New wheels for Langster

[GAVSTER]

Basically - as the title.

I got hold of a second hand Langster quite cheaply recently.

I have really enjoyed riding it single speed - however the freewheel is really noisy - not clicky but grindy :-(

Anyway - the wheels are quite flexy and I can see them not standing up to a 34 mile round trip commute for long.

So question is recommendation for some affordable (under £140 if poss) flip-flop wheels. Also as it's geared currently as 42*18 and I am spinning out at 19 mph I think a recommendation for both a suitable 17t cog and freewheel would not go amiss.

So CC brainstrust whadyareckon??

 

[colinr]

I know people that know people that quite like the Halo Aerorage. A set should weigh in around £140.

 

[Rob3rt]

Cogs, I will only recommend, Dura-ace, but they only go up to 16t. They cost about £20-25, worth every penny. (EDIT: Just realised you dont want fixed - No idea about freewheels)

For wheels, I dont really know what to recommend at that price, but IMO you should be able to get a good bit of milage out of the OTP hoops before you NEED to switch them out. But if you are looking for new wheels and durability is your main concern, I guess the recommendation thats got to be said is a decent pair of handbuilts.

If upgrading wheels and only factory built is an option, I wouldnt touch Halo......... the threads on the hubs I have seen look like a dog has been using them as a teething toy.

If you can stretch budget (by a LOT) and are willing to go fixed, MAVIC ELLIPSE

 

[Zoiders]

Exactly how do you think they are "flexy"?

It's a pretty bog standard wheelset, no great shakes weight wise but not what I would describe as flexy.

They will take the commute, I would get your moneys worth out and then upgrade with goldtech hubs and a reasonably priced rim, if you want stronger up the spoke count, having said that I run a NOS retro Mavic rims on a plain old generic 32 hole system EX hub which is fairly bombproof.

I don't think you will really improve on the OE wheelset for under £140.

 

[jayonabike]

I'm looking at these for my Langster (steel)

 

[Zoiders]

Not really different from what's fitted, bet the hubs are nearly identical if not the same, they are handbuilt though.

 

[Howard]

So question is recommendation for some affordable (under £140 if poss) flip-flop wheels. Also as it's geared currently as 42*18 and I am spinning out at 19 mph I think a recommendation for both a suitable 17t cog and freewheel would not go amiss.

Shimano freewheels are OK. Should get a year or two of full on use out of one then give it a re-grease or throw it away if it's borked. Or you could spend silly money on a White.

As for the wheels...you could get a nice second hand wheelset for £140. Look out for Open Pros. Try searching the LFGSS forum.

 

[Dave5N]

Have a look at V Sprint

http://v-sprint.com/

 

[McrJ64]

I have had my Langster for 18 months and I am still using the original wheels. After just 3 months they were not feeling too good - the bearings were rough. I regreased them and adjusted the cones and they were fine. I find I have to do this about every 3 months but they are still running ok now. The front one is lovely, the back one not great. So they are high-maintenance but actually do last. I also have a Halo Aerorage for the back for 'real' rides. It's a lovely wheel and zero-maintenance. It used a cartridge bearing.

 

[Ibbots]

I've using a pair of On-One track wheels for a couple of months, quite light for the price (£130), look ok and stiffer than the original Langster wheels I had when I had one. Only problem I have had is the lock ring with the threads on one of the hub side getting mashed. I would recommend binning the lockrings supplied and getting a Surly or something similar.

Mavic Ellipse mentioned above - beware that the chain line is different than standard and you might need a new bottom bracket (eg 107 instead of the 103 fitted as standard on the current Langster). Lovely wheels if you can run to the cost and, despite appearance, have braking surface though the annodising will wear off after a while..

 

[Rob3rt]

Mavic ellipse are nice! I ride them, in fact I ride them with the wrong BB I believe, because I swapped wheels without realising the chainline issue (although I did make sure to use a dura-ace cog and the mavic lockring so no slippage of the cog is experienced). IMO a couple of mm on your chainline (they are 44mm I think) is not going to be an immediate problem, it wasnt on my fuji, but long term, it is going to cause extra wear, so its worth spending £15-25 on the right bottom bracket to save money on cogs and chainrings.

My current fixed wheel bike came with the wrong bottom bracket for the mavic hubs too (I got a deal on a full bike minus the wheels - but ended up taking pretty much everything off and replacing everything bar the bb and crankset so far, lol), I know I will swap out the bottom bracket when I finish up the bike build.

 

[Ibbots]

I think the problem I had with my On-One threads was a combination of crappy lock ring, Miche sprocket which sits on a threaded holder instead being fixed to the bub and my clumsy efforts at leg braking - I going to throw a knee or my back one day. I'm running 48x18 so went for Surly instead of Dura Ace, but agree it's worth spending a relaitive few £'s more for quality.

 

[stevevw]

User
Had you just come out of the pub when you said yes to the nice young lady?

 

[Ibbots]

[QUOTE 1279034"]
Now. About those white rims with pink spokes on a 08 Langster.

Sell, innit?


[/quote]


bit rich for my taste, but I'm quite dull.

 

[Rob3rt]

How much are you looking to pay for wheels? I have a pair of unused track wheels with tyres, tubes, cog and lockring. They are white tifosi track wheels and will sell at what I consider a bargain price.