# What's your ideal retro-grouch wheelset?



## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

As the title says, what's your ideal neo retro-grouch, do-all road wheelset? Silly-spoke wheels (the marketer's dream of the current boutique wheels) leave me cold. Wheels that I can tune and maintain myself with sensibly priced parts are a must for me. At my pedantic average speeds (17 - 20mph range) aerodynamics or ultralites are not much of a consideration. My wheels get used on both paved roads and dirt so tires range from 25mm to 32mm.

My current best retro-grouch wheels are -

Mavic OpenPro rims. 32h.
DuraAce hubs - 7850 model.
DT Comp spokes.
Aluminum nipples.
Weight - 1762g.

But if I could dream, my choice for an all-out set of wheels, but not losing sight of retro-grouchiness, might be -

DT Swiss RR1.1 rims. 28h.
DuraAce hubs (love those hubs!). Hmmm, but what about White Industries hubs?
Sapim CX-Ray spokes or maybe DT Revolutions but Comps would be fine. I've used Rays but never Revs.
Aluminum nipples.
Weight approx - 1645g.
My body weight 175lbs (down from 200 this year!)

What's your ideal choice for non silly-spoke retro (or neo-retro) wheels? Go nuts.


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## foz (Sep 30, 2004)

I'd love a set of ambrosio nemesis rims on royce hubs. 32 spoke, maybe even tied and soldered - just because. I'd run them with vittoria pave 24mm tubs, or maybe veloflex roubaix...


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## backinthesaddle (Nov 22, 2006)

I had a set of Neo-retro-grouch wheels built...

IRD (Nio19) 32hole hoops
White Industries hubset
Sapim CX-Ray spokes

Wheels were built 3x all the way around. Ride like a flipping dream, smoothest hubs and good looking. 1420 grams...


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## MShaw (Jun 7, 2003)

If yer talkin retro: Superbe Pro on some Campy Omega XL clinchers

If yer talkin newer: Mavic 571/2 on some Reflexes

Newer still? D/A and whatever semi-aero rim's out there now.

M


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

my bulletproof set: 
- velocity dyad rear, 36h/3x, I forget the gauge but they are fat spokes
- chubby tires, narrowest I've ever had on that wheel is 28 but usually it's a 32 and a heavy tough one at that
- ancient Performance house brand front, 36h/3x, no name rim and hub but wth it's a front, they never break anyway.

I've broken one spoke, on the front in a cx race, since 2002 on those wheels.

the rear has been trued exactly once and it didn't really need it.


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## Spunout (Aug 12, 2002)

Nemesis on 2006 Record hubs (the shiney silver ones). DT butted spokes, brass nipples.


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## ergott (Feb 26, 2006)

I have a set of:
King Hubs
Sapim Race spokes
brass nipples
Mavic GP4 rims.



-Eric


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## MR_GRUMPY (Aug 21, 2002)

My standard Crit wheels are a 7400 front hub and a 7700 rear. 32 holes all around, GL330 rims, Wheelsmith ovals in front, DT 14/15's in back, brass nips, Sprinter 250's glued on.

My pit wheels are 7400 front and back, 32 front, 36 back. GL330 front, Campy Omega XL sew up rear. DT 14/15's all around, brass nips, Vittoria CX's all around.


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## poonworks (Feb 4, 2009)

definitely campy record hubs with wolber rims: classic ! 
lace them to sapim spokes for something new: excellent !


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## Coolhand (Jul 28, 2002)

DT240 hubs, 28 front, 32 rear built to DT Revo spokes and DT 1.1 rims.

ProRace3's for in season, Specialized All Condition Armadillos for the offseason. 

:thumbsup:


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## Guest (Jun 8, 2009)

I have lots of wheels that would no doubt be labelled retro-grouch.

My favourites are either Record or Dura Ace hubs, Mavis Paris-Roubaix rims and 32 -3x double butted spokes.

Tires ( tubulars) depend on what I'm using the wheels for.


