• I've been looking at wheels from lightbicycle thanks to @amey's post and various other previous experiences up thread. I just have a few questions which I'd appreciate advice on. I'm looking at the Falcon set, either in 25 or 36mm depth. Is there any significant difference/advantage in a 28mm wide rim over a 25mm wide rim? I'm going to be running clinchers, no more than 25/27mm wide eg. gp4000, vittoria corsa etc and only riding road, no gravel etc.

    The only hub options that work for Campagnolo are either the DT Swiss 240 or the Bitex RAF10. But there is a £200 difference in picking the DT Swiss hubs. Are they really that much better than the Bitex in terms of quality? Equally are the Sapim CX Ray spokes worth an extra £100 over the standard Pillar spokes?

    Bit of a minefield of choices... Any help appreciated. Cheers!

  • I've got some wheels here with the 28mm wide/36mm deep rims (the RR36CO2) which I think are the same as the ARC36 rims they use on the Falcon wheels. They fit really nicely with 25mm 5000TL tyres, and generally speaking the wider the rim the lower the pressure you can run the tyre at as you'll get less sidewall squirm. All other things being equal, I'd go for the 28mm rim.

    DT Swiss hubs are a lot more durable than the Bitex RAF10/RAR9 set in my experience. There's nothing wrong with the Bitex hubs, but the bearings are tiny and will need to be replaced regularly, especially if you're a large or powerful rider. Then again, the bearings are cheap and easy to replace. Whether they're worth the extra £200 is debatable - depends how often you'll be using them, what mileages you'll be doing, and what weather you'll be riding in.

    As for spokes, I'd definitely got for the CX-Rays. I've never had any problems with Pillar spokes myself, although I've only had a few wheels with them, but I know a lot of other people who've had issues with wheels made with Pillar spokes. Of course, it might not be the fault of the spokes, but I've never had any problems at all with CX-Rays, so I'd be tempted to splash the extra for them.

    If you're going rim brake, have you thought about the Novatec option? It's cheaper than the Bitex, a teeny bit heavier, but the bearings in the hubs are a bit chunkier than the RAF10/RAR9 option. If you're not going rim brake then the Bitex option isn't an option anyway.

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