Training wheels shortlist - help me choose

tawfeeredux

I'm looking for a set of winter training wheels, Shimano free-hub, budget €400, c.1600g, new. I've narrowed it down to these:

Ultegra 6700 (€309, 1652g)

Shimano RS80 (€402, 1521g)

Easton EA50 (€297, 1697g)

Easton EA70 (€371, 1635)

Pro-Lite Bracciano (€355, 1531g)

PZ Racing (€371, 1560g)

Leaning slightly towards the Pro-Lites myself. I trust Easton wheels having used the Ascent II for a few years hassle-free, & I like the look of the PZ's but know feck all about them. Shimano wheels i've heard are solid, good-quality training wheels. Any thoughts? Anything obvious I'm not considering.

DirkVoodoo

None of those are heavy enough to be training wheels :rolleyes:

If it was me, I would probably go with the Ultegras or possibly get a set of handbuilt 6700 hubs on open pros.

Lumen

€400 for training wheels?

sy

Pro-Lites were around €220 on Ribble a few weeks back. Worth checking

The tax man

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

If it was me, I would probably go with the Ultegras or possibly get a set of handbuilt 6700 hubs on open pros.

+1 Great wheel set. €250(last year) hand built from Humphries in Finglas,bomb proof.

Lemag

sy wrote: »

Pro-Lites were around €220 on Ribble a few weeks back. Worth checking

Aw man!!

kumate_champ07

chainreactioncycles have mavic open pro's and cxp33's in red 32 & 36h for 35euro each at the moment. thats as cheap as Ive seen them anywhere. silver is usually around 50euro

cxp33 is a nice alternative to open pros, a bit heavier and stronger

tawfeeredux

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

None of those are heavy enough to be training wheels :rolleyes:

If it was me, I would probably go with the Ultegras or possibly get a set of handbuilt 6700 hubs on open pros.

Lumen wrote: »

€400 for training wheels?

I did start looking for a cheaper set of wheels that may be heavier but would do the job (in fact the heavier wheels would be part of the training!), but as usual I got carried away while browsing:rolleyes:. Then I convinced myself I had a €400 budget. Maybe I mean wheels for the bike that will be used for training/sportives/club races?

Raam

Fulcrum Racing 7, 190 a pop
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=58681

Although I got my 2008 versions for about 170, back in 2008.

Raam

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/fulcrum-racing-7-wheelset/

only 176, quick!

doozerie

I've read claims that the Pro-Lite Luciano are the most widely used training wheel by cycling teams around the world. I've not seen anything to actually verify that claim though, so it could be nonsense. However, the wheels look okay on paper and the price is good too assuming they live up to their spec: €143 from Ribble. I bought myself a set of them a few weeks back but haven't ridden on them yet so can't offer any opinion on them one way or the other.

The Pro-Lite Treviso seem to have a better hub (same hub as the Bracciano) for only a few extra euro but Ribble seem to be out of stock of those for quite a while now. I found it tough to find reviews of either the Luciano or Treviso online. The Bracciano's do get good reviews and the Ribble price is excellent, but for pure training wheels the Luciano's seem like even better value again.

One thing though, if you check the Pro-Lite website they state that they tension the spokes on their wheels *a lot*. If you ever have to replace a snapped spoke on one of these they advise that you have to un-tension all of the other spokes first (and they suggest an order in which to do this) before fitting the new spoke. Not for the faint-hearted and I'm not sure whether many local bike shops would be up to the challenge either - should be straight-forward for a decent wheel builder though despite the fact that Pro-Lite make a big thing in their online manual about leaving this to the "Pro-Lite Service Centre in your country". In fact, I find that their service manual (called their "Wheelset Technology Guide") grates a bit generally when I read it - it's very much in the camp of "don't meddle with these yourselves, leave it to us who actually know what we are doing" which isn't very endearing. Still, if their own confidence in their abilities holds true then their wheels shouldn't need much maintenance anyway.

doozerie

For info, the Pro-Lite service manual is here. Also, forgot to mention that I believe they are not actually making the Luciano wheelset any longer, they seem to be replacing it with the Merano (which I couldn't find for a decent price when I looked a few weeks back). Oh, and from what info I could find before, my impression is that the Stelvio (listed on their website) and Treviso (sold by Ribble) are the same wheel.

