Hi, yes I did read and understand Yellow Saddle's much appreciated comments, and was only drawn to the Campag's because they were designed specifically as CX wheels according to the blurb.They are on offer for £100, but should be around £160. Not that cheap really! The Rear has 24 spokes not 20 as per my previous e-mail, but I agree it is still not many is it. Thanks again for your advice.
I went out on my Shimano Road Wheels that came on my CX bike today, and decided to give them some stick to see what happened. I did 35ml loop using mainly a local old railway route which is currently very muddy, stoney, water-logged etc.. Okay it's not exactly Mtb terrain, but it is close to a lot of CX courses. Anyway, the low spoke count road wheels survived, but there were a few groans from them that gave me the impression that they wouldn't last if continually subjected to the same treatment, so I think 32h is definitely the way to go. I had some built on a previous bike before the cycling boom started to push prices up, and they were spot-on. Mavic Open Pro Rims, Shimano 105 Hubs and DT Swiss spokes. However, I'm sure they would cost me a lot more than the £110 I paid back then. Thanks for the advice
I went out on my Shimano Road Wheels that came on my CX bike today, and decided to give them some stick to see what happened. I did 35ml loop using mainly a local old railway route which is currently very muddy, stoney, water-logged etc.. Okay it's not exactly Mtb terrain, but it is close to a lot of CX courses. Anyway, the low spoke count road wheels survived, but there were a few groans from them that gave me the impression that they wouldn't last if continually subjected to the same treatment, so I think 32h is definitely the way to go. I had some built on a previous bike before the cycling boom started to push prices up, and they were spot-on. Mavic Open Pro Rims, Shimano 105 Hubs and DT Swiss spokes. However, I'm sure they would cost me a lot more than the £110 I paid back then. Thanks for the advice
I had not dissimilar wheels built by @Spoked Wheels, albeit 36 spokes on the rear and Novatec hubs. The parts cost me just under £200 iircI went out on my Shimano Road Wheels that came on my CX bike today, and decided to give them some stick to see what happened. I did 35ml loop using mainly a local old railway route which is currently very muddy, stoney, water-logged etc.. Okay it's not exactly Mtb terrain, but it is close to a lot of CX courses. Anyway, the low spoke count road wheels survived, but there were a few groans from them that gave me the impression that they wouldn't last if continually subjected to the same treatment, so I think 32h is definitely the way to go. I had some built on a previous bike before the cycling boom started to push prices up, and they were spot-on. Mavic Open Pro Rims, Shimano 105 Hubs and DT Swiss spokes. However, I'm sure they would cost me a lot more than the £110 I paid back then. Thanks for the advice
It was probably my Knees! I think it was the nature of the ride more than anything, as I was not going out of my way to avoid much really (pot-holes/debris etc). I was also putting the hammer down a bit so it could have been some degree of flex from the frame or wheel. To be fair for a reasonably cheap wheel set they felt quite light and we're sprightly on the road sections too.
Unfortunately personification of inanimate objects in a technical discussion doesn't help. Even saying that there "could have been some degree of flex in the frame or wheels" is not useful since a) it cannot be felt (although it can be observed if the bike is clamped and loaded) and b), if there were any flex in the wheels, it would have presented as scrape marks at the tyre level on the fork and frame paint.
The noises that I mentioned were nothing that warranted a post mortem, and considering the terrain I was riding on I would doubt that any bike, or wheel set would be completely silent. All that I was 'trying' to say (not always easy in written words) was that the low spoke count wheels where behaving as I would have expected compared to a stronger 32h set. And by 'sprightly' I just meant that on the positive side they rolled well and felt light on the road sections. I obviously don't possess your technical knowledge, and apologise for my use of tardy press talk
I hate it when this happens. Groveling really sucks. Lets just stick to facts, shall we?The noises that I mentioned were nothing that warranted a post mortem, and considering the terrain I was riding on I would doubt that any bike, or wheel set would be completely silent. All that I was 'trying' to say (not always easy in written words) was that the low spoke count wheels where behaving as I would have expected compared to a stronger 32h set. And by 'sprightly' I just meant that on the positive side they rolled well and felt light on the road sections. I obviously don't possess your technical knowledge, and apologise for my use of tardy press talk
I think you read me wrong. I really hate it when it becomes apologetic instead of factual. Even after all that, there are still two statements in there which have no bearing on fact, but when the tone becomes apologetic I then have to play Japanese politician and leave room for face saving. This does not help the debate on how wheels work, but that's that for now.
