Hey all, new to Melbourne and reasonably new to road/fixed.
Just wondering if anyone can give me some advice as to the price of Deep V’s and Open Pros?
And also where in Melbourne i could get them?
And- one more- can anyone recommend a good wheel builder down here?
First off, welcome 
Second
A: Go for Open Pro’s, lighter than Deep V and very comparable in strength.
B: Abbotsford Cycles.
C Dan @ <a href=“http://shifterbikes.com”>Shifterbikes</a>
any idea on cost of building the wheels?
I’m building my own wheelset for the first time since 25 years ago - DuraAce track hubs, Velocity Aerohead rims, DT Rev spokes - just laced up the front last night, using Sheldon Brown’s instructions. This will save me about $110 and fun to boot. Picked up the bits on the net to save another $200.
Velocity rims are around $110 each in Aust, perhaps $100 on mates rates.
I think most shops will charge about $40-$50 for a build per wheel plus $1.20 - $1.50 per spoke for DT’s, more for black.
Donga: If I read this correctly and you saved $110 lacing your wheels by doing it yourself, you had an extremely expensive quote.
EDIT: my bad, i guess that isnt an unreasonable quote for a WHEELSET, for some reason i thought you were quoted per wheel!
I’m not too sure how much Dan @shifterbikes is charging but everyone I’ve spoken to has been very pleased with his efforts.
Abbotsford Cycles:
They can order Deep V’s (and all other Velocity rims)
90 per Deep V rim non-machined
100 for machined
60 for lacing including spokes
So if you had your own hubs then you’re looking at $300/set
i keep posting the same or similar comments about rims.
open pro’s, not deep v.
lighter, just as strong, better quality.
so, to sum up…
open pro.
light, welded, pinned, machined, eyeleted, solid.
deep v.
pinned, machined, solid.
open pro by 2 to 1.
simple math innit?
as for the build?
most shops can build wheels.
some shop s can build really good wheels.
only a few people can build exceptional wheels.
ask around and find out who has the best reputation in your area, and pay them.
it’s always worth it in the end to have a build that will stay tight and strong for years.
from everything i have heard up here, dan at shifter is the man to talk to for the build. if he’s to busy, he’ll recommend someone to do a good job. that come from people i trust to have a valid opinion. now you just have to decide if you trust me to have a valid opinion…
little side note. if the wheelwright is using a locking compound on a standard wheel build (basic 3X 24+ spoke count kind of thing) go somewhere else. some grease on the threads, some oil on the nipples, and real tensionometer and you will get a straight true strong wheel.
Last time was about $50 or so, per wheel.
Don’t worry too much about the labour cost. There’s bugger all difference between shops IME, especially compared to the total wheelset cost.
Dan’s my first choice for wheels. They’ve always been flawless.
Otherwise, Abbotsford Cycles also do an excellent job.
as another wheel building option, id have a chat to ross at iridebikes on king st.
i had a front mtb wheel built by him lastyear and i was VERY happy with it.
I haven’t ridden/owned any Dan built wheelsets (not that I know of anyway) but have heard nothing but good things.
I have owned 4 -5 sets of wheels built by Russell at BSC Elizabeth St though. His wheels are rock solid. A mate of mine had a set of road wheels built by Russ that he trained on for 5 years (probably about 80 trips up King Lake and back) without a single service. When he eventually had them looked at all that needed doing was a hub service, spoke tension was still perfect.
I’ve just recently attempted my own build, not as hard as I thought it’d be. Sheldon’s instructions are pretty easy to follow once you get your head around it all.
I think BSC are around $50 an end for wheel builds, plus spokes of course.
i woulda gona down the open pro route, but i got some deep-v’s for next to nothin’
Last I asked, it was around $50 or $55 apiece. That’s Brissie for you.
All it takes is being methodical - it’s not a dark art requiring The Force. Don’t drink beer while you are building - leave it till after. Once you’ve built, who cares if it goes a little out of true, because you know how to fix it.
take your time, take it slow, and as you first take up the slack in the spokes, make sure you tighten every spoke to the same tension initially. it makes dishing, truing and getting rid of the high spots so much easier.
nice and slow, and if you aren’t sure, go back and check it again.
it’s easy to do properly, but even easier to get wrong.
sheldon brown has a brilliant guide, as do the DT swiss and park tools site.
i highly recommend building at least one wheel set yourself, so you know how it all works. plus there is nothing quite so satisfying as riding a wheelset you built yourself and knowing it’s right.
werd. it’s somewhat tedious, extremely therapeutic and makes you feel that much closer to the love(s) of your life. (your bike, that is).