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Having bought a Bombtrack Needle fixed crit frame as a bit of an impulse buy, i was planning on running it singlespeed and have a lovely White Industries freehub, only thing i need for the build is a set of wheels, i have Miche hubs on another SS and they have worked well, but thought i'd try and find a set of fully built wheels for £200-300 range, trouble is and whilst i am not the lightest of riders, they all seem to be 2.5kg for a pair of wheels?
I guess weight doesn't matter so much on the track, but any reason all fixie/ SS wheels for the road are so heavy?
I'd wondered this as well!
Solid axle hubs must contribute a little bit, and what you lose in freehub body you gain in hub shell (and slightly longer spokes?).
Plus a lot of singlespeed wheels seem to be aimed at the urban crowd and are built really tough, lots of 36 hole builds out there etc.
In fact, singlespeeds in general always seem really heavy considering what they cost and the savings made on the transmission components.
You're right in that the hubs are always on the heavy side, but even then i don't understand why the wheels can't be 1800-1900g not 2500plus often...
Mine are pretty light.
White Industry hubs on Mavic Open Pro with DT Swiss double butted spokes. Don't know the exact weight but they're under 2kg.
Mavic Ellipse aren't too bad (<1900gms) I think and would look good on that frame. Make sure you post pics when it's built.
If you want to get wheels built/build your own, the DT Swiss track hubs are relatively affordable and not too heavy for high flange.
I got a decent rear wheel built up on open pro UST for my pre-cursa - nice strong wheel that isn't too heavy. Need a bit of heft to it for when you case the bike through the potholes.
Mine are novatec hubs and DT R460 rims. Total weight according to the DT calculator is 1842g, not sure if that included nuts* or not. Plenty strong enough, I use them for CX/gravel.
I think it boils down to the target markets not being fussed by weight. Track bikes don't need to be, commuters want robustness, hipsters want deep sections. Lightweight would add cost.
*bear in mind wheel weights are often quoted without QR's.
Plus a lot of singlespeed wheels seem to be aimed at the urban crowd and are built really tough, lots of 36 hole builds out there etc.
I've yet to find any decent build SS wheelsets, I normally get through a rear wheel in 1-2 years of commuting 5 miles / day. They're mainly just cheap rubbish as far as I can tell (and very heavy with it).
Are you limited to singlespeed wheels? I also couldn't find the wheels I wanted and have ended up building a couple of rear wheels for singlespeed based on Shimano freehubs. I'd never built a wheel before although I'd trued a few.
I just built the second for myself. H plus son archetype rim 36h is 470g, spokes 229g (DT alpine iii DS 7.2g, Sapim d-light NDS 5.5g), nipples will be 36g and the deore t610 hub is 365g. £50ish for the rim, £17 for the hub, about £20 for spokes, washers and nipples. You could save about 50g by going down to 32 spokes. Took under 2.5 hours to build but please don't ask how long the first took (relaced it three times!)
(5.5×18)+(7.2×18)+36+470+365=1100g
plus say ~10g of rim tape and a quick release. It'll gain a bit when I switch it over to a solid axle. My first wheel for a disc bike is about to become free/fixed using one of velosolo's 6 bolt cogs.
tinas has it - for a commuter fixed the low cost of transport is the goal, so you build a rear knowing it'll last and last (especially if you run fixed with no rear brake). Also light wheels invariably mean fewer spokes which can be impractical for an all year round commuting and pothole proof.
from what I remember hub weights are the same but a single screw on fixed cog is a lot less than the cassette and mech you don't have.
cheap steel SS are heavy but you don't have to spend a lot more to get a dolan that is light enough and strong.
I normally get through a rear wheel in 1-2 years of commuting 5 miles / day
that's not surprising if you have a rear brake because the rim gets burnt through and that weakens the wheel. 5 miles a day is a not inconsiderable wear and tear on a wheel, especially if stop start for traffic, lights etc.
Thanks all, few ideas there, any recommendations for rear 120mm hubs?
I've got Phil hubs, but they're heavy like a tank.
If I was buying new now I'd get Goldtec. Made in the UK too.
IIRC Paul don't have a 42mm chainline, so avoid those.
This is a bargain if 24h will work: https://www.bike24.com/p2155786.html
SunXCD are interesting but haven't tried them.
https://www.veloduo.co.uk/products/sun-tour-sunxcd-large-flange-hubs
Have Open pros, Sapim Race on Miche low flange track hubs. About 1700g. Yes SOME are heavy bombproof monsters, but they aren't all. Solid axles, steel tracknuts and high flanges do not help. Nor do faux deep section heavy rims.
that’s not surprising if you have a rear brake because the rim gets burnt through and that weakens the wheel. 5 miles a day is a not inconsiderable wear and tear on a wheel, especially if stop start for traffic, lights etc.
The original wheels on the Il Pompino were quite good, they lasted maybe 5 years and I wore the rim out to the point where it started deforming.
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However, ever since then I've not found a set which doesn't just snap spokes left right and centre, or have the rim buckle massively from a small knock on a kerb...
The wheels on my fixed gear bike weight 1700 grams. I use a road front hub at 100 grams, DT rev spokes and DT 460 rims at 450g each. The only heavy bit is the rear hub which is a Fix G (as it takes splined cogs rather than screw on) and that weighs around 330 grams.
Cost well under £200 to build too.
As for overall bike, that weighs 6.4kg and cost less than £800 to put together. Pretty light bike for £800 in my opinion so they certainly don't need to be heavy if you know what you are doing when you put it together.
About the only road wheel which gets more abuse than the rear wheel of a fixed is a unicycle, so you want it to be strong.
However there's no reason for the wheels to be heavy, and it's easy enough to build a strong wheel.
There's no need for exotic parts, e.g. hubs, just decent quality stuff (my preference is for 36 hole wheels) and don't aim for light, just no heavier than it need be.
Yes, I wouldn't skimp on spoke count on the rear wheel (I use 32) but have built quite a few with DT Revs and light rims and they haven't given me a single problem in years of riding. I also ride it off road and also brakeless so a fair bit of skip stopping so the wheel gets as hard a time as a 'road' wheel could get.