# Boring Low End Wheelset choice



## the_don (Mar 23, 2008)

So, I am thinking of getting a cheap set of wheels for training. I want to do more climbing, the roads in Tokyo are good, so they don't need to be so strong, but strong is always good. I currently have some old Spinergy Rev X!

I would like them to be not too heavy, have a nice ride and was also interested in something with a wider rim.

I am looking at the RS-20, Aksium, Khamsin and as a curve ball (because they are so cheap on ChainReactionCycles) the RS80-C24.

FYI, I ride a Klein Quantum Pro with Full Dura-Ace7800.

Currently my top runners are both of the Shimano's,

The RS-20 if I'm going cheap, and C24 if I'm going to splurge a bit,

So, what are your opinions?:idea:


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## Sebastionmerckx (Mar 6, 2008)

Actually, I'd recommend you buy the Planet X AL30 wheelset. 24/20 bladed spokes and 1620 grams.They are just about 250 shipped from the UK. I wasn't happy with a pair I bought from them a few years ago because of the cassette body but I put a friend on this set and he's beat the hell out of them and they are doing very well. 
http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/WPPXAL30/planet_x_al30_wheelset


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## the_don (Mar 23, 2008)

Had a look at a couple of wheelsets this evening, I had a pair of Aksiums 2 years ago, they were quite nice. 

I had a look at the C24, and they did feel very light, I like carbon rims too as it softens the ride of my stiff Klein. 

the Planet x are light and work out at a good price too, just ¥20,000 shipped to Japan. Currently out of stock at the moment in the shimano hub.


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## BillyWayne (Aug 1, 2011)

I put the Shimano RS80 on my road bike that I use for a lot of climbing and I am impressed with them. They do spin up quick as others have noted. I looked at a bunch of other wheelsets but when I could get the RS80s for as little as I did then I had to get them. While I have other brands of hubs that I like I do prefer the Shimanos. I have used them for years on mountain bikes and now on road bikes as well. Very little maintenance is needed and if it is needed then it is real easy. When I bought the RS80s I had narrowed down my search to the RS80s or Dura Ace C24s. At half the price I had to get the RS80s. Just my two shekels.


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## Rustyrus (Nov 21, 2011)

You have Shimano Dura Ace wheels??????????????

Why on earth would you need a training wheel? This gets way over stated and people waste money to waste money, 

You DA wheel is a training wheel, race wheel, climbing wheel and everything else all in one. Don't waste your money and use what you have that is already rock solid.


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## xjbaylor (Dec 28, 2006)

Rustyrus said:


> You have Shimano Dura Ace wheels??????????????
> 
> Why on earth would you need a training wheel? This gets way over stated and people waste money to waste money,
> 
> You DA wheel is a training wheel, race wheel, climbing wheel and everything else all in one. Don't waste your money and use what you have that is already rock solid.


Pretty sure he said that his current wheels are Spinergy Rev-x. His drivetrain is 7800.


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## dubdryver (Aug 21, 2009)

What is your budget? I may be in the same boat...so your search may help me.

I am looking at the Williams S30 for myself and the S19 for my woman for her road bike.
The other was to get her the S19 and me something in the $900-$1200 for my Cervelo S2.

The biggest problem is that we are primarily mountain bikers, but in the summer we tend to ride more road because of the heat in Florida..so which ever wheelset I/we decide to go with won't be a full time wheel. I don't want to highjack the thread, but maybe someone would have some advice for me as well. 

I have read previous reviews of the Williams S30s, but they have seemed to be upgraded this year (with a new pricetag) and include Sapim CX-Ray spokes, hybrid ceramic bearings and the wheelset is sub 1500g now.
Anyone have some insight on the new wheels??
Maybe they are an option for the OP?
Thanx in advance!


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## the_don (Mar 23, 2008)

Yeah, rev x wheels, they are great, and really fast, but catch the wind a lot and are about 1900g for the pair. 

So I was thinking of some low profile wheels that will be lighter and don't catch the wind. (and are cheap)

The RS-20 are ¥15,000 shipped to Japan,
The Mavic Aksium are ¥17,000 and the Khamsin are ¥20,000. 

I think all these wheels are at the same level weight and ride wise, so I think I should just go with the RS-20. 

The RS-80 are a lot lighter and have carbon rims which give a smoother ride, but cost ¥40,000. Still cheap, I might sell the Rev X so this could end up as my only set too, which is another consideration.


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## danl1 (Jul 23, 2005)

the_don said:


> I like carbon rims too as it softens the ride of my stiff Klein.


When you look in the dictionary under 'placebo effect'... 

Depending on the layup, this can be a factor for some carbon framesets. But because of the nature of a bicycle wheel as a tensioned structure, this really doesn't apply. 

Get them if you want them. Not for me personally, but there are legitimate reasons to make that choice. This just happens not to be one of them.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

I get people who want something with 32 J-bend spokes, a replaceable rim, and a rebuildable hub to train on. If I had something else to race on, I would too.

That is all.


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## the_don (Mar 23, 2008)

danl1 said:


> When you look in the dictionary under 'placebo effect'...
> 
> Depending on the layup, this can be a factor for some carbon framesets. But because of the nature of a bicycle wheel as a tensioned structure, this really doesn't apply.
> 
> Get them if you want them. Not for me personally, but there are legitimate reasons to make that choice. This just happens not to be one of them.