Another quirk of Pro-Lite wheels is that they recommend that you don't use Campag brake blocks with them as they say the Campag blocks have too low a melting point. They seem to apply this statement to their alloy rims as well as their carbon rims. They recommend KoolStop blocks (personally I plan to use SwissStop blocks)

levitronix

My mavic askiums are 5 years old or older and have 25k plus on them , best training wheel ever, in all that time i went threw 2 free hubs and a few nipples needed replaceing , had one issue where a rear derailleur hanger broke and the derailleur went into the wheel, the cost of the repair was under €15 a couple of spokes needed thats all .. bearings are still running smooth !!!

tawfeeredux

Aagghhh, too many options, & too much work to do! Thanks for the replies guys. I think I'll discard the original shortlist & go with something around the €150 mark.

jdt101

+1 on the Mavic Aksiums

blorg

If you are looking around €150 I would consider the Planet X Model C (32sp) or Model B (20/24sp). The latter is lighter, the former more robust. Very solid, well made wheels, and very light for the money. I think these are better than Aksiums or other entry level wheels (although Aksiums are certainly solid wheels.)

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/WPPXMODELB/planet-x-model-b-wheelset

DirkVoodoo

I've had aksiums for over 2 years now, used in all conditions on all surfaces and they still roll well, there is a small kink in the back wheel (haven't got around to bladed spoke wheel truing yet) but for a wheelset that cost around 150 euro (125 in CSS at one point) they certainly provide "bang for buck".

I have a set of Ksyrium SLs and outside of climbing there is no difference other than looks.

My initial post was referring to the fact that training wheels should always be heavy buggers, so when you stick on your race wheels you feel that bit faster

blobbie

Aksiums 149 @ http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=0&idproduct=37184

with free delivery.

tawfeeredux

blobbie wrote: »

Aksiums 149 @ http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=0&idproduct=37184

with free delivery.

Saw that yesterday. The Fulcrums & Planet Xs looked good, but the Aksiums looked like a good price & I didn't have to wait either, just popped over this afternoon & picked them up:).

dave2pvd

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

I've had aksiums for over 2 years now, used in all conditions on all surfaces and they still roll well, there is a small kink in the back wheel (haven't got around to bladed spoke wheel truing yet) but for a wheelset that cost around 150 euro (125 in CSS at one point) they certainly provide "bang for buck".

I have a set of Ksyrium SLs and outside of climbing there is no difference other than looks.

My initial post was referring to the fact that training wheels should always be heavy buggers, so when you stick on your race wheels you feel that bit faster

Well, snap. We have similar equipment.

I also have 2yr old Aksiums that I train on. Shod with 'proper' Winter-grade Lithion 2 25mm tyres.

The Aksiums truly are training wheels.

My 4 year old Ksyrium SLs have taken over from the Aksiums as my cyclocross wheels. Also great wheels. However, at their price I would never classify them as training wheels. Great for criteriums and 'cross though.

tawfeeredux, I'd recommend spending less on your training wheels than you have proposed.

Consider the requirements:

• inexpensive (relative, I know)
• reliable and durable
• readily available and inexpensive spokes
• easy for a mechanic to true/replace spokes
• must not fill with water
• good braking surface (ought to be machined) in all conditions
• good warranty and dealer support

seve65

Anybody else any thoughts on a good buy for wheels for use all year round on c**p roads and for a few speedy spins (mainly climbing) in the summer ? Currently on alex 28 pros that came with the bike and they have proved very robust given the bashing I have given them, however the braking surface has worn too much. I was kinda favouring something like the easton ea70s which are supposed to be robust, (and used for cyclo cross), but have read a few bad reviews. The Braccianos pro-lite seem the business from a cheaper, light and speedy point of view, not sure about how theyd stand up to belting down a bumpy roads constantly ?

Dubba

I agree with Blorg's post above - the Planet X wheelesets are worth a look.

The PX model B's are very light, cheap and in my experience bombproof on st1ty Irish roads.

Redmond101

jdt101 wrote: »

+1 on the Mavic Aksiums

+2

doozerie

Some feedback on the Pro-Lite Luciano's: I've clocked up about 1,000 miles on these so far and they've been very solid and very reliable. I'm light though, so I'm not stressing them much based on weight alone and I've not had the misfortune of hitting any particularly bad potholes or the like either. Not a hint of a buckle in that time so I've not had to go near them with a spoke key.

However, while the front bearings still feel as good as new, the rear bearings feel like they either need to be re-greased or replaced. I've not opened up the hub yet so can't say how fiddly they are to maintain, and I've also not yet checked whether they use standard sized bearings. So on the plus side, the rims and spoke are holding up well, but having been spoilt with long lasting (mostly sealed) bearings in various of my other hubs the downside is that the rear hub of the Luciano's looks like it'll require maintenance sooner than I'd hoped and perhaps on a regular basis too. So my frugal side still likes them, my lazy side now has some doubts.