Today at work I received the $50 bill all GU employees get in exchange for filling out our annual health questionnaire. Last year I used it to purchase a bike computer and a rack and I felt like spending it on some bike equipment this year as well. There are plenty of cycling related items that I wouldn't mind having, but today I was leaning towards picking up a cheap front wheel for the Trek 330 beater/project bike I've had sitting in my basement for the last several months.
I headed over to REI after work to see what they had, but found their cheap rim selection didn't quite match up with their website. I browsed around REI for a little while longer and then purchased a couple cone wrenches and a patch kit on my way out. I actually had enough of a dividend this year that my purchase only cost a few bucks so that was cool.
Still hankering for a new wheel I decided to check out Wheel Sport South, the closest LBS to my house. A friendly high school age employee greeted me at the entrance and quickly started showing me what they had in the way of cheap 700c rims. Not much either as it turned out.
After a couple not quite right wheels we worked our way to the end of the rack and came upon an intriguing set of Jalco GX460s with shallow v-shaped black rims, matching black spokes (24 in front and 28 in back) and silver Specialized hubs. It turns out the Jalcos were take-offs (most likely from a 2007 Specialized Allez model) that they were selling for $100 as a set. Even though $100 was more than I intended to spend, that was too good a deal for me to pass up, so it looks like I've now got a fairly speedy wheel set for my next bike.
I'm still going to try the front wheel on the Trek 330 once I track down my presta valve adapter and get a tire on it, but that will just be a temporary home. Hopefully I'll get a chance to go for a little test ride tomorrow after work and see how the new wheel rides.