That may be so, but as is widely known, the plural of anecdote IS data!

I am leaning towards just getting the cheapest wheels as there is so little difference between them.


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## the_don (Mar 23, 2008)

In an uninteresting turn of events, I stopped by the local bike shop to have a look around, and noticed that every bike in the place had either R501 or RS-10 wheelsets, one had Aksium, they stock some expensive bikes, average ¥200,000-500,000. 

Makes me think might as well just get whatever. Cheap and cheerful! It's all good! I trust that even the R501 will be a decent wheelset.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

the_don said:


> I am leaning towards just getting the cheapest wheels as there is so little difference between them.


While this is true for performance, for maintenance purposes, some differences do start to crop up.

I don't have any really expensive hubs, but I've had really cheap open ball and Shimano open ball and some sealed bearing hubs. The cheapest open ball hubs didn't have any seals, which is terrible for longevity of the hub. I've thrown out all of them. Shimano does a pretty good job with seals, and I consider it worthwhile to rebuild their hubs. Sealed bearing hubs are relatively easy to rebuild and barring something bizarre, are as good as new afterwards. So I like them fine too. I wouldn't want a rear wheel with a freehub that I couldn't source and replace relatively easily.

I've broken a few spokes. To be honest, this was something that came up when one of my wheels was hitting the end of its life, and after I rode onto some train tracks with a full head of steam and a bag of hand tools strapped to the bike's rack. So if I could have predicted the future, I might have thrown out the whole wheel, rather than replacing the two spokes that broke at the time, then the one that went later, etc. Anyway, they were basic J-bend spokes. So I had no problem replacing them. And sometimes things happen to individual spokes that aren't necessarily a symptom of the whole wheel being on its way out. It's possible to get a bad spoke too, although that's never happened to me.

I've replaced rims while keeping other parts of the build of a wheel the same. I also managed to put cracks in the stock rim on a bike with a low spoke count recently.

For me, training wheelset is synonymous with high-mileage wheelset. So I think it's worth giving a little thought to how easy or difficult it is to maintain.


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## jmorgan (Apr 13, 2012)

I have RS-80's and they feel great for half the price of Dura-ace.


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## charlox5 (Jan 31, 2011)

I rode RS20's for a little while and liked them for the price. 

have you looked into Soul S2.0? might price in between the Rs80's and the RS20's.


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## tober1 (Feb 6, 2009)

I recently bought a pair of RS-20's from chain Reaction. Got them on sale at a great price.
I'm totally pleased with them. True out of the box and roll really nice. I'll throw in a vote for them.


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## tober1 (Feb 6, 2009)

I've never broken a spoke either and perhaps I should have added that I'm 165 lbs. 

Previously I had a set of RS-10's and only replaced them b/c the brake tracks were getting pretty worn.


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## the_don (Mar 23, 2008)

This is starting to get interesting, I have read mixed reviews of the R501 and RS10 and 20, some people say they are fine and never needed truing, other people say they break lots of spokes and are a pain to keep true. 

I have never broken a spoke, so maybe I'm in the safe weight range for wheels.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

the_don said:


> maybe I'm in the safe weight range for wheels.


Maybe you ride like a *****.

:wink5:

Seriously, though - I weigh 170ish lately, but I ride up and down curbs and I'm not shy about rough roads. Rivendell commented on this in their discussion of tire sizes - they think someone who's little and doesn't understand that he's not mountain biking can chew gear a lot more than someone who's big but rides smoothly.


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## Ventruck (Mar 9, 2009)

Khamsins can be had for less than $150, use plain J-bends in the rear, straight but still round spokes up front. Doesn't seem like they need much maintenance anyway. @ ~140lbs and garbage roads ridden frequently they've only needed truing after I was rolling on pinch-flat....on a descent, which chipped roads.

And you get neat-o G3 lacing.

I'd get R500's or R501's before the RS10/20's because of spoke count and iirc the nipples are a less common type on the latter.


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## terbennett (Apr 1, 2006)

Have you considered Neuvations? They are around the same weight as the RS80s and they don't have proprietary spokes. I have a set of Neuvation wheels that have been hellsa strong the four years I've had them. Older ones weren't so great but the newer ones are pretty good. They also uses J-bend spokes and while the hubs aren't Shimanos, they are very reliable and easy to maintain when needed. Four years of hard riding and four crits this year and not a problem with them. Only issue, they are 16/20 spoke count. Still, they are cheap enough to thrash and they hold up very well.


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## Tupelo (Apr 29, 2012)

I just got a set of H and Sons Archetype 28 hole radial laced front, 2x drive side/radial non-drive rear. DT 340 hubs. 130# tension. Weighs in at a snick over 1500g for the pair. $525

The weight is in the hubs so who cares and they are 23mm wide. Gain a bit of aero


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## the_don (Mar 23, 2008)

I had a look in the shop, the RS 10 and 20 have normal nipples (in Japan at least). 

I just placed an order for the RS80 C24 though. I did some searching and found that Planet X had them for £300 shipped to Japan, which works out to ¥35,000! Half what they cost in Japan online and even about 40% LBS price!

So I think I will sell the old wheelset once I get them on the bike too!


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