What wheel set should I get?

One of the most often asked questions in the Cycling industry is Wheels!

I want something light and strong; I keep breaking spokes, what’s the best climbing wheel, Carbon or Alloy? Radially laced, 2 cross, 3 cross and on and on.

The truth is there is no one wheel that meets all the criteria. Generally people comprise, if they use the same wheel set every day. There are good choices here and bad. A good choice for a roadie is something like a Mavic Open pro with an Ultegra hub, 32 spoke, a good all round wheel, almost bullet proof and not too heavy! For a road commuter that may need something fairly robust,  Velocity have a great range of wheels including the Chucker, Dyad and some deep V rims that are heavier, take a lot of punishment and accommodate  the  larger Rider and reasonably priced.

If you buy a light wheel to ride every day and in all weather, economically it may not be a good decision, A high end wheel will be light but they attain that weight saving buy reducing materials in the wheel, they have less spokes, they could run an extremely light Hub and the rim /braking service could or will be thinner. Less material on the braking surface means the rim will wear quicker, especially if ridden in all conditions, You will have heard that noise when braking in the rain, that’s all the road grime embedded in your brake pads chewing your rims out!

I run a set of Shimano Dura Ace C24’s they have been a great all round wheel, although the braking surface on the rear is well worn & due for replacement. They would have done around 50k (including Ventoux, Tourmalet & Alpe d Huez!) and ridden in all conditions These wheels are well priced around $1200 (even cheaper from the UK). Remembering now all Shimano wheels will be provided with an 11 speed free hub. (they do provide a spacer for 10 speed)

So the solution to all this is to have two sets of wheels (or even 3!) Many roadies run a training wheel during the week and pull there nice wheels out for the Saturday Crit or the Coffee Shop thrash around the River! Nothing like turning up to the Muz with those Zipp 808’s or the latest Lightweights to really impress. It matters not that the winner did it on some Mavic Aksiums!

There are unlimited choices if you are after a nice wheel, especially if money is no object, many will have specific traits, Time Trialling, Sprinting and Climbing, Remember many of these wheels do not have longevity in mind. Wheels can make up to 30% of a bicycles weight, so saving here can reduce a bike weight significantly.

Rider weight is a significant factor; it is rare to see a weight rating for a wheel these days, they used to be published on the manufactures web site (some still do). If you are over 90kg be careful with selecting your high end wheel set! (Zipp make a Clydesdale for a larger rider) alternately a 55gk rider could probably ride any wheel all day!

There are many mid-range wheels that should suit the majority of riders (mid-range meaning weight, longevity & price) I have mentioned the C24’s, others include DT Swiss, Roval wheels are said to have a lifetime warranty? (there would have to be conditions there?) and then there’s Mavic who make a wheel for every occasion and general supplied on a lot of new bikes.

I am interested in any good stories on your favourite wheel set.

 

Dont you just luv Lances latest tweet,'' just hanging around at home" His world is crumbling around him, all his sponsers have left him, people/corparations are lining up there Lawyers to recover millions of dollars and Lance replies with this !
I am half way thru Tyler Hamilton's book "The Secret Race" wow! riveting stuff, no holds barred, Tyler names everyone involved, the processes, dates and places, although they were not alone, all the big teams were doing it as well and long before US Postal arrived at the front of the Peleton.
But Lance's penchant for perfection meant they just did it better!!
Remember not one rider, went positive (convicted) at Postal/Discovery, many that left didn't fair so well though!

Hamilton on Tinkov: His return is a setback for cycling

Tyler Hamilton has continued to expose his and cycling's dark past by alleging former Olev Tinkov, former owner of Tinkoff Credit Systems and now sponsor of Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank, suggested his riders do what was required to achieve results, "just don't get caught."
Hamilton's claims follow in quick succession after revealing his former CSC team director Bjarne Riis was aware of his relationship with doctor Eufemiano Fuentes.
Hamilton has reportedly told Sportken.dk that Tinkov expressed his attitude toward untold practices at the team's first meeting. The American joined Tinkoff Credit Systems in 2007 after serving a two-year ban for failing a blood test at the 2004 Vuelta a España.

Read More: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/hamilton-on-tinkov-his-return-is-a-setback-for-cycling

Obree calls the UCI a chum-ocracy

 

Scotsman recalls his refusal to dope after breaking the hour record

Graeme Obree has called for change at the UCI, suggesting that the international governing body of cycling should be reformed with far more involvement from sponsors, teams and the riders.
Speaking to the Scotland on Sunday newspaper, the former hour record holder and cycling maverick described the current structure of cycling's international governing body as a chum-ocracy.
Several leading media including The Times, L'Equipe and Gazzetta dello Sport have drawn up a manifesto for credible cycling, which includes a "cycling summit" before the start of the 2013 season in order to define the new organization and new rules. Obree agrees.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/obree-calls-the-uci-a-chum-ocracy

UCI to investigate Vinokourov's Liege-Bastogne-Liege victory

The UCI has confirmed to Cyclingnews that it will open an official investigation into Alexandre Vinokourov's victory at the 2010 edition of Liege-Bastogne-Liege after details of payments to Alexandr Kolobnev were revealed by the Italian police investigation into Dr. Michele Ferrari.
The allegations of Vinokourov paying off the Russian so he could secure victory in the Ardennes classic after returning from a ban for blood doping were first published by the L'illustre newspaper in Switzerland in 2011. Vinokourov and Kolobnev rubbished the accusations at the time and the UCI refused to open an investigation due to a lack of proof.
Read more !

The Rabobank Years: A Look Back

Today's news that Rabobank will stop sponsoring both their men's and women's teams following on from the fallout of the USADA report and their own shady past has rocked the sport. Whatever you think of their riders past and present and their management there's no doubting that in the seventeen years that they've been in the sport they've given us many memories. Good times, bad times

Full Story : http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=10890

Orica-GreenEdge dismisses Matt White

Orica-GreenEdge dismisses Matt White

Team begins external review led by former WADA director

 

Orica-GreenEdge has announced the immediate dismissal of sports director Matt White, meantime an external review into the team and its practices will be led by experienced anti-doping expert, Nicki Vance.

White was identified as Rider 9 in Floyd Landis' evidence in USADA's Reasoned Decision documentation to the UCI. On October 13, White stood down from his role with Orica-GreenEdge and confessed to his own involvement in "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen." Four days later he was sacked from his role with Cycling Australia where he was men's professional road co-ordinator.