I was going to buy a set of wheels from thebikebiz.com. White Phil hubs to white Deep Vs. Here's a quote from the email they sent me: "Wheel price would be $675 USD, and shipping will be approximately $200 USD". So... $875. Yesterday I received a pair of the exact same wheels from Richard at prowheelbuilder.com. Total cost including shipping: $594.70. That's almost $300 difference for the exact same item. I ordered them Sept 6 and received them September 18, so less than two weeks later. I only had to pay $31 in taxes and no customs. The wheels are fantastic and the price was great. Thanks Richard!
Lincoln
September 18, 2008
I wanted to wait until I had some miles on the wheels before giving feedback. I am a clydesdale rider. I ride hard, but would certainly fall into what Grant Petersen (Rivendale Cycles) would call an "unracer". I love my bike. I chose it and it chose me...but it's not a high end super bike. It's hard to justify spending gobs of money on a wheelset, when really, all you want is something you never have to worry about that fits your style.
Enter Prowheelbuilders.com. I had considered builds in the $400-500 range from my local shop (they weren't really interested) and other online sources. Ultimately Prowheelbuilders.com had the best value, and offered a good strong hand laced wheel for my budget. I been riding these wheels for about 400 miles over varied terrain: road, gravel, bikeway, and single track (including rock gardens). Everything is solid. I have not needed any touch up truing, and I suspect everything will hold together nicely for ages. I wanted a high(ish) engagement hub, and opted for the Bitex MTR--there's not a lot online about this hub, so I'll share here that I am satisfied. The engagement is much faster than a typical factory wheel you'd see on an <$2k bike. The sound is loud-ish, and not unpleasant, but it sounds nothing like a high end hub.
Overall, I am very pleased with my purchase and the quality of work. I'm sold, and will come to Prowheelbuilder.com for any future wheel purchases.