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## Jesse D Smith (Jun 11, 2005)

Mike T. said:


> What's your ideal choice for non silly-spoke retro wheels? Go nuts.


32-hole Ambrosio Excellence rims-consistent quality, eyelets, double wall. Valve hole counterweight with grommet. Maybe the machined braking surface and light anno is a bit futuristic for a genuine retro grouch.

Shimano Ultegra 6500 hubs-should be relevant for as long as loose balls, cone wrenches, grease, and replacement freehubs or a Freehub Buddy remain available.

Wheelsmith DB 14 spokes and brass nipples. 
3-cross. 

Not Penny Farthing retro, but enough to elicit a yawn from those thinking a wheel should do anything more than roll smoothly for a long time.


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## Pieter (Oct 17, 2005)

I have a nice retro front wheel.

1980s Zeus large flange hub, lovely thin center section and tiny spoke holes.
36x 3 cross 15 gauge spokes.
Rigida clincher rim, I estimate 400g or so.

Looks and rides a treat. 840g. 

I use it on my wet weather commuter, but it is actually a shame to waste it like that. 

It's a beauty but showing its age - I get recurrent dreams of servicing and polishing the hub, fitting a set of Wheelsmith DB15's and finding a nice similar rim...


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## kgg (Apr 28, 2003)

Retro? gotta have 36 spokes, I think.

Grouch? well, 14g straight

Hubs? Campy Record - and they better not be cassette-based.

Rims? Mavic GP4

They're hangin in my garage.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

kgg said:


> Retro? gotta have 36 spokes, I think.
> Grouch? well, 14g straight
> Hubs? Campy Record - and they better not be cassette-based.
> Rims? Mavic GP4
> They're hangin in my garage.


Good grief, did you inherit Eddy Merckx's old training wheels? 

Actually I've got the clincher version of those -
Record hubs, 36h, straight 14g spokes, Mavic Open4CD rims.
They're now on my fixed gear bike and have worn 5, 6 & 7 speed freewheels over the years.


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## rdolson (Sep 2, 2003)

My Ultimate Retro wheels are: 

Campagnolo Mozzi Record Strada, Flange Grandi (Large Flange) hubs 36 hole
Laced 3X with DT Competition DB spokes with brass nipples
Campagnolo Omega Strada Hardox tubular rims. (Aero V Profile)

I have had those hubs on a number of different rims. My favorites were Nisi Saludi 320's, but alas, you cant find these anywhere. The current configuration is on my '82 Bianchi. An amazing wheel set, strong and FAST!!!

My Neo Retro wheels are:

Campagnolo Record 2006 hubs (SILVER!!!) 32 hole hubs
Laced 3X with DT Competition DB spokes and brass nipples.
Ambrosio Nemesis tubular rims.

I built those up last season from recomendations from this forum! An absolutely incredible wheel set, they get almost as many complements as the Colnago Master XL that they are on.

My tire of choice for both is the Vittoria Evo CX in 700/23.


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## MR_GRUMPY (Aug 21, 2002)

The first sewup rear wheel I built was 36 hole large flange 4X. I screwed on a 13-18 six speed freewheel (my legs were stronger back then) The front was 36 hole large flange 3X.


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## kgg (Apr 28, 2003)

Mike T. said:


> Good grief, did you inherit Eddy Merckx's old training wheels?


Well, I didn't see enough retro or grouch in this thread, so I thought I'd up the ante.


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## brewster (Jun 15, 2004)

I currently have:

Chris King hubs, 32h
Sapim Race spokes, 14/15, 3X, brass nips
Velocity Aerohead OC rims

and 

Dura Ace 7401 hubs
DT spokes, 14/15, 3X, brass nips
Mavic CXP33 rims

Both look retro. Both are strong and never need truing. If I had to choose, I prefer the King/Velocity combo a little better since they are lighter, accelerate quicker and the buzzing freewheel always attracts attention. I don't feel like I'm missing anything at all not riding the modern boutique wheels.

brewster


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## MisterMike (Aug 12, 2004)

I love my Velocity Fusions with Ultegra hubs. 28H front 2x, 32H rear 3x drive/2xnon-drive. Sapim spokes. Not the CX-Ray spokes because what retro grouch would pay the extra $ for those.

