Hi all,
Bought a Giant TCX cyclocross bike a couple of months ago.
I want to upgrade the wheels. I know they are a standard 700c size.
I know nothing with regards to do i just get a road wheelset, or is there a specialist wheelset that you need?
Any info would be most welcome!
Thanks

Nothing more that a slightly wider and maybe a tad heavier 700c rim than one you would use for racing on. Mavic do the Open Sport or Open Pro which is a good rim for CX. If you are going to be going quite harsh on them a good bet would be to go for a touring rim and slightly wider tyre a Mavic A119 would be ideal. But for normal racy style CX the Open Pro/sport would be better. Hubs and spokes would be the same. Its all in the rim although I would not go for super lighter than light spokes, double butted ones would be my choice.

As above. I used to just use my old road wheels. Rims were Open Pro or Ambrosio Excellence with double butted spokes in standard shimano road hubs. Both were fine.

Last ones I used a pair of Mavic Ksyriums SSC. These were very good, really light and strong.

Open Pro’s have been used for years for cross as they’re pretty strong and light but I’ve just built a set using Notubes Crest 29er rims as a bombproof wheel for the 3 peaks.

What would folk recommend as a max thee width on an Open Pro? I’m sure Magic say 32mm but I’ve heard of folk running 35mm?

Crests aren’t suitable for rim brakes though, are you using discs? The 355 makes a reasonable CX rim but the new Alpha is even better

i ran 35mm Rocket Rons on my OpenPros without any probs for gnarr trail riding duties

OP – what budget?????????????????

if i was building a set without too many budget constraints i’d prob build OpenPro CD (or CXP22 f & CXP33 r for a bit stronger) on Hope Pro3’s with DT Revs – silver hubs with black spokes and rims – however i have just brought a pair of 2011 Mavic Aksiums for £140 from Planet X

American classic hurricanes.
Damned nice cross wheels at around £450.
Damned light
Look lovely.
Clever hubs.
Si in the shop uses them on his Ti salsa la cruz.
Give me a nudge if you want some.

Talk to Jonathan at Strada, lovely handmade wheels:

http://www.stradawheels.co.uk/shop/velocity-major-tom-cyclo-cross-wheelset/

You also need to say what you want to use your bike for. If it’s cyclocross, then the best upgrade you’ll do is a set of tubs and keep your current wheels as training wheels/spares.
Otherwise, if you want to stay the clincher route, then I’d say open pros. I’ve a set of OPs on Ultegra hubs which have now lasted 3 seasons of cross and about 6 years of road riding/commutting’/training etc. I’d go 105s if I wanted to save a bit of money.

qwerty, budget isnt a problem, in saying that i dont want to spend silly money.. £300-400… Seems like open pro is what everyone is sayin.. thanks for all comments so far…
keep them coming!!

traildog, i want to go off road mainly, i do go out on tarmac but find this to be a tad dull..!

If you’re not racing then forget going with tubs then, a normal clincher rim will be perfect.

Agree with above, if all you’re doing is touring off road, then a standard clincher road training type of wheelset, such as open pros. Tubs can be a complete pain in the arse and will only really be worth it if you are racing.
I guess you just want to lose a bit of weight? If so, I’d still say open pros. If you want to go a bit stronger, or if you are heavy, look for a more lightweight touring style option.
I’ve some Mavic Krysriums but I prefer open pro wheel set for cross and general riding.
I don’t really think it’s worth worrying too much about it really. To be honest, whatever you have is probably fine. Maybe it’s just me, but except for tyres and pressures (which again is more for racing), I never find it worth worrying about equipment in cross like with mountain bikes. Just having a spare set of wheels is probably worth it though.

I’m planning on having some Open Pros laced up with some Hope Pro II hubs.

I’ve mavic wheels on my road bike, and while they are a nice wheel, I think you need special tools for bearing replacement on mavic hubs.

So, I opted for the Hope hubs as I can replace the bearings myself.

I will be going the double butted spoke route too, probably DT Swiss.
🙂

Worth looking at Sapim CX Ray spokes if you’re into weight savings.

Weight saving isn`t an issue,.. just a few less takeaways will sort that out..!
I found these…
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310325542636&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

the only issue is tyre size they said between 19-28mm..

2 sets is better than 1…

I weigh 15.4 st @ 6-2″

I have to say i do like the look of the Mavic Krysriums….

The tyre size isn’t an issue, don’t worry about it. Those wheels will be fine if you want to spend 250quid.
I’m not really clear what’s up with your current wheels.

If you want off the shelf Mavic 700c, what about the Mavic SpeedCity wheel ?.

240s or 190s on some enve rims? that’s the dream

Current wheels are fine, just a standard giant wheel…
Want a set thats looks cool, thats it…!
The link i put on would allow me to add a few nice touches of blue..

Enve rims…??!! don`t like the sound of off road and carbon…
Nice wheels though… Ain`t they a 26″ wheel?

Enve make some lovely road rims as well, up there with Zip 303/404’s.