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Strada handbuilt road wheelset review

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Strada handbuilt wheelset

BikeRadar verdict

4 out of 5 stars

"Top all-round wheels whether you’re riding sportives or racing"

7 comments
Mon 30 Jan 2012, 10:00 am GMTBy

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Strada haven’t been around long, but their wheelbuilder, Darren, has a decade’s experience. It shows in the wheels the company put together for us, which were true on day one and have stayed that way throughout weeks of hard testing. 

Before the wheels were made, we spoke to Strada about our test rider’s weight and riding style. They chose to build with Velocity A23 rims, their own fully serviceable hubs, Sapim CX-Ray spokes and a set of titanium skewers. 

We asked for a set of wheels for training, sportives and racing, and that’s what we got. Without skewers or tape, the front wheel is 680g, the rear 810g. This low rotating mass means the Stradas spin up to speed quickly and climb well. They give little away in terms of stiffness; even with the brakes set close to the rim we never felt the blocks rubbing.

The bladed spokes – the front wheel uses 24 radial spokes, while the rear has 28 with two-cross lacing – help cut through the air, and the wide Velocity rims also promise aero benefits compared with narrower wheels (23mm tyres blend with the rim rather than bulging at the sides).

This article was originally published in Cycling Plus magazine.

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User Reviews

There are 7 reviews on this post

Showing 1 - 7 of 7 comments

  • I don't understand how Strada are different from any other good wheelbuilder.

    These rims are £47 each, spokes are £2.50 each, and lets say the hubs are £150 a set (although I think they are actually Taiwanese, so much cheaper). That makes the labour charge on building these wheels £140!

    People have been selecting there own components and having wheels built for decades. Even a well established wheel builder wouldn't charge more than £40-50 per wheel.

  • anonymous2011, get your math right. They sell the same wheel with Ambrosio Zenith hubs (which on the first site I checked cost 80 a pair) and cheaper Race spokes for 250. So the cost of building and the titanium skewers would be around 50 for the two wheels, not too bad. The hubs would be about 230 a pair, no idea of the quality so can't say if that's fair.

  • ak-77, I'm talking about these wheels, not another set that they sell.

    My maths is fine:

    A23 £94

    Hubs £150 (?)

    Spokes £110 (@ £2.50 each)

    Total = £354

    That leaves £141 for the build. Any other good wheelbuilder in the country would do this for significantly less.

    Perhaps you're just paying for the strada stickers?

  • (24+28)*2.50 is 130, and the hubs are more expensive. I'll leave it at that 'cause I don't really care about the whole thing anyway.

  • This is a good question anonymous2011 - the rest goes on VAT, rent, rates, labour, broadband, phone, web server, packaging, shipping, bank + accountant charges, Streamline fees for credit card payments, marketing and small income for me, the owner of the business. I hope that helps explain where it all goes. Jonathan @ Strada

  • I find it rather surprising in some instances when people question the pricing; in particular here.

    As Strada Wheels pointed out, he's got a business to run. The price is such and such, if you find the price justified, buy it.

    If not, don't. He's not goint to apologise for his pricing.

  • Quality handbuilt in the UK, not Chinese cheapo crap that will only last a year or so!

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Specification

Name:
Handbuilt wheelset (12)
Built by:
Strada
Price:
n/a

Weight (g):
1490 g
Front Wheel Weight:
680 g
No of Holes (Front):
24
No of Holes (Rear):
28
Rear Wheel Weight:
810 g

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