New wheels for CdF, or new bike...

I've been using my Croix de Fer as a daily commuter, and on weekends taking it along gravel paths to a sailing club in Enfield with a fair amount of weight on the rack. It's served me well, but mid-way through the Dunwich Dynamo last weekend, the rear wheel buckled. On closer inspection, the rim is split. The front hub clearly also needs a service.

I could splash on some new Hunt wheels, build up a more affordable set (below for around £300), or make the leap to a new bike on C2W, like the Cube Nuroad FE(thru axels, hydro brakes, and a dynamo/lights) and sell the CdF frame/rack.

Is it better to stick with the CdF or go for a new bike?

Front hub: SP Dynamo PD-8
Rear hub: Shimano Deore XT rear hub
Rims: DT Swiss R500 DB
Spokes: Sapim Race black

2 Attachments

Honestly if it was me I would go dt Swiss r500 db rims, hope pro4 rear hub and a Jtek front dynamo with Jtek PG spokes - brass nipples.

The frame and fork are grand and will see you through, slowly upgrade your drivechain when worn and your onto a winner.

Jtek hubs are very similar to sp, no point paying the different tbh!

I would go for new wheels with kinlin rims, personally.

Xr22t or xr26t would be good. With zenith hubs, under £300 a pair. Stayer in Leytonstone can build these for you. I have kinlins on 3 bikes currently. Super reliable and nice to ride.

yep new wheels. don't get a new bike just cos you hammered your old wheel set. upgrade as you go along.

Agree with Jonny. Nothing wrong with your bike CDF keep it rolling.

I'm puzzled. Aren't these Alexrims decals? Or is the damage pic a different wheelset?
Would've otherwise recommended the R500 ...

Imagine getting a new bike and finding out the old one was just fine... New wheels should do it. On a commuter I might just go DT 350 + DT R460 with DT Champion spokes and brass nipples. What am I saying, might. I did that and it works great. Front wheel has a SP dynamo hub though, which has also lived up to my expectations.

Just to be the voice of dissent / #buyer I'd say consider a new bike if you're tempted, you can always get a new wheelset and sell the cdf to give you the funds for it. Part of the fun is getting new bikes and seeing what you like....

Sorry to be the contrary voice of dissent, but have you considered the third, superior option?

Buy new wheels for the commuter AND a new bike for fun rides.

This

I went for new wheels in the end, built by 23mm using some of the Kinlin rims he sources, on a SP-PD8 (6 bolt rotor) on the front, and a Shimano Rs505 hub up front.

Pretty pleased, but as I built them up in the London Bike Kitchen, f0und that the TRP Spyre brake callipers were rubbing against the spokes. Didn't take a photo, but there wasn't much clearance on the fork side, to shim the rotor over. Tried a 180mm rotor and that chaffed against the fork, which gives you an idea of how close the rotor is to the fork (you can see where it's rubbed through the paintwork in the photo.)

So options now seem to be:

Shim the rotor and hope that the fork/wheel doesn't flex too much
Dish the wheel (any downsides?)
Find a calliper with a narrow profile (Avid BB7 look narrow but a downgrade ,TRP Hy-RD or Giant Conduct would be an upgrade and look slimmer)
Get a carbon fork with a slimmer profile (e.g. Kinesis Tripster)

Am going to fit the dynamo lights and new gear cables to get that sorted. It wouldn't be fun if it was easy!

2 Attachments

Can you relace the wheel so that the spoke elbows are on the inside of the flange?

That's an option, but I've read it will make the front wheel weaker and more likely to go out of true.

How much clearance to the fork with 160mm rotor?

Crimp the fork more?

Fit a surly or Thorn fork?

I'm assuming the problem didn't exist with your old front wheel, and you are running the same rotor/caliper combo. If you still have the old front wheel, pop it in, see if the problem still occurs. I had a similar problem on an Equilibrium disc when I got new rotors, so ordered a different style rotor, problem solved.
Maybe take to your lbs, get them have a once over.
Can you take a pic with old wheel and new wheel in? So we can see how much tolerance (or lack of) there is.

Spent the day in the bike kitchen and, with the expert help of the mechanics there, it now fits (just about.)

Started off using some small washers on packing tape to imitate a rotor shim. 1mm pushed the rotor into the fork, 0.5mm was OK, but there was still some spoke chaffing.

Then tightened the spokes on the rotor side of the wheel, which 'dished' it a little.

Backed the TRP Spyre pistons all the way off and then tightened the non-wheel side piston so that the calliper now sits off-centre.

When I change my brake pads next, I might need to file off some of the pad on the wheel side. For the moment though, the dynamo lights work!

Next on the list is to find a neat way of running the cable up the fork, and then to the rear light. Thinking electric tape to stick it to the fork, then heat shrink tubing to route the cable alongside the rear brake cable. I've read you can drill a small hole in a Tubus rack, which would make for a neat routing. I also need to find a big washer for the front light, and a long M5 bolt.

3 Attachments

Bladed/aero spokes (on the disc side at least) could gain you about half a milimeter more.

DT swiss aero comp or sapim cx-sprint would be the same stiffness as sapim race.

It is because the hub's left flange position is 1mm wider than spec / most others.

You could also respace the hub 1mm if you can find endcaps for it / make something

1 Attachment

• PD-8-QR-01.pdf

or put a 1mm washer behind the disc side endcap. It looks like it needs to be i.d. 12mm.

Then re-dish the wheel slightly and you have a 101mm wide hub (still needs spacers on the rotor).