anyone here use alps for more than racing? are they durable enough to be used ocassionally as training wheels or for longer rides?
…curious to know what the life of a set would be…
I used them as everyday & racing wheels when I first started cause I had spent a lot of money on my bike and didn’t want to pay for training wheels too…
They are supposed to be durable enough, but the carbon “fairing” on my rear started to crack around the valve hole. I know of several others who have had this problem, most to a worse degree than I did.
I also know some people who have busted spokes that say replacement spokes can be hard to get.
HED says that they can be used as a training wheel, but in my experience, they didn’t stand up to the abuse. HED was nice enough to exchange them (when I sent them back for repair) for a new pair of Stinger 5.0 (straight up swap) that I now use for racing. And I bought a pair of Cane Creek Volo SS off eBay for cheap that have been bomb-proof for training wheels.
As far as life, the fairing started to crack after about 8 months of usage (about 2500 miles I think).
I have an Alps front wheel that has only been off of my Talon SL twice in two training years. I’ve NEVER had a problem with it. I’ve never had to have it trued. The only reason I can’t say the same about the rear is that I normally ride with my PowerTap Pro/CXP-33 rear wheel…but my Alps/PowerTap Pro wheel is just as trouble-free.
They are a REALLY good wheelset. I can’t recommend them enough.
HED was nice enough to exchange them (when I sent them back for repair) for a new pair of Stinger 5.0 (straight up swap) that I now use for racing.
'nuff said… you can’t go wrong with HED…
They are my full-time training wheels on my Tiphoon. No problems since I’ve owned them over the past year and I am 195-200 lbs hammering away on them. I would recommend these for both training and racing although I use a HED disc and tri-spoke for racing.
I mainly use them for racing (draft legal), but don’t hesitate using them for the occasional 3/4 hour training ride on the race bike. No dramas.