Okay I’m in the market for new road wheels but it’s a minefield of choice out there.....
Go to option was always Mavic stock wheelsets, but I do wonder if there is better for the money?
I’ve looked at Hunt and they are basically Kinlin rims and Novotec hubs - so bought in generic wheelsets - maybe better, maybe worse than Mavic?
Borg Wheels also use Kinlin rims but you get the option of a hand built rim to a much better hub such a Dura Ace or DT Swiss.
Then there are other wheel builders who use rims such as Pacenti Forza laced to anything you want - DT, Dura Ace etc.
Cheapest option are Hunt, most expensive are Pacenti Forza / DT - in my sub £800 category.
Ive Googled the granny out of this and remain confused.
I’m not sure which option to take. Any thoughts?
Personly if I can I’ve had Dt 240 hubs or Dt star ratchet based wheels like Specialized roval.
My main road bike is 240 hubs and stans alpha 340 , the hubs just keep going rim after rim.
I’m also having a similar debate as to what to buy.
I've looked at new Ksyrium elite , look great, decent eeight, easy to set up tubeless but expensive, various kinlin rims with novatec hubs by various reputable online wheel builders but typically£300-350, the hunt 4 season, zondas,Fulcrum r3, prime pro via wiggle, and still not come to a verdict.
I've been looking at Alex CXD4s in addition to the above, but I'm very much confused.com!
It is confusing and I’m really not sure either on wheels and can relate to what you guys are posting.
Hunt are maybe a cheaper way to get Mavic level quality? But are handbuilts with better hubs that much different for the average rider? Sure rims wear out before hubs and you can get them rebuilt but do they actually run better?
I have handbuilts on my mountain bike and I’m not sure I ctually notice a difference between those and factory built wheels.
At the moment head says just go and get Mavics or Hunts but heart says get handbuilts...........
There honestly really isn't very much difference in ride quality at that price. Some of the factory wheels have odd spokes/nipples but if you know you'll be able to get hold of them then that's not much of a problem. You should probably get whichever ones you think will look nicest on your bike.
Thanks Stevious
too be honest I like the look of the Mavic Ksyrium - is there much difference between the Pro and the Elite that warrants the higher price on the Pro?
If ur stuck - have think about after sales support. I've waited ages for mavic spares in the past, especially during/around any French holidays.
Hunt on the other hand have been A1 with service and support. One occasion, it was absolutely stellar customer service. Above and beyond and the best CS I've had in 30 years of buying bikes/parts etc.
I started out on campagnolo khamsins then onto zondas which were miles better. I then went to hand-built archetypes on miche hubs then to carbon rims on Novatec hubs.
The hand-built wheels were okay. They went out of true quickly though so took some maintenance. Bearings were good and lasted well.
The carbon wheels are great as they're very light but braking is nowhere near as good as alloy rims so they're only suitable for dry rides. Additionally I'm not sure the seals on the hubs would stand up to much of a soaking but they do run very smooth.
For that reason I now have another pair of zondas for general use. They just can't be beaten for stiffness, low maintenance, smoothness, weight and value. I remember someone saying you would only ever need to look at 2 pairs of wheels - zondas for training and boras for racing. I've no experience of boras but to be honest if you only ever had zondas you'd be doing fine. I've got carbon wheels for bling only, I'm under no illusion that they're any better than the zondas in fact all in all they're probably worse.
Thanks for the input chaps - I think at my cub £800 price range it probably is pick what I like the look of best.
I build my own wheels these days, but the last factory wheels I bought were fulcrums. They seemed better specced than similarly priced mavics. Might be worth a look.
I think the hunts are hand build in a factory. They seem ok to me - and for £300 or below they were the lightest disc wheels I could find. I was warned off fulcrum for a similar price due to bearing issues.
There are some Hope wheels as well but they seemed expensive for what you got. Ksyriums were over £100 more for a heavier wheel.
The hunts came taped for tubeless with tubeless valves supplies if that makes any difference?
Also, I’ve tested their crash replacement scheme - properly smashed a wheel into the biggest pot hole I’ve ever seen - bent the rear rim. 2 days later I had a new rim delivered for 30% off rrp.
