Vuelta Airline 2
- Thread starter duke
- Start date
duke said:
I don't know about Vuelta in general, but the Airline 2 rims I used during my first year and a half of road riding seemed alright. My wheelset suffered more from cheap hubs than from rim weight. Switching to Mavic Cosmos after an encounter with some railroad tracks gained me almost a full mph.
The rims themselves are pretty aero; and laced with 32 spokes, they're plenty sturdy too. With that kind of depth though, it's hard to believe you can't do better. 520g isn't all that much for a 30mm deep rim, but 32 spokes instead of 20/24 adds another ~150g and nullifies the aerodynamic advantage gained with the rim depth.
Thanks. How was the quality of the rim in terms of construction? I've read reviews (actually, the review was for the Trek 1000 which used to come with airline 2 rims. I wonder why they quit stocking them...) and some have mentioned that chrome (????) pieces would flake off after a while. Does it even have chrome? Anyway, I just wanted some opinions because they seem quite inexpensive and look quite aero.
BTW, did the rims fail when they went over some railroad tracks and which cheap hubs were you refering to?
BTW, did the rims fail when they went over some railroad tracks and which cheap hubs were you refering to?
I hit some unexpectedly rough tracks at about 15 mph and bent a sidewall. I think I hit them hard enough to bend any of the road rims I've been putting miles on. I bought a replacement rim from Icycles and did a lace over about a year ago. I then sold my old Trek 1000 with the original wheels a few months later. I'm not sure but I think the hubs were some basic Joytech ****.
The sidewalls were nicely machined but the joints were pinned, not welded. I no longer have the wheels to look at, so I have no idea where the chrome would be flaking off either. If I were going 32-hole, I'd probably use a lighter rim. If I were going with a deep rim section, I'd want to use fewer spokes. I don't exactly consider the rim worthy of butted spokes either.
Still, at $28, I think the rim is a square deal. I always wondered how the old wheels would've performed laced to 105 hubs. I think a quality build on good hubs would still make a very stiff and durable wheel.
The sidewalls were nicely machined but the joints were pinned, not welded. I no longer have the wheels to look at, so I have no idea where the chrome would be flaking off either. If I were going 32-hole, I'd probably use a lighter rim. If I were going with a deep rim section, I'd want to use fewer spokes. I don't exactly consider the rim worthy of butted spokes either.
Still, at $28, I think the rim is a square deal. I always wondered how the old wheels would've performed laced to 105 hubs. I think a quality build on good hubs would still make a very stiff and durable wheel.
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