When the weather is wet and windy, road riding is far more pleasant (Or at least less unpleasant) if you have a suitable bike, that will take full mudguards and that is also forgiving in wind. Don't listen to the boy racers, use your head!!

A properly built traditional wheel still has much to commend it, particularly for the cyclist who has to fund his or her own sport. Each spoke costs pence, rather than pounds and is also easy to get. Traditional spokes are still much as they have been for many years, simply being available in varying gauges and lengths.

Few, if any, minimal spoke, factory wheels are as completely round as a traditional 32 or 36 hole wheel. The reduction in the number of spokes results in the need for a heavier rim, which is able to tolerate being supported in fewer places. In quite a few cases, this results overall in a heavier wheel.

The Mavic Open Pro rim, built around a Shimano 105 hub, is a good balance of lightness, reliability, serviceability and value.

Click Here to read a review of our wheels.