Bicycle thread

[pierce]

Wheelsmith used to make really really nice pre-built wheels... Dunno if they are still up to snuff, but I've had a couple of their mountain bike wheels for like 20 years and they are still true inspite of all kinda abuse.

I used to lace my own roadie wheels, but those were sewups/tubulars, on campi small flange hubs, using DT double butted spokes.... probably 36 spoke, but its been so long I don't remember. took me about 3 hours to lace one up and tune it up right.

[tekillya_john]

Wheelsmith use to be local (bayarea,Los Gatos) I think they moved out of the area some years ago. We used to start rides from thier shop.

[pierce]

Originally Posted by tekillya_john

Wheelsmith use to be local (bayarea,Los Gatos) I think they moved out of the area some years ago. We used to start rides from thier shop.

I just looked them up their webpile says they are in montana now, but its the same logo, I'm pretty sure, so its probably the same folks, or their successors. I -think- they were a Specialized spinoff, the original wheels I have use specialized sealed hubs... webpile says they have their own custom made spokes now... www.wheelsmith.com

[patch29]

Originally Posted by Askel

Looks like a Mavic Open Pro with an Ultegra hub on 36 spokes is a popular fat guy option on a budget.

Gotta stop by the LBS still and see what the can do, but anybody know of anyplace that sells something like this prebuilt? Custom looks like about $200 for a rear, but 32 spoke prebuilt is running about $120.

I'd like to try lacing my own, but time and money are short right now and there's a cool 82 mile ride I want to do in May. I'd rather not be futzing with wheels right now.

I bought my touring wheels from Peter White.


I went with a Loaded Touring set,

Shimano XT M760 hubs, Mavic A719 silver rims, 14-16 Wheelsmith spokes, 36 spokes
$ 361.53


I cannot say enough good things about them. They are as true as the day I bought them and I have not been easy on them, some loaded washboard roads, my arms were ready to give out before wheels. I am 200+ with gear on the bike they are solid.

He has a lot of wheel option to if you want something stronger or lighter. I could not quite handle the price with Phil Woods hubs.


edit: I see you are looking at Ultegra, those are narrower hubs I think vs XT, so you may need to see what options he offers for your frame.

[tekillya_john]

Originally Posted by patch29

I bought my touring wheels from Peter White.


I went with a Loaded Touring set,

Shimano XT M760 hubs, Mavic A719 silver rims, 14-16 Wheelsmith spokes, 36 spokes
$ 361.53


I cannot say enough good things about them. They are as true as the day I bought them and I have not been easy on them, some loaded washboard roads, my arms were ready to give out before wheels. I am 200+ with gear on the bike they are solid.

He has a lot of wheel option to if you want something stronger or lighter. I could not quite handle the price with Phil Woods hubs.


edit: I see you are looking at Ultegra, those are narrower hubs I think vs XT, so you may need to see what options he offers for your frame.

Cool I will have to check them out.
My front hub Durace 15 years old is pretty bad. I will need to start looking at both wheel replacement for this riding season. I just replaced my front carbon fork with a Wound Up, I hit the carport and smapped my fork. $300.00+

[Gummee!]

With a proper truing and tensioning, the prebuilt wheels will do fine.

Look at ebay too. Lots of deals on 8 & 9 sp wheels going for pennines on the dollar...

HTH

M

[Askel]

Originally Posted by patch29

I bought my touring wheels from Peter White.

Cool!

He has darn good prices on the 36 spoke Ultegra/Open Sport setup. Although, I might be willing to spend the bucks on something better given his lifetime guarantee.

Figures that I'd blow out wheel after I spend all my remaining money on a new mountain bike.

Still haven't stopped by the LBS. That takes planning. With a mix of skiing and biking going on right now, it can take hours for me to get out of that place.

[Foot dragger]

I am waiting for an american classic set of wheels to show up for my new Santa Cruz Blur,lighter wheels,tires,tubes,spokes, and really trick looking hubs they build and titanium skewers to boot! should roll way better then it does stock, maybe then i can stay ahead of my dog in the park. My other mt bike got ripped off and state farm wanted to be sure my new one is as trick as my old one. That Blur rolls through the boulders and rocks in upper park in chico lots better then my old fisher(99) did. The disc brakes on this bike are the first discs ive tried on a mt bike, they are really not that great on sheer snappy nose wheelie type braking power(Avids) is this normal ? ive had cantilevers that stopped better.

[Gummee!]

Originally Posted by Foot dragger

they are really not that great on sheer snappy nose wheelie type braking power(Avids) is this normal ? ive had cantilevers that stopped better.

Mine seemed to do OK. Maybe try adjusting em?



M

[pierce]

the shimano hydraulics on my 2003 stumpjumper fsr disc seem way strong. nice feel, good control, and way WAY better in thick goopy mud than anything on the rim. when they get dirty, they do get a bit gritty feeling, I pop the tiny little pads out, and rub them a bit on some dry cloth, wipe down the rotors, then reinstall the pads, and voila, smooth again.

[Askel]

Originally Posted by Foot dragger

The disc brakes on this bike are the first discs ive tried on a mt bike, they are really not that great on sheer snappy nose wheelie type braking power(Avids) is this normal ? ive had cantilevers that stopped better.

I've heard there's a bit of a break in period on disc brakes.


I wasn't real impressed with the feel of any of the hydraulic setups I tried, but they'd all try to throw me over the bars when it came to stopping power. Maybe something is amiss as well?

[Zodiac]

I had this place build my wheelset and I'm loving them.

http://www.bikecult.com/works/

(this is the LBS that the girl (Arone) in this months Bicycling magazine works)

Phil Wood large flange 32 spoke with Mavic open sport, made sure I asked for their best DB spokes too in black to match the rim.

Hit a dozen large potholes pretty hard and not even a hint of wobble (I weigh 178).

GF only rode her bike a few times and already had to have her Shimano rims trued twice..... (decent rims too).

[patch29]

World’s coolest mountain bike race finishes at North Pole.

Photos via the link.

The first ever mountain bike race at the North Pole took place on 7th April 2007. The event, called North Pole Bike Extreme, saw fourteen cyclists from eight different nations pedalling furiously for 26.2 miles on specially designed Crescent mountain bikes.

[yater]

Hydraulic brakes should be able to lock things up if you want to. My bike came with hayes 9s and, while not my first choice, they've worked beautifully so far. They can't be beat in the mud and they'll save your hands for bike handling. There's always a possibility that yours need to be bled. Shimano and avid have good bleed kits for their brakes....hayes, not so much

[pierce]

fyi, btw, the shimanos use mineral oil rather than brake fluid. won't peel your paint if you're sloppy with it.