Madspeed Wheels

They've been selling on eBay for at least three years. They'll be machine-built from cheap components. That's not to say they'll be a bad wheel but as you've found out they may need fettling. That's not a problem if you've got the skills/gear/time, but if you've got the skills/gear/time then you're better off just building your own.

For what it's worth I once had a brand new Raleigh Trubuild wheel (not cheap at £100 about 7 years ago) go out of true to the point it lost all tension within 2 miles on the first ride. Fortunately it was a rear wheel

kil0ran wrote:

For what it's worth I once had a brand new Raleigh Trubuild wheel (not cheap at £100 about 7 years ago) go out of true to the point it lost all tension within 2 miles on the first ride. Fortunately it was a rear wheel

Quality control costs money, so at that price point you are not getting much attention once the wheel is built. On the flip side, I bought (as a distress purchase) a Trubuild rear wheel recently for £60 and did 50 miles on it the next day. Still seems ok, but at 1250g for the rear alone, it didn't stay on the bike long!

One problem when choosing wheels is concentrating on getting low weight for the price. Sub 1500g wheel sets can be surprisingly cheap, but is this at the expense of durability and stiffness?

TheBillder wrote:

(as a distress purchase)

Is that like comfort eating, but with bikes?

More like an emergency pot noodle on an audax - you might not want one in normal life but you can be deeply grateful when you really need it.

Jimnm wrote:

Yes your right, I found that the spokes loose and tightened, I've been riding bikes for many years and never ever had a problem with wheels untiL now. J type spikes are poor. Thanks everyone . Great advice. 

J spokes are not bad per se, it's just that as you tighten them, the right angle bend and the head get stressed. So it can be handy to overtighten slightly and then back off.

Until not that long ago, everyone had J spokes and we all survived.

You're welcome.  He build a couple of sets of Kinlin rimmed wheels up for me - they're wide, tubeless ready, strong...also used by Hunt for their alloy wheels (for which they charge a premium).  

He's also built up some Mavic Open Pros which are still going strong. 

Have a look at Spa Cycles for Kinlin rims - they seem good value.

Thanks - but I'll keep using Harry as long as he's building. Have to say, I was really impressed with the Kinlins which replaced some Hed Belgiums: totally changed the feel of my ride (and the Heds were built by Chris King himself)....

Glad to hear it - I've just bought a couple of Kinlin rims!