Building up a bike on a budget , cheap ebay wheels ?

barrymanilow

Hi ,

I have a notion of buying a reduced 2016 Genesis croix de fer steel frame that might actually fit me and moving over all the parts from my current heavyish old touring bike that I kind of force myself to fit on .

Looks like a straight swap over of parts except that the croix de fer frame takes disc brakes and my tourer is rim brake cantis . I have rotors and calipers already . For the Wheels I was looking at this cheap Disc wheelset that comes in around €100 on ebay.Im on a budget and if I am to do this then they are about all that I can afford.

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/700c-Hybrid-29er-MTB-Mountain-Bike-Rim-Disc-Front-Rear-8-9-Speed-Wheel-Set-/112365041856?var=&hash=item1a297a78c0:m:mWKw5_O6tCeEW62wDGxnZ1g

I'm just wondering , for this price will these wheels be rubbish , ridiculously heavy or very bad quality etc ?Is there a catch ? I'm not too interested in performance or weight , more into strong durable wheels for touring.

Thanks ,

Barry

smacl

Check your CDF axle widths, my own CX bike has different diameter thru axles front and back so wheels with QR skewers aren't suitable.

Alek

God they're pig heavy! Over 2500g for the wheelset alone, add tyres tubes and rotors.... AFAIK Croix de fer 2016 has QR back and front, at least my 2014 version does.

I would rather aim for cheap Shimano 29" MTB wheelsets like MT-35, they're closer to 2000g and sturdy enough for whatever you throw at them.

Bit dearer, but in my honest opinion worth the difference, as you're getting lighter wheels and good quality hubs: https://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/shimano-wh-mt35-mtb-29-wheel-set-black-85381/wg_id-8821

Eamonnator

They are over 2.5 kilogrammes in weight, that's quite lardy.

Snap

cdaly_

If you can get them, you could consider replacing your existing hubs with the disc version. You'd need to be careful with the dimensions to be able to re-use your existing spokes. That way, you'd get to keep your, presumably decent, touring wheels and learn to build wheels at the same time. Roger Musson's Wheelbuilding book tells you everything you need to know, including plans for making your own truing stand.

topcat77

Check out some of the German web sites. Normally good prices and they've a very healthy touring bike scene.

https://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/shimano-wh-rx05-wheelset-black-85401/wg_id-12981

barrymanilow

Thanks folks ,

I'll look into these alternatives .

Changing out the hubs and rebuilding the wheels sounds like an interesting challenge and a great way to do this cheap