Campy Proton, Neutron, Eurus or none of the above?

Hi,

A guy I ride with is about 190 lbs and we ride on quite rough roads. He
rides on Proton wheels and they are quite nice. For durability I would
go for the Proton. You migt also want to check out Fulcrum Racing 5's.

Joseph

Quoted post said:

I amlannning to upgrade to campy 10 speed. I am about 175
lbs.,something of a pedal masher and Iride on roads that often are less
than smooth. I do not race so I need wheels that are fairly durable.
Any thoughts on the Campy wheels listed above for my circumstances?

I've found Campy wheels to be about the best you can do for an
"everyday exotic wheel"... quite a few of my customers have had bikes
equipped with them, and I can't recall a single negative comment.

Which one is right for you comes down to the riding you do, and your
budget (the Eurus is quite expensive).

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $795 ti frame

I've got a set of Protons, that I'm quite fond of. Just last week,
after 18 months and about 5k miles on pretty rough roads, including
some gravel roads, I noticed that they are about 1mm out of true. This
will be the first time they've been touched. I'm quite happy with them,
and I know others who are too.

Matt.

Quoted message said:

I amlannning to upgrade to campy 10 speed. I am about 175
lbs.,something of a pedal masher and Iride on roads that often are less
than smooth. I do not race so I need wheels that are fairly durable.
Any thoughts on the Campy wheels listed above for my circumstances?

I don't have any of those Campagnolo models, but I do have some 1999
Campagnolo Vento wheels. Tough. True. Heavy. And da-n difficult to
get tires onto. Have to use extra thin rim strips to get just barely
enough clearance. And have strong thumbs. And/or blisters. I'm
185-195 pounds. Roads vary from rough to smooth. Thousands of miles
on them and they are just fine.

I also have some Open Pro Campagnolo hub wheels too. They go out of
true frequently. Might be due to the person who built them. For any
multi day ride or brevet, I use these wheels because spare spokes and
rims are available everywhere. They will likely break more often than
the Vento wheels, but they can always be fixed anywhere. I would not
want to have my only wheels be a boutique wheelset, such as you
mentioned.

Quoted post said:

I amlannning to upgrade to campy 10 speed. I am about 175
lbs.,something of a pedal masher and Iride on roads that often are less
than smooth. I do not race so I need wheels that are fairly durable.
Any thoughts on the Campy wheels listed above for my circumstances?

I have two sets of the Euruses (Euri?). I weight about 185-190, tend
to grind my way up hills, and have hit some pretty nasty tank
traps/sinkholes in my day.

My rims are still /perfectly/ true, though I can tell you this: they
won't survive an 18mph impact with the driver's door of a pickup truck
;-)

As to getting tires on, I just haven't had a problem. I won't use
levers to mount a tire, but--between thumbs and the heel of my hand--I
seem to do ok. I've been using Rubino Pros.

Good luck!

thanks for all of the replies so far...i take it Eurus' have had no
broken spokes?

Quoted post said:

thanks for all of the replies so far...i take it Eurus' have had no
broken spokes?

Not a one.

My local Campy Pro-Shop tells me, though, that there /have/ been
instances of anomalous oxidation on the leading (front-facing) edges
of the spokes (huh?). He advises I just wipe the spokes clean with a
rag from time to time.

I haven't read too much into that. I just keep them routinely clean
and don't worry about it.

I have one buddy who has a Campy Proton rear wheel and loves it.
Another friend has the Eurus and he too loves it.

However, one thing you may want to consider is replacement cost. If you
break a spoke or damage a rim, be prepared to fork out some BIG BUCKS.
Campy require its proprietary spokes. Unlike standard DT or Wheelsmith
double-butted spokes, Campy spokes can be very expensive:

http://harriscyclery.net/site/page.cfm?PageID=49&Category=470&Brand=60&type=T

Similarly, rims are also very expensive:

http://harriscyclery.net/site/page.cfm?PageID=49&Category=527&Brand=60&type=T

If you can find a good wheelbuilder, its hard to beat a nice set of 32h
or 36h wheels with DT or Wheelsmith db spokes on Campy hubs.