Road wheel advice needed

[mrclarinet]

Hi all,

 

Long time lurker, first time poster...

 

I'm having repeated issues with the back wheel on my Cannondale CAAD8 Tiagra. They're the Maddux RS 3.0 which seem to come standard with most entry level Cannondales. Twice I've had 2 spokes break and twice I've had the wheel fixed & trued. Now another spoke has broken. With all these repairs I'm feeling that this wheel may be irreparably flawed and that my money might be better spent on new wheels. But this is not an expense I was expecting, so money is tight. But at the same time I don't want to skimp and end up having to replace the new ones in a year anyway.

 

I am rather large - 6'5" & 110 kg (but hoping to lose some of that weight). Bike as is is about 9.8 kg, so almost 120 combined which seems to be a common limit for some wheels. I'm not planning on racing anytime soon, so within reason I'm not overly concerned about weight and would prefer durability. That said if none of the options in my price range are significantly superior to my current wheels then I'd probably just rather rebuild the wheel and save up more for later.

 

In the rough R3000 - R4000 range, the options seem to be:

Mavic Aksium Elite

Shimano R501 C30

Shimano RS11

Shimano RS330 (probably too expensive at R4400ish)

Fulcrum Racing Sport

Fulcrum Racing 7 LG

Campagnolo Khamsin

 

But I keep on getting conflicting advice and reading conflicting reviews... Any guidance? Are these all roughly similar? Is there a stand out amongst those? Any other options I've missed? Is rebuilding worth reconsidering?

 

I'm currently leaning towards the Shimano RS11 at R3000 as that is what my LBS is offering me and all other things being equal I'd prefer to support them.

 

Any advice would be appreciated as I'm probably now over thinking it and have got myself thoroughly confused!

 

Thanks!

[Butterbean]

Dude. At that weight, (I'm also 110) your focus needs to be spike count.

 

I suggest you up your budget just a little, and go for some Customer buult wheels. You want 32 spokes, but minimum is 24. Bladed spokes seem to be slightly stronger, however they are more prone to crosswinds.

 

Rims with the right spoke count should be strong enough.

 

Also, a lot of wheelset require that when a spoke breaks, you need to replace the spikes either side of the break too. Also, bear in mind that if you do purchase a factory wheelset, take them to a good wheelbuiler to check the tension on the set. They don't come out perfect.

 

Good luck with the search man.

[V12man]

At your weight, I should think you should consider 36 spoke wheels - they are better for a number of reasons, and you won't notice additional weight or wind resistance, but you might notice the improved strength and stiffness of them.

 

I have a set of 36 spoke Mavic open pro's for training, that even I can feel the difference in stiffness in at 65kg compared to my dura ace wheels - no way you won't benefit from the additional rigidity.

 

Don't forget - replacement front teeth are expensive...

[mrclarinet]

Thanks Drago.

 

I think this just shows how little I know about wheels. My current wheels have 28 spokes and I was told that was way too many! Apparently having that many was compensation for being such a weak wheel?

 

As far as I know the RS11 & Aksiums have bladed spokes, but the Fulcrums don't.

 

How much is "a little" in terms of upping the budget to get custom wheels built?

[T-Bob]

Have a good look at the American Classic Victory 30 Tubeless. I've got a pair and they are very decent for everyday wheels. Very reliable and AMC hubs are great. 

Weigh in at 1540g and rated up to 112kgs for the rider. Newer versions are nice and wide (18.5 internal width), 10 & 11 compatible, tubeless ready, can run with normal tyres / inners and spokes are pretty stock standard so if you break one then it's not a sh*t fight to get a new one. 

Best thing is you can grab this pair for R3200 (and they are not mine btw). 

https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/198061-american-classic-victory-30/

[mrclarinet]

@V12man 36 spokes? Crikey! A quick Google seems to suggest that Mavic Open Pros are quite a bit more expensive... As much as I do like my front teeth, my wheel budget is limited Any other 36 spoke options that you can suggest?

[mrclarinet]

@hellocolour ah ok, I was under the impression that those American Classics could *only* take tubeless and so had removed them from my options! As mentioned, it is clear that I know even less about wheels than I thought! This makes things more not less complicated

 

I see they are described as "an ideal balance between strength, weight, and performance. Aerodynamic features include the 30mm deep rim, bladed spokes and low spoke count. A very good choice for large riders."

 

Unfortunately I'm in Joburg, so that particular pair are probably not an option.

[Berry]

Have a good look at the American Classic Victory 30 Tubeless. I've got a pair and they are very decent for everyday wheels. Very reliable and AMC hubs are great.

