Having slammed my Mavic Open Pro/ hope pro2 front wheel into a hole recently I'm in the market for some new rims.
It seems to me that widerer is betterer and I've recently invested in some A23s for a cross bike (but not ridden much because of health stuff).

If you were building some new alloy rimmed road wheels what would you choose?
(yes i know - an excellent builder)

I have two spare brand new Mavic Open Pro 36 hole, with good 105 front & rear 36h hubs to match.
Open Pros have 14.5mm internal width, vs 13mm for many older road rims.

Also, spare 32 hole Ultegra & 105 hubs.

Pacenti SL23. Wide, Stiff, supposed to have a very good welded join and really good machined braking surface, very smooth brake track etc. Pretty light (450g, so slightly heavier than Open Pro, but width would more than make up for it I reckon). Can get them in lower spoke hole counts than Open Pro's if you are that way inclined.



I am gonna use these for my next road wheelset - I was going to go factory wheels again (as I was selling them) but handbuilt just makes so much more sense to me - all my other wheels are handbuilt.

Hed Belgium or Belgium +? Oli might have some good feedback on them, but I know a couple of people rolling on them and they are well pleased with the ride quality, durability and build quality.

I think the Hed Belgium and the Pacenti SL23 are very evenly matched, SL23 seems to be "the new Belgium" that everyone is flocking to now though - at least from my research. It is slightly lighter I think.

Mavic Open Pro/ hope pro2 front wheel

A "hope hoop"? Was it a good wheel? I'm considering investing so I have a matching set of wheels........ For like the first time ever.

I've got a set of hed belgiums on some white industry hubs and they are great. I believe the hype of wide and am a convert. I can't get 25mm tyres on one of my bikes but 23mm tyres end up measuring 25mm when mounted and fit well. I've hit some nasty potholes and they've come out fine.
I've also got a set of hplusson archetypes sitting in the shed waiting for a set of hubs. Wiggle have them for half the price I could source another set of belgiums. They are worth a look as well, but the pacenti rims are also supposed to be good.

Curve from Melbourne are doing phat and flat which look interesting. Super wide box section rims

I just bought a pair of Shimano WH-R501 rims off Wiggle for $124/pr ...

happybaboon wrote:

Mavic Open Pro/ hope pro2 front wheel

A "hope hoop"? Was it a good wheel? I'm considering investing so I have a matching set of wheels........ For like the first time ever.

was a hope hoop. the rear required rebuild, as has every other factory built whee-lset Ive ever had. I am95kg at times and stress wheels!
The front was fine. until i slammed it.
I had some problems with creaking after the rear was rebuilt but it went away when I lubed the nipples.
In future I would probably would get hubs +/- rims and get a proper wheel builder rather than buy as a factory built wheel. I reiterate that was just the latest in a long line of rear wheels I have broken.

foremannz wrote:I just bought a pair of Shimano WH-R501 rims off Wiggle for $124/pr ...

that would be a about a dollar per minute of working use for someone like me . . . . .

wachtourak wrote:Pacenti SL23. Wide, Stiff, supposed to have a very good welded join and really good machined braking surface, very smooth brake track etc. Pretty light (450g, so slightly heavier than Open Pro, but width would more than make up for it I reckon). Can get them in lower spoke hole counts than Open Pro's if you are that way inclined.
.

only 7g in it from published weight i beleive and about 20$ per rim

wolffman1 wrote:I've got a set of hed belgiums on some white industry hubs and they are great. I believe the hype of wide and am a convert. I can't get 25mm tyres on one of my bikes but 23mm tyres end up measuring 25mm when mounted and fit well. I've hit some nasty potholes and they've come out fine.
I've also got a set of hplusson archetypes sitting in the shed waiting for a set of hubs. Wiggle have them for half the price I could source another set of belgiums. They are worth a look as well, but the pacenti rims are also supposed to be good.

thanks guys
certainly there is very positive talk on the pacentis, and same with the h plus son but less track history eh?
pacentis ftw right now IMO

I seen Tristan is lacing up a lot of pacentis it seems . . . .

I will be interested to hear what the gurus have to say, if they have noted this thread.

A couple of points:

#1 It is tyre volume that determines the rolling resistance (not tyre width as printed on the side walls) which is a product of inner rim width and tyre bead to bead distance (across the tread). The printed tyre width is only a loose guide based on a typical rim widths.

wachtourak wrote:Pacenti SL23. Wide, Stiff, supposed to have a very good welded join and really good machined braking surface, very smooth brake track etc. Pretty light (450g, so slightly heavier than Open Pro, but width would more than make up for it I reckon).

#2 You can fit a narrower (lighter) tyre on a wider rim to offset extra rim weight, still benefiting in volume, and millimeters in a rim are lighter than millimeters's in a tyre.

#3 Grams in a rim are easier to accellerate than grams in a tyre, being closer to the hub, though this may be minor!

I would still run 25mm tyres on 23-25mm rims as I like the extra cush and grip...

great uncle bulgaria wrote:

happybaboon wrote:

Mavic Open Pro/ hope pro2 front wheel

A "hope hoop"? Was it a good wheel? I'm considering investing so I have a matching set of wheels........ For like the first time ever.

was a hope hoop. the rear required rebuild, as has every other factory built whee-lset Ive ever had. I am95kg at times and stress wheels!
The front was fine. until i slammed it.
I had some problems with creaking after the rear was rebuilt but it went away when I lubed the nipples.
In future I would probably would get hubs +/- rims and get a proper wheel builder rather than buy as a factory built wheel. I reiterate that was just the latest in a long line of rear wheels I have broken.

Yeah I have the rear. I'm hoping it holds up for... a bit. Until I sus out a good wheel builder round here who won't charge the earth. The hub's real nice.

happybaboon wrote:

great uncle bulgaria wrote:

happybaboon wrote:

Mavic Open Pro/ hope pro2 front wheel

A "hope hoop"? Was it a good wheel? I'm considering investing so I have a matching set of wheels........ For like the first time ever.

was a hope hoop. the rear required rebuild, as has every other factory built whee-lset Ive ever had. I am95kg at times and stress wheels!
The front was fine. until i slammed it.
I had some problems with creaking after the rear was rebuilt but it went away when I lubed the nipples.
In future I would probably would get hubs +/- rims and get a proper wheel builder rather than buy as a factory built wheel. I reiterate that was just the latest in a long line of rear wheels I have broken.

Yeah I have the rear. I'm hoping it holds up for... a bit. Until I sus out a good wheel builder round here who won't charge the earth. The hub's real nice.

mine is good now rebuilt. TBH if you weigh north of 90kg, i'd just get it rebuilt here is a chance you could munt the rim before it is rebuilt and then be in for a new rim also. maybe
where are you located?