations."

I'm taking about the freehub, not the cassette. This thing:
http://chainreactioncycles.scene7.com/is/image/ChainReactionCycles/prod80917_IMGSET?wid=500&hei=505

[cribbit]

Major thread drift, but I have to ask:

Why is this freehub built so that you can also install the pawls so that it "locks" in the CCW direction, instead of the CW direction (when viewed from the right side of the bike) which is the way they are shown in the image and the way you would expect them to work?

Do some folks run the chain on the left side of the bike, and therefore would want the freehub to engage in the opposite direction? If so, this freehub makes sense. If not, there's no reason that I can think of for the extra set of "pawl support locations."

It's prettier.

[Kontact]

Mavic Campy freehub bodies are $30 used on ebay or $50 new:

http://www.jensonusa.com/Mavic-Fts-L-Freewheel-Body-Campagnolo/?utm_source=FRGL&utm_medium=organic&pt_source=googleads&pt_medium=cpc&pt_campaign=shopping_us&pt_keyword=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzIeV6q-z1wIVxV9-Ch2uEQ6jEAQYAyABEgIjLfD_BwE


If you want to buy some new wheels, go for it. But the freehubs are relatively cheap.

However, you just changed your OP to say you are going to use 10, so you could just buy the IRD 10 speed cassette, but they aren't as cheap as a new freehub swap and Campy compatible cassette.


All of which seem more sensible than buying a cheap wheel.

[Kontact]

Major thread drift, but I have to ask:

Why is this freehub built so that you can also install the pawls so that it "locks" in the CCW direction, instead of the CW direction (when viewed from the right side of the bike) which is the way they are shown in the image and the way you would expect them to work?

Do some folks run the chain on the left side of the bike, and therefore would want the freehub to engage in the opposite direction? If so, this freehub makes sense. If not, there's no reason that I can think of for the extra set of "pawl support locations."

It locks in the CW direction from the right. You're looking at it from the left. That's the way all of them are.

[Louis]

It locks in the CW direction from the right. You're looking at it from the left. That's the way all of them are.

I realize that, the question is why it's built so you can move the pawls over and have it lock in the other direction too, if you like.

[cribbit]

Mavic Campy freehub bodies are $30 used on ebay or $50 new:

http://www.jensonusa.com/Mavic-Fts-L-Freewheel-Body-Campagnolo/?utm_source=FRGL&utm_medium=organic&pt_source=googleads&pt_medium=cpc&pt_campaign=shopping_us&pt_keyword=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzIeV6q-z1wIVxV9-Ch2uEQ6jEAQYAyABEgIjLfD_BwE


If you want to buy some new wheels, go for it. But the freehubs are relatively cheap.

However, you just changed your OP to say you are going to use 10, so you could just buy the IRD 10 speed cassette, but they aren't as cheap as a new freehub swap and Campy compatible cassette.


All of which seem more sensible than buying a cheap wheel.

I need to check if the aksiums can be swapped, I'm pretty sure the heliums can't. I also have a bontrager race and rolf vector wheelsets I should look into.

There's also value to me in being able to keep these wheels for other bikes, though I do currently have one more set of wheels than full bikes.

There's also the question of whether I should break my budget and go for nicer wheels, but that's kind of a whole separate subject. How much benefit will I see going for something nicer than the aksiums?

And the always fun question - should I try out random chinese carbon?

[Louis]

There's also the question of whether I should break my budget and go for nicer wheels, but that's kind of a whole separate subject. How much benefit will I see going for something nicer than the aksiums?

I've found over the years that spending more on wheels is nearly always money well spent. I don't mean stuff like Lightweights, which are IMO up in the stratospheric range, but wheels do have a huge impact on a bike, both in terms of drag at speed and in ride quality.

[Kontact]

I need to check if the aksiums can be swapped, I'm pretty sure the heliums can't. I also have a bontrager race and rolf vector wheelsets I should look into.

There's also value to me in being able to keep these wheels for other bikes, though I do currently have one more set of wheels than full bikes.

There's also the question of whether I should break my budget and go for nicer wheels, but that's kind of a whole separate subject. How much benefit will I see going for something nicer than the aksiums?

And the always fun question - should I try out random chinese carbon?

Heliums are not swappable, but most everything since, including the Aksium is. The links I posted are for the Aksium.

Trek dealers would know about the Bontrager and may have the part.

I don't see why you wouldn't adapt at least one wheel. You can always buy a used freehub and then sell it later if you buy dedicated wheels.



I should also mention that a Shimano 10 speed cassette will shift okay with Campy 10. It isn't "right", but there was a guy in Madison that sold bikes built this way all the time, and I overhauled many of them. They shifted fine. I wouldn't recommend it, but it will allow you to get going before having to pop for the freehub and Campy cassette.

[Kontact]

I realize that, the question is why it's built so you can move the pawls over and have it lock in the other direction too, if you like.
I don't know that you definitely can swap the pawls, but the reason they are made like that is because it is easier to machine with only one kind of hole rather than two.

[Louis]

But why even bother to include the other set of holes, unless you plan on using them? In this case symmetry for the sake of symmetry doesn't make sense structurally and is more expensive to manufacture. (unless I don't understand what I'm looking at)

[moobikes]

The cut out for the pawl and spring looks the way it does because the end of the pawl spring needs to be bent into a curve, to allow movement. It just happens to look symmetrical.

[sitzmark]

The cut out for the pawl and spring looks the way it does because the end of the pawl spring needs to be bent into a curve, to allow movement. It just happens to look symmetrical.

Yes - this. The opposing slot is the pawl spring anchor point.

[Kontact]

Yup, the holes are what retain both the pawl and the spring. They both have to be removed from the side, which prevents them from falling out.

It's a rather elegant design.

[Spaghetti Legs]

Check out Ribble and they will ship you a set of Campy Khamsin and I think Ventos for $200 or less. Khamsin is about an Aksum level wheel.