No fancy f-ing spokes to break and strand me. A good old park "black" wrench is all I need in my pack should ever a spoke break far from home.

True confession: OK, they use veloplugs instead of rim tape. I guess Velox would be called for to be really "grouchy"... it's our secret.


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## baker921 (Jul 20, 2007)

I have 36 spoke de-stickered OPs, ACI db spokes 3x on 105 hubs all silver.
I can't see any diff between the 10 speed 105 and Ultegra hubs, the main diff seems to be that Ultegra is available in a lower spoke count. Am I right inthinking 105 is an older model name? or will somebody correct me and tell me that my 105's are made of cheese!
Not dissing the Ultegras as I have them laced to CXP33's.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

MisterMike said:


> True confession: OK, they use veloplugs instead of rim tape. I guess Velox would be called for to be really "grouchy"... it's our secret.


Veloplugs?  Ok Mister, you're *this* close to us installing some exploding  r-sys wheels to your bike and launching you down Pikes Peak. This IS a retro-grouch wheel thread doncha know? The nerve!


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## ergott (Feb 26, 2006)

Real retro-grouch wheels are tubular. Clincher is a new fad that will never catch on:thumbsup: 

-Eric


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

ergott said:


> Real retro-grouch wheels are tubular. Clincher is a new fad that will never catch on:thumbsup:
> -Eric


I knew soon after I started this thread that it should have been titled "Neo-RetroGrouch". Some things can never be undone.


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## Nashua (Aug 1, 2007)

MShaw said:


> If yer talkin retro: Superbe Pro on some Campy Omega XL clinchers
> 
> If yer talkin newer: Mavic 571/2 on some Reflexes
> 
> ...


 funny you say that. In the Mid 90's I had someone by the name of M. Shaw from salt lake city build be a set of campy omega clinchers on a mavic 571 hub. I still have them on the same colnago superissimo.


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## brewster (Jun 15, 2004)

Velox is retro now? .....nobody told me.....I feel so cheated.


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## MShaw (Jun 7, 2003)

Nashua said:


> funny you say that. In the Mid 90's I had someone by the name of M. Shaw from salt lake city build be a set of campy omega clinchers on a mavic 571 hub. I still have them on the same colnago superissimo.


Wasn't me. 

I still have a NIB set of the 571/2 hubs waiting for a suitable time to build em into the Campy Omega XL rims I got a while back. Bought 3 of em 'just in case.'

I'm not riding as much as I was in SoCal, DC, or Denver, so its not imminent that they're gonna be built.

M


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## Guest (Jun 10, 2009)

kgg said:


> Retro? gotta have 36 spokes, I think.
> 
> Grouch? well, 14g straight
> 
> ...


I have a number of those wheels in my garage.

And 2 drawers full of freewheels of various sizes.


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## boneman (Nov 26, 2001)

*my choices*

Rider weight 58kg, riding style is smooth, current local riding conditions are brutal

Tubular

Super Record, Dura Ace or C Record for 126mm

Campag Chorus or Record for 130mm

32x w/14/15 DT spokes 3x

Mavic GP4 red label or SSC rims

Vittoria tires

I have numerous variations of these wheels and some with Super Champion/Wolber rims but they're all in storage. In the States where I ride, tubs are fine. My last two locations, London and Shanghai, there's too much road debris and glass to use tubs.

Clincher- currently my main wheel set and bomb proof

Campagnolo Record 10 hubs

36x w/14/15 DT spokes 3x

Ambrosio Excellight Rims

Panaracer Pasela TG 25c tires



Mike T. said:


> As the title says, what's your ideal retro-grouch, do-all road wheelset? Silly-spoke wheels (the marketer's dream of the current boutique wheels) leave me cold. Wheels that I can tune and maintain myself with sensibly priced parts are a must for me. At my pedantic average speeds (17 - 20mph range) aerodynamics or ultralites are not much of a consideration. My wheels get used on both paved roads and dirt so tires range from 25mm to 32mm.
> 
> My current best retro-grouch wheels are -
> 
> ...


