Not specifically for the Fred obviously, but almost all my road riding is done in the Lakes over the same roads and the FW is about the only competitive event I do.
Budget about £300, to go on a Spesh Roubaix
Was thinking of some Hope Hoops (open pro rims)
Mavic Kysirium?
Shim Ultegra hubs, hand built onto Open pro rims?

New or secondhand? (I know this is a bit subjective)

Your thoughts/views appreciated.

I'd also be interested in the answer to this as my road riding sounds like that sort of stuff.

I did the fred on some mavic rims on some sort of cheap (deore?) hubs last year. They are 32 spoke, apparently they are maybe a bit comfier and more robust than something like ksyriums with minimal spokes.

I reckon hope hoops.

Shim Ultegra hubs, hand built onto Open pro rims?

It's probably what's going on my road bike next. Heard very very good things about them.

I've been contemplating building a set like that, planet-x ultralight hubs on open pro hubs with revolution spokes. Should come out at about £140 if I build them myself, would leave you with a load of extra cash for nice tyres etc… Otherwise, I'd go for the same spokes and rims laced to hope hubs.

I got a pair of Kysirium SLs off a mate second hand for 200 quid. lovely wheels, very stiff, if you can find a good second hand pair I'd go for them…

Whatever you do don't make my mistake and pump your tires up to 140 psi in the early cold of dawn. First application of the brakes at the top of the big descent and bang. And if you will insist, have a pump that works.

The Hoops aren't very light though are they – or is stiffness/spoke count or something else more important (fixability bearing in mind the potholes around here!)

Ayup fella 😉 I've used kysrium sl's for many years and they are a good stiff light wheel. Only real issue I had with them was the nipples seizing which was a bit of a pain when you want to true them. But I've just got a set of Shimano Dura-Ace Wheels CL 7850(carbon laminate) a few months back. So far they are the absolute dogs, the hubs run super smooth and whilst stiff they give a very compliant ride, ideal for the passes round our way. Best road wheels I've used. If you shop around you'll get them about £400'ish new on ebay and the likes which is what I did.

Review on Bikeradar

Try Here

How does brakng make you puncture and how does pressure affect that?

Dura Ace Hubs, Mavic Open Pros and wheelsmith spokes are what I use and should be within budget. The Pros are really hard to fault. They take a helluva beating on my cross bike which gets ridden off road a lot and the rear one only died when some tube in a car deliberatley rammed into the back of me on my commute home a couple of weeks ago. Ultegra hubs are also very good but the sealing on them isn't as good as Dura Ace and I've found they wear out a fair bit quicker than the Dura Ace ones.

The Pro's are double eyeletted for extra strength.

Big Al at Wheelcraft will build you a set mail order and at the best price. 01360 312 709.

If you buy Mavic pre builts, be prepared for the rear hub working loose and wearing out and having to buy a full set of spokes if you break one. Kysiriums look ace but they are very stiff and not hugely lighter than a handbuilt Dura Ace set. You may be crying if you have to replace a Kysirium rim. Last time I looked, they were over £100!

Cheers

Sanny

anc aye up yourself

I thought you were moving quickly when we passed the other day.
Carbon laminate sounds posh – I'd seen those, but it's over budget I'm afraid (I'm not as good as you remember)

Footstomper – looked at those, but they won't take over a 25 tooth cassette (and a wimp like me needs more).

Sanny – thanks for that, I'll give him a ring when the time comes. I've got open pros on my cross/commute bike too.

2nd/3rd whatever the Kysirium SL's, I've got a pair of SL premiums and they really are a fantastic set of wheels. Bought them last year and I've not had any issues with them at all – done 2000 miles on them this year and they still are perfectly true.

If you could get a 2nd hand pair for £300 I would go for them.

Dura Ace Hubs, Mavic Open Pros and wheelsmith spokes are what I use and should be within budget.

For £300? I wish. Dura ace 7900 rear hub is £180 alone.

How does brakng(sic) make you puncture and how does pressure affect that?

Brakes turn kinetic energy into heat – some absorbed in the pads, most to the rims. Increase in heat at the rim = increase in tyre pressure – if the tyre is already at its limit – bang! This also used to create a fun problem with melting tub glue on long descents and the tub rolling off on corners.

Original question – for me it would depend how much longevity was important to you – i.e. are these day in day out wheels? Lots of heavy braking needed on those roads, often in very average weather conditions & whilst I like my Kryseriums I think the rims are quite soft and thin so don't last that well. I'd be choosing something with a standard rim that can be replaced easily as needed.

Increase in heat at the rim = increase in tyre pressure – if the tyre is already at its limit – bang!

the increase in temp is never going to be enough for that. It's in Kelvin remember?

Yes – you must be right, and hundreds of pros(inc me back in the day) racing thousands of miles of real life experience (note real life, not internerd)must be wrong.

He may have nipped the tube and the braking force rotated the tyre slightly – bang.

Happened on my MTB the other day – amused me to see people nearby 'duck and cover'

anc – Member
Ayup fella I've used kysrium sl's for many years and they are a good stiff light wheel. Only real issue I had with them was the nipples seizing which was a bit of a pain when you want to true them. But I've just got a set of Shimano Dura-Ace Wheels CL 7850(carbon laminate) a few months back. So far they are the absolute dogs, the hubs run super smooth and whilst stiff they give a very compliant ride, ideal for the passes round our way. Best road wheels I've used. If you shop around you'll get them about £400'ish new on ebay and the likes which is what I did.

+ 1 minus infinite, always had kysiums thought they could not be beat for their price until the CL 7850, this season I have hammered them and they are defo the best clinchers I have had by far. 😛

Cheap – 105/Open Sport or Mavic Aksium.
Lovely – Ultegra/Open Pro or Ksyrium

Convert I've ridden plenty Alpne descents etc too and never experienced this. And how do you know that was the cause and not something else? Did the tyres blow off on the many occasions this happened to you?

Not the Easton carbon wheels that a mate rode in this years Fred Whitton and wrote off when he failed to make a turn at the bottom of Honister. £1600 of carbon wheels written off! 😯

These are very nice wheels, light and cheapish compared to a lot of others.
http://www.amclassic.com/en/products/roadwheels/sprint350.php

+1 for AM sprint 350s. bit over budget but they look real nice and hubs are awesome. grams per £ is better than most.

more on budget would be AM victory30, durable enough for CX too apparently…

Pro Lites

These get good reviews.
Any experience of them??

Campag Eurus, or Ambrosio Nemesis on Record hubs.

Campag Eurus, or Ambrosio Nemesis on Record hubs.

They'll need to be Shimano comp.

You can get a shimano compatible freehub for campag hubs.

Ambrosio Nemesis 😯 why a tubular rim more at home on the roads of flanders?

I've got Hope Hoops – Mavic Open Pro rims on Pro 3 hubs. They're pretty solid but not especially light at approx 1700 grams I think. Perfectly true after a thousand or so miles so far.

If the Dura Ace carbon laminates are too rich the RS80 Ultegra level version get good write ups too at £315.
Personally I like my Ultegra / Open Pro wheels despite them not being the blingest looking wheels around.