Gear

Buyer’s guide: handbuilt winter wheels

Factors to consider for a winter-proof hoop

Customise your hoops

Handbuilt winter wheels can be a sound investment
Winter wheels should be easy to service
The Mavic Open Pro is considered the benchmark winter rim but Look Mum No Hands and Strada both predominantly build with the H Plus Son Archetype rim
Hubs for winter wheels should be easily serviced. Ride mechanic, Andy Phillips, uses an airline to remove the grime from beneath the pawls of a Hope freehub
Belgian brand, Sapim, have an enviable reputation and are a popular choice for handbuilt wheels
"The wheels that leave our workshop are very unlikely to go out of true," says Ben Sharp of Strada Handbuilt Wheels

Customise your hoops

Wheels take a lot of abuse through winter.

They’re subjected to rain, grit, road salt, potholes and need to be tough enough to roll through the winter with little fuss.

While many cyclists reach for lightweight or aerodynamic wheels in the summer months, when riding fast is the priority, durability and affordability are more important through the winter.

Riders in the market for a winter wheelset have two options: off-the-shelf wheels from manufacturers like Mavic, Shimano and Fulcrum, or handbuilt hoops from a local wheel builder.

Factory wheels are the obvious option and fit the bill for many riders, but handbuilt hoops, just like a handbuilt bike, allow the rider to customise the build to their specification and riding style, and needn’t cost the Earth.

We caught up with three experienced wheel builders – Andy Phillips of Ride, Andrew Massey from London’s Look Mum No Hands, and Ben Sharp of West Sussex-based wheel specialists Strada – to find out more.