Wheels and Wheelsets at the starbike.com Bike Wheel Shop

Wheels are of utmost importance on any bike, as they serve both as supporting components and rotating masses. Therefore, it is crucial to be well-informed when selecting the right wheel or wheelset and not to skimp on quality.

A wheel refers to the complete assembly of a front or rear wheel. Typically, a wheel consists of the rim, spokes and nipples, and the hub. The hub comprises a hub shell and several ball bearings, and it rotates around an axle that is fixed in the dropouts of the bike frame or the fork. The quality of the hub's construction is crucial for the running characteristics of any wheel or wheelset.

The art of wheel building lies in constructing the wheel as light as possible while still ensuring sufficient stability. Additionally, the spokes should be under evenly high tension. In practice, it has been shown that constructing ever lighter wheels is a balancing act. For example, in professional cycling, there is often an attempt to minimize the number of spokes to save weight. However, reducing the number of spokes also leads to a loss of stiffness and stability.

Wheels are categorized into system wheels and classic wheels. In classic wheel building, the rider orders the desired components and assembles the wheel themselves or has it built by a wheel builder. The advantage is the freedom to choose individual components and personal preferences, such as color.

System wheels, on the other hand, are pre-assembled wheelsets from the manufacturer, with the selection of components and color appearance predefined. These are generally less expensive than hand-built wheels.

In our online bike shop, we offer a comprehensive selection of various wheels and wheelsets, including some very high-quality wheelsets (carbon wheels), from manufacturers such as Campagnolo, Xentis, tune, and DT Swiss.

If you are unsure which wheelset is ideal for you, we are happy to help!