[proglife]

my buddy bought a specialized tri bike with alx 330 wheels. He weighs about 230 and his rear wheel keeps going out of true. Can anyone recommend a good replacement wheel for him? He'd like to step up a level in quality while he's at it. He's saying absolute max of 600, but I can't imagine he could get something for quite a bit less. Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[loco-gringo]

A good hub on a good rim laced 3 cross is his best bet. I'm surprised at how well my Deep V is going with my Powertap hub. I really actually like it.

 

[sanjuro]

I would definitely recommend a hand-built wheel.

Keep in mind that all the high end wheels, like Mavic Ksyriums, are either lightweight or a compromise between strength and weight.

Flip it around, your friend wants a maintenance free set-up. You ain't getting that with a with 900 gram rear wheel if you are over 200lbs. But those Alex wheels are machine-built in Taiwan, and the quality is extremely low.

I have two sets of wheels, Ksyriums and a Dura-Ace hub/Mavic Open Pro's. The Open Pros I ride on primarily and they hold up well.

 

[James]

Open Pros FTW!
Dura Ace = bombproof, Ultegra for the $$$...

 

[proglife]

thanks for the replies! I'll let him know.

 

[-dustin]

$600 for the rear only? or for the pair?

is he riding it as a tri bike or a road bike?

race only?

if it's his race only rear wheel, 28h DT 1.2 with D/A hub.
if everyday rear wheel, 32h DT 1.2 with D/A hub.
if wheelset, 32h DT 1.1 with Ultegra hub.

 

[proglife]

he races Tri on it and does 100 or so miles a week on the road. He was saying 600 absolute max for the rear wheel, but as always, the cheaper the better. If he can get a lot more strength and gain a little performance, he'd be happy.

DT 1.1/1.2 vs. Mavic Open Pro?

 

[-dustin]

1.1 and Open Pro are pretty much one in the same. I have found both to be quite round out of the box, though my preference is for DT, as they tend to be the quickest build with the most even tension when radially and laterally true. 10 vs. 9.5, really. Both are socketed with smooth braking surfaces. Mavic spends more on marketing.

The 1.2 is has a deeper section...25mm or so. More aero. Heavier. Weight is not much of a concern on tri bikes, aerodynamics is. The 1.2 is not eyeleted, but no deeper dish rim is. It is round, though, and again, that equates to a wheel with spot on tension, and trueness. i built up some RR1.2 rims with Powertap SL hubs, 28h, and they came out to about 1700g. So, again, not the lightest, but stiff and a little more aero. Being raced in sprint-distance triathlons under a 200lb-er.

 

[proglife]

great. thanks dustin. sounds like the 1.2 is what he's looking for. His OEM rims are aero-ish, so that would probably make sense. i'm sure he'll appreciate the advice.

 

[DirtyMike]

Open Pros FTW!
Dura Ace = bombproof, Ultegra for the $$$...

Absolutly, I run Ultegra/Openpro 3x in the back...... Strong as hell, lightweight, very stiff. In a year now of hammering it hasnt gone out of true once.



EDIT.... Just saw the price he is looking for a rear......You can do a full set of Open proes with Ult hubs for about 450 hand built

 

[gonefirefightin]

Velocity deep "V" hoop with a phil woods hub running DT swiss 2.0 straight guage competition spokes in a 3 cross pattern.........he will never need another wheel again

 

[proglife]

Thanks folks. I envy his problem of having to choose between these options.

 

[JRogers]

Not much new info from me. Open Pro/Ultegra set I've had for a few years is awesome. Light enough and completely bomb proof for road and cyclocross. I recently put a set of EA90 SLX wheels on for road riding and they've been holding up fine, but are almost assuredly too light for your friend (spokes are only 18/24).

In any case, just doing a quick search about the ALX 330s it seems like the problem might just be that they are crappy wheels with shoddy builds and that almost anything decent and well built will hold up better. You certainly don't need $600 for that.

 

[James]

Not much new info from me. Open Pro/Ultegra set I've had for a few years is awesome. Light enough and completely bomb proof for road and cyclocross. I recently put a set of EA90 SLX wheels on for road riding and they've been holding up fine, but are almost assuredly too light for your friend (spokes are only 18/24).

In any case, just doing a quick search about the ALX 330s it seems like the problem might just be that they are crappy wheels with shoddy builds and that almost anything decent and well built will hold up better. You certainly don't need $600 for that.

There are the regular EA90s, formerly known as the Orion II wheels. If they held up under my ass, they'll certainly hold up for him. My original set is almost 3 years old, and they're on my rain bike now. I also have a set on my CX bike.

 

[proglife]

thanks for the input. never thought to google the alx wheel. our other friend bought the identical bike at the same time (a year or so ago) and hasn't had to touch his wheels. I guess fatty friend needs a fatty wheel

 

[maddog17]

i've got a set of handbuilt (Colorado Cyclist) Mavic open pro 4cd's that are almost 20 yrs old, 3x laced to shimano 600 hubs and have never had a problem with them. i used them to race and train and i can say they have been the best set of wheels i've ever had. but i would agree that his best bet is to go for a handbuilt, 3x pattern for his weight.