Road Cycling - advise please!

After shopping for months for a Litespeed Vortex, I stumbled upon a Litespeed Ultimate which was been sitting in a LBS for a couple years and therefore doesn't have carbon seat stays (which is why I wanted a vortex over an ultimate). The price is $1000 cheaper (canadian $) than a 2003 Ultimate and the frame has never been built up so I decided go for it and put the savings towards having it built with chorus instead of centaur. I can't wait to get my new ride!!!! Anyways, the advise I need is should I get Open Pro rims or CXP 33, or maybe there is another rim I'm overlooking? I'm not racing, just want something durable more than anything else. The staff at the LBS think I should get the CXP 33 cause they say it's stronger. Thanks in advance for all your help!

Cheers!

Leyton

Interesting. My LBS tells me that the Open Pro is the stronger. Wonder if you could get a response from the Mavic people at their website, www.mavic.com. Would be interesting to hear what the people who make them say. Sounds like a great ride, either way. I just switched from Open Pro to Ksyrium Elite and like them even more than the Open Pro. This will be my first full season on them, but so far they are great.

Originally posted by LSR
I'm not racing, just want something durable more than anything else. The staff at the LBS think I should get the CXP 33 cause they say it's stronger. Thanks in advance for all your help!

Cheers!

Leyton Stronger is better only if you need it.They are also heavier.Open pros works for most,but maybe if you are a heavyweight or ride alot of rough stuff.........

nm

Originally posted by ParamountScapin
Interesting. My LBS tells me that the Open Pro is the stronger. More LBS BS

I seem to have a special job around here that no one else will do: saying good things about cxp 33s. Because of the rough roads I ride around here, Colorado Cyclist recommended the cxp33s for their strength. I have ridden 5,000 miles on the ones they built for me. They have never gone out of true. Not the slightest problem with them. On the other hand, consumer reviewers (i.e. folks like us) at roadbikereviews.com have reported problems with Open Pros going out of true quite a bit. And I am not convinced that it's just a matter of who did the building. For example, the cxp21s really have a problem at the seam, which is not welded. Spokes just loosen there. There might be something inherent in the structure of the Open Pros that let them go out of true easier.

In a previous, acrimonious discussion of this same topic, I researched the actual weight difference between the CXP 33s and the Open Pros. I can remember the actual weight in grams, but in trying to relate this to the weight of something that I could relate to, I found that a pair of CXP 33s exceeded the weight of the Open Pros by the equivalent of 5 cycling socks.

The aero profile of the CXP 33s creates sort of a continuous arch--sort of like a Mayan arch--which is stronger than the flat Open Pros.

I know that this information is considered heretical around here, but "here I stand."

Rich

Originally posted by Stinger9oh


In a previous, acrimonious discussion of this same topic, I researched the actual weight difference between the CXP 33s and the Open Pros. I can remember the actual weight in grams, but in trying to relate this to the weight of something that I could relate to, I found that a pair of CXP 33s exceeded the weight of the Open Pros by the equivalent of 5 cycling socks.



Rich For them that don't wear socks,the weight difference is 45 grams per rim heavier for cpx33

Hi,
if you're over 200 pounds, the CXP33's may be a good idea. I had may wheels built up with them.
If you're under, you might consider 36 spoke Open Pro's; unless you're one of those skinny guys.
Just a thought.

Originally posted by Stinger9oh
I can remember the actual weight in grams
From the Mavic web-site, for a 700c rim:
cxp33: 470 grams
OP: 425 grams
So the OP is about 1.75 oz lighter per rim.

We should all be faced with such tough choices. ;)

You wouldn't be making a mistake with either rim... choose the features, or maybe the appearance, you like.

The 33 is stronger, reportedly has a somewhat harsher ride, is more aero, but weighs a little more. I guess one consideration is that the weight is out at the circumference, where it will make the most difference in acceleration. It might require tubes with a long stem, I dunno. The OP is the de facto standard all purpose rim. The OP will hold its true as well as any wheel if it's been assembled by a qualified wheel builder. I assume the same is true of the 33. If strength is your concern, rim profile is secondary to spoke count.

I'm curious... can anybody claim to feel or notice a speed difference between an aero profile vs. standard profile at speed? I know that folks with low spoke count wheels do. Does the wider profile affect how they handle in cross winds?

Wonder if you could get a response from the Mavic people at their website

In the past I have corresponded with Mavic via their site. Felt like I was getting the information direct from the source. A month or so ago I visited (http://www.mavic.com ) intending to do the same. Apparently Mavic no longer takes consumer comments/questions direct. You're advised to consult with your retailer. No offense intended to retailers, but a step backwards I think

Thanks for eveyone's advise so far! I'm 190 lbs (15 lbs overweight!), and will be riding on country roads with many railroad tracks to cross! I'm still on the fence over the two rims, but I can't help but think I might be overlooking a rim manufacturer somewhere who might make a better product at a similar price? Any suggestions?

Cheers!

Leyton

LSR

My roads are in pretty poor condition and I have had no problem with these:

Velocitiy Aerohead 32

To answer Roadbuzz's concern: CXP 33s work best with longer stems. I've used the shorter stems, too. They work fine with the frame pump, but with the floor pump they don't go deep enough into the nozzle to get a reading on the gauge. I can make it work, but it's not very convenient.

Rich