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## baker921 (Jul 20, 2007)

Surely using genuinely old stuff is cheating, thats got to be "classic" or "vintage". IMO retro is new but looks like old eg MINI, VW Beetle or Fiat 500.


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## pigpen (Sep 28, 2005)

right now

Ultegra 32s in Open Pros, 3x, straight gauge, brass (9)
Records (wish silver) in Open Pros, 3x DB14s, brass (11)

in the works

White Industries 32s in Ambrosio Excellights, 2xF, 2x3x R, alloy & brass (11)
White Industries 32s in Reflexs, 3x, brass (11)


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## dookie (Oct 1, 2007)

record freewheel hubs
fir st120 tubular rims
32 3x DT 14/15/14
vittoria paves

call me oscar.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Great responses and great wheels guys. We had the whole gamut from Vintage, Classic, Retro to Neo Retro - everything that wasn't "boutique silly-spoke visually eccentric". Maybe a new term will be "Un R-Sys".

I take great comfort in riding wheels that, if I break a spoke, I won't have to phone for a ride home and I can fix later with a spoke wrench and a $0.75 spoke, probably found in my stash.

It's depressing to see the ubiquitous boutique wheels on all the bikes in the shops. I feel sorry for newer people getting into cycling who will think that eccentric wheels are the only choice.

Dookie said it in the post above - "Call me Oscar".


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## jpdigital (Dec 1, 2006)

*My 1st self-built wheels qualify...*

Campag Record Hubs 32H
DT Swiss RR 1.1 rim w/ double-eyelets
DT Swiss Comp spokes laced 3X
Brass nipples (toxic sweat corroded the Aluminium nipples on a privious set of wheels).

Hubs were black w/ silver spokes & rims.


Unfortunately, taking a fast-ish decent on an unfamiliar Brooklyn road with a _series of deep_ potholes at the bottom caused the demise of my 1st self-built wheels. :cryin: Despite bottoming out tires that were _just_ inflated to 120psi and bashing in the brake tracks, once the LBS was able to pull out the dents and try to true them, they were still [relatively] rideable.

In fact, what the impact they were subjected to and how they came out of it pretty much sold me on so-called "traditional" wheels. Man I loved riding them.

Hence, I'm rebuilding (tomorrow, in fact) around my Record Hubs, this time:

DT Swiss RR 465 rim (same rim, different name)
DT Swiss Super Comp spokes (triple butted, slightly lighter but not quite as light/pricey as Revos)
Laced 3X
Brass nipples once again.

This time the hubs/rims/spokes will be black with silver nipples. Tires are Veloflex Masters w/ gum sidewall to set off the _"retro-grouch"_(gone modern) theme (OMG I love those tires).


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## Zen Cyclery (Mar 10, 2009)

Well, this isn't exactly retro but it has always been my dreamset. Oh and I know this is a road forum but it would be for the downhill rig: 

CK 20mm/150mm ISO black
Egde 26'' AM Rims with red graphics
Sapim Cxrays Red 

Oh and concerning the retro inquiry, Im gonna have to agree with brewsters first choice


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## eddie m (Jul 6, 2002)

All that stuff is too modern for me. My favorite wheels were Campy record hubs (1976?), 36 15 gauge spokes, 3X, with Super Champion Arc-en-Ciel rims. Ben Serotta told me his sister built them. I wish I still had them, but they were stolen.

em


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

eddie m said:


> All that stuff is too modern for me. My favorite wheels were Campy record hubs (1976?), 36 15 gauge spokes, 3X, with Super Champion Arc-en-Ciel rims. Ben Serotta told me his sister built them. I wish I still had them, but they were stolen.


