Tell me about these wheels, please.

[alan lavine]

Hola to all,

When I bought my Ram used it came with these wheels:

rims: Bontrager Fairlane asym

hubs: Phil 36 hole, F & R

I know that Phil hubs are quite expensive, but are they really worth it?  I've used good quality wheels, much less expensive,  made with sealed bearing hubs and never had any issues. I did notice that these wheels are quite heavy.

I've since converted to 650 x 42, which I just love, so these are hanging in the storage unit downstairs.  Any info is much appreciated.

Alan

NYC

[Bill Lindsay]

I don't follow.   What information are you looking for?

Are you asking for resale value because you want to get rid of them?  

Are you really asking if Phil hubs are worth their price?  

Are you asking about the rims?  What do you want to know?

I use 700c Bontrager Fairlane rims on my Atlantis.  I bought the rims off the list for $20 each.  I like them a lot.  They are stout, and I like the Asym rear for equal spoke tension, and they built up nicely.  I can see how one might consider 36H Phil Hubs and Fairlane rims too stout for a Ram, which is really more of a sporty road bike than a touring bike.  That wheelset would make a nice stout touring wheelset for somebody.  

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[alan lavine]

Thanks, Bill, you've already told me much of what I wanted to know: the best, intended use of such wheels.  Since I no longer do fully loaded touring, I might want to sell them or trade for 650"s for a future project.  Not sure yet, but what do you think a reasonable resale value would be?

Also, I'm interested in your opinion about Phil hubs, yes...are they worth the price?  Is it the smoothness, reliability, or what?  I could understand if you were doing a round the world tour you would want the most reliable hub available, but for most of us mere mortals, does it really make a difference?

Thanks for your help.

Alan

[Ron Mc]

I have a Phil/Synergy wheelset and like it.  I've ridden 4000 mi on a Miche RB-2 / Open Pro wheelset and like them just as much.  

[Ron Mc]

oops, sorry Miche RG-2

[pano]

Phil hubs are of very high quality however whether or not they are really worth the price they comand, depends entirely on your circumstances and your beliefs. I personally find the Shimano Ultegra and XT or the Campy Record hubs to be the best value on hubs.

On Thursday, March 31, 2016 at 6:51:27 PM UTC-4, alan lavine wrote:

[Tim Gavin]

From my observations:

Phil hubs are sturdy and easy to service.  The Field Serviceable Axle makes it easy to open up the hub, and the modular design makes it easy to swap endcaps and change the axle length.  The sealed bearings are easy to replace.

But, Phil hubs do not have any type of outer seal to protect those sealed bearings; they're exposed.  Plus, Phil seems to have problems with its cassette freehubs (Phil freewheel hubs are bulletproof).

I bought my Riv Road Standard used, and it had Phil hubs (rear freewheel) laced to a set of CR-18s with almost no brake track left.  I re-laced the Phil hubs to a set of 650b Synergy rims; I used the offset rear to make a nearly dishless wheel.

However, I only put ~1000 miles on those wheels before I built a new 650b PL23 set with a Shimano dynamo front hub and a Velo Orange Gran Cru Touring rear cassette hub.  

I like that the Gran Cru hub has completely tool-free disassembly, and its sealed bearings are hidden behind end caps that protect them a little bit.  

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[Bill Lindsay]

"what do you think a reasonable resale value would be?"

I haven't seen them, but probably somewhere between $200 and $450 depending on condition

"Also, I'm interested in your opinion about Phil hubs, yes...are they worth the price?  Is it the smoothness, reliability, or what?  I could understand if you were doing a round the world tour you would want the most reliable hub available, but for most of us mere mortals, does it really make a difference?"

If you have money, don't mind spending it, don't mind paying extra for cosmetic appearance and feel extra good about buying products designed and manufactured in the USA, then yes they are worth the price.  If you are poor, or thrifty, or somebody who always searches for the best value, the most bang for the buck, and don't particularly care about the country of origin, then no they are probably not worth the price.  

[alan lavine]

Thank you all for your excellent information.  I brought them up to clean and realized that the rear is FW not cassette.  I'm going to put them for sale in a separate thread. 

Best,

Alan

On Thursday, March 31, 2016 at 6:51:27 PM UTC-4, alan lavine wrote:

[Garth]

Yes Alan, since the rims are from the 1999-200? something era, the rear hub must be freewheel .  I may have an old catalog around when they were sold then, I'm sure someone here does.  But you know what you need to already :)

I have 2 sets of Phil FW hubs, and as mentioned the bearing cartridges are sealed but they are exposed. Water can seep in and the around the axle and bearing though and may corrode some. They are however very easy to disassemble , like lego simple ... lol .  Hence the FSA name of "field serviceable axle".

 The rear sold for around $88-ish and the front a little less $75-ish at the time of the Fairlane rim was sold as I recall.

[Alan Lavine]

I didn’t realize they were that old.  Should I adjust the asking price ($300 on a different thread) ?  I want to be reasonable.

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[Garth]

   
      Yes Alan, a price adjustment would be good as I bet these were not much more that $300 a pair new at the time.  As I can only give advice based on "what would I ask" but having not seen them in person, maybe $200-225 plus shipping ?   The rims were nothing special themselves, they were manufactured by Trek and came OEM on some of the mid tier city/touring models. Riv sold them separately. The hubs are worth the most but the condition of them is unknown inside where it counts.  So yeah... as is sight unseen a couple hundred dollars and negotiable. This is just me though of course. No matter the price you decide to ask you can always entertain offers of course like you posted originally  :)