700c disc-braked wheels for road use - any recommendations

bgnukem · Post by **bgnukem** » 15 Apr 2015, 11:40am

Later this year I'm planning to build a new bike based on the Genesis Croix de Fer Reynolds 725 frameset.

The bike will have disc brakes and so I need a decent set of 700c wheels with disc hubs that are reasonably light, as I will be riding on the road only, using the bike for club runs, audaxes and maybe the odd weekend hostel trip just carrying overnight gear. I weigh 82kg.

Are there any decent off-the-peg wheelsets out there which fit this description. I don't need off-road strength but at the same time will want to fit 28mm and maybe even 32mm tyres. However, I want the bike to be relatively fast and light compared with a full-on tourer.

Or is custom build the better option?

barrym · Post by **barrym** » 15 Apr 2015, 12:12pm

This is a very timely question. I have been wondering what standard, if any, there is for disc mounts. I was playing around with the idea of a SA3 disc hub in a fixie that has disc and a 135 oln. Is it as straight forward as any disc hub will line up with the frame's calliper mounts?

Surely life can't be that straightforward;-)

Cheers
Barry

andrewjoseph · Post by **andrewjoseph** » 15 Apr 2015, 1:33pm

rear disk hubs used to be 135, now there are several new sizes. i think i've seen 145 and 150.

i built our tourer/road wheels with hope mtb pro ii hubs (110/135 oln) with aerowarrior 36h rims. there was someone on eBay that built this combo to order.

or there are the new zip wheels coming out http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/zipp-dives-into-tubeless-with-new-30-course-disc-alloy-road-wheels

I like the idea of lighter day/sportive wheels with less spokes than our current built for touring wheels, but i don't think the much higher cost for little weight reduction is worth it... but still i search!

Shuggie · Post by **Shuggie** » 15 Apr 2015, 1:34pm

Go custom is my advice. You'll get exactly what you're looking for from the likes of Spokesmanwheels or DCR & they're in the UK. Excellent wheels & rapid service from the former IME.

Hugh

bgnukem · Post by **bgnukem** » 16 Apr 2015, 6:03pm

Custom is always nice, but at a price!

I just thought perhaps with more road bikes being fitted with discs there might be some aftermarket wheelsets made for disc brakes.

To answer a previous poster, I gather the two main disc fixing standards are 6-bolt and centre-lock, but I'm unsure if the actual lateral offset of the disc from the dropout / axle locknut varies between the two. This would be worth knowing, as would the over-locknut dimension if there are numerous values of this available.

Does anyone know the answer to these two questions??

Brucey · Post by **Brucey** » 16 Apr 2015, 6:54pm

the disc offsets are (in theory) the same even if the discs are mounted differently onto the hubs.

You can see the ISO standard here;

http://www.magura.com/uploads/media/downloads/IS_E_44cb8a_01.pdf

front and rear calipers are mounted at different radii and in addition the offset of the disc w.r.t. the inboard face of the caliper is different front to rear too. The disc position stays the same wrt the LH dropout even if the hub width changes, so it isn't so easy to respace a 130mm hub to 135mm as you can easily do for rim braked wheels.

IMHO the use of disc braked wheels in road bikes greatly narrows choice and the likelihood of finding pre-built/OTP wheels that will suit you. Contrast road with MTB; things are a little different right now but in MTBs for some years there was been only one commonly used rear hub width standard and this builds into wheels that are strong enough for most folk. To a good approximation 90%+ of MTBers are going to want either an XC rim or a DH rim; small changes in rim width and exact rim shape are not that important.

In road disc wheels there are all the same parameters that vary with rim brake wheels, plus a load of other ones to do with the rear hub spacing. I'd guess that the chances of finding OTP disc wheels that meet your every whim are about the same as finding rim braked wheels which automatically come fitted with your exact choice of tyre...

cheers

Valbrona · Post by **Valbrona** » 16 Apr 2015, 9:13pm

Mavic Aksium One Disc.

Valbrona · Post by **Valbrona** » 16 Apr 2015, 11:41pm

...............

Redvee · Post by **Redvee** » 17 Apr 2015, 12:43am

Have a look at MTB 29er wheelsets, these are 622 diameter, the same as 700c road wheels. The rims might be a little wider but I've ridden them with 25c tyres and it gave a rounded profile to the tyre and made removal much easier when the PF visited.
As mentioned, Centre-lock and 6 bolt fitting puts the disc in exactly the same place.

macaroon · Post by **macaroon** » 18 Apr 2015, 8:38am

I'd be wary of using MTB rims; many aren't suitable for high pressures you'd pupm your road tyres up to.

I think these would suit you perfectly: http://www.justridingalong.com/wheels/i ... -sl25.html

Valbrona · Post by **Valbrona** » 18 Apr 2015, 11:46am

Brand new disc road wheels for sale here:-

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=95987

bgnukem · Post by **bgnukem** » 22 Apr 2015, 2:05pm

Thanks for all the feedback. I guess road wheels with discs are still an evolving market.

I'll take a look at the Aksium Disc wheels as I've been quite happy with the basic Aksiums I've had on my Giant for the last few years.

Also thanks for the other links which I'll take a look at later. If I can save say £150 by getting off the peg wheels vs custom built it will help me keep my bike build budget below £2k.

Ben

stewartpratt · Post by **stewartpratt** » 22 Apr 2015, 3:09pm

Brucey wrote:In road disc wheels there are all the same parameters that vary with rim brake wheels, plus a load of other ones to do with the rear hub spacing.

Er… show me a disc road frame that isn't 135mm. (The new Unbeaten Path is the only one I can think of, and that's a gravel racer.)

As to the original question, custom is my preferred route. The last set of 700c disc wheels I built came in under £200 including a dynohub and using 460g rims.

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