Yet another wheel question

[kidamaro]

Been doing research on wheels becasue I would like to have a spare set. Based on what I have learned on this forum and several books on wheels, it seems like hand built wheels are the way to go. Two things I have not been able to get much info on are as follows. 1) Hub speed. Seems to me, that what you get with a more expensive hubs is lighter weight, not necessarily less friction. Also seems like hub friction is minor as compared to aero-friction or rolling resistance. Is this true. 2) Eyelets in rims vs. no eyelets in rims. My current wheels have no eyelets, and I have about 15,000 miles on them with no problems. Seems like those who have problems with rims that have no eyelets are heavier riders. I weigh about 160. Are eyelets important in rims these days or are the new materials making them obsolete. Thanks in advance for your help.

[saab2000]

If you are looking for a second set which could be your first set, get what I tell you to get. :beer:

Hubs don't really matter, as long as they are pretty good. By that I mean 105 or above or Centaur or above. Other brands like White Industries are OK too, but they are spendy.

The key here is the the rim and the builder.

It is my strong opinion that modern hubs and wheels which require a lot of dish on the rear wheel are inherently weaker and more flexible than the older designs with much less dish. There are very few options out there which deal with this issue.

For a pre-built wheel the Campagnolo Protons and Neutrons are excellent choices and have offset rims. The Eurus and other G3 wheels deal with it with different spoke patterns. A set of Neutrons finished 3rd yesterday in Roubaix and won last year. They are pretty tough wheels.

For handbuilts, I am becoming a proponent of the Velocity Aerohead OCR rim.

I built one up a few weeks ago and thusfar it is been as reliable as the sunrise. The rear dish is distinctly less and the tension is, when felt by the tensionometer in my fingertips, very nearly equal on both sides. That was not the case at all on my previous wheel, built with Open Pro rims.

It is my opinion that you should spend the money for Record hubs. The reason for this is that you can get a 28-hole hub. Most people do not need 32 in the front. Of course, since this is for a second set it is not really important, so you may as well go down to Centaur, which as I understant it is virtually identical to the more expensive Record and Chorus hubs. I cannot advise on Shimano hubs, but I think as long as you don't go below 105 you are OK.

My advice?

Record (or equivelant) hubs laced 3x to Velocity Aerohead rims. Be sure to specify the offset rim for the rear, and rear only. I would use 14-15-15 spokes on the rear. The front gets about 80% less abuse than the rear and so I think that 28 Revolutions would be fine, also laced 3x.

On these wheels I would only go with brass nipples. There are no eyelets and over time the nips will seize to the rim, or at least cause problems.

Velocity Aerohead, 32r and 28f, brass nips is the way to go IMNSHO.

Oh, and by the way, so far it has not been a problem that there are no eyelets. I am keeping an eye on this, but for now it has not been a problem.

[christian]

I agree with our turboprop friend.

Well, you could do a lot worse than to follow his recommendations, at least. I might suggest Dura-Ace hubs instead of Record or Chorus, but the other stuff is spot-on. And the hub selection is likely to be determined by your shifty things, regardless.

- Christian

[dirtdigger88]

see my latest post

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=7704

jason