Cyclocross - High Profile Carbon Rims

Do they live up to all the hype of shedding mud and being good for cyclocross. I am looking for user experience, to help me base a purchasing decision.
thanks

no one races on these things? That makes the decision easier

cardie - I didn't find anything on the inet. let me know if you are going to "shed" your current tubular wheelset!

:)

Short answer: yes.
Long answer:sort of.

Did a few races where a few of the riders were sporting the Zipp 404's. One was deep snow, about 2-3 inches all around the course. The low profile rims, mine included, all had a build up of the wet snow that made it look like you were riding the 50mm rims. Only ours were about a pound heavier. The 404 riders were riding around the course on untouched wheels.

As for mud, if the course is just sloppy wet, no biggie. But, if it has sections of the deeper stuff, you definately feel the low profile wheel having to "pull" itself out of the muck. Not so for the high profile, as they just tend to slice.

Are they worth it? Maybe, just watch the roots that you hit and the low pressure tires.

I second "Auk". High profiled rims are definitely worth it in serious muck and I also like them in deep sand.

cardie - I didn't find anything on the inet. let me know if you are going to "shed" your current tubular wheelset!

:)

Thanks guys, that doesnt make the decision any easier. This will probably be something for next season, we will see if I can upgrade to cat2 this year. I definatly want to get a pair, and Josh, I would most likely be keeping the set of wheels I have as a spare. If I am getting into 1 hour long races, I am going to probably need and use a spare set more often, there is a chance to catch up.

So now, what do you guys think of spoke count. I am not a big guy. 5'-10" at 150 lbs. The Zipps are 28 hole front and rear, where as shimano, reynolds and easton all have wheels they sell laced 20/24 or 16/20 that they say will be fine for cyclocross......but going lower than 28 spokes worries me a little......

Lower spoke count is not too big of concern. Remember, those big tires do quite a bit of dampening. Personally, I think that 20/24 is fine. 16 in the front is a bit low, but I've seen plenty that had no problems.

Reynolds and Zipp have "Cyclocross" specific wheelsets. The Reynolds wheels have a higher spoke count but other wise the same as the standard Stratus DV's. The Zipps have an extra laminate to make the ri stronger, higher spoke count, and traditional J-Bend spoke hubs.

you better be a feather weight to ride/race carbon rims...Way too much money for what you get.

you better be a feather weight to ride/race carbon rims...Way too much money for what you get.

Yeah, if you're racing in 1998.

"Way too much money" is pretty relative.

you better be a feather weight to ride/race carbon rims...

[edit] sorry didnt realize i was posting under a different account, this is cardstock writting

the money isnt the issue, I am not rich by any means, but when I am looking to go from cat 3 to 2 this year, this sort of thing could be something that really influences my performance in a race, at least in terms of the mud and such.

Not sure what feather weight is, but I am 5'10" at 150 pounds max. usually more around 145.

I would be more comfortable on a pair of wheels that is 20/24 but most often the 16/20 spoke counted wheels come around used. I guess I have a few months to get things in order, but it seems that these wheels are not all manufacturer hype, and actually work like they should......

thanks for the help

well Cardstock - let me know and I will run the pit for you (might as well get a second bike too!) once I finish the 4s races. I am sure I will see you at a lot of the same races this year (AUK AUK AUK AUK - yeah, AUK...we better see you at a couple of these!)

well J if the app. goes as i hope it goes i might be riding a different frame this year anyway

!!!

that's awesome!

I'll be there. If the Indiana series gets any smaller, I'll have to venture north for sure. BTW, the Ohio Valley cross series is getting huge. Did one of their races last year and the organization and course layout was stellar. www.ovcx.com 4 UCI class races and 2 USGP's. Is it time yet???

hey, so I know zipp is sort of king, but the american classic and fsa wheels are dramatically cheaper.....does anyone know if there is a big difference between zipps for $2100 and lets say the fsas for $1300

The American Classic wheels use the non-dimpled version of the Zipp rim. Same goes with the Ritchey carbons. The opinion is split between whether Zipp or Gigantex makes the rims for FSA. The majority go with Gigantex as the producer, as they produce about 3/4 of the carbon rims that are marketed. Token, Fetish, 4ZA, etc. Easton, up until the newest version came out, used the non-dimpled Zipp rim.

So, to answer the question, the non-Zipp produced rims are very reliabe. Maybe a bit heavier, but that is not always a bad thing. I simply don't see the Zipps being worth the price when there are so many others out there. Getting a killer deal on the used market is one thing, but full boat is tough to handle.

nice, thanks....so many choices....and cane creek seems to be coming out the winner....~850 for a new set!

I used to ride Corima carbon rims with Sapim race spokes and Dura-Ace hubs. 28 spokes front and 28 spokes rear. Nice set, cheap and almost indestructable.

ordered the cane creeks, now i better live up to them

okay, so this question goes even further into niche obscurity than my questions about high profile carbon wheels for CX. I have the cane creek aros 58s now, they are in the hands of the door man at my building today. I need a pair of tubular tires to glue onto the rims. I have my 1st wheelset, kings laced to velocity escapes with the tufo elite tires, which have been amazing all-rounder type tires. I bought these fancy wheels to prevent mud buildup, so naturally they will be for wet days. I am trying to decide if they will be primarily for muddy courses.

Is it a better idea to buy tires where the tread pattern is made more for muddy wet sloppy conditions, or to put more general condition tires on the rims?

okay, so this question goes even further into niche obscurity than my questions about high profile carbon wheels for CX. I have the cane creek aros 58s now, they are in the hands of the door man at my building today. I need a pair of tubular tires to glue onto the rims. I have my 1st wheelset, kings laced to velocity escapes with the tufo elite tires, which have been amazing all-rounder type tires. I bought these fancy wheels to prevent mud buildup, so naturally they will be for wet days. I am trying to decide if they will be primarily for muddy courses.


those chris king wheels will be much worse in all conditions. better sell em to me.

i'm all for specialization of labor. if it's a muddy race wheelset i'd put mud tires on there.

Either put tubulars for muddy tracks on them or for very fast tracks. On other tracks the high profiled rims have no use. 32 mm Dugast would be my choice of weaponry.

Grifo's are actually really good too and a lot less expensive than Dugast.

well Cardstock - let me know and I will run the pit for you (might as well get a second bike too!) once I finish the 4s races. I am sure I will see you at a lot of the same races this year (AUK AUK AUK AUK - yeah, AUK...we better see you at a couple of these!)

I have nothing to add to this conversation other than that I'd love to help in the pit for Cardstock. Go Team Pegasus!