Please share your recommendations for a wheelset. These will adorn a IF Planet Cross, which will be ridden as a second road bike, ridden off-road on occasion and raced in a few cross races.

I'm 185 pounds and have had great luck with Krsyrium SSC SLs, but am looking for something else on this ride. Thanks in advance for your input.

I am the same weight and I run the Open Pro's with Ultegra hub wheels. I race them every weekend and I am pretty rough on them. They are not the prettiest wheels but for cross they get the job done and if I break a spoke any LBS can fix it.

I used two wheelsets this season and loved both.

Ksyrium tubular - amazing. bought them used on ebay for $350. Got them late in the season and only did 3 races on them. The downside is that these are pretty much race only. However, I'll probably buy a second set of these for next year so I have two different treads to choose from on race day (and of course 1 set for the pit bike).

Velomax Circuit - killer road wheel. 1650g and bombproof. 13 races on them and they were slightly out of true. Now they make a killer winter training wheel. You can get them on ebay for ~350$.

I would get something that your LBS could fix easily (or yourself). Like Ultegra/DA hubs mated to Mavic rims. Do a search about Tubulars, but they really are as nice as everyone says. So a great wheelset would be DA hubs and Reflex tubulars.

Or you could go Ultegra hubs and like an aerohead or small V rim as well to add some strength to the wheels.

Depends largely on budget.

BTW wheres a pic of your bike?

jeremy

I like handmade wheels, the ease of maintenance and relative equal weight specs to their factoy build counterparts makes them rather competetive.

I always thought coloradocyclist had decent prices on wheels, they also claim to personally spec and tune the wheels to your weight, riding style ect. I have also had wheels built from mean Todd at webcyclery, very very nice.

here is a small list of good rims:
clincher-
mavic open pros
mavic cxp-33
velocity aerohead
velocity fusion
velocity deep V

tubular-
mavic reflex
velocity escape

The only factory wheelsets I would consider would be from Cane Creek. My CC team ti's are still true and came with a handbuilt tag signed by "reggie" in south carolina. They make wicked good hubs. The Volos XL look darn good. A little birdie told me that the CC alum rims are machined velocitys.

Kannas,
Of the rims that you listed, which would be your preference if you rode the road 5 miles to and from 10 mile single track rides and you weighed 220?
c

Kannas,
Of the rims that you listed, which would be your preference if you rode the road 5 miles to and from 10 mile single track rides and you weighed 220?
c

hmmm, a quality build should handle those conditions. For for added strengh a deeper V rim can add to lateral stiffness. I am not a wheel builder and am no where near 220.
But the velocity deep V's or the mavic cxp33's are durrable, also on the cane creek website http://www.canecreek.com/volos_xl.html the volos xl's would do and a bit of higher price and lighter weight.

To add to my list above the DT RR's look good, although I have yet to ride them.

Gripped may have better/ more detailed comments.

if you are going clincher. Get a Velocity Fusion rear and an aerohead front. the vee makes it a stiffer wheel. but mostly I run Tubs. a greta big guy tub is the old Rigida SHC5000. nice, vee,stiff and pretty light. (plus cheap)

I'm building a wheelset right now, I ordered Ambrosio Chrono F30 tubs for $43 each, I'm not sure what hubs I'm going to use yet but once I decide I'm having a local guy build them up and he gives a 2 year warranty with his builds. Since they're cross wheels I'd put more weight on having them built locally so service is easier and possibly free.

I believe along with EPO Museeuw used Ambrosio rims for P-R so they're strong.

I'm 180.

Ult D/A or Campy.they may not be as watertight but are far easier to service

I cecently built up a nice wheelset for cross that I also expect to use on the road. Velocity Deep V tubular rims 28 spoke front (2-cross) and 32 spoke rear 32 spoke (3 cross) White Industries hubs and Sapim Cx-Ray spokes. I haven't weighed them but they seem pretty light and are plenty stiff. I run the Tufo Flexus' on these and they are just a shade heavier than my Reynolds Stratus DV with Challenge 32's.

John