..........................................................................................................................................................................................................
condor cycles handbuilt wheelset
i note that there is a gcn video on youtube at present, asking the question, 'which upgrade would make more sense: new wheelset or electronic groupset? for yours truly, there is no question to be asked, for i still regard electronica as a solution looking for a problem. i write, having not long returned from the sunday ride, during which, the very least of my problems was summoning the energy to push the two distinct levers on my campagnolo record mechanical levers.
so a wheelset it is.
yet it behoves me well to point out that when such considerations are to be made, they are inevitably geared (pardon the pun) towards performance enhancement. if, like me, new wheels would simply be replacing an elderly and rather tired pair, performance, while not a particular factor in this instance, certainly wouldn't go amiss. i cannot deny being of an age where any assistance is gratefully received. however, my choice of wheels had far more to do with my noted luddite tendencies and brand proclivities, held together with a large dollop of pragmatism.
i remember back in the 1980s, reading that robert millar (as was) had had a custom pair of wheels built by wheel guru, pete matthews, using pianni rims, royce hubs and only 28 spokes up front. for an extreme lightweight like robert, such a low spoke count (for the period) was not thought to engender any thoughts of mechanical problems, in the days when campagnolo and one or two others, specifically advised against building front wheels with a radial spoking pattern, on the basis, i believe, that it would place too much stress on the hub flanges.
yet here we are, in the 21st century, when bicycle wheels seem to consist of as few spokes as possible, tensioned well above what used to be regarded as the norm, and invariably consisting of straight-pull spokes, without the j bend prevalent in standard spokes. while many of these machine built wheelsets are perfectly capable of carrying out the task for which they were designed, in several cases, the comfort factor appears to have evaporated altogether. and be prepared for additional expense if one of the spokes happens to break.
i recall a pair of review wheels from several years ago, which proved highly effective both on and off road. having spent a day giving them as much trouble as i could muster, following my shower and intending to place the bicycle back in thewashingmachinepost bikeshed, i discovered it would not move, due to one of the proprietary spokes having snapped, apparently while sat still outside the croft, and transformed its shape into one that would have made walkers crisps proud. a replacement spoke cost the princely sum of £14, and when fitting and truing the wheel, another spoke broke.
they were unceremoniously placed in the skip.
so when the wheelset on my ritchey logic showed signs of wear and tear, rather than shell out for replacement cartridge bearings and the necessary tool to fit them in place, i opted to have a new wheelset built by condor cycles in grays inn road, london. my choice was heavily swayed by their having stock of the no-longer-made, campagnolo 32-hole record hubs, which i had married to a pair of eyeleted mavic open pro rims with double-butted stainless spokes built three cross. (if one of those breaks, it's only a few pence for a replacement, a task i am well-equipped to carry out by myself.) i was fortunate that condor had the hubs on sale, thus saving a few pennies, though since i have a strong preference for campagnolo, i would have happily paid full price.
the hubset also sports good old cup and cone bearing adjustment, with the option to replace the bearings in future, when wear demands. once again, it's a task easily undertaken by those with even minimal mechanical aptitude and a couple of park tool cone spanners.
i placed my order with condor cycles on 1 september and was quoted a build time of mid-october. however, it seems that their wheelbuilder was as keen to complete the wheelset as i was to receive it, so on 23 september, i received an e-mail detailing that my wheels were completed and ready for shipping. disappointingly, almost two weeks later, nothing had arrived. on contacting condor, who offer free delivery on items above £30, i was told that fedex, who usually offer quite amenable delivery costs, even to the scottish islands, were looking for close on £100 to deliver my wheels. carriage to the scottish islands has been a bone of contention for many a long year, one that the scottish government continually claim to be investigating, yet nothing ever seems to happen.
all credit to condor cycles, who opted to send the wheels royal mail, despite the insurance available not actually covering the cost of the product. they were commendably prepared to accept the risk, should the items have gone astray. the wheels arrived three days later. this delectable pair of wheels have been shod with challenge strada 700x27c tan wall clinchers, which i cannot deny, were a challenge to fit, though possession of a tyre-jack made the process a darned sight simpler than would otherwise have been the case.
yesterday's sunday ride was my first opportunity to ride the wheels, now satisfactorily fitted to my steel ritchey logic, and the difference is almost tangible. probably due to a combination of rubber, a superb build and 32 normal spokes per wheel, the comfort factor was magnificent. performance-wise, i doubt i was any faster than i had been on their predecessors, but i wasn't any slower either. obviously enough, you can't review a pair of wheels on the basis of one 65km ride, so i figure i'll pen a few more words in a few weeks time, as to how they're surviving on the hebridean gravel we call roads.
modernity may have brought us the machine-built, carbon rimmed wheelset, ostensibly bringing with it, untrammeled performance at the behest of hours of wind-tunnel testing, but a real pair of wheels are not only far more aesthetically pleasing, but a great deal more practical, given the ease of truing, should they ever wander slightly out of shape. maybe, just like vinyl records, proper wheels will will soon be a thing once more.
monday 17 october 2022
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................