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Marginal performance gains, if any, mostly related to weight saving. You might save between 125-150g (if my sums are right) based on a 28/24 Royce Venus/Hed Belgium 25+ build using Sapim CXRays or a similar type spoke.
Many claims are made that Royce hubs are the best constructed in the world and bearing life is amazing but these are claims I can't verify personally.
I agree that a spend of an extra £550 would not be justified for such marginal gains unless you have money to burn. In the end you're buying a luxury item mostly justified only by that criteria: luxury.
If I had money to burn I would snap up a Royce Venus/HED Belgim 25+ build in an instant.
But I don't, so...Considering recommending a pre-built factory wheelset in a wheelbuilding help thread I would not point towards a R24 here (in a seperate pre-built factory wheelset thread I might). If you want to go budget and build yourself - as regards @Bonj0ur - then I would recommend a Novatec F172/A291 combo with a DT Swiss R460 using Pillar PSRXtra spokes. The satisfaction of having built your own wheelset outweighs the cost benefit of any pre-built one, for me. :-)
t_w-
If you want to go budget and build yourself - as regards @Bonj0ur - then I would recommend a Novatec F172/A291 combo with a DT Swiss R460 using Pillar PSRXtra spokes. The satidfaction of having built your own wheelset outweighs the cost benefit of any pre-built one, for me. :-)
You obviously like wheel building more than I do, I only do it where a factory built wheel isn't suitable. Division of labour is hard to beat.
Your Novatec/R460 comes out at roughly the same price as the ready made R24s only if you apply no value to the labour. The rim is better (basically the same as you get with the much more expensive R23 wheels), doubt there's much in it between the hubs, and DT probably wins on the spokes.
If I were pointing @Bonj0ur in the direction of hand built wheels, I'd be trying to do something different from what the factory wheels provide, because a hand built which is trying to compete on the same turf nearly always comes off second best when you do a rational comparison.
On that basis, let's say we decide to spend some of his money on unnecessarily nice stuff, but go for a toughened up wheelset which he can thrown down some bridleways with confidence. Getting off the beaten path on your road bike is potentially far mare satisfying than having race wheel which let you knock the odd second off your Strava PBs :-)
On that basis, I'd probably go for whatever 23-25mm rim fits your prejudice (R460 for me, because I'm prejudiced against wasting money), 32 DT Comp/Sapim Race (or Alpine III if you're a fatty who know that 30g per wheel makes no difference) and Shimano 9000 hubs (6800 work just as well, but DuraAce for the bling factor). That lot should come to about £400 and 1700-1750g weighed the factory wheel way, i.e. without tape or skewers.
gbj_tester
Aye, and there's the rub. What are you actually gaining by spending £700 on Belgium/Royce over £150 DT R24s?