I've got some of those but the tubular rims were removed long ago and replaced with Open4CD. My race wheels ('74/'75 & '76 era, long gone but not stolen) were large flange Campagnolo with Mavic World Hour Record rims (the very light and gold colored ones) with 36 spokes, x3, tied & soldered. They had chrome plated spokes too - which pre-dated the current good stainless ones.

Ahhh the memories!


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Zen Cyclery said:


> I know this is a road forum but it would be for the downhill rig


Zen, go wash your mouth out with soap & water


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## Salsa_Lover (Jul 6, 2008)

DA Hubs/GP4 rims/Revos-Comps


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## strathconaman (Jul 3, 2003)

Superbe Pros laced 3x to Open 4CDs. 

wait....

I broke a flange on those last year! Now its Superbe Pro rear and XC Pro front...


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## Rocket-Sauce (Nov 9, 2005)

Neo Retro? A modern version of classic? So all modern equipment that looks classic?

Electra Ticino Hubs + skewers
Mavic Reflex rims, silver of course
DT spokes (straight gauge, of course)
4 cross, tied and soldered. 
Challenge tubs


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## dualpivot (Oct 25, 2009)

How's this for neo-retro. I just scored a new front wheel via Craig's List...Sun CR18 rim, 32 14g spokes, radial spoking, Tiagra hub. $40 with some minor scuffing on the braking surface. it appears to be 'true enough' i.e. no visible wobbles when eyeballing it next to the brake pad.


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## slowdave (Nov 29, 2005)

i have a couple of reto grouch wheels
record 28 spoke rear
sapim x-rays
zipp 440 tubular

WI mach 28 spoke front
sapim x-rays
zipp 340 tubular

campag 32 F&R 
sapim laser
campag montreal 76 clincher
all built 3 cross

just playing with a 70's vintage record high flange 36 rear track hub
built 3 cross sapim laser to a open pro got it straight and true next is to tie and solder then polish the races.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

slowdave said:


> just playing with a 70's vintage record high flange 36 rear track hub
> built 3 cross sapim laser to a open pro got it straight and true next is to tie and solder then polish the races.


Ooooh ahhh! I have early '70's Campagnolo high flange track hubs on my track bike laced x3 with Sapim Race to OpenPro rims - and tied & soldered too.


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## slowdave (Nov 29, 2005)

i was pretty happy to pick the hubs up on a $200 ebay special. a bad paint job can save you money.


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## fast ferd (Jan 30, 2009)

I luv this thread from last year. Glad somebody revived it.

I almost needed to sell my youngest son to pay for some new Open 4CD 32h rims - my favorite of all time. They'll get laced 3x to Dura-Ace 7403 hubs using 14/15 DT spokes and brass nipples. These wheels run on the heavy side with superior strength. No plans on ditching the shiny steel skewers for lighter ones.


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## slowdave (Nov 29, 2005)

Well thanks to Mike T and his website i have just tied and soldered the track wheels, when the hips better i will take them for a spin, next for the ultimate non retro wheelset, powertap hub to sapim spokes 3 x open pro or dt swiss.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

slowdave said:


> Well thanks to Mike T and his website i have just tied and soldered the track wheels, when the hips better i will take them for a spin, next for the ultimate non retro wheelset, powertap hub to sapim spokes 3 x open pro or dt swiss.


How did it go? I've done many sets over the years but I won't claim it makes any difference.


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## MShaw (Jun 7, 2003)

Nashua said:


> funny you say that. In the Mid 90's I had someone by the name of M. Shaw from salt lake city build be a set of campy omega clinchers on a mavic 571 hub. I still have them on the same colnago superissimo.


From my second post: The third Campy Omega XL is now laced onto an Ultegra hub that got taco-ed by the ex- a few weeks ago. That's a backup wheel for my cross bike, so hasn't been ridden yet.

The other two are still waiting patiently.

M


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## Blue CheeseHead (Jul 14, 2008)

Open Pro's, Silver, sans Stickers, 28h
Dura-Ace 7700 hubs.

They roll like butter.


