Im after a set of silver road wheels for a retro build. I’ll Consider either restrict and getting a 126 spacehopper set with a sore on freehub (6 speed) or a modern set that i can run 7 speed casette on.

Superstar are all out so can anyone recommend another option? Cartridge bearing prefered on modern stuff unless very cheap.

Set of silver Novatec hubs, sapim spokes and silver Mavic Open Pros would be my suggestion for a retro look. Ask Harry Rowland to build you a set, will be about £200-odd and ride beautifully.

H+Son TB14 rims on Ambrosio Zenith hubs.

Miche rc2 on archetype here.

Really really retro?

I’ve just built planet x retro rims (high polished silver) onto 11 speed ultegra for my girlfriends bike.

Depending on performance requirements, Open Elite is half the price of the Open Pro which makes it a bargain, and in a ‘retro’ (32 spokes, in I’m guessing a steel framed bike) build you won’t notice the extra 50g.

I went with 5800 Shimano hubs, it’s not that cup and cone hubs are the only/best option, it’s just that I think the arguments either way are overblown* and mid-range shimano hubs offer fantastic value for money.

*For example: Cup and cone hubs are hard to service – yes, but only if you service your cartridge bearings by hammering them in with a hammer rather than spending half a day searching for washers, sockets, and anything else to hand that’s circular/cylindrical to bodge a press from that doesn’t push on the seal or inner race. And even then the last bearing usually requires some sort of ‘hit it and hope’ to get it in as the axle had to go in first. When you put it like that a cone spanner and an allen key seems straightforward.

I’ll Consider either restrict and getting a 126 spacehopper set with a sore on freehub

You’ll what now?

I actually know what you’re saying (I think) but I want to know how spacehoppers got in there!

As others have said your best bet is a build rather than modern off-the-peg sets.

Hubs of your choice and budget, either new or retro, plenty of options in C+C or cartridge in silver, and then either Open Elite (used to be Open sport), or Open pros budget dependant, or you can get Silver rims from H+Son, Rigida, Velocity, Kinlin and others.

The Ambrosio Zenith are rebranded Novatec A171/272, the Novatec ones are a fair bit cheaper if you want to go that route, nice hubs by all accounts & look the part. Rim wise there’s those PX retro ones or similar Halo ones, plus the rather fetching polished H+Son Archetype or TB14 for a bit more cash – all depends on what you want to spend really, or you could try your hand yourself, it’s no that hard (and you can always give up & take them to the lbs to do – prob £20 per wheel for building).

Pre-built ones are probably a bit scarcer, Halo did some on their retro rims but not sure if there’s much else apart from Superstar really

Sorry phone auto correct. Some good suggestions to look up.

Std 130mm or 126with screw on freewheel.

The Ambrosio Zenith are rebranded Novatec A171/272, the Novatec ones are a fair bit cheaper if you want to go that route, nice hubs by all accounts & look the part.

I ran a set for a couple of years, built onto Open Pros. Durable and fairly light IME. Spa cycles often have them for a good price.

I have the TB14s built onto some (very) old Ultegra hubs for my steel road bike – they certainly look the part but I haven’t used them enough to comment on durability. I will say that the high polish finish is a bit fragile.

I had a set of the grey anodized TB14 & was gonna put them together with the silver Novatecs but ended up going modern instead – cyclebasket have the black ones for about £50 for the pair but no sign of the silver ones for some reason! Spent bloody ages earlier this year looking at retro flavoured wheels for a stainless road frame I built up recently… and ended up with Zondas 🙄

They also have these if OP fancies sticking with 126mm rear:

I’ve got a pair of Royce hubs built up with stainless sapim laser spikes and grey hplusson archetype but I suspect they’re more spendy than you’re looking. Nice wheels make be.

Cup and cone but I’ve got some Silver Ultegra 6700s on Open pros with DT Swiss comp spokes in the garage not being used. It’s matt silver not shiny but they be sub £100 if you’re interested and are as solid as they day they were built.

The missus has one of these built up on an old hub.

I’d just get two of these built up onto some suitable retro hubs off ebay.

halo rim

Second hand Royce hubs that came with tub rims from ebay cheap. Will rebuild them over the winter with some open pro or if I can be arsed some polished stans alpha but a little worried about the stiffness