 

Weigh in at 1540g and rated up to 112kgs for the rider. Newer versions are nice and wide (18.5 internal width), 10 & 11 compatible, tubeless ready, can run with normal tyres / inners and spokes are pretty stock standard so if you break one then it's not a sh*t fight to get a new one.

 

Best thing is you can grab this pair for R3200 (and they are not mine btw).

 

https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/198061-american-classic-victory-30/

Im 1.97m 107 kg was on eastons now on the victory 30 25c and they are really nice.

[V12man]

@V12man 36 spokes? Crikey! A quick Google seems to suggest that Mavic Open Pros are quite a bit more expensive... As much as I do like my front teeth, my wheel budget is limited Any other 36 spoke options that you can suggest?

Should have said that mine are open pro rims built on shimano hubs - full open pro wheelsets are pricey - the rims not so bad - look around, you might find some new old stock cheap with a bit of searching - haven't needed trueing since built about 12 years ago.

[David Marshall]

Of the wheels you listed I would take the Mavic Aksiums.  They are the easiest to maintain - both the bearings and spokes.  If you go 36 spokes - which is the best solution for your weight - you will have to get them custom built.  This need not break the bank but they will always cost more than an off the shelf set.  Another option is to go 32 spokes with as many crosses as possible and a rim with a profile like the Velocity Fusion, Mavic CXP33 or even the Alexrims DA28.  These will be stronger than the Open Pro's

 

The cheapest set of these I could put together for just under R5000.  Spokes - warranty for the life of the rim or hub (or owner!)

[Genie]

I had my Ritchey Pro DS rebuilt. Yes ; they are old but love them to bits. My question to all the older riders ; semi pro's ; are they as good as I think they are for a non race snake. They just seem to roll for ever. 

 

Sorry about the hi jack

[eccc whippet]

I don't know about the other wheels...but what I can tell you is the fulcrum Is not suitable...I have been warned that even though my spokes seem to be tensioned correctly since their jhb visit...the rims will start cracking due to my weight...information received direct from the fulcrum manufacturer in Europe...to use fulcrum wheels you need be cautious once you exceed 95 kg...the "red" fulcrum range has a higher weight tolerance.

[David Marshall]

I am often told that I am too old school but here are the basics:

 

The more spokes in the load affected part of the rim the stronger the wheel.  ie the part that distorts due to the forces of rider, road etc.  This movement is what causes fatigue and subsequent cracking.  These cracks are never caused by excessive spoke tension.  In fact lower spoke tension allows the rim to move more and increases the risk.

 

The more crosses in your spoke pattern the stronger the wheel.  This has to do with the angle of the spoke to the hub flange and the rim and the support a spoke gets from neighbouring spokes when the rim rotates through the load affected zone.

 

Of the wheel components the most important is the spokes.  They must be Sandvik steel double butted.  Then comes the quality of the rim and lastly the quality of the hub.

 

The problem with a lot of the off the shelf wheel sets is that you are stuck with the marketing inspired engineering which may not suite you in the long run.  Patented spokes, rim patterns, hub hole layouts etc create additional (expensive) problems down the line. 

 

To answer Isaacs question on the rebuild.  You can't see to what extent a rim is fatigued unless it is already too late.  You can see the braking surface which should give and indication of the extent the rim has been used.  

 

With the costs roughly as follows you need to weigh up whether it is worth rebuilding or replacing the rim:

 

New spokes and nipples (32) R600

Labour   R380

Rim   R500 -R1200

 

The choice is to spend R1000 with high risk or R1500 with low.

[Thomo]

@David Marshall - most of the good wheelbuilders I've encountered have been old school.

Wheels with more for than 24 spokes have unfortunately gone out of fashion, albeit that they remain completely functional and better suited to the larger/more powerful riders.

There are obviously some boutique type wheels which could do as good a job, but experience suggests that these need to be at the upper end of the price scale.

[mrclarinet]

Thanks all so much for the replies!

 

If nothing else I now know a lot more about wheels than I did but a few days ago.

[mrclarinet]

I don't know about the other wheels...but what I can tell you is the fulcrum Is not suitable...I have been warned that even though my spokes seem to be tensioned correctly since their jhb visit...the rims will start cracking due to my weight...information received direct from the fulcrum manufacturer in Europe...to use fulcrum wheels you need be cautious once you exceed 95 kg...the "red" fulcrum range has a higher weight tolerance.

Thanks, good to know. On Saturday I had one bike shop assure me that the Fulcrums were definitely my best bet even at my weight.