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## napolinige (Nov 11, 2009)

I have a set of Record 28h laced to OPs with Veloflex Corsas. When the rear went on me I rebuilt it with the help of Mike T's website and a book he recomended in another thread (books are well retro). It's still going strong. I'm tempted to go all italian with Ambrosio Exellights if only for the pleasure of building my own set of wheels. I'd love to try tubulars but I generally ride alone and the roads here (Naples, Italy) are pretty broken and rough. In addition I regularly ride over a short section of cobbles that I think were laid in roman times that pass under an arch that was once the gate to a city (no longer present) which was originally Greek. My point being they're quite old and rather uneven. 

Thanks Mike and all the other regular posters here. I've learnt a lot from you all.


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## Fogdweller (Mar 26, 2004)

I have two sets of retro on hooks in the garage:
Low flange record hubs in 32 hole, DT 15g with red alloy nips on Open 4cds from around 1994.
High flange record hubs in 28 hole, DT 15/16 in front, 15g in back, red alloy nips on Fiamme Ergal tubulars, tied and soldered from around 1982. I think I weighed 140-150lbs when I was racing in my yute.

Now I ride a mix of King, DT, D/A stuff and I'm sorry to report that it all feels the same to me on the road. The 1450g set might spin up a bit quicker than the 1600g set but they are all just wheels while underway.


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## Erion929 (Jun 10, 2010)

Ok, I get the "retro", but gotta ask....what's the "grouch" part?  

**


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## Gnarly 928 (Nov 19, 2005)

strathconaman said:


> Superbe Pros laced 3x to Open 4CDs.
> 
> wait....
> 
> I broke a flange on those last year! Now its Superbe Pro rear and XC Pro front...



Hey, I have some of those that I still ride on my steel bike from the 80s. Never ever touched the bearings and they are still nice. I have some other superbe pro front hubs laced into Zipp 303 tubular 28 radial lace..Good training wheels for my modern bike.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Erion929 said:


> Ok, I get the "retro", but gotta ask....what's the "grouch" part?


I seem to spend most of my internet writing time ranting and grouching about the new crop of boutique factory-builts. This from my OP - "Silly-spoke wheels (the marketer's dream of the current boutique wheels) leave me cold." And until someone donates or loans me a pair of fancy wheels so that I can prove myself wrong, I'll keep on grouching.


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## Erion929 (Jun 10, 2010)

Mike T. said:


> I seem to spend most of my internet writing time ranting and grouching about the new crop of boutique factory-builts. This from my OP - "Silly-spoke wheels (the marketer's dream of the current boutique wheels) leave me cold." And until someone donates or loans me a pair of fancy wheels so that I can prove myself wrong, I'll keep on grouching.



Ohhhh, ok....that's why the grouch for my question on wheel bling  

You DID get Zen to step up for the custom wheelbuilders, no? Now you just need someone from the Fancy Dancy Store to step up! :thumbsup: 

**


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Erion929 said:


> Now you just need someone from the Fancy Dancy Store to step up! :thumbsup:
> **


They'd better agree to me cutting a spoke 20 miles from home (actually - totally loosening one off) and be able to weather the screamin'.


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## tigeo (Jun 6, 2010)

I am old-school and was quite suprised by the number of high-end pre-built propietary wheels sets on the market now. For me, I like the simplicity of a "regular" set of wheels. If I were going to build a set tomorrow, I would use Mavic Open 4s with Wheelsmith butted 14/15 stainless spokes and wheelsmith brass nipples. 32 hole front/rear. Radial lace front and 3x rear. Campy hubs.


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## tigeo (Jun 6, 2010)

I am old-school and was quite suprised by the number of high-end pre-built propietary wheels sets on the market now. For me, I like the simplicity of a "regular" set of wheels. If I were going to build a set tomorrow, I would use Mavic Open 4s with Wheelsmith butted 14/15 stainless spokes and wheelsmith brass nipples. 32 hole front/rear. Radial lace front and 3x rear. Campy hubs. Velox tape.


