So, I am ready to get some aero clinchers and have narrowed it down to 3 choices. I mainly do RR’s and crits and am more of a “sprinter” than anything. Just wanted to hear some pros and cons on each wheelset. Just looking for the best all around wheel that is durable for a 165lbs rider.
Weight Spokes #/Brand
Cane Creek Aros 58 810g Front 1060g Rear 18/28 Sapim CX Ray spokes
Flash Point 60’s 852g Front 984g Rear 18/24 DT Aerospeed Spokes
Ritchey WCS Carbon 799g Front 949g Rear 16/24 Ritchey Aero Spokes
Bontrager 5.0 AC 750g Front 920g Rear 16/14 Aero spokes HUGI hubs!
Thanks!!
Pick a hub… The Ritchey and the Cane Creek are just rebadged 404 (undimpled) hoops on those companies hubs. The Flashpoints are Zipp’s lower-end, foreign-made wheels. I’d go with whichever hub you like the best. Cane Creek hubs are average, in my experience. No experience with Ritchey hubs or the Flashpoint wheelset.
Yeah, kinda shying away from Cane Creeks as I have just heard that they will be discontiuing their wheels in the next year or so. But I would still consider them if people have great reviews.
For road races/crits would it not be better to go with a lighter wheelset? I have a pair of Campy Neutrons and Eurous and they are both great riding and light. Good for climbing and pretty stiff for fast road racing.
Like other’s have said the Ritchey’s and Cane Creeks are both non-dimpled 404 rims. The Cane Creek hubs are nice, and I know a few people who have Cane Creek wheels and all love them, well build and good hubs.
However, I would choose the Ritchey wheels. I have owned a number of Ritchey Products and they have always been exceptional in reference to quality work, durability and weight. The WCS Carbon wheels are no different, the hubs are not as light as some but are very nice and have good bearings. Of the three you listed, Ritchey’s wheels would be my choice.
Spend a little extra money and get a pair of Bontrager Aeolus 5.0 clinchers. Hubs and rims are much better than anything you have listed. All three of those wheels have hub “issues.”
Cane Creek hubs look cool, but they are a pain to work on and true.
Flash Point and Ritchey hubs are known for getting loose and noisey…
Ritchey recalled WCS wheels 2 years ago due to hub failures.
Was just going to update my list. Have you seen the bontrager aeolus 5.0 AC wheels, do you know anything about the 6.5 carbon clinchers? I know they have a fairing on them, I just want to make sure they fill up with water, but none of y local shops have them in stock.
There doesnt seem to be much info out there about any of the wheels. Thanks for all your help so far.
A quick search shows a pair of the Bontrager Aeolus 5.0 Clinchers for $2,249.99. For that price, why not just buy Zipps?
How many miles are we talking about on the bearings?
Your wheels choices wouldn’t rank in the top 5 (maybe even 10) for road/crit use for a “sprinter”…
Do you really want a sprinter set of wheels or just trying to figure out which set of aero wheels to buy?
Sorry, I should have just said decently stiff wheels with good aerodynamics as this wheelset will be used for TTs rolling RR’s and flat 4 corner crits. I can get cost on all these and all seem to be in the same ballpark price wise so I am trying to determine which wheel is the best choice based on peoples experiences. Looking to go clincher as it is just easier for me than my current 404’s so I am sacrificing weight for my laziness. Thanks for your help.
The Flashpoints are the best bang for the buck. If you feel the need to spend more then look at the 404’s. The rest are good wheels as well, but I think Zipp is way ahead in the clincher race wheel game.
The Bontrager’s are a much better choice than ZIPP for crits, rr, sprints, etc. They are a stiffer wheel which will provide much better power transfer. That and Bontrager uses DT Swiss hubs, which are far superior to any ZIPP hub.
Both the Aeolus 5.0 and 6.5 use the XXX-Lite rim that has a carbon fairing bonded onto it. Bontrager (Trek) make the XXX-Lite rim in Wisconsin, using their OCLV process, send the rim to Hed who bonds on the fairing. Rim is then sent back to Bontrager to be laced and shipped. The spokes go through the fairing and are attached to the XXX-Lite rim internally, so there are plenty of holes for water to drain and I have never heard of water being an issue with these wheels.
I have ridden both wheels and can say that they perform wonderfully! The 5.0 is probably a better choice if you a looking for one high-end wheelset that can do anything. If money is no object, get a pair of Aeolus 6.5 and a pair of Bont. XXX-Lite!
Check www.bontrager.com for info.
If you are in the Buffalo NY area anytime soon, stop by Handlebars, we have all three wheels in stock in both clincher and tubie.
Its a three year old design.
“Bontrager developed with HED Cycling for Discovery’s attempt on a record 7th Tour de France win.”
What have they done since then with the wheel?
I have a pair of the elite bikes aero wheelset. They are the non-dimpled 404 rims. I have mine built up on Chris King hubs which I think is pretty badass. Also, the elite decals come in different colors to match your bike. They are pretty affordable as well. I think retail is around $1500-$1700 depending on your hubs.
Give elite bikes in philly a call.
I have to agree with the Chris King hub choice, I believe they are generally agreed to be the best all around hubs on the market. I have been riding them for years and they have never let me down. Good luck in your search, let us know what you get and why.
So, I narrowed it down to the new bontrager 5.0 AC which will be released in a month and the flashpoint 60’s. The bontragers are about 100grams lighter with a 50 mm deep rim and use formula hubs, whereas the flashpoints are 60mm deep and 100 grams heavier than the bontragers and use formula hubs. The bontragers use a fairing whereas the FP 60’s use a structual rim. I can get both for about the same price, so my question is is the 10mm in rim deepness worth the extra 100 grams? Does anyone have much to say about the FP60’s? I like them both so am having trouble making a decision.
Thanks.