Winter Wheelset – SSFG

[cyclingfool]

If you want to buy bike crap, here’s my perhaps-not-so-well-reasoned suggestion that you buy a basic truing stand, a spoke wrench, hubs, spokes, and rims and building your own? (Sorry if I sound like a broken record…) It’s easier than you think it is, if you haven’t done it already. Sheldon Brown has a good guide as does a guy by the name of Mike T. These two guides, supplemented by some additional online reading guided me through building the two wheels currently on my bike. You can really customize the components you choose for price, quality, etc., that way and come away with a sense of pride and ownership.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@Bilsko 99765 wrote:

I’d like to get a relatively low-cost (below $500) wheelset that I can mount studded tires on this winter for quick swaps when the weather gets bad. Since my SSFG is the default commute-bike anyways, it makes sense to go with a SSFG set.

Any recommendations on a source for a good winter-ready wheelset that’ll accomodate a 35 tire?

The alternative is to buy a much nicer set and demote my current Paul+HPlusSon wheels to winter duty. I can be swayed by well-reasoned arguments in favor of that course of action. Hell, doesn’t need to be well-reasoned; appeals to my desire to buy more bike crap will work just fine.

Buy this, remove wheels, give the rest to me. Problem solved.

[Raymo853]

SSFG? I’ll just assume 700c and rim brakes.

Regardless, for < $500 you can get a very good wheelset from many places, any brick and mortar shop, on-line or even a REI.

[Harry Meatmotor]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BCCB4W/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_3?pf_rd_p=1944579862&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B002AGFNBS&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0Z3D7H6VNJ0Z7QSST65M

like stated above, most B&M shops will be able to get similar quality as the above link for only a little more dough. If you want a little wider rim, look at the h+son TB14 rims laced to whatever hub you want. Miche also makes some really nice and affordable TARCK wheelsets in the $250-$300 range (and, imho, Miche uses some really, really nice cartridge bearings for the price).

[Harry Meatmotor]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BCCB4W/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_3?pf_rd_p=1944579862&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B002AGFNBS&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0Z3D7H6VNJ0Z7QSST65M

like stated above, most B&M shops will be able to get similar quality as the above link for only a little more dough. If you want a little wider rim, look at the h+son TB14 rims laced to whatever hubs you want. Miche also makes some really nice and affordable TARCK wheelsets in the $250-$300 range (and, imho, Miche uses some really, really nice cartridge bearings for the price).

[Bilsko]

@Harry Meatmotor 99790 wrote:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BCCB4W/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_3?pf_rd_p=1944579862&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B002AGFNBS&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0Z3D7H6VNJ0Z7QSST65M

like stated above, most B&M shops will be able to get similar quality as the above link for only a little more dough. If you want a little wider rim, look at the h+son TB14 rims laced to whatever hubs you want. Miche also makes some really nice and affordable TARCK wheelsets in the $250-$300 range (and, imho, Miche uses some really, really nice cartridge bearings for the price).

I’ve seen the Amazon offerings…just not that impressed with the low-quality hubs that most builds seem to use. And I am not a fan of the bolt on hubs that require a nut – Hex bolt is much better IMO.

As for built-my-own, I’d love to but don’t have the time to dedicate to it.

Of course having the LBS build up something from scratch is a good way to go, but I’d like to see some pre-packaged wheelsets (like the Amazon ones, only a little better). UniversalCycles and Competitive have some options…just trying to see if people have other sources they’d recommend.

[Harry Meatmotor]

@Bilsko 99810 wrote:

I’ve seen the Amazon offerings…just not that impressed with the low-quality hubs that most builds seem to use. And I am not a fan of the bolt on hubs that require a nut – Hex bolt is much better IMO.

As for built-my-own, I’d love to but don’t have the time to dedicate to it.

Of course having the LBS build up something from scratch is a good way to go, but I’d like to see some pre-packaged wheelsets (like the Amazon ones, only a little better). UniversalCycles and Competitive have some options…just trying to see if people have other sources they’d recommend.

Any shop that uses QBP as a distributor can get a hold of QBP’s in-house prebuilt wheels – they go by the moniker Quality Wheels. They’re all hand built and very high quality for the dollar. the need for a hex bolt axle is going to limit your hub choices to very few – it’s not terribly common among sub-$500 TARCK wheelsets.

[jopamora]

Velo Mine has good prices on machine built wheelsets. They also have hand built wheelsets, but those would get you close or past your $500 limit.

[Bilsko]

@Harry Meatmotor 99816 wrote:

Any shop that uses QBP as a distributor can get a hold of QBP’s in-house prebuilt wheels – they go by the moniker Quality Wheels. They’re all hand built and very high quality for the dollar. the need for a hex bolt axle is going to limit your hub choices to very few – it’s not terribly common among sub-$500 TARCK wheelsets.

good tip – the rarity of the hex bolt setup is why I’m inlcined to have something built up with Pauls. Have them on one of my current SSFG wheelsets (bolt and nut on the other) and don’t want to go back.

[Bilsko]

@jopamora 99821 wrote:

Velo Mine has good prices on machine built wheelsets. They also have hand built wheelsets, but those would get you close or past your $500 limit.

exactly the kind of source that I’m looking for

[DismalScientist]

@TwoWheelsDC 99787 wrote:

Buy this, remove wheels, give the rest to me. Problem solved.

I’d suggest the bikesdirect model and see if he’ll spring for the extra $50 for the fully-chromed frame.:rolleyes:

[vvill]

Wabicycles.com carries SSFG wheelsets with fixed/fixed hubs and hex bolt axles (same as the stock wheels that come on their bikes). Not flash, and standard width road rims so perhaps not ideal for 35mm – but good value.

http://www.wabicycles.com/7301-wheels.html

(Since it’s a one-man operation, I imagine the owner might sell the hubs separately if you wanted a build to your own wider rims.)

[Bilsko]

@vvill 99844 wrote:

Wabicycles.com carries SSFG wheelsets with fixed/fixed hubs and hex bolt axles (same as the stock wheels that come on their bikes). Not flash, and standard width road rims so perhaps not ideal for 35mm – but good value.

http://www.wabicycles.com/7301-wheels.html

(Since it’s a one-man operation, I imagine the owner might sell the hubs separately if you wanted a build to your own wider rims.)

that is a killer deal – 18mm width would be a limitation, but not a deal breaker.

[Author]

Posts