ninagski wrote:
Dreamy, you say? I like dreamy. Why do you choose the Ardennes Black over the Jet 6+?
Also, I'm still on 23s...I know the trend is to 25s now. Been thinking about making the switch. The Jet 6+ say they have a max 90PSI - I'm 185lbs. Is that enough PSI for me?
I changed my TT bike from a set of FLOs to HED Jet Black 9/Disc this year. That is what got me hooked on the dreamy wide ride. I am also 185 lbs., and I rode the IM GC 70.3 at 80 PSI at 21.7 MPH at 184W. That was 25W lower than my race at the end of last year that was also relatively flat. I also did some position tweaks, but I do not think the tire pressure hurt me at all. My TT training rides are often on a rails-to-trails path that has long sections of roughened concrete. The seams are pretty good, but those wide tires at 80 PSI make the road surface irregularities disappear, and it is much faster than high-PSI tires.
The HED Plus rims are very wide interior and deeper than most others. The net is that they have a huge internal air volume in addition to their exterior width. That means you can ride on very low pressure with no risk. I could probably ride on 70 PSI, but I am not ready to go there yet. Per conversations with some HED employees and SMEs, 80 PSI is very good for my weight.
I have a set of narrower wheels on my road bike with 25mm tires. I want to make that jump to wide rims for the ride quality and ease of changing out the wheels-- I have to way expand the brakes to get them to clear a 25mm tire on a narrow rim. With wide rims, wheel changes are a breeze. I do not race the road bike, just training rides and Gran Fondo type events, so aero wheels are not a priority there. I love that the Ardenens Black wheels are super light for their width... everyone else that makes wide aluminum rims are at least 100g heavier.