Custom Wheel Build Project
At the end of 2011, I made the decision to move from trails to tarmac, and race with the Wightlink Race Team for the 2012 season. Whilst I have a decent specification Planet X frame and groupset as my summer road bike, it was seriously lacking a decent set of wheels. So in January this year I began the search for a good value, light, durable and strong clincher wheelset for around £300. Many suggestions came up; from Prolite, Shimano, Cole and other established brands. None of them really seemed to fit the bill though. As a pretty skinny endurance rider I'm never going to be a sprinter, but I do all right on the hills; as a result I was looking for something that was light (around 1500 grams) and stiff, but without compromising durability. Basically I was looking for the Dura Ace C24 wheel set for £300; which is something that's just not going to happen as its RRP is £750! Luckily one of the guys in the Wightlink Team turns out to be a bit of a good wheel-builder; so a...