The freehub on the Alex wheelset that came on my Bianchi is giving out after 3500 miles. It no longer rotates smoothly. Guy at the LBS says it’s not a matter of replacing the freehub body. He says there is a spring in the hub that is the cause. I’m going to open it up and see if I can do anything about it. But sooner or later I’ll put new wheels on. I figure I’ve got a few months before I’ll actually replace these but it’s never too early to start research. I need wheels that can carry my 200 lbs. and my typically 25 lb. pannier bag over potholed roads and last forever. Or at least last longer than 3500 miles.
I guess freehub isn’t a word you read everyday on tarckbike.
Does money matter? I see good road wheelsets go for very little on Craigslist all the time. That’s what I would suggest to anybody looking to upgrade a geared bike. I’m sure you could find some Open Pros or a Shimano wheelset for well under $150.
btw where in Providence are you? I’m by Wickenden.
Money matters in the sense that I’d rather spend $300 once than $200 twice. I figure I have a little time to save up for them. Craigslist is a good suggestion though. Open Pros was suggested elsewhere. The guy at the LBS said Ksryiums but I’m skeptical that they would be more durable than Open Pros.
I live a few blocks from Wayland Square. If I open my window and yell real loud you might hear me.
You might as well get something like a719s or tk7.1s then. Performance had 105/a719s on sale a few months ago. Still more than open-pro/ultegras but well under $300.
open pros are a race/training rim… really durable for that use but they’re designed with weight in mind and for 23mm and smaller tires. The a719 and tk7,1 are touring rims. They are designed for heavy loads, fatter tires and durability(at the expense of some weight but still less than deepvs). That’s more in line with what the op’s using them for so that is what he should get.
Hmm… no one laugh but… Deep Vs laced to a decent 105 or Ultegra grade hub set. They can handle 225lbs over less than great roads and can survive nuclear explosions last I heard. Just a thought.
What do you think about lacing one of those touring rims to a MTB hub? They are supposed to be better sealed for wet riding or some such thing. True? BS?
Well Shimano uses loose ball bearings in their MTB hubs still IIRC which can be argued as worse or not for messy conditions. The conspiracy side of me thinks they do that so you need to buy new ones more often, but then again I’ve never had problems with my old STX-RC hubs and really like my new XT hubs.
Then again, I don’t see nearly the same milage as you do.
[quote=“tarckeemoon”]I have been very happy with my Salsa Delgado Cross rims for commuting. Cheap and strong. Maybe lace em’ to some XTs* or something?
(if it’s 135 spacing in back)[/quote]
I guess my comment about MTB hubs above doesn’t make sense 'cause it’s not 135 spacing. What do you have those wheels on?
