Mavic Open Pros

[Glover Fan]

Hi,

Was just having a browse on the net and pretty soon I want to replace the Shimano RS10s on my road bike, but factory wheels that will improve my bike are very expensive, when I noticed you can get open pros with Ultegra hubs built for about £200.

Are they any good? I like the idea of handbuilt wheels are proper spokes with proper spoke counts like 32 instead of 20! My RS10s are still true after 4000 miles. Are handbuilts and the open pros in particular as sturdy? I'm only 10 stone by the way.

Jon

 

[Herzog]

It depends on what you're going to use them for and what type of improvement you would like to see (comfort, speed, handling, weight etc.). You mention on your road bike, is this for racing, training, commuting, pottering around on?

Also, handbuilts are only as good as their builder, who were you thinking of?

 

[User482]

Open pros on Shimano hubs are very sturdy if built well. I did lejog on mine, with loaded panniers, and had no problems.

 

[brockers]

People used handbuilts for decades before machine-built (factory) wheels were around and even managed to race on them during that time, without the wheels actually falling to bits - so they'll be strong enough for you! Open Pros were the forerunner of Ksyrium rims. The first Ksyriums (factory wheels) were basically lower spoked Open Pros on a Mavic hub. People still use OPs for racing on (especially in crits where they're worried about crashing or on really rough surfaces where hitting a pothole would trash an expensive carbon rim). For most mortals (that's 95% of us) you won't notice a difference in speed either, (Remember that up until a couple of years ago early seasons classics like Flanders and Paris-Roubaix were generally ridden on the tubular equivalent of OPs (Reflexes and Ambrosio Nemesis). You could argue that the actual quality of OPs aren't what they were and it might be a better bet to go for Ambrosio Excellights of DT415s, but you really can't go wrong with some 32 spokers built 2 or 3 cross on some groupset hubs. At ten stone you won't come anywhere near to damaging them (and at that weight - the same as me - you could even get away with a 28 hole set-up although they'd be hard to find now). Everyone should have a set.

 

[Glover Fan]

Cheers brockers, the riding I do contains club runs, audaxes up to 2-300km and general riding. I have been looking at Parker international who build open pros for a reasonable price, are they any good? My main motivation is that I'd imagine if I broke a spoke on a 32 spoke set, there is a possibility I could get home, whereas when a spoke bent on my RS10s, it rendered the wheel un rideable.

What we looking at weight wise for a pair of open pros with Ultegra hubs? Ballpark figures.

 

[Herzog]

I would guess around 1.7 - 8 kg for the pair (willing to be corrected). I've 105 hubs and Open Pros on my commuter and they're around that figure (I think).

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

I would agree with Herzog, and the difference is in what spokes you use. Normal double butted spokes will be around 60g a wheel heavier than something like DT Revolution.

The bottom line is these wheels aren't going to be noticeably lighter than your existing wheels costing half the price. Further while there are lighter hubs, there really is not much else one can do to lower rotational inertia meaningfully since people should stick with brass nipples, and afaik there aren't much lighter rims with brake surface off-the-shelf.

 

[brockers]

My OPs on Record are 1650g for the pair using DT comps and brass nips, so I reckon ~1750g sounds about right for 105. The thing is though they're just so nice to ride! There's a certain compliance to them that I don't get from my stiffer low spoked 30mm rim wheels, so I've pretty much gone back to using them all the time now. As I said, people raced at high (and even professional) level on this kind of setup for decades up to the end of the 1990s so they're easily good enough to audax on (and by all accounts pretty much de rigueur!). And yes, if a spoke goes, then you'll still be able to get home if you slacken off the brake a bit, and you'll find replacing the spoke yourself at home a lot easier than you'd expect and truing a wheel is quite satisfying once you get the hang of it.

I can't see any problem with buying from Parkers - I'd imagine it's in their interest to ensure whoever puts their wheels together would be pretty competent. So even if they do go out of true slightly after you've put a few miles on them, then your local bike shop should be able to tweak them for a tenner. Or you could have a go yourself - it's not rocket surgery!

 

[smokeysmoo]

FWIW I've recently put Open Pros with Hope Pro 3 hubs on my CAAD. I was going to get them hand built but time was a big factor so I went for an off the shelf option from a seller I trust having bought several wheelsets from them.

The only negative I've heard about OP rims is that they wear a bit faster than others, but having never used them prior to this I can't comment further on this at the moment.

I haven't felt any slower with these wheels, and my last wheels were Ksyrium SL's! I've just completed the Great Manchester Cycle today on them with no issues. 52 miles in 2 hours 42 mins at an average 18mph, not bad for a fat lad who's nearly 40!

I'm very happy with mine, but the Hope hubs are very noisy, although as I normally ride with music on this doesn't bother me.

 

[PK99]

Hi,

. Are handbuilts and the open pros in particular as sturdy? I'm only 10 stone by the way.

Jon

my mate rides his Allen Cross bike on Open Pros all over the offroad track and trails of Surrey - stuff most would use an mtb for

 

[jowwy]

FWIW I've recently put Open Pros with Hope Pro 3 hubs on my CAAD. I was going to get them hand built but time was a big factor so I went for an off the shelf option from a seller I trust having bought several wheelsets from them.

The only negative I've heard about OP rims is that they wear a bit faster than others, but having never used them prior to this I can't comment further on this at the moment.

I haven't felt any slower with these wheels, and my last wheels were Ksyrium SL's! I've just completed the Great Manchester Cycle today on them with no issues. 52 miles in 2 hours 42 mins at an average 18mph, not bad for a fat lad who's nearly 40!

I'm very happy with mine, but the Hope hubs are very noisy, although as I normally ride with music on this doesn't bother me.

music, music.....careful smokey, the music police will be around soon to slate you and put you before the queen for be-heading

 

[User482]

If you're after weight saving, I had open pros built on Ambrosio hubs, dt revolution spokes and alloy nipples. A smidge over 1500g iirc.

 

[PpPete]

Open Pros: For such a lightweight rim they are very robust.
I've toured on them - even put Cyclo-Cross tyres on them for a trip down the South Downs Way (lots of odd looks from the MTB fraternity)
But they do wear out on the brake track quite quickly. As a result I'm trying the slightly heavier Ambrosio Excellence on my current "best" wheels.

Big for the Hope Pro III hubs over the Shimano hubs. Seem a lot quicker to me, and just love the noise of the freehub.

 

[fossyant]

You could always go CXP 33, my current preference.

 

[Fab Foodie]

You could always go CXP 33, my current preference.

And only 35g per rim penalty with slightly better aerodynamics possibly?