Been thinking about factory-built wheels v. hand-built wheels......again! It seems to me that many of the wheelsets sold today by a large number of manufacturers are awfully expensive for what you get.
Its rare to find a set under a grand that doesn't have some sort of trade-off (or two), such as painted spokes v. genuine stainless spokes. Painted spokes are fine if you live in a very dry climate with low humidity but not so good in a place like Bermuda where a "dry day" is one with 60% relative humidity; and we all know that 60% is the exception rather than the rule. In partnership with the saltiness of our summer breezes, this isn't a very healthy environment for steel spokes with scratched painted surfaces.
It also seems to me that many of these sub-$1,000.00 wheels don't have decent quality hubs or have hubs with mediocre bearings. Frequently they are constructed with minimal spoke counts and at this level that usually means the rims are heavier because of extra material around the spoke holes. This creates wheels where much of the weight is at the outside edge of the wheel and is thus rotating weight (harder to get up to speed and with a negative effect on handling).
While the above issues can be significant, perhaps the most important factor is that many of these wheels don't represent a significant weight savings over standard 32 spokers. In many cases they are actually heavier but riders are prepared to overlook this because they look "flash" or "trendy". If I'm going to slap down a grand on a new set of hoops I'd like to think they might help me get over the hills a little easier!
Next post I'll share some thoughts on handbuilts.
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