Help required, what 700c single speed wheels ?

[SS Retro]

Help I want to replace the alexrims DA22 on unbranded hubs, for me they have been fine strong enough and reasonably light I ride for pleasure only usually around 30 to 50 miles around the lake district.

I have around £150 to spend the wheels must have a flip flop hub or the ability to take a screw on freewheel not just a fixed sprocket I have the following wheels in mind but could be way off the mark so all advice is welcome please

Dolan navigators
Weinmann DP18's on miche hubs
Weinman pegasus don't know about the painted braking surface?

 

[rb58]

I got handbuilts from my LBS well within that budget...

 

[biggs682]

+ 1 re above comment

 

[SS Retro]

+ 1 re above comment

I got handbuilts from my LBS well within that budget...

Ok so what did your LBS make up for you?

 

[biggs682]

i supplied a pr of New Old Stock large flange incl flip flop rear hubs he supplied the rest all well within your budget

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I have the Miche Xpress Track Wheels on my fixed, they are very good.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/miche/xpress-track-wheelset-ec029342#features

 

[Psyclist]

+1 for Miche, their hubs are also very good for what you pay.

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

DP18 x Miche for £144.

The extra £25 for handbuilt, is well worth it.

The guy is on LFGSS and has sold lots there with no complaints.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

On one do dp18 on miche hubs cheap as chips.

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

£120 (as linked to by the OP) but not handbuilt, hence me saying the extra was worth it.

 

[derrick]

What makes handbuilt better, not all wheel builders are great, am sure there are a lot who are, but why are they better, i would have thought back in the old days a good wheel builder could make a better wheel than a machine, but todays factory built wheels have got to be as good or even better.

 

[SportMonkey]

I would avoid Weinmann for cheaper rims. The ones on my Masi got out of true on smooth roads and low mileage.

 

[sancho]

What makes handbuilt better, not all wheel builders are great, am sure there are a lot who are, but why are they better, i would have thought back in the old days a good wheel builder could make a better wheel than a machine, but todays factory built wheels have got to be as good or even better.

As they say, time is money and when you have a factory mass producing wheels then that is exactly what they have in mind.

If time was not an issue then perhaps a machine could be built and programmed in the same way we build wheels. I don't know how long a machine takes to build a wheel but I guess it is less than 10 minutes from start to finish. I can't imagine that a machine would take the same steps and as many times as I do to build a wheel. When a wheel is nearing the final stage I go into a loop of steps (balance the tension, stress the wheel, true the wheel laterally, true the wheel radially, balance the tension, stress the wheel, dish the wheel......) until the wheel reaches an optimum balance between trueness and even tension. This means that the wheel can be ridden hard and for a long time without needing any attention.

Most factory wheels I see have too low and uneven tension which means these wheel will need attention before long. Not to forget the cost of buying the spares which most of the time are not just off the shelf spares. So, if you can still find them then you have to pay a premium for spokes, rims, etc.

The beauty with handmade wheels is that you can get hubs and rims that can be easily got off the shelf and in years to come you still can find rims to replace or spares for your hubs without braking the bank.

 

[derrick]

So what would be the equiverlent to Mavic Ksyrium Elite in handbuilts, that would be weight, price and strengh, looks wise you won't beat them.

 

[SS Retro]

I would avoid Weinmann for cheaper rims. The ones on my Masi got out of true on smooth roads and low mileage.

That was my thoughts weinmann is just an old name that used to have credentials bought by the Chinese, will drop dolan and e mail and see what hubs are on there navigators as I have heard good things about them.