# Durable wheels



## GiantX2 (Feb 14, 2006)

I am looking for new wheels, and seem to get different opinions depending on what shop I go to. I will never race, but do ride centuries and try to climb, just not very well. I am a bit of a clyde at 6' 205. I am trying to find the balance between durable and light weight. have looked at kysrium sl, shimano 6700, mavic, ROL, etc. all within price range, but can not decide what I would be most happy with. Where I ride, the roads can be bad, but for the most part they are ok. Any help would be appreciated.

See you on the road


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Handbuilts are much more cost effective than prebuilts and will usually have more spokes, which, for heavier people on so-so roads is better.

A nice set of Open Pro rimmed wheels would be great for you. Site sponsor  Bicycle Wheel Warehouse makes great wheels and with their custom OP wheelsets, you get to pick the hubset you can afford. DuraAce hubs are great.


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## Ranilus (Feb 26, 2010)

Neuvation wheels aren't bad either.


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## zooog (Mar 18, 2002)

Mike T. said:


> Handbuilts are much more cost effective than prebuilts and will usually have more spokes, which, for heavier people on so-so roads is better.
> 
> A nice set of Open Pro rimmed wheels would be great for you. Site sponsor  Bicycle Wheel Warehouse makes great wheels and with their custom OP wheelsets, you get to pick the hubset you can afford. DuraAce hubs are great.


good advice...great company. Nice wheels


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## Youngbloodcj (Jan 20, 2010)

I am 6'2 and 210 lbs, our riding styles sound very much alike. I just purchased a set a handbuilt DT Swiss 465 rims, with 240 hubs and aero spokes. Great wheel for you to consider.


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## kfurrow (May 1, 2004)

Mavic Open Pro's are the usually-nominated rims for durable, cheap wheels. Another rim to consider is the Velocity Aerohead. Similar price, similar weight to Open Pro's, but Aerohead rims have an "offset" design for the rear rim. The offset design helps keep the spoke tension between the "drive side" and "non drive side" spokes equal (or at least closer to equal).

Equal spoke tension all around the rim is what gets you a durable wheel. And if you're just riding for fitness / fun / not-racing, durable wheels mean more time riding, and less time waiting for the shop to fix broken spokes, re-truing wheels, etc.


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## fallzboater (Feb 16, 2003)

Good grief. 

Open Pros are not that good. Aeroheads for durability at 205 lb? Bit of a stretch. C'mon, peoples.


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## kfurrow (May 1, 2004)

fallzboater said:


> Good grief.
> 
> Open Pros are not that good. Aeroheads for durability at 205 lb? Bit of a stretch. C'mon, peoples.


I weigh about 180. While that's somewhat lighter then the OP, it's still not "light" by cycling standards. I've put over 20,000 miles into a set of Aerohead rims. They're as true as the day I got 'em, and they've never seen a spoke wrench. New England roads aren't known for smoothness either, so they've smacked their fair share of potholes.

Previously I had Open Pro's. I did break a few (not a lot) of spokes on those wheels. Whether the durability is due to differences in the rim or the skill of the builder or some combination of both -- who knows?


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## latman (Apr 24, 2004)

I'm heavy 90 + kg and have Ksyrium SSCs (alloy spokes) with no problems .


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*I too*



latman said:


> I'm heavy 90 + kg and have Ksyrium SSCs (alloy spokes) with no problems .


am 90kg plus
I tore a spoke right through the rim wall of a Ksyrium SSC

latman if you hear your wheels creaking be aware
and buy the wheel insurance Mavic offers
getting a new rim, wheel rebuild was over $200 and took over a month
and then I sold them


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## Gevorg (Sep 18, 2006)

