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01-07-08, 07:58 AM
As an update to some previous postings on tandem wheels, rims, and recommendations I thought I'd share a discovery from this past weekend...
Early on when I began using the 700c 36h Deep-V rims back in '02 they were advertised as 520 grams and the ones that I ended up with in my hot little hands were a little bit heavier than that, around 540 grams or so.
I recently picked up my spare 700c 36h Fusion rim and decided to check it's weight against the specs and was pleasantly surprised to find it was actually a little less (459 grams) than the claimed weight of 475 grams.
Actually, I should probably mention I initially weighed the rim on my Ultimate digital scale and was shocked to see it come in at only 440 grams, which seemed a bit unbelievable. I then put it on my far more sensitive digital postal scale (max 5 lbs) which reported the 465 gram weight. I mention this because, in general, I've found the Ultimate digital scale to be less than accurate on anything under 5 lbs. It seems to be better suited to bikes and such.
Anyway, since I had the scales out I decided to pull down some spare Deep-V rims... an '04 version that was slightly damaged and came off my '02 Erickson before I sold it (it was the second rear rim that got dinged on that tandem, the first was FUBAR'd in '04), and two brand new ones.
Imagine my surprise when all three weighed in at 575 grams, 10% over the spec weight. Now, to be fair, I'm not sure that I'd be put off from using the Deep-Vs by the higher than claimed weight, but it was really a bit of a surprise as they are still listed as a 520 gram rim.
Again, because it has been a perenial favorite of mine and one that is often times recommended as a very good tandem rim, I thought I'd share my findings.
Early on when I began using the 700c 36h Deep-V rims back in '02 they were advertised as 520 grams and the ones that I ended up with in my hot little hands were a little bit heavier than that, around 540 grams or so.
I recently picked up my spare 700c 36h Fusion rim and decided to check it's weight against the specs and was pleasantly surprised to find it was actually a little less (459 grams) than the claimed weight of 475 grams.
Actually, I should probably mention I initially weighed the rim on my Ultimate digital scale and was shocked to see it come in at only 440 grams, which seemed a bit unbelievable. I then put it on my far more sensitive digital postal scale (max 5 lbs) which reported the 465 gram weight. I mention this because, in general, I've found the Ultimate digital scale to be less than accurate on anything under 5 lbs. It seems to be better suited to bikes and such.
Anyway, since I had the scales out I decided to pull down some spare Deep-V rims... an '04 version that was slightly damaged and came off my '02 Erickson before I sold it (it was the second rear rim that got dinged on that tandem, the first was FUBAR'd in '04), and two brand new ones.
Imagine my surprise when all three weighed in at 575 grams, 10% over the spec weight. Now, to be fair, I'm not sure that I'd be put off from using the Deep-Vs by the higher than claimed weight, but it was really a bit of a surprise as they are still listed as a 520 gram rim.
Again, because it has been a perenial favorite of mine and one that is often times recommended as a very good tandem rim, I thought I'd share my findings.