(Some shiny new Reid wheels.) |
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(My previous wheels. Sorry, all images from here on are taken with my appalling Samsung S2.) |
I really took a fancy to the Reid’s wheels and figured they couldn’t be too expensive, given the cost of their bikes. They had lovely sealed bearings, nicely machined rims and the semi-deep dish seemed like just the right amout of dish for me. Too much dish in either pizza or wheels can be too much of a good thing if you ask me. The Reid wheels can be had for just $100 from their ebay store or newly renovated website.
What impressed me when I got them was the incredibly smooth bearings on these guys. When I get a notion to build my perpetual motion machine I’ll be using these bearings. Just got to knock off my time machine and cold fusion reactor first. When I was young and impressionable (now I’m just impressionable) an Italian guy from a bike store in Lygon street spun a wheel for me and allowed me to compare the bearings in a Campagnolo hub with the bearings in the one I could afford. It was a defining moment for me, when I realised there were things to desire on a bike beyond what I could actually see. That bloke later when on to talk me into trading in my gorgeous Gitane for a stinky Miyata, and he didn’t even get me on a bike the right size, but despite his lousy service I’m still grateful for that small education in bicycles. A long time has passed since that moment but I’d like to think that the Reid wheels are on the same plane as the Campag hubs of yore. They certainly impressed me when I did the spin test with the wheels in my hands. I could feel nothing but smooth rolling bearings.
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(Radially spoked wheels with Halo skewers. Not a good match for the silver spoked normally laced back wheel.) |
I got myself a new floor pump same day as the wheels come in so I can finally pump the tyres up to 100psi. I think I was getting by on 60-80psi when the hand pump was doing inflation duties. So I can’t tell you if the wheels are really fantastic or it’s just the fact that I’m rolling on fully pumped tyres at last. What I can say is I’m rolling faster and feeling better when I ride. It’s a magic time when you get a new toy that makes your bike faster. Pretty soon I’ll be used to it and take it for granted. Right now I feel a little special every time I go out on the bike. And my bike no longer looks like something I need to be ashamed of.
having destroyed my last rear wheel i am just about to replace with a pair of reid wheels. I hope the reid wheel spins as well as the campag wheel after 10,000km.
You can’t go too far wrong with the Reid wheels though I’m not sure about matching Campag after 10,000kms. At their current price though you can always get two sets!
I’ll be interested to see how they hold up for me after a summer of beach going. All stuff rusts eventually under these conditions but the better stuff takes longer. I’ll post an update at summer’s end.
Let me know how you get on with them. I reckon they’re pretty good units but I’d be keen to know how you find them.