I am 207-220Lbs range and had really good luck with the following wheelsets
Mavic Ksyrium Equipe (7,000 miles and going)
Mavic Ksyrium ES (15,400 miles replaced bearings and one spoke at 15,000 miles and still running)
Shimano WH-Rs20 (3,000 miles and running)
Fulcrum Racing 7 ( 2,500 niles and running)
I broke one way or other the following wheels and do not recommend them
Bontrager Race, Race-Lite, Race-xlite
Neuvation M28 Aero and their close cousin Performance Forte Titan/Korsa


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## RLinNH (Apr 23, 2002)

I just went through exactly what you are going through now as far as wheels. Confusing eh? Thank goodness for some of the members here that helped me get through a lot of the marketing mumbo jumbo. Ya see, I recently had a Free Wheel fail on my stock rims(got 10 good years out of those American Classic hubs), and I had to replace my wheels asap. sooooooo


After much to do, I finally settled on a custom wheelset made for me by Ron Ruff from Whitemountainlwheels.com he knows his wheels, and he works with you as far as what you are looking for. You tell him what you told us here, and he can build you a better set of wheels at the price point you are currently looking for. HUBS HUBS HUBS That's right, hubs. Very important criteria for a good wheel. Go to his website and surf around a bit. I did, and I wound up asking him to build me some new wheels. 

In the interim while my wheels are getting built, I purchased some Bontrager Race Lites. Nope, not the best wheels out their, but they will work until my suppahduppah wheels get here. Then I will be using my Bontragers as Winter wheels. Do yourself a favor, and do your homework before you spend your money.


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## jmess (Aug 24, 2006)

Rolf Vigor RS, 34mm for aero, and strong.


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## cmg (Oct 27, 2004)

buy a reasonable light Mavic open pro/ Velocity aerohead /KINLIN xr-200-270 rims with minimum 28 holes, 32 is better for the rear. a light rim with LOTS OF SPOKES will be the best option. won't look hip but be in your price range and be as light as the ones you suggested and cost less. As suggested check and read what BWW has to offer.


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## GiantX2 (Feb 14, 2006)

Thank you for all of the info. Still have a lot of research to do, but you have given me a lot to consider. I appreciate all of your input.

See you on the road


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## booglebug (Jul 16, 2009)

I"m at 193 lb. now but road my easton circuits at 215 lb. lasts year with no problems. Very strong wheel that stays true and rolls well. I think the same wheel is the EA -70 now.

booglebug


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## GiantX2 (Feb 14, 2006)

Again, I would like to thank all of you for your input. I finally made a decision and purchased the Rol race sl's with the 24/28 spoke count and the Swiss DT240 hubs. The wheels finaly arrived and I could not be happier. I put over 600 miles on them and they are stiff and much lighter than my old Mavics. I know 600 miles is not a lot and only time will tell how well they hold up, but for now I could not be happier. Thanks again for all of the input and suggestions. See you on the road.


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## Joel Christopher (Feb 25, 2013)

So...I'm assuming the EA-70s are much stronger than the EA90SLXs cuz I've had a lot of problems with the aluminum nipples breaking on me. Also, I noticed my rear rim is cracked right around the nipple. I had Bontrager Race wheels that did this too. The SLXs are geared so much towards being light-weight that they really lack necessary durability, even by racing standards.


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## Joel Christopher (Feb 25, 2013)

What are open pro rimmed wheels?


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## tednugent (Apr 26, 2010)

Joel Christopher said:


> What are open pro rimmed wheels?


Open Pro - rims - road & triathlon - Mavic


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Joel Christopher said:


> What are open pro rimmed wheels?


As ted says, Mavic OpenPro rims. I have a few sets on the go and they have been excellent. A few forum posters have claimed problems with cracking spoke holes but I've used OP's and their earlier renditions for many years without ever suffering a crack. Maybe they're using too much tension. One of my pairs of OP rims is on my track bike and I can't imagine a rimset getting a tougher workout than on a 50 degree banked 138 meter indoor velodrome. That pair of rims has done tens of thousands of laps with a new banking coming up every six seconds. I choose spokes wisely though - 36/36 for those track wheels.


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