Fortunate enough to have a new tri bike lined up (disc brakes) and struggling with wheel and tire options. I’d like to run tubeless, and I think 25s are probably the sweet-spot for aero with most wheels. Tricky thing is hookless, at ~190 lbs I’m over the “max pressure” of 73 PSI on a 25 (though I realize that’s more of a covering-their-ass limit), so I’d need to run 28s hookless, but then I’m skeptical that any deep aero wheel is truly optimized for a 28 tire (i.e. better than a 25). Rule of 105 and whatnot. Yes, I care about the tiny marginal differences. I’d like to keep the price in the mid-range, i.e. no Zipp 454 NSW or Princeton wheels for me. Under 1800 would be great.
Best to stick with a 25 tubeless and go with a hooked rim? Lot of options there, any consensus on newer wheels that seem to be faring well?
With 28s, hookless becomes an option, any wheels that seem to be optimized for such a tire?
Just did a quick run through and a set with DT Swiss 350 hubs, hookless, pillar aero spokes would be 945USD.
I have a set and they are amazing.
Or you could message LB to quote a rear disc, WR50 front combo order (can’t do this through the site), would probably run you closer to 1600USD. But you’d probably want a rear training wheel.
Nice. I had looked at their Falcon Pro AR55 which is a little deeper at 55 and only 28 wide. Probably nice for a 25.
Personally while I appreciate the business model of LB I’d probably prefer to go with a more standard company for something like this, for quality control, standardization, and return or defect policy. But I’ll definitely keep it in mind.
a more standard company for something like this, for quality control, standardization, and return or defect policy.
LB is legit.
My bougie bike shop who sells loads of ridiculous high priced bikes and components commented to me that they were astonished at the quality when they set my wheels up.
I purchased them based on the recommendation from one of the most knowledgeable cycling posters here.
You are really just paying for marketing and brand recognition with a “standard company”.
Yea, I don’t doubt that they’re legit. What I’m more concerned with is what happens if you get a wheel that has a defect or have an issue down the line. Also as an engineer I have a soft spot for companies who are actually pushing the R&D side of things. I’ll keep LB in mind though, lots of mostly good anecdotes online.
I have a pair of Scribe 60mm wheels that I got this fall. For the money, they are pretty sweet. I’m not sure of inventory issues, and you also have to factor in around $100 extra for importing them from England. I have them set up with 25mm GP5000 tires. From what I’ve read and listened to in a lot of podcasts, it doesn’t make the most sense to go tubeless with a 25mm setup. I have tubeless on my gravel and MTB, but use latex tubes for the road bike and tri bike.
I think if I was in the market for new disc brake wheels, I’d look at the HED Vanquish. If that’s too steep, I’d still look at the HED jet disc brakes. Mybikeshop has them on sale currently.
I certainly think you could run hookless wheels with a 25mm in front for aerodynamics and a 28mm in back for rolling resistance and weight distribution. This is a popular TT setup and can be a best of both worlds setup. 73 PSI might be slightly lower than predicted optimal tire pressure on the front for perfect smooth and dry road conditions but its close enough not to be a concern. As road condition deteriorate optimal will drop to 73PSI or less. You always need a bit more pressure in the back and you can bump up a size on the rear without a penalty.
From what I have seen the aero losses associated with running a 28 on the back are often offset by rolling resistance gains but its dependent on the bike frame as much as wheel and tire combo. In any case its fair to assume you are losing out by running a 28 on the back of a bike which can accommodate this size of tire. A 25 up front does appear to have a net benefit over a 28 so if you are chasing every gain I don’t see a reason to shy away from the 25.
Yea, I don’t doubt that they’re legit. What I’m more concerned with is what happens if you get a wheel that has a defect or have an issue down the line. Also as an engineer I have a soft spot for companies who are actually pushing the R&D side of things. I’ll keep LB in mind though, lots of mostly good anecdotes online.
In a lifetime of cycling including at least 2 decades of carbon rims the only defective wheels I have ever owned have been Zipps. A rim defect that destroyed an Atlanta Gold tub and very nearly me and a couple of defective hubs. FYI I’m currently using a LightBicycle front trispoke.
Zipp did replace without issues though!
They are tubeless ready clincher style - I run them tubeless with 25mm tires. I weight 193lbs. I run an aero jacket cover on the rear as well. Haven’t raced them during Covid times but I think I was running my pressure around 80 if I recall correctly.
They’ve had great reviews. My set have been solid. Never flatted in multiple 1/2 distance races. I’ve accidentally nailed a couple big potholes no worse for the wear.
I have some new zipp 303 firecrests for my gravel bike which are awesome. I’ve thought about upgrading to some 808s on my tri bike but hard to justify paying 3x as much when the chronos have been great.
You won’t find a bigger diva than me. DA Di2 or Red AXS on all bikes, Ceramicspeed OSPWs on all bikes, Roval 321 disc on my TT bike, etc. With that, I have the Light Bicycle trispoke, which is a fantastic value and likely as slippery a front wheel you can get at any price. Mine was $400 + $81.07 for shipping/handling to Los Angeles.
Pair that front wheel with the new Light Bicycle rear disc wheel ($755-850 depending on which hub you choose) and you come in under budget and it’s unlikely you can find a faster wheel combo, regardless of cost.
Just FYI, it’s the measured with of the tire that matters, not the listed width. I have some aluminum rims with a 21mm internal that I run with 25mm tires. Every tire I’ve put on them has measured between 28 and 30mm when mounted. I would have no qualms whatsoever about running them at 73psi, although I usually do a bit more than that.
Also, despite what people say, 25mm tires in the 70-80 psi range seal great from small punctures, the things you expect them to seal for. I live somewhere with thorns everywhere, team tubeless all the way.
You won’t find a bigger diva than me. DA Di2 or Red AXS on all bikes, Ceramicspeed OSPWs on all bikes, Roval 321 disc on my TT bike, etc. With that, I have the Light Bicycle trispoke, which is a fantastic value and likely as slippery a front wheel you can get at any price. Mine was $400 + $81.07 for shipping/handling to Los Angeles.
Pair that front wheel with the new Light Bicycle rear disc wheel ($755-850 depending on which hub you choose) and you come in under budget and it’s unlikely you can find a faster wheel combo, regardless of cost.
I’m loving the look of the rear disc. Might have persuaded me to get one. I reached out for more info.
Hoping there won’t be any issues with the fit on rim brake Trek speed concept.
Hello. New user and I am very curious about what everyones best experiences are.
I got two wheelsets. The first wheelset har 25mm external width. The other wheelset is also 25mm external width, and 18mm internal width.
Both sets are rim brakes. I am doing long distance triathlons. Which tubeless setup would be the best for these wheelsets? I have never set up tubeless before. I’ve used tubulars in all my wheelsets up until now…