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01-04-09, 08:46 PM
LEW Sydney Tubular Wheelset. $500 (lowered from 800) + shipping.
A bit of information from an article on slowtwich.com (http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/product2006/wheels/wheelslew.html)
This 43mm-deep rim is built extra stiff, and, like Zipp, has a ceramic braking surface molded in. It is just a very nicely made wheel. Lots of care.
All that said, Lew makes a big deal of rim weight on its website, but a Zipp 303––at 280g––is lighter than a Lew Sydney, and quite a bit lighter than a Palermo. To be fair, the Lew is also 5mm deeper than the 303. But, the problem is the price: You can just about buy three pairs of 303s for each pair of Sydneys.
So these are a pair of carbon tubulars that have spent most of their life gathering dust. I've raced on them under 10 times, as I'm very nervous about crashing my expensive wheels. I don't know the exact milliege, but my guess is between 500-750 miles. I'm on a new team now which has a wheel sponsor, so I'm trying to find a home for them. I'm asking $700 (plus shipping), and I can throw in two Vittoria EVO CX tires, which I spent $180 on. I mention this, because these were my first pair of tubulars, and the sticker shock on new tires was quite memorable : )
My synopsis of how the wheels ride is as follows. The wheels really shine on anything involving climbing. Out of the saddle efforts are absolutely amazing when compared to an aluminum wheel. I attribute this mainly to the overall wheel weight, but also to to the rim weight. The rims are also narrow when compared to traditional aluminum rims, which is noticeable when descending and time trialing. The 43mm rim depth is a nice compromise between super light weight and aero-dynamic efficiency. I think the optimal rim depth of a carbon wheