Alto Velo Wheels

[hubullkins]

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum but am looking for some purchasing advice. I ran across a new wheel brand, Alto Velo (www.altovelo.com), that seems to have some cool engineering behind the design. I actually found them after reading the article here on the lawsuit going on (http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/lawsuit-could-force-name-change-for-alto-velo-seasucker-team/). I'm wondering if anyone has tried them out and could let me know what they think. I've had quality issues with some of the big brands in the past (machine built stuff) and I want to stay away from rebranded wheels from China, so this looks like it could be a good option. I'll be doing mostly road racing with a triathlon thrown in every once in a while. Thank you in advance for the help!

 

[King Boonen]

Handbuilt. Job done.

 

[hubullkins]

Re:

Handbuilt. Job done.

Would you mind expanding on that? It looks like Alto Velo wheels are hand built in Florida.

 

[JackRabbitSlims]

mr boonen offers some very sound advice which i will second

mass produced wheels sets punched out of a machine are best avoided
even though the marketing hype and promises of aero this and weight saving that can suck you in
just walk away.

go find a reputable wheel builder
have a decent chat with him / her
they should ask you plenty of questions

answer these questions honestly and give them a budget for said required wheel set

we like to offer our clients 3 options
budget
middle ground
top shelf

it's nice to have options.

 

[JackRabbitSlims]

btw welcome to the forum

 

[hubullkins]

Re:

btw welcome to the forum

Thanks! I'll have to find a good builder, it seems like a lot of mechanics aren't doing that too much these days. I'd still like to know more about Alto Velo if anyone has experience there. I've also heard good things about Alchemy, and of course the big rim producers like Enve. Lots of options for sure.

 

[JackRabbitSlims]

mechanics that aren't building wheels are best avoided then
it is a true mark of a bicycle mechanic who has mastered their craft if they are producing great wheels for all riders regularly
all imo of course

ask around your riding groups
where are you located
perhaps others on here can give you a gentle push in the right direction

 

[hubullkins]

I'm in north Georgia. I'm sure there is a good custom builder in the area, I just need to start asking around. Deciding on the exact specs of the build will be the next step!

 

[Bustedknuckle]

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum but am looking for some purchasing advice. I ran across a new wheel brand, Alto Velo (http://www.altovelo.com), that seems to have some cool engineering behind the design. I actually found them after reading the article here on the lawsuit going on (http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/lawsuit-could-force-name-change-for-alto-velo-seasucker-team/). I'm wondering if anyone has tried them out and could let me know what they think. I've had quality issues with some of the big brands in the past (machine built stuff) and I want to stay away from rebranded wheels from China, so this looks like it could be a good option. I'll be doing mostly road racing with a triathlon thrown in every once in a while. Thank you in advance for the help!

$1150 for 1400 gram aluminum clinchers..seems high. Plus no Campagnolo and I don't think shimano 11s.
Probably Asian sourced components, maybe built in Sarasota. BIG high flange, radial drive side. Interesting.

 

[King Boonen]

Re: Re:

Handbuilt. Job done.

Would you mind expanding on that? It looks like Alto Velo wheels are hand built in Florida.

No problem.

A handbuilt wheel set from a local, well-respected wheelbuilder (or even not that local) will surpass any factory set you might buy. If you speak to a wheelbuilder about what you want from the wheelset they will be able to recommend the right rims, spokes and hubs within your budget and you will get a great set of wheels perfectly suited to what you do and built to a very high standard, not just by someone earning a wage in a factory.

There are other benefits to getting handbuilt wheels. If you have ever tried to source a rim or spokes for a factory Mavic set you'll know what a pain in the backside it is and Mavic are massive. If you get a handbuilt set the builder will be able to source all the parts quickly and most likely will have them in stock anyway, so should you break a spoke or need the hubs serviced you won't be waiting weeks for bits. Rims do wear out (quite fast over here in Scotland!) and getting replacement rims will be much quicker too.

Handbuilt really is the way to. I have friends who ride on the road and mountains, many of whom have bought factory and handbuilt wheelsets. I've only ever heard of one problem about a handbuilt set that I can remember and it was sorted very quickly, I've heard lots of complaints about factory sets that have taken weeks to sort out and resulted in people missing training rides and having to borrow wheels for races and trips.


Edit: As an example, check out the range from these guys:

http://www.wheelsmith.co.uk

 

[hubullkins]

Good deal, thanks guys. I'll see if I can find a good local builder who can point me in the right direction!

 

[Master50]

There are some very good factory wheels out there and frankly the idea that no factory wheel stands up to hand built is fallacious. some wheel builds are not available to hand builders. Many low spoke wheels are just not available as the components can be proprietary. Often the lowest spoke counts for handbuilt are 28 or maybe 24 spokes. Campagnolo generally finish their high end wheels by hand as do Fulcrum, Campy's alternative brand. They have some truly great factory wheels that stand up to any handbillt and often factory wheels have technical advantages over what is available to hand builders. I might debate that a few builders are bordering on handbuilt as all the processes are done by hand. Lightweight is one boutique brand and the recently failed Mad Fibre come to mind. How this brand holds up? Their QC and what is available to them in terms of components will tell.
Btw once I learned how. I can build very good wheels and have rebuilt my own factory wheels and from components. It is not rocket science but it only takes a few dozen to make truly reliable wheels. factory finishers do this 30 times a day and can match any hand builder. Even most hand builders have several wheel builders who are not all equal. you cannot just assume 1 over the other is better.

 

[JackRabbitSlims]

excellent post
well written and has some very valid points

i've bought, trained on and raced factory wheels
have done the same on hand builds and i now have my preference

wee story
2008 tdf we went up ventoux (no it wasn't in the tour that year, but we decided to have a tickle up any way)
i had a pair of campag neutron ultras, blew a spoke the afternoon before the climb
visited 5 cycle shops that day and early the next morning
not one could repair it as they didn't have the correct spoke

great little shop in the small village before the climb (can't remember the name) an old french guy working the tools just gave me a filthy look when I walked in with my wheel
i had no idea what he was saying but it sounded like some sweet cussing and i definitely made out the word campagnolo

long story short, it couldn't be fixed and i had to buy a new wheel
if i had brought my hand built open pros laced to white industries t11's it would have been fixed lickity split
in fact, i would have fixed it myself

op
make sure you write back with how you get on

 

[JackRabbitSlims]

bedoin is the small town before the ventoux climb

 

[winkybiker]

Re:

excellent post
well written and has some very valid points

i've bought, trained on and raced factory wheels
have done the same on hand builds and i now have my preference

wee story
2008 tdf we went up ventoux (no it wasn't in the tour that year, but we decided to have a tickle up any way)
i had a pair of campag neutron ultras, blew a spoke the afternoon before the climb
visited 5 cycle shops that day and early the next morning
not one could repair it as they didn't have the correct spoke

great little shop in the small village before the climb (can't remember the name) an old french guy working the tools just gave me a filthy look when I walked in with my wheel
i had no idea what he was saying but it sounded like some sweet cussing and i definitely made out the word campagnolo

long story short, it couldn't be fixed and i had to buy a new wheel
if i had brought my hand built open pros laced to white industries t11's it would have been fixed lickity split
in fact, i would have fixed it myself

op
make sure you write back with how you get on

I have had excellent experiences with factory wheels. I have broken just one spoke in the last 15 years (Campag Eurus - but the rim was trashed through brake wear at that point anyway). The wheels have been Campag, Mavic and Bontrager. Prior to that when riding "conventional wheels with j-bend steel spokes, broken spokes were depressingly common. So yes, it can really be a pain if the factory spoke you need isn't available, but for me, the occurrence of this is rare (never happened, actually).

 

[Master50]

Re:

excellent post
well written and has some very valid points

i've bought, trained on and raced factory wheels
have done the same on hand builds and i now have my preference

wee story
2008 tdf we went up ventoux (no it wasn't in the tour that year, but we decided to have a tickle up any way)
i had a pair of campag neutron ultras, blew a spoke the afternoon before the climb
visited 5 cycle shops that day and early the next morning
not one could repair it as they didn't have the correct spoke

great little shop in the small village before the climb (can't remember the name) an old french guy working the tools just gave me a filthy look when I walked in with my wheel
i had no idea what he was saying but it sounded like some sweet cussing and i definitely made out the word campagnolo

long story short, it couldn't be fixed and i had to buy a new wheel
if i had brought my hand built open pros laced to white industries t11's it would have been fixed lickity split
in fact, i would have fixed it myself

op
make sure you write back with how you get on

I always buy spare spokes when they are not stock J bends. A broken spoke at home is not really a problem because there are other wheels in the garage but when traveling I carry a spare.

