road wheels for disc cx
Discussion
I was hoping for a little guidance here.
As I've a soon-to-arrive Boardman CX this week, I'm thinking of keeping the original wheels with the off road tyres and using another set for on-road as my winter bike with likely a different cassette.
The question is which wheels? I'm hoping for aksium / krysium level wheels, but finding sensibly priced disc compatible road wheels is challenging.
Advice would be welcome if anyone can give me some pointers? (preferably the simple kind like "buy these from here" :-) )
As I've a soon-to-arrive Boardman CX this week, I'm thinking of keeping the original wheels with the off road tyres and using another set for on-road as my winter bike with likely a different cassette.
The question is which wheels? I'm hoping for aksium / krysium level wheels, but finding sensibly priced disc compatible road wheels is challenging.
Advice would be welcome if anyone can give me some pointers? (preferably the simple kind like "buy these from here" :-) )
I'd try sticking some road tyres on it and riding it for a bit before you spend the money.
The wheels on my CX Pro aren't the lightest things in the world, but then again, neither am I! I currently use them with 700x35 Continental Cyclocross Speed tyres, and whilst they're not massively quick, neither are they so slow that I get frustrated by them.
As a rule, if the roads are dry and going to remain that way, I'll take my road bike out, and if they're wet, then my own confidence does more to limit my speed than the wheels do.
If you find you can't live with the performance using road tyres on the CX wheels (they fit absolutely fine, btw) then you can still go looking for road wheels, and it won't have cost you anything to find out. If, on the other hand, you find that they're OK, it'll be cheaper to get a second set of CX wheels. Or far, far cheaper just to swap rubber over!
The wheels on my CX Pro aren't the lightest things in the world, but then again, neither am I! I currently use them with 700x35 Continental Cyclocross Speed tyres, and whilst they're not massively quick, neither are they so slow that I get frustrated by them.
As a rule, if the roads are dry and going to remain that way, I'll take my road bike out, and if they're wet, then my own confidence does more to limit my speed than the wheels do.
If you find you can't live with the performance using road tyres on the CX wheels (they fit absolutely fine, btw) then you can still go looking for road wheels, and it won't have cost you anything to find out. If, on the other hand, you find that they're OK, it'll be cheaper to get a second set of CX wheels. Or far, far cheaper just to swap rubber over!
As above which is a good post, I would see how much and on what I use it for first
It might be pointless if you find you ride "proper off road" a couple of times a month, or you might ride it all the time and find the standard wheels aren't tough enough.
TBH, I would just buy 2 x sets of tyres, it only takes 5 minutes to swap them and leave road tyres on by default if it is your commuter
It might be pointless if you find you ride "proper off road" a couple of times a month, or you might ride it all the time and find the standard wheels aren't tough enough.
TBH, I would just buy 2 x sets of tyres, it only takes 5 minutes to swap them and leave road tyres on by default if it is your commuter
My young lad uses his CX Team for both CX racing and winter training on the road.
We took the slightly different approach of acquiring a pair of Hope Hoops Crest 29ers from Halfords when they were seling off all their Hope stuff the other week. Stuck the Ritchey Excavader's that came with the bike onto the Hope / Crests and put a pair of 25mm road tyres onto the Ritchey wheels that were on the bike.
We took the slightly different approach of acquiring a pair of Hope Hoops Crest 29ers from Halfords when they were seling off all their Hope stuff the other week. Stuck the Ritchey Excavader's that came with the bike onto the Hope / Crests and put a pair of 25mm road tyres onto the Ritchey wheels that were on the bike.
Am just going through this myself, but it's hard work finding lightweight 700c rims
My best efforts so far is 32 spoke, 2 cross laced H Plus Son rims with graphics removed, Novatec DS711SB/712SB hubs, CX Ray spokes, brass nipples for around £460 built and shipped. Weight is 1729 grams including rim tape. It's a lot of cash for ~200grams weight loss.
To go lower means using Stans Alpha 340's and I don't want to run them tubeless. 29er wheels are out as they are nightmare tight fit for 700c tyres
My best efforts so far is 32 spoke, 2 cross laced H Plus Son rims with graphics removed, Novatec DS711SB/712SB hubs, CX Ray spokes, brass nipples for around £460 built and shipped. Weight is 1729 grams including rim tape. It's a lot of cash for ~200grams weight loss.
To go lower means using Stans Alpha 340's and I don't want to run them tubeless. 29er wheels are out as they are nightmare tight fit for 700c tyres
Hope are catering for this very market:
http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/wheels/road-...
Pro 2s and Open Pros. If you want a little cheaper and just as good (if a little more maintenance), then have some XT hubs built onto said same rims.
http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/wheels/road-...
Pro 2s and Open Pros. If you want a little cheaper and just as good (if a little more maintenance), then have some XT hubs built onto said same rims.
itsnotarace said:
Am just going through this myself, but it's hard work finding lightweight 700c rims
My best efforts so far is 32 spoke, 2 cross laced H Plus Son rims with graphics removed, Novatec DS711SB/712SB hubs, CX Ray spokes, brass nipples for around £460 built and shipped. Weight is 1729 grams including rim tape. It's a lot of cash for ~200grams weight loss.
To go lower means using Stans Alpha 340's and I don't want to run them tubeless. 29er wheels are out as they are nightmare tight fit for 700c tyres
I got some Stans Iron Cross / Novatec D811/712, CX Ray, alloy nipples built last week for £404 from Spokesman wheels. They apparently weigh 1530g. I put Racing Ralphs (320g) on the them with a £9 Avid HS1 160mm disc and the front weighs 1200g on the kitchen scales (incl skewer, tape, valve and a glug of sealant).My best efforts so far is 32 spoke, 2 cross laced H Plus Son rims with graphics removed, Novatec DS711SB/712SB hubs, CX Ray spokes, brass nipples for around £460 built and shipped. Weight is 1729 grams including rim tape. It's a lot of cash for ~200grams weight loss.
To go lower means using Stans Alpha 340's and I don't want to run them tubeless. 29er wheels are out as they are nightmare tight fit for 700c tyres
The original Shimano RX05 which came on the bike (wheels are £130 from Planet X and standard fit on the XLS bike) would weigh 1600g with the same tyre (with a cheap disk, tube and skewer).
I did a race on the Stans/Novas last weekend and I noticed a few times I was pulling wheelies on climbs. They are definitely light - Pity I need to get some better mud tyres and Clement PDXs are 30g heavier putting them roughly the same as my sons second hand Specialized Axis 3 rims with terra pro tyres which stand him (okay me) at £100 (1280g front)
Edited by Bobley on Friday 8th November 12:43
And while I'm being nerdy, having spent a few minutes in the garage mucking up the scales. My front Aksium off my Boardman, fitted with Conti GP4000s 4 Season 23s weighs 1260g (incl skewer).
One factory wheel I've spotted on other bikes is this one...
http://www.kinesisbikes.co.uk/products/wheels/cros...
Weight (1800g) looks a lot lighter than my Shimanos (2165g) whilst price (£260 on line) is much easier on the wallet than Stans.
Meanwhile you can buy the Stans/Nova without CX Ray spokes (1640g) for ~£280 if you go direct...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stans-Iron-Cross-lightwe...
One factory wheel I've spotted on other bikes is this one...
http://www.kinesisbikes.co.uk/products/wheels/cros...
Weight (1800g) looks a lot lighter than my Shimanos (2165g) whilst price (£260 on line) is much easier on the wallet than Stans.
Meanwhile you can buy the Stans/Nova without CX Ray spokes (1640g) for ~£280 if you go direct...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stans-Iron-Cross-lightwe...
Edited by Bobley on Tuesday 5th November 00:15
gazza285 said:
Swap them for brass ones before they corrode, which they will, alloy and stainless do not make happy bedfellows.
Good point. Never had a problem on my MTBs but my Caterham wasn't impervious to the white powder...I'll keep them well lubed until the end of the CX season (one binus of disks is I can clean the rims with an oily cloth). Fingers crossed they're anodised...Bobley said:
I got some Stans Iron Cross / Novatec D811/712, CX Ray, alloy nipples built last week for £404 from Spokesman wheels. They apparently weigh 1530g. I put Racing Ralphs (320g) on the them with a £9 Avid HS1 160mm disc and the front weighs 1200g on the kitchen scales (incl skewer, tape, valve and a glug of sealant).
Thanks, I have ruled out all the Stans rims as I'm not interested in running tubeless and have heard of issues when running them at high road pressures with normal tubes and road tyresI may need to go to tubulars to get what I want weight wise in an alloy rim.
I see. I was thinking you could use the Richeys on the road and upgrade the CX aspect.
The Kinesis will be worth looking at then. Read the RoadCC review. They loved them and tested them on a Boardman CX bike fitted with Schwalbe Durano 23 / Vittoria Randonneur 28 / Ritchey Excavader 35
http://road.cc/content/review/69946-kinesis-crossl...
If you want tubs I sae these for sale on my cycling clubs website...
http://www.teammk.com/node/8937
The Kinesis will be worth looking at then. Read the RoadCC review. They loved them and tested them on a Boardman CX bike fitted with Schwalbe Durano 23 / Vittoria Randonneur 28 / Ritchey Excavader 35
http://road.cc/content/review/69946-kinesis-crossl...
If you want tubs I sae these for sale on my cycling clubs website...
http://www.teammk.com/node/8937
Bobley said:
Planet X Cyclocross Carbon Tubs 1520g for £500ish
http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/WPPXCD/planet_x_cyclocross_disc_and_canti_pro_carbon_50_50_wheelsetThose are down to £399 at the moment and weight in at 1550g. They seem too nice for a winter bike lol.
The kinesis cross lights weigh in at 1800, at £240
The fulcrum quattro's seem to split the difference at 1700g at £263
Anyone with any experience of the above?
Those PX wheels do look nice and I'm a bit miffed as I've spent the same on the Stans yet I've fitted them to a Planet X bike. I can only afford one set though and I change tyres a lot so tubs would be tricky.
The Fulcrums are a great wheel (I know 3 people very happy with them), sadly they're not disk compatible.
The Fulcrums are a great wheel (I know 3 people very happy with them), sadly they're not disk compatible.
Bobley said:
Those PX wheels do look nice and I'm a bit miffed as I've spent the same on the Stans yet I've fitted them to a Planet X bike. I can only afford one set though and I change tyres a lot so tubs would be tricky.
The Fulcrums are a great wheel (I know 3 people very happy with them), sadly they're not disk compatible.
Bugger could have sworn the fulcrums had a disc versionThe Fulcrums are a great wheel (I know 3 people very happy with them), sadly they're not disk compatible.
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