wheel question: Hubs LX or 105?

[tnoguchi]

Hi,

While building up my ultimate tourer, I'm shopping around for
700c wheels and am trying to decide between a custom built
front/rear wheels with a Mavic A719/LX combination, or a
slightly less expensive A719/105 combo.

I will probably be touring through SE Asia on these wheels
and want something reliable and bombproof.

Anyone out there have any experiences touring on 105's?
Any information would be appreciated...

thanks,

tak

[wanderingwheel]

For the rear wheel, your hub choice is going to be dictated by the rear drop out spacing on your bike.  Mountian bike use 135mm dropout spacing and road bikes use 130mm, so the LX hubs are spaced at 135mm and the 105 hubs are spaced at 130mm.  Touring bikes can be either, and some have a spacing of 132.5mm so that they can use both hub sizes.  The wider spacing creates a stronger wheel because there is less dish (offset) to the wheel.  If your bike fits it, use the LX hub on the rear wheel.

For the front wheel, either hub will be adequate and both will fit your bike.

Sean