BTW I rebuild my Nucleon wheels this winter as I had finally worn out the brake surface. the replacement rims says Neutron as Nucleon was the same wheel in the original name. I did break 1 spoke on these wheels since I bought them.

 

[JackRabbitSlims]

its good to read success stories

of course factory wheels are more than sufficient and of a high enough quality most of the time

alternatives and options are good to have

i think i'm campy cursed
that wheel was repaired when i returned home and it went again within 1 week
fixed again and then on sold to a friend (who knew it's history well and was ok with the risk)

problems with 10spd record are added to the list
went super fine and sweet as a nut for around 12 months
and then never again

shimano da these days along with this handbuilt combo which i love and highly recommend
pacenti sl23's dt swiss aerolites into dt swiss 240's 20 / 24 combo for training

 

[matb1988]

Some very good points in here. Would like to shed some light:

All Alto Velo wheels are handbuilt in USA by a wheel builder not a bike shop mechanic.
They use sapim CX-ray J-bend spokes. Although in a pinch you could probably use any standard j-bend 14g spoke.
They also use sapim "secure loc" nipples and "q-let" nipple washers to help align the spoke/nipple interface.

The rear hub is 11 speed shimano. They were designed around 11 speed which is a slight upgrade from some existing 10 speed setups with 11 speed adapter kits.

9-11speed Campagnolo freehubs are not too far off hopefully early next year.

$1150 is reasonable compared to other wheelsets that use USA made hubs with Sapim spokes and welded tubeless rims

 

[Bustedknuckle]

Some very good points in here. Would like to shed some light:

All Alto Velo wheels are handbuilt in USA by a wheel builder not a bike shop mechanic.
They use sapim CX-ray J-bend spokes. Although in a pinch you could probably use any standard j-bend 14g spoke.
They also use sapim "secure loc" nipples and "q-let" nipple washers to help align the spoke/nipple interface.

The rear hub is 11 speed shimano. They were designed around 11 speed which is a slight upgrade from some existing 10 speed setups with 11 speed adapter kits.

9-11speed Campagnolo freehubs are not too far off hopefully early next year.

$1150 is reasonable compared to other wheelsets that use USA made hubs with Sapim spokes and welded tubeless rims

I was the wheelbuilder in 4 shops I ran, last the shop I owned. Many fine wheelbuilders who are also wrenches.

Still seems high, IMHO. A set of shimano 9000 or DT hubs, laced to any of a number of tubeless rims, like DT, HED or Pacenti, even without labor, are in the $750 range. Using Sapim Race or Laser spokes, reduce that number by $100. Particularly when you consider the hubs/rims are no name, asian produced rims.

 

[matb1988]

Ya that was a bit sour of me to say. Too many bad shop visits. Agreed there are a lot of talented techs out there that can build a good wheel.
The hubs are made in usa. sarasota to be exact
dont know much about their rims.
Hypothetically-if their hub geometry was the cats pajamas and you had to have them...what rim would you wrap them in?

 

[42x16ss]

Re:

Ya that was a bit sour of me to say. Too many bad shop visits. Agreed there are a lot of talented techs out there that can build a good wheel.
The hubs are made in usa. sarasota to be exact
dont know much about their rims.
Hypothetically-if their hub geometry was the cats pajamas and you had to have them...what rim would you wrap them in?

If I wanted a carbon race wheel, Enve all the way. Otherwise I'd go for DT Swiss, Ambrosio, H+ Son or Pacenti.

But that's just my opinion.

 

[Bustedknuckle]

Re:

Ya that was a bit sour of me to say. Too many bad shop visits. Agreed there are a lot of talented techs out there that can build a good wheel.
The hubs are made in usa. sarasota to be exact
dont know much about their rims.
Hypothetically-if their hub geometry was the cats pajamas and you had to have them...what rim would you wrap them in?

Depends on what I would want to do with the wheels. Race? Mid Carbon tubies. Cross, carbon or aluminum tubies. Just ride around? Aluminum tubies. Probably ENVE or Reynolds for carbon, Ambrosio or Velocity for aluminum.

Carbon clincher makes no sense. DT, Pacenti, H+Son, Velocity for really nice aluminum clincher rims.

Carbon at $2000 is competitive in $ but $1150 for an aluminum wheel is too much, IMHO, in spite of their 'unique' hub design.

Some of this flange silliness has been done before.