Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.GuitarWizard
09-05-07, 08:37 PM
As some of you may know, back in early August during a post wisdom tooth removal, vicodin-induced shopping spree, in addition to the Power Tap I bought, I also picked up a set of Bonty Race X Lite Carbon Aeros, 44mm rim depth and 1400 grams for the set - not super light, but not real heavy. After a few weeks of putzing around with tires and stuff, I finally settled on some Continental Competitions....I almost **** a brick when I first saw the retail price of 'em ($140), but the owner gave them to me for $84/tire. Pricey, but much more manageable.
So, after waiting 24 hours for the glue to dry, I mounted 'em up to the 'ol 2500. Didn't notice any real weight loss versus my Niobium 30 wheels....then again, there's only about 150 gram difference between the two wheelsets, so I wasn't expecting anything huge. Definitely noticeable over the Power Tap setup though :).
I also learned today that the SRAM brakes hold their pads in the brake shoes much differently than Shimano, so I need to replace them in order to use the cork pads. I only did 16 miles today, so I decided to live life on the edge and use my normal pads.
A few random thoughts and notations during the ride:
First 8 minutes.....hmmmm......well, I'm not really noticing much of a difference, but at least my bike looks cooler, and I can say I have carbon tubular wheels.....
Why do people rave about the ride quality of tubulars....my clinchers "feel" better....
Man, rough roads kinda suck...
Hey....whaddaya know, sprinting up hills seems a bit easier - bike seems more eager to jump forward with each pedal stroke. Maybe these weren't a total waste of money after all....
First time above 27-28 mph....wow.....maintaining speeds up near 30 mph seems a bit easier. Might be onto something here....
And, for the test....a fairly flat and fast section coming off a hill, that I NEVER get above 30.5 mph on unless I put in some actual effort. Same amount of effort as "usual"....almost 33 mph. Ok, maybe these do work.
Towards the end, a 4-5% grade that I hammered up put the final nail in the coffin that I may enjoy racing with these wheels after all.
And there you have it - Clif Notes of my 16 mile ride. To be honest, I was pretty skeptical at first, but now I decided I like 'em. Do I wish I had pdiddy's infamous Zipp 404's? Sure....14mm more rim depth, and a couple hundred grams lighter would've been great....but, I got a pretty good deal on them, and when they crack, I have someone to go to.
Still debating on whether I like the 19mm tires though....I think I'd rather have 22mm. Oh well...next set will be Vittorias.
Now...if I can only figure out how to inflate the ****ers, I'll be good to go.
So, after waiting 24 hours for the glue to dry, I mounted 'em up to the 'ol 2500. Didn't notice any real weight loss versus my Niobium 30 wheels....then again, there's only about 150 gram difference between the two wheelsets, so I wasn't expecting anything huge. Definitely noticeable over the Power Tap setup though :).
I also learned today that the SRAM brakes hold their pads in the brake shoes much differently than Shimano, so I need to replace them in order to use the cork pads. I only did 16 miles today, so I decided to live life on the edge and use my normal pads.
A few random thoughts and notations during the ride:
First 8 minutes.....hmmmm......well, I'm not really noticing much of a difference, but at least my bike looks cooler, and I can say I have carbon tubular wheels.....
Why do people rave about the ride quality of tubulars....my clinchers "feel" better....
Man, rough roads kinda suck...
Hey....whaddaya know, sprinting up hills seems a bit easier - bike seems more eager to jump forward with each pedal stroke. Maybe these weren't a total waste of money after all....
First time above 27-28 mph....wow.....maintaining speeds up near 30 mph seems a bit easier. Might be onto something here....
And, for the test....a fairly flat and fast section coming off a hill, that I NEVER get above 30.5 mph on unless I put in some actual effort. Same amount of effort as "usual"....almost 33 mph. Ok, maybe these do work.
Towards the end, a 4-5% grade that I hammered up put the final nail in the coffin that I may enjoy racing with these wheels after all.
And there you have it - Clif Notes of my 16 mile ride. To be honest, I was pretty skeptical at first, but now I decided I like 'em. Do I wish I had pdiddy's infamous Zipp 404's? Sure....14mm more rim depth, and a couple hundred grams lighter would've been great....but, I got a pretty good deal on them, and when they crack, I have someone to go to.
Still debating on whether I like the 19mm tires though....I think I'd rather have 22mm. Oh well...next set will be Vittorias.
Now...if I can only figure out how to inflate the ****ers, I'll be good to go.