Recommended Wheelsets? - Page 2

53-11 · #16 05-15.-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by HyperPhreak

So having a lighter wheelset isnt all its cracked up to be?

That's what boudreaux was trying to say to you. Seriously, Unless you are racing in a high stakes event and every tiny bit counts you won't notice the difference.

For instance comparing Kysrium Elites to Kysrium SSC SL, we did the math around here one time at www.analyticcycling.com and the SSC SL wheels (twice the cost ) were only .005 mph faster on a 8% grade.

If buying the wheels makes you feel better and your bike looks better, that's probably a more valid reason to buy them than anything else.

boudreaux · #17 05-15.-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by HyperPhreak

So having a lighter wheelset isnt all its cracked up to be?

Especially not if you are dragging around extra Big Macs, donuts and beer, don't eat your spinach,and don't train hard enough.The old geezer on the lugged steel with 6 on the downtube and heavy wheels will still make you look like a granny lady on a hybrid dragging an oxyogen bottle....But if all your are lookng for is bling or poseur points....

JohnO · #18 05-15.-2005

I tend to agree - if you're really interested in climbing better, you need more muscle and less dead weight on the engine. Wheels won't make much difference. Check out the Tour de France climbs on DVD - look at what they're riding. Fairly plain wheels, no aero rims. Arguably, tubulars might help a bit, as you can pump them to higher pressures. Bit of a pain to repair punctures, but it's like climbing - you have to welcome pain to get better.

However, if you just want better wheels and can spend the bucks, here are the four I have had personal experience with:

Rolf Vector Pro. Fairly cheap on the market these days ($200-300 on ebay). About the performance equivalent of Kysrium SL's, without the big name. Very low spoke count, medium aero rim. Stiff as all get out. Takes a trained mechanic to true them, but in two years of riding, mine never needed truing. Tough wheels. Fast on the downhills and flats. Drawback - harsh ride.

Campy Zonda G3. Moderate aero rim. Similar to the Rolfs in aero, but smoother ride, due to less radical spoking. I paid $350 for mine at cbike.com, they put the Zondas on sale every so often. These are pretty much the Eurus wheels without the Record hubs. The Zondas are my normal riding wheel these days. Good looking wheels, too - black rims with silver lettering. If you get them, get on ebay and find a set of used Rolf titanium skewers - the stock Campy skewers weigh a ton.

Zipp 404. Bought mine used last fall on ebay, when the other bidders fell asleep and I got them (relatively) cheap. What can I say - deep carbon aero rim, moderate spoking. Very light, very aero, I'm averaging 1-2mph faster on the downhills than the Rolfs. Very smooth ride. Downside - the rims can be a bit fragile, so you don't want to riding over railroad tracks on them. And, Zipps are sinfully expensive. $1000-1400 a set if you buy them new. Don't buy them in clincher - it defeats the purpose of shelling out all that money.

Campy Nuovo Record hubs/Arc-en-Ciel rims. On my 70's racer. Hubs still smooth after 30 years. Wonderful ride, they really soak up the road vibration. Pump the tubulars up to 140, and they're great climbing wheels.

If I had to recommend a set, I'd say the Zondas, or if you got the dough, Eurus. Or if you really have the dough, Campy Boras. A mere pittance, at around $3k for a set.

53-11 · #19 05-15.-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnO

I tend to agree - if you're really interested in climbing better, you need more muscle and less dead weight on the engine. Wheels won't make much difference. Check out the Tour de France climbs on DVD - look at what they're riding. Fairly plain wheels, no aero rims. Arguably, tubulars might help a bit, as you can pump them to higher pressures. Bit of a pain to repair punctures, but it's like climbing - you have to welcome pain to get better.

However, if you just want better wheels and can spend the bucks, here are the four I have had personal experience with:

Rolf Vector Pro. Fairly cheap on the market these days ($200-300 on ebay). About the performance equivalent of Kysrium SL's, without the big name. Very low spoke count, medium aero rim. Stiff as all get out. Takes a trained mechanic to true them, but in two years of riding, mine never needed truing. Tough wheels. Fast on the downhills and flats. Drawback - harsh ride.

