A trend I’ve been watching is direct sales of carbon rims from China. It’s an idea with pros and cons. The main pro is price. When you buy direct you’re effectively a wholesale customer as they offer no better terms for dealers.
These rims were supplied by the rider. Weight is the focus with a Tune King 15 front hub, DT Swiss 240S rear and CX-Ray spokes. Total wheelset weight is 1470 grams (29er, 32h). Wow!
Heavier riders can be hard on wheels. Clydesdale/Athena riders need to look at a few factors when choosing wheels: get a strong rim, build with more spokes, select butted spokes and use brass nipples. I sometimes hear the suggestion that straight gauge spokes are better for these applications but untrue! Spokes break from fatigue and breakage usually occurs near the elbow. A butted spoke has a thinner middle section, which is more elastic. This redirects flex from the danger zone to a less risky part of the spoke. This means better durability even though weight may be lower.
Here’s a classic example: Velocity Deep V rims in 32f/36r, Shimano 105 hubs, and butted spokes.
Voilà White Industries T11 hubs, HED Belgium rims, and Sapim CX-Ray spokes. A durable wheelset built from top end components. A hair over 1500g including Veloplugs.
Check out these wheels: DT Swiss 350 hubs laced to H Plus Son Archetype rims. The quality of the hubs is tops — spending more money buys lower weight but not tougher stuff. The rims are very strong. This wheelset uses 28 butted spokes front and rear paired with aluminum nipples to keep weight in check.
I like silver components because they look better with wear. This job used old stock Shimano hubs a rider found at a swap meet. The hubs are showing their age but look great. Less welcome is a dented dustcover on the front hub, which prevented ideal adjustment. I was able to repair the hub with a replacement part and finish the build. The rims are H Plus Son Archetypes in polished silver. These rims are a little bright but will wear to look just like the hubs. I recently compared box section polished rims but Archetypes are my jam. They’re lighter and stronger and look sweet.
But wait there’s more! This is another take on the same rim. I built this wheelset using lighter White Industries T11 hubs, fewer butted spokes and orange aluminum nipples.
People get stuck choosing between the H Plus Son TB14 and the Pacenti PL23. Both look great on vintage-inspired bikes. The PL23 has a tubeless profile, which is the deciding factor for some riders. If you need tubeless, go PL23. Otherwise, and this is most people, go TB14.
Here are some photos so you can compare side-by-side. The PL23 polish is a little rougher but looks good. The TB14 is very bright when new but develops a terrific patina through use and cleaning.
These are 24h HED Belgium rims laced to DT Swiss 240S front and PowerTap G3 rear hubs. With a 24h PowerTap you would be correct if you guessed the rider is a superlightweight.
Voilà DT Swiss 350 disc hubs with a Campagnolo freehub body. Running Campy doesn’t mean you can’t use disc brakes. These are HED Belgium black rims, which look really nice without the silver sidewall. I’ve fitted them with Veloplugs — use the yellow version with HED Belgiums.
These wheels were built with a rider’s Hope hubs, which are a good value. I supplied Pacenti SL23 rims fitted with Stan’s tape. DT Revolution spokes are used on the front and rear non-drive side to keep weight race-friendly (1600 grams). For strength DT Competition spokes are used on the rear drive side.
Voilà a PowerTap G3 wheelset I built with Pacenti SL23 rims and Sapim CX-Ray spokes. The front hub is the understated Alchemy ELF. PowerTap hub prices have dropped lately, making the acclaimed power system accessible to a lot more folks. This is a nice build that doesn’t break the bank.
