Planet X Model B Wheelset

[Dan_K]

I'm thinking of getting some new wheels to go on my bike (Specialized Allez Elite 2009).

These Planet X Model Bs look like a really light aero wheel for the money:

[url]http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/WPPXMODELB/planet-x-model-b-wheelset[/url]

I've heard that there were problems with freehubs on earlier models but this has now been overcome.

My bike comes with this as standard:

RIMS Mavic CXP22 rim, alloy triple-wall, machined sidewalls, 28/32h w/ eyelets
FRONT HUB Specialized forged alloy, 28h, sealed ball bearings, QR
REAR HUB Specialized forged alloy, 32h, double sealed ball bearings, cassette, QR
SPOKES DT Champion, stainless 14g w/ ProLoc brass nipples

Anyone got any experience of Model B wheels?
Will I notice the difference?
Any idea on the weight i'll save on my standard wheels? Planet X state:
Weight - Front (g) 705
Weight - Rear (g) 948
Do lighter wheels really make much of a difference on a bike like mine?

Any other suggestions for around the £100 mark?

Thanks.

[Robh]

Not sure a 24 hole rear would be suitbale for your weight.

I use to get brake rub when standing out of the saddle on my rear 20 hole 46mm deep carbon wheel and I weighed 62kg at the time.

[Dan_K]

[quote="Robh"]Not sure a 24 hole rear would be suitbale for your weight.

I use to get brake rub when standing out of the saddle on my rear 20 hole 46mm deep carbon wheel and I weighed 62kg at the time.

[Hal]

I have some Fulcrum racing 5 which are a good strudy pair of wheels, a bit more cash though, I really like them.

H

[Wal]

I'm looking at getting a pair of the Model B's myself for the commuter after lunching one of the cones on my Shimano 5600 rear wheel (a £2 part, I know, but do you think I can find a spare online?). Seem amazingly light for the price - most other wheels in this price range are 1800g+ (Ribble did have Pro Lite Luciano and Treviso wheels at a similar weight for just a few more roubles, but both appear to be out of stock at the minute).

Shimano RS10 and RS20 wheels are good for the money but heavier than the PXs. After that there are the Mavic Aksiums, which are both heavier and more expensive, but pretty reliable wheels from what I can gather.

I'd guess your current wheels are in the region of 200g heavier than the PXs. Without knowing the PX's rim weight you can't tell how much of the saving is at the rim and how much is at the hub, but I'd guess that they're lighter than your current Mavics, in which case you'd be making a useful rotating weight saving.

[David.Hilbert]

I've been using PX model B's for over a year on my commuter.
I'm over 85kg on a good day
Anyhow, they are pretty much bomb proof wheels. Never been out of tru or broken a spoke.
I had Campag Zonda's before this and these are just as strong and probably a bit lighter for a third of the money.
You can't go wrong with them IMO.

[Dan_K]

I liked the look of the Racing 5s but they're a little bit more than I want to spend at the moment.

After looking around online, my rims are 510g and rumours suggest that the Planet X Model B rims are unbranded KinLin xr-300's that weigh in around 465g. Is that a noticeable weight saving?

David, i'm glad that you've had a good experience on them and are of a similar weight to me. Puts my mind at ease and I guess they'd be covered with some sort of warranty.....

[David.Hilbert]

don't know about a warrenty, but PX are a pretty good company to deal with in my experience.

[Dombo]

What about these:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=11624

I have the EA90 SLXs which are about 1470g the pair and they're great. They replaced the OEM Bontrager Race wheels that retailed at £160 the pair.

Not sure that £100 will get you that much of an upgrade on what you already have, and the Allez Elite frame is good enough to take some serious kit upgrades

[AshleyN]

Dan, the model b's came on the PX SL Carbon Ultegra I bought last september. Not had any problems with them so far they seem a really solid pair of wheels.

[Dan_K]

They look nice Dombo..... Only got Campag in stock though.....
I'll check back at CRC when I get paid and see if they're still on offer. My heart says go with the Model B's though.

Ideally, i'd like Fulcrum 3s but they're £350+. The Model B's looked a bargain at only 50g heavier and hundreds of pounds cheaper (probably not as aero advanced as Fulcrum 3s though).

With Ash as another happy customer, I think i'll go for them and see how I get on.

Is the freehub noisy? I hope so......

[Grahame]

Learn to build your own. It's actually surprisingly easy and rather relaxing.

See [url=http://sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html]the late, great Sheldon Brown's wheelbuilding site[/url] which also debunks the "fewer spokes = lighter/better wheel" myth.

[Dan_K]

Fascinating reading Grahame. I'd love to have the ability to build my own wheels.

Don't suppose I could build an equally light wheelset for £100 though!

[Wal]

[quote]What about these:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=11624