[Anders]

i built up a budget roadbike a year ago from a local bike swap. i got a wheelset for $50 that was at least 5 years old and looks to be off a touring bike. richey rims, no name hubs, 28 spoked i believe

anyways after going down a local mountain much faster then i shoudlve the front wheel felt like it was gonna explode, so im thinking of picking up a new set. im looking for a cheap wheelset that is strong as im 210 lbs and ride on some rough backroads. any recomendations? im looking for function/price, bling doesnt matter for me

nashbar has some Shimano 5600 Road Wheelset for $250. they any good?
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=6000131&subcategory=60001197&brand=&sku=21192&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=Shop by Subcat: Road Wheels - Pairs

 

[DirtyMike]

Assuming you are looking for a 700 wheel, a good combo that is very strong without destrying your wallet would be a MAvic Open pro 32 hole mounted to your hub of choice, I would use at least a tiagra hub myself, not the lightest but it holds up great, Maybe a 105 read and a tiagra front, Have them custom built and prestresed, they will hold up for a very long time, I run Open pros on Ultegra hubs myself, And i use them for road and Cyclecross. After 4 months still havent had to true them. If you lived in my area i would have you come to my shop so i could build you up a set. Couple of teh plusses to these wheels.

Low rotational weight, strong, looks good, Reinforced eyelet, wide stance, Easy to get tires on/off, 32 hole wheel, makes truing easier and more consistant, If you build them up on a 105/tiagra combo youll be just a little more than the wheels your looking at at Nashbar and youll be getting a Hand built wheel that will outlast the prebuilts from nashbar

 

[LordOpie]

I've got about 5000 miles on my Mavic Open Pros with Ultegra hubs and haven't blown a spoke yet. That includes the occassional bunnyhop or drop off a curb. If you look for a sale, you can get them for $200-250 for a set.

 

[Zutroy]

I've got Open Pro rims on 105 Hubs, 32 DT straights i think. Got them from preformance little over a 100 if i remember. Had them 4 years now. It's hard to beat the open pros for nice training rims.

 

[JRogers]

Another vote for Open Pros. Reasonably light, very strong and easy to find and get a good price on. I have a set built to Ultegra hubs which I use for road and cyclocross. I rarely have to true them or do any other maintenance.

 

[Anders]

yah im looking at them on performance as well. thx for the tips

 

[DirtyMike]

yah im looking at them on performance as well. thx for the tips

Do yourself a favor, get them from a shop that will ahnd build, theyll last longer and ride better. If you do get the Prebuilt from performance, at least have them retentioned by someone who is really good at building a wheel. You should be able to build them up at a shop by hand for under 300

 

[LordOpie]

Do yourself a favor, get them from a shop that will ahnd build, theyll last longer and ride better. If you do get the Prebuilt from performance, at least have them retentioned by someone who is really good at building a wheel. You should be able to build them up at a shop by hand for under 300

I agree about handbuilt, but at Performance, even if you get a set that start falling apart within a few months, they'll replace them for free. Some of the machine built must be solid by random chance

 

[DirtyMike]

That is very true

 

[LordOpie]

oh, my comment is only "valid" if you live/work near a Performance store... shipping wheels back for warranty ain't worth the savings.

 

[DirtyMike]

Thats funny, i absolutly hate dealing with warranty issues that need to be sent out, While there might be problems with shipping, or even the company is just taking longer than expected, in the customers eyes its all your fault and you need to do better by them. I usually do, but still can be a pain

 

[Anders]

i havent asked about road wheels, but the shops around me mark up mtb wheel builds a lot. itd be cheaper to get the performance and just have them tensioned at the shop once i break them in

 

[LordOpie]

i havent asked about road wheels, but the shops around me mark up mtb wheel builds a lot. itd be cheaper to get the performance and just have them tensioned at the shop once i break them in

Solid plan.

FYI: I bought my Open Pros from Performance for $210/set. I didn't need to adjust them and they're still pretty dang true.