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## knakhemel (Jul 27, 2010)

I highly recommend:

-Mavic Open Pro rims with ceramic braking surface.
-Sapim butted Race spokes (Ø 2.0-1.8–2.0) or Sapim butted Laser spokes (Ø 2.0-1.5-2.0) with Sapim nipples. Sapim nipples are self aligning.
-DT 190 hubs (with ceramic bearings) or the heavier DT 240 hubs. Or Dura-Ace hubs.

I’m still riding the Mavic Classics Ceramic SSC. After 10 years they just will not die on me. These wheels are equipped with rims that are exactly the same as the Open pro Ceramics. You need special green Koolstop ceramic brake pads. Perfect braking performance. Especially in the rain.


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## zandr (Sep 19, 2009)

My wheels are Hope Pro III hubs, Mavic Open Pro rims, 14/15/14 spokes and (for a bit of bling, red) alloy nipples. Both hubs are 32h. The front is straight, rear is 3x (or maybe 2x/3x, can't remember offhand and too lazy to go look). I could probably get away with a lower spoke count but 32 gives me peace of mind, knowing that I don't have to worry too much about hitting cracks in the road or whatnot. As I recall the set sans tape and skewers weighs 1,700g.

I chose the Hope hubs because the LBS cut me a good deal on them and I like the Pro IIs I have on my MTB. When I bought them we actually weighed them versus Dura Ace (7800 IIRC) and Chris King sets and all three weighed within 2-3g of each other. There were bigger differences comparing just fronts or just rears but the total weight was nearly identical for all three.


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## clalor (May 29, 2010)

I built two sets of retro-grouchy wheels this weekend. The first set, for my 25-year-old Merckx:


Campy Record 8-speed hubs, 36h (NOS off of the 'bay)
Mavic Open Pro CD rims
DT Comp spokes w/brass nipples, laced 3x
The second set, every-day replacements for the Easton EA50 SL wheels that came with my new Ridley Compact, are laced but not yet tensioned or trued:


Shimano Ultegra 6600, 32h
DT RR 465 rims, black
DT Comp spokes w/brass nipples, laced 3x
Mike T., thanks for the wheel building page. I built these wheels with help from that and Sheldon Brown's wheel building page. :thumbsup:


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

clalor said:


> I built two sets of retro-grouchy wheels this weekend. The first set, for my 25-year-old Merckx:
> 
> Campy Record 8-speed hubs, 36h (NOS off of the 'bay)
> Mavic Open Pro CD rims
> DT Comp spokes w/brass nipples, laced 3x


OMG! 36h Record?? Thanks a lot Calorie! I just fainted at those wheel specs and whacked my head  



> Mike T., thanks for the wheel building page. I built these wheels with help from that and Sheldon Brown's wheel building page. :thumbsup:


You're very welcome. Glad you could use it for something.


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## clalor (May 29, 2010)

Mike T. said:


> OMG! 36h Record?? Thanks a lot Calorie! I just fainted at those wheel specs and whacked my head


Ha! Great way to say thanks, eh? :wink5: 

36-hole wheels seemed right for the bike and it ended up saving me some money as well. The prices on eBay for the 36-hole Record hubs were much easier to swallow than their 32-hole counterparts. Crazy. Still, I ended up paying $240 for the hubs shipped from Belgium. Which, on second thought, is only $70 less than I spent for ALL of the parts for that second set of wheels. Hmm... ut:


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

clalor said:


> Ha! Great way to say thanks, eh? :wink5:
> 
> 36-hole wheels seemed right for the bike and it ended up saving me some money as well. The prices on eBay for the 36-hole Record hubs were much easier to swallow than their 32-hole counterparts. Crazy. Still, I ended up paying $240 for the hubs shipped from Belgium. Which, on second thought, is only $70 less than I spent for ALL of the parts for that second set of wheels. Hmm... ut:


You mean I'm semi-rich harboring my '86 era 32h Record small flange hubs? OMG! I'd better chop them out of the rims and get them e-bayed!


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