Wheel Size

The first thing I had to decide on was the wheel size. This took me weeks of endlessly searching the web trying to find out the right answer.

Unfortunately, and rather predictably, there wasn’t one right answer. It all depends on the type of terrain you intend on cycling on most. And of course, if your frame is not able to take wider tires this decision may already be made for you.

My problem is that I will be doing mostly road miles but if I see an off road section I want to be able to ride it too. 

After much deliberation, I’ve decided to stick with 700c for now. Seeing as I’m used to riding a 700c x 28mm tire I think it could be too much for me to go straight to a 650b x 40mm plus. There are some good 700c options that role well on paved surfaces but can also tackle a certain amount of off road.

Tire selection

So now for my second decision. Again, after a lot of searching and comparing I’ve decided to go for the WTB Exposure 36 road plus 700c x 36mm tyres.

There are two color choices for these tires. All black and black with tan sidewalls. I’m gonna stick to all black. I’m also not worried how puncture resistant these tires are as I’m going to be running them tubeless.

Rim Selection

Now we’re on to rim selection. This is the biggest reason I didn’t just go for a pre built wheelset. I really wanted carbon. The only problem was that a set of carbon wheels could set you back over 1000 dollars.

So I decided to cheat a little. Have you ever heard of a website called AliExpress? They sell just about anything direct from China.

A quick search for carbon rims and I found what looks like a decent set of rims. They have good reviews and the seller has been in business for a while and also has good reviews.

For just over 200 bucks for a set of carbon rims I decided it was worth the gamble. 32 spokes on the back and 32 on the front.

Sadly, Covid-19 meant that my rims couldn’t be delivered for a few months so I shopped around and found a good set of aluminium rims called Stans No Tubes Grail.

They’re made from G609 Alu which is 30% stronger than the standard 6061 Alu. They also have a 21mm internal width so I can run anything from 28mm to a 62mm wide tire.

The rims are tubeless compatible and are designed to be used for disc brakes, which is what I need. And to top it off, they are a very reasonable price so they will do me until my carbon rims arrive in god knows how long. 

Hub Selection

Hubs were next. The axle type was already decided by the frame and fork I have chosen. The number of spokes per hub was also already determined by the rims I chose.

Same for if I need it to have a brake disc attached. I decided to go with the center lock system just because I think it looks a bit neater.

My biggest decision was which bearings to go for and which material. Personally, I’m not too concerned how the free hub works, as long as it works. They all do the same thing.

What does concern me however is the noise. Personally I prefer a quiet hub. 

After narrowing down a few different hubs that include what I needed (12mm thru axle 100mm on the front and 142mm wide at the back capable to take centerlock brake discs with 32 holes) I was left with very little choice.

I decided to go with a Shimano 105 front hub and Shimano XT M8010 rear hub. The rear is a mountain bike hub meaning they were designed to take a bit more abuse than road hubs. Meaning it should last longer.

Spoke and Nipple Selection

I decided to go for 3 cross pattern as this gives the strongest set of wheels while at the same time offer more shock absorption.

I would have really loved to get titanium spokes but my budget just would stretch that far. Sapim is a brand that specializes in making great quality spokes and nipples so I decided to get a set of double butted stainless steel spokes paired with brass nipples.

Maybe I’ll be able to get titanium spokes in the future that will go with my carbon rims. 

Tubeless valve

I just got a generic set of tubeless valves. I may update them in the future but as long as they keep the air on the wheel then that’s all I need.

Tubeless tape

There are many different brands of sealant tape. I’m not an expert wheel builder but I don’t think there is much difference between them. Seeing as my rims internal width is 19mm I will get a tape width of 21 – 23mm. Again, I just got a generic brand.