Roadie Rims..looking for new ones

[MnMDan]

Soooooo......after searching the forums for tales of Bontrager Race Lite spoke failures and seeing reports in many countries of numerous spoke failures and cracking at the eyelets for all variants of Bontrager Roadie Aluminum rims going back several years...cleaned mine up to the point of sterilization and found my own cracks on both front and rear in several places.

160lbs, 5'-11", 9k miles on the rims, all spoke breaks on fronts, but cracking occurs on both front and rear.

I'm looking for a wheel that will be durable enough for double-century rides (my times are around 12hrs, so I'm quick over that distance) and quick enough for the occasional crit/road race (Cat 5...can't sprint). I'll continue using my Aksium w/ no-flat strips as my training wheels on the Madone 5.2.

Seen good reviews about the value and durability American Classic 420 and Sprint 350 wheels and the SRAM S30 AL series, as well as their service, but does anyone here have experience with them, or know of a shop in OC (I'm in Irvine but willing to ride to check out) that carries/services them.

I'm not going back to Bontrager, even to try to warranty them. It was fun enough staying in control when two spoke nipples popped at the eyelet on my front wheel when descending a road at 50 mph.

[MTBMaven]

Take a look at Neuvation wheels if you want a low spoke count wheel. For a more traditional 32 hole wheel it's pretty hard to beat a DT Swiss hub with Mavic OpenPro rim. Maybe DT Swiss Revolution spokes with Al nipples. I have always thought a good hub combo would be Shimano Dura Ace rear with Ultegra front.

There is something to be said for a non-proprietary wheel. It's pretty hard to find a shop that will have aero bladded spokes in stock, let alone Mavic spokes while out on the road if you blow a spoke. I had a hard enough time finding a pretty traditional spoke when one blew on a ride to San Diego once. Had to ride like 20 miles with a blown rear spoke (and I only have 24 total).

[JMarquart]

Go to twohubs.com...local guys...they hooked me up with a set of Fulcrum Racing One (two way fit)...the wheels are amazing and the tubeless ride is smooooooooth. Give them a call. They will beat their posted prices. Good Luck.

[iamkaioken]

+1 for Neuvation. I've got a set on my Fuji and they're phenomenal. Price couldn't be beat for the performance you get, I'd be hard pressed to locate a better deal.

[warmblood]

+ 1 on twohubs.com. I'm going to get some new wheels for my road bike this month, and I'm going to them. They are local and very helpful.

[Pain Freak]

You already know the quality of the Aksium, so why not upgrade to the Kysrium SL's? Excellent rim/hub combo. I only have alittle over 5,000 miles on mine but they have been great for me. I've done a couple doubles with them and they are the best I've ever had.

[MTBMaven]

I have a set of Renyolds Alta Race I picked up super cheap from Price Point several years ago. Mid-deep v rim, 20 front 24 rear butted non-blade spokes, DT Swiss re-badged hubs. They have been excellent. Worth looking for if you can find them on sale. I think I get them for $200 or less.

[MnMDan]

Thanks for the heads up on twowheels.com and Neuvation...I've also checked out WheelBuilder.com but the sheer variety is a little over my head right now until I get the $$$ and time to build up my dream set of ZIPP 303's the right way.

With most of the wheelsets out there using aero spokes if they're over $250/set (my Aksiums have them), you'd expect shops to carry a few in selected lengths since a lot of them use the standard J-bend at the hubs...but nay. At least a straight spoke using the standard J-bend will work in a pinch...why I'm staying away from MAVIC unless I purchase a whole bunch of spokes at the same time. MAVIC has gotten killed recently for its handling of its Carbon-Fiber spoke failures, and its woeful customer service has trickled down to its lower-level wheelsets. So far, I'm hearing through a few back doors that they're also slow on dealer support this side of the pond.

Either way, I'm stocking half a wheel's worth of spokes and nipples with whatever I end up with. It might be tough to true a wheel in the middle of a double, but its better than trashing the rims.

[ghixon]

I have a set of '09 Rolf Prima Elan's that I picked up off E-Bay. I use them (normally) on long climbing days, but I've done 2-3 century training rides on them without any issues.

The only downside - you have to get the spokes from Rolf. Not really a problem, but make sure you order a few extras.

I've also heard some very good things regarding ROL Race SL's.

[Chewyeti]

I've the 6600 ultegra wheelset... been bombproof on 130+ mile rides.....

I'm also 6-3, 240lbs

[SnookDawg]

I can understand the hesitation on Mavic due to the carbon spoke thing, but honestly their 32h rims are pretty solid and a decent value. I always stick to 32h so I can ride them home if I break a spoke and also I run a little heavier at 180lbs. I am running DT RR1.1 double eyelets which aren't particularly light at 460g but have been super solid. Given your intention of mostly using the rims for doubles and training, with the occasional race, I'd focus on durability over weight.

I think for my upcoming build I am going to go with Open Pro Silver rims which should last several years.

How many years/miles were on the Bonts? Cracking of the nipples and around the eyelets will happen with just about any setup given enough time and wear. Still, a well-built wheelset should last you several years. Obviously the lifetime of a race-specific wheel with lighter materials could be shorter in some cases.

[FFW]

For Doubles I had Frank Francis (RIP) of Bicycle John's build me a set of bomb proof wheels:
32h Mavic Open Pro
3X rear / 2X front
King hubs
DT db spokes

Frank soldered the spokes at the cross points which made them so strong i've not had to true them yet after more the 10K miles. A little heavier then Kyserium's but then again, I've had two front Kyseriums and one rear develop cracks in the rim at the spoke - once derailing a DC in a very remote area that did not have cell service.

I still put on my kyseriums when I want to go shorter / faster or for racing but for longer rides 100+ putting on Frank's wheel means one thing less to fail.

[gr@sshopper]

The rear hub on my neuvations shattered while I was out for a ride.

They'll give me a new hub, but I just don't trust it, you know?

I've got a set of dtswiss r1.1's on DA that Mike at Coates laced up. I like em.

[MnMDan]

Wheels were bought w/ the bike in June 2009, 9k miles, roughest ride was the Fall Death Valley DC...no broken spokes. Most of my mileage is SART in OC, PCH from Oceanside to Long Beach, and Santiago Canyon Rd on occasionally glass-strewn roads. Front nipples started failing first, then rears, then rear eyelet cracking, then front eyelet cracking.

Got a good deal on a Shimano Dura-Ace clincher wheelset that I'll do a 100-mile break-in, retension, then give them a test at the Bulldog @ Pendelton end of the month followed by the March Death Valley DC.

[singleSSpeedster]

every now and then you can find a killer deal on dt swiss mon chasserals. VERY good wheels and at 160, i am pretty sure you can run them every day.

very light too, they will climb well. and, dt hubs rock!

i'd be on mon chasserals but i got a killer deal of a set of practically new king/areoheads from a guy doing a fire sale before he was moving overseas.