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Road bike wheel recommendations
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I'm building up my new road bike and need to make a decision on wheels. I'm building a high end 700c bike up to use for training and road racing. I need a set of wheels that are good race wheels, but also tough enough to do a lot of training on. $ isn't an issue. I'm ordering these through my LBS, so I won't be getting custom. I'm a lightweight at 135lbs. I've eliminated the zipp 404 as a choice. I'm currently leaning towards the Velomax Tempest II but don't know how durable they are. Let me know if I left out any vital information. Thanks in advance for your thoughts, Andy

Andy

'You'd be surprised how many people violate this simple principle every day of their lives and try to fit square pegs into round holes, ignoring the clear reality that Thinsg Are As They Are.'
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Re: Road bike wheel recommendations [Andy] [ In reply to ]
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People disagree with me but I love Mavic Ksyriums.

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com
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Re: Road bike wheel recommendations [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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I keep seeing alot of opportunities on Ebay for Neuvian (sp?) wheelsets, and have come across adds for Velocity Spartacus sets. Anyone tried these?

Neil
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Re: Road bike wheel recommendations [Andy] [ In reply to ]
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http://www.timetrial.org/tilium.htm



Had great luck with my Tiliums - reccomend them highly
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Re: Road bike wheel recommendations [Andy] [ In reply to ]
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Andy,



I would highly recomend the Mavics Kyrsiums. I have them as race wheels and would have no problem training on them. I don't train on them because I like to keep the rubber on them as fresh as posible.

Those heliums you have are a great wheel. When you tire of them, I would love to add them to my collection. I have ridden and raced a lot ot wheels. Mavics are the industry standard for durability/price/quality. Most of the wheel sets are bomb proof. I training wheel should be a wheel that you will not fret over one you finish with it. A race wheel is your pride and joy.

If you really want a set of deep dish carbon, my LBS has a set of brand new Cosmic Carbones waiting for someone to suck up. He also got in a fresh bunch of FSA carbon Bars and Cranks.



I'll see youon the 20th!!!



Stoots
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Re: Road bike wheel recommendations [Andy] [ In reply to ]
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I'm definitely not a bike tech-y type, but I do know that I love my Velomax Ascents.

G


It's a little like wrestling a gorilla.........you don't stop when you're tired.........you stop when the gorilla is tired.
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Re: Road bike wheel recommendations [Andy] [ In reply to ]
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Cheapo wheels to train on, Nimble Flys for racing. These are great for climbing, but can take the abuse for crits. I love my Flys.

If you want something special, get a set of ADA hubs (www.ada.prorider.org/) and have them drilled specifically for you. They aren't THAT expensive, and you can get their special bearings tested by Phillips. They are even going to do a ti hub soon. After you take delivery of your ADA hubs, have them built onto those Fly rims.

You could look at some seriously light wheels.
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Re: Road bike wheel recommendations [Andy] [ In reply to ]
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If your LBS is a Trek dealer, the Bontrager Race X Lites are pretty nice. Slightly lighter than Ksyrium SL's, but the spokes are more easily replaced, most shops should have a supply of straight pull and J bend spokes. The hub is made by DT Swiss (formerly Hugi) and is pretty much indestructible.

There are several riders in my group who have been using these wheels for years, training and racing, without any problems.
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Re: Road bike wheel recommendations [Andy] [ In reply to ]
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Campy Protons are a reasonably price high performance wheelsset that are for the most part bullet proof and reasonably price and you don't need a special spoke wrench to true them. They will work w/shimano 9 as I use them on my tt bike which is 105.
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Re: Road bike wheel recommendations [Andy] [ In reply to ]
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In a perfect world you would have three sets of wheels:

1. A bomb-proof moderatly heavy, non aero, clincher wheel set for training

2. A very sturdy moderately aero, clincher or tubular( your choice) for fast group rides and faster work-outs.

3. An all-out aero, very sturdy and strong tubular wheelset for racing.

I have always been a believer in have at least two: Reason: when you trade out the heavy, non aero trainers, for the racing wheels, the bike just seems to fly. In my experience under similar conditions it's worth a cog or two at least!


Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog
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Re: Road bike wheel recommendations [Andy] [ In reply to ]
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If money is not an issue then the the best set of all around wheels on the market are the Reynolds Stratus. They are incredibly light (1240g for the pair), very aero(44mm dish and 16/20 spoke count), and super strong. These wheels are as sturdy as Ksyriums and they're about 500g lighter, plus they look cooler (my opinion). They are great for climbing, cornering, Triathlons, training, etc. I train on them once a week on my tri bike and I absolutely swear by these wheels. For $300 more you can save another 100g by getting the Status Ultralight. I can't figure out why these wheels aren't the latest rage

Weasel
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Re: Road bike wheel recommendations [Fleck] [ In reply to ]
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slightly different question: what about the best sets of wheels for the tri-geek who also does road tours and racing. Lets say he has a trainer set that he can use on both road and tt bike (say, ksyrium elites) and an aero disc set for non-windy non-hilly non-IMH triathlons (say HED disc rear, H3 front). So now he needs a top notch set for road racing but also something to run when he can't or doesn't want to use the disc for triathlons. Would a set of Alp deep dish wheels be the best way to go? Or just a light racing wheel like the Ksyrium SCC SLs? I see Alps on long course triathlons a lot but are deep dish wheels legal for crits and road races? Why don't more road racers use deep dish wheels?
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Re: Road bike wheel recommendations [Andy] [ In reply to ]
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get training wheels Mavic/Shimano for under $100 at Nashbar,
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&brand=&sku=10040&storetype=estore&estoreid=81

then spend the other $ on a truly aero wheelset for racing. I like Zipps, but if you don't, Hed has some closeout wheels/wheelsets on their site. Or ebay it for Specialized tri-spoke front, and get a Renn disk ($400) for the rear.

Really I see no purpose in having a single set of training/racing wheels..

"It is a good feeling for old men who have begun to fear failure, any sort of failure, to set a schedule for exercise and stick to it. If an aging man can run a distance of three miles, for instance, he knows that whatever his other failures may be, he is not completely wasted away." Romain Gary, SI interview
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Re: Road bike wheel recommendations [weaselF18] [ In reply to ]
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I second the Reynolds. Great wheels, very durable, superior design and best of all, light weight.

Reverend Dr. Jay
Lake of the Pines Triathlon fastest bike course record holder - Golden State Super Sprint fastest tri course record holder - Wildflower Long Course slowest run course record holder (4:46:32)


"If you have a body, you are an athlete." -Bill Bowerman
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Re: Road bike wheel recommendations [johnthesavage] [ In reply to ]
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I have never had a problem running Zipp 440/404 in moderatly windy conditions - Now a howling gale, that might be a problem. I think that many triathletes get all freaked out because, and I say this respect, quite frankly, many triathletes are terrible bike handlers.

I think that you don't see more deeper carbon rims with the road race crowd for a couple of reasons:

1. They are not as concerned about all-out aerodynamics

2. In non-pro fields I think they may be worried about wrecking the wheels in a crash - a bent aluminum rim can be brought back to life a broken carbon rim can't

In pro road race fields, I think that we are seeing more use of the deeper Carbon rims - CSC seemed to be running the Zipp 404 rims most of the time last year, from what I saw.


Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog
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Re: Road bike wheel recommendations [Styk33] [ In reply to ]
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I agree with Tom, I like the Mavic Ksyriums. I use them to train on and bought some 404's for racing. They have been a great wheel and bullet proof...




"You're guaranteed to miss 100% of the shots you never take" - Wayne Gretzky
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Re: Road bike wheel recommendations [flytri] [ In reply to ]
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If money is not a factor then Reynolds Stratus are the best and most versatile wheel. If you're worried about handling in windy conditions, the Reynolds dish is not as deep as the Zipp 404s and they're actually closer to the Zipp 303s in depth, which many roadies use. These wheels are awesome. Trust me, and no I don't have any affiliation w/ Reynolds other than the fact that I own a set of their wheels and a pair of their forks. You can't ruin these wheels and they're so much lighter than the Ksyriums and so much sturdier than Zipps.

Has anybody had a bad experience w/ the Reynolds Status wheels?
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Re: Road bike wheel recommendations [Andy] [ In reply to ]
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Ritchey Protocol wheelset $1350 grams, aero, $650
Campagnolo Hyperon w/ceramic bearings $2700
Corima Winium
Reynolds anything

https://www.kickstarter.com/...bike-for-the-new-era
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Re: Road bike wheel recommendations [Fleck] [ In reply to ]
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Hello,

I'm not sure how you propose to bring a bent aluminum rim back to life.

My vote for a do everything wheel are the American classics (not sure which model, but the aluminum rim clinchers). I race on zipp tubulars, but I wouldn't use a carbon rim in the rain on a steep, long downhill. I love tubulars for racing, but the cost is a little much for every day. The ksyriums are sweet, but a little pricey and I like being able to get a replacement spoke in any bike shop (I know the spokes on Ksyriums are near bombproof, but accidents happen).

Shawn T
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Re: Road bike wheel recommendations [Andy] [ In reply to ]
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What about a set of the new 10 speed durace wheels ? I was checking out Peter Robertson's bike the other day and he is racing on them now. Beautiful looking wheels and you can be assured they will be build well.
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