A while back there was a thread about Shamals and someone said the rims were still available. Does anyone know where I might be able to get some of these rims? Please don’t say Euro-Asia Imports. I already called there and the A-hole who answered the phone was absolutely no help at all.
IMO, they were one of the best wheels ever made. Very durable. Aero tested a few years back to be equal to the Hed CX 60 but much less affected by headwinds. Makes a great tri front wheel in windy conditions. The ultimate backup to the tri-spoke front when it’s too windy.
Unfortunately they’re out of production but turn up on ebay now and then. I bought two (650 and 700) there last year.
I own a pair of the Gipiemme wheels and can vouch for them. If the price is right they offer a great all-around wheel. Mine have probably 15,000 km. on them and they are as true as ever, despite the low spoke count.
I bought them from a shop owner who was swapping over to Ventos. We compared rim depths and weight and the differences were only marginal. In fact, other than the Campy hubs I’d say the Gipiemme rim/spoke combination is equal to the Ventos.
Dave - depending on my rim issue with my current Shamals I may have a hub for you soon. I had a buddy try to ride on my rollers and crash hard - bending my rear Shamal HPW 12 (Clincher)
gorgeous wheels. Got mine from a friend. original 8 speed campy cassette. got a conversion through Marinoni (montreal bike maker); riding my 9sp shimano ultegra on it now. smoother than butter.
SuperDave,
Thanks for the help.
Ochsner is the first place we checked with and were told they didn’t have any. The person on the phone knew enough about the Shamal to state it had been discontinued in 2001 or whenever. Maybe we talked to the wrong person and should try again?
Just came across this - a slightly older wheel comparison which included the Shamal. The Shamal was aero (2nd only to the Trispoke among these wheels) but lost a lot of points due to a lot of friction in the hub. What do you guys think - is this a generalizable observation?