Campy Zonda G3. Moderate aero rim. Similar to the Rolfs in aero, but smoother ride, due to less radical spoking. I paid $350 for mine at cbike.com, they put the Zondas on sale every so often. These are pretty much the Eurus wheels without the Record hubs. The Zondas are my normal riding wheel these days. Good looking wheels, too - black rims with silver lettering. If you get them, get on ebay and find a set of used Rolf titanium skewers - the stock Campy skewers weigh a ton.

Zipp 404. Bought mine used last fall on ebay, when the other bidders fell asleep and I got them (relatively) cheap. What can I say - deep carbon aero rim, moderate spoking. Very light, very aero, I'm averaging 1-2mph faster on the downhills than the Rolfs. Very smooth ride. Downside - the rims can be a bit fragile, so you don't want to riding over railroad tracks on them. And, Zipps are sinfully expensive. $1000-1400 a set if you buy them new. Don't buy them in clincher - it defeats the purpose of shelling out all that money.

Campy Nuovo Record hubs/Arc-en-Ciel rims. On my 70's racer. Hubs still smooth after 30 years. Wonderful ride, they really soak up the road vibration. Pump the tubulars up to 140, and they're great climbing wheels.

If I had to recommend a set, I'd say the Zondas, or if you got the dough, Eurus. Or if you really have the dough, Campy Boras. A mere pittance, at around $3k for a set.

If I wanted a nice "bling style" wheel I'd definitely consider those Zondas. ($375 is really good price for those wheels)

The Scirroccos are another good wheel, but they have group of three on the front too. It makes no sense to have it on the front. The rear G3 pattern has a purpose (to even out spoke tensions). Put group of three on front wheel and it's strictly for show.

PeterF · #20 05-15.-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by HyperPhreak

Im currently riding on Bontrager Selects. Im looking into upgrading my wheelset and im not sure which i should get. I dont really know much about the pro's and con's of wheels because i havent been riding that long. Im looking into Bontrager X lite aero, Bontrager x lite Aero Carbon or MAVIC KSYRIUM SSC SL. Which of the 3 do you all think are the best? Or is there another wheelset that is better that i should be considering also?

Thanks

I am currently riding on a set of Campy Proton's and they are a fantastic value (I paid $389 for the set). They are stiffer and lighter than my Ksyrium Elites, not to mention much cheaper. I'm a big guy (225 lbs) and so far they are perfectly true after my first 1,200 miles on some pretty gnarly post New England winter roads. I understand the Neutron is a lighter version with a Record-quality hub that is in the $700-750 price range. Campy offers some fine wheelsets at prices that you may find fairly reasonable.

53-11 · #21 05-15.-2005

As far as Campag hubs go there isn't any difference in the bearings/internal guts between centaur and Record. Everything I have read says the guts are exactly the same.

The veloce hubs are different though.

Wurm · #22 05-16.-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by 53-11

As far as Campag hubs go there isn't any difference in the bearings/internal guts between centaur and Record. Everything I have read says the guts are exactly the same.

That's right. Only about 15 grams difference. Centaur's hubs have a steel pawl and the Record's is Ti, Record's outside is polished and has grease ports, Centaur does not. Otherwise they are the same. Centaur hubs are the best buy in the Campy line.

ChangMan · #23 05-16.-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnO

Or if you really have the dough, Campy Boras. A mere pittance,
at around $3k for a set.

Very nice wheels indeed. I'm just riding around on my Ksyrium SL's and Cosmic Carbones for racing.

nojiri · #24 05-16.-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by HyperPhreak

... I ask for peoples opinions and you act like you know me. What does it matter why I want a new wheelset? ...

Hey HyperPhreak, since you're asking for opinions, I'll offer up my 2 cents. I just got done with a brand new build focused on all performance and no bling (well maybe just a tad), oriented for climbing. The wheelset I went with is a custom Dave's Speed Dream tubular set, and here's why. First, tubulars because a tubular at 160psi has less rolling friction, therefore less energy to turn it than a clincher at 120psi. Secondly, tubulars because of the weight advantage; my Tufo S3 lites are 200gm as opposed to say Michelin Pro Races at 220gm+70gm for tubes=290gm. And this is weight savings where it counts most- at the perimeters of your wheels. Granted that might not make much difference on the flats but it does on steep climbs. Speed Dreams because of the excellence of the builder- Dave Thomas. Hubset: White Ind. LTAs for the super low friction precision sealed bearings. Rims: Velocity Escape. Wheelset weight: 1,379gm, price: $569. Tufo Extreme rim tape to avoid the mess of glue; Tufo Tire Sealant to keep from messing with flats, which are fewer with tubulars anyway (and no pinch flats). Not the most fashionable, but certainly high performing.

Cheers! - Nojiri

Wurm · #25 05-16.-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by nojiri

I just got done with a brand new build...

You didn't say your weight and the spoke count/lacing. I'll bet DW's uses those hubs mainly for the 24/18H builds he likes. Campy hubs have no low-spoke-count hubs available divisable by 3, but their 36H might be used.

Wurm · #26 05-16.-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by HyperPhreak

Or is there another wheelset that is better that i should be considering also?

Actually, if you like the K-type build, here's a wheelset you should be looking at:

http://www.fulcrumwheels.com/racing1i.html

nojiri · #27 05-16.-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wurm

You didn't say your weight and the spoke count/lacing. I'll bet DW's uses those hubs mainly for the 24/18H builds he likes. Campy hubs have no low-spoke-count hubs available divisable by 3, but their 36H might be used.

Hey Wurm. Yeah, for clinchers Dave usually does a 20H radial front and a 28H X2-drive-side, radial-non-drive rear. For tubulars he'd normally go 32H rear, but with me being only 135# we thought the 28H would be fine. The White's do come in a Campy freehub, which is what my buddy uses on his Reynolds Cirro wheelset. Those are pretty nice but definitely big $!

- Nojiri

daveornee · #28 05-16.-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by nojiri

Hey HyperPhreak, since you're asking for opinions, I'll offer up my 2 cents. I just got done with a brand new build focused on all performance and no bling (well maybe just a tad), oriented for climbing. The wheelset I went with is a custom Dave's Speed Dream tubular set, and here's why. First, tubulars because a tubular at 160psi has less rolling friction, therefore less energy to turn it than a clincher at 120psi. Secondly, tubulars because of the weight advantage; my Tufo S3 lites are 200gm as opposed to say Michelin Pro Races at 220gm+70gm for tubes=290gm. And this is weight savings where it counts most- at the perimeters of your wheels. Granted that might not make much difference on the flats but it does on steep climbs. Speed Dreams because of the excellence of the builder- Dave Thomas. Hubset: White Ind. LTAs for the super low friction precision sealed bearings. Rims: Velocity Escape. Wheelset weight: 1,379gm, price: $569. Tufo Extreme rim tape to avoid the mess of glue; Tufo Tire Sealant to keep from messing with flats, which are fewer with tubulars anyway (and no pinch flats). Not the most fashionable, but certainly high performing.

Cheers! - Nojiri

I can't imagine what roads you can ride with 160 PSI.
It is hard to maintain traction when tires are bouncing.
Tubulars, although having lower tire losses, perform worse than equivalent clincher tires because the tubular's rim glue (or even worse if tape) absorbs a constant amount of energy regardless of inflation pressure. Only (hard) track glue absolves tubulars of this deficit and should always be used in timed record events.
No doubt, your wheels are light and Dave builds wheels well.

boudreaux · #29 05-16.-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by nojiri

The wheelset I went with is a custom Dave's Speed Dream tubular set, and here's why. First, tubulars because a tubular at 160psi has less rolling friction, therefore less energy to turn it than a clincher at 120psi. Secondly, tubulars because of the weight advantage; my Tufo S3 lites are 200gm as opposed to say Michelin Pro Races at 220gm+70gm for tubes=290gm.

Cheers! - Nojiri

Unless you earn your living racing,this is just mental masturbation.

53-11 · #30 05-16.-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by boudreaux

Unless you earn your living racing,this is just mental masturbation.

Come on Boudreaux, if all we all rode the same 36 spoke box rims it would get pretty boring.

We have to talk about subtle differences in spoke profile to spice up an otherwise boring topic.

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