The Chorus build kit I'm leaning towards comes with Campy Protons. The wheels on my current ride are Centaur/OP, and I haven't had a single problem with them in 1+ yrs of use. I weight ~165-170 lbs and I'm trying to decide whether to stick with the Protons, change to Record/OPs, or look at something else in a comparable price-range ±. Oh, and clinchers.

For the time being, I plan to use my Cannondale w/ the Centaur/OPs for Cat 5 crits, so I'll use these new wheels/bike mostly for training, the occasional tt (see below), and some rr.

Initially, I was going to stretch my budget & go for Campy Eurus, but I plan to race tt's in the "Eddy Merckx" category around here, which among other things means rims no deeper than 25mm (the Eurus are 30mm).

I'm currently getting a Record 28h/CX Ray (3x) /DT RR1.1 set built for around that price.

Check out IRD Cadence rims with AM classic hubs from www.oddsandendos.com (http://www.oddsandendos.com) They're very light weight. You can have as many spokes as you like. they are in your price range.

I'm currently getting a Record 28h/CX Ray (3x) /DT RR1.1 set built for around that price.

Where are you getting your wheels built? i've been looking for some wheels with CXrays and DT 1.1s and no one online seems to have this combo

I'm getting them built in the Netherlands. Not cost effective to get them shipped to the US :)

These guys below have a good reputation for wheel building on MTBr. I'm pretty sure they can build you a good set if you contact them for a custom order:

Larry Mettler
mtnhighcyclery@attbi.com
http://www.mtnhighcyclery.com/

Mike Garcia
oddsandendos@hotmail.com
http://www.oddsandendos.com

The American Classic hubs with IRD Cadence rims kinda splits the difference with just ordering a pair of prebuilt American Classic wheels. The IRD Cadence rim is the same rim as the Am Classic's 350 rim, but has eyelets added for a little more strength (and some extra weight, but not a lot.) You could always call American Classic and order a set of the 350's if you are looking at lightweight wheels, or get the 420's if you want a stronger wheel. The 420 uses a mid-V profile semi-aero rim, whereas the 350 is a box section rim. American Classic will also custom build you a set of wheels if you want. They can use bladed spokes, Sapim CX-Rays, and they will also build on Velocity rims if you prefer those. They will build with Aeroheads, Deep V's, or Escape tubulars.

Lots of choices out there... just giving you some more to think about.

Russ

DT RR1.1+Sapin C-Rays+Chris King (or equiv.) pre-built wheels.
You seem to be knowledgeable about these things.

Thanks,

Jim

DT RR1.1+Sapin C-Rays+Chris King (or equiv.) pre-built wheels.
You seem to be knowledgeable about these things.

Thanks,

Jim

I would let a local builder that you trust build them for you. Or at least I would persue that option first. That way you know the person who's hands built your wheels and you know where to go back if there are problems. Otherwise, I would check some place like Mike at oddsandendos. He seems to have a great reputation.

I work in a shop, so I don't ever deal with mailorder. I keep up with a few places to know what they offer and what they price it at, but being that I get better deals thru where I work, I don't ever buy mailorder for new parts. I do sometimes buy vintage parts for my older bikes from mailorder houses, but if I can get the stuff myself, I do because I will pay less. So I am not really a good person to ask where to get the stuff, because I pretty much always say to go to your LBS.

Otherwise, I would tell you that you could have any shop order those wheels for you thru something like QBP's (one of the biggest parts distributors in the country) wheel building program, but QBP doesn't sell Sapim spokes. You could get them to build you the King/RR 1.1 wheels with revolutions, but not the Sapims and the Sapims rule.

Oh, and one more thing... it's off topic to this thread, but I didn't get to reply to your question about 31.7 bars before the other components board was shut down. 31.7 and 31.8 bars and stems are the same thing. The actual standard was set at 31.75mm and so the difference is only .05mm. Some companies round up to 31.8 and some round down to 31.7 depending on how things are done in the country they are from. It may not be set in stone, but I think Italian companies list OS bars at 31.7 and US companies list at 31.8mm. Either way, the difference is so slight that they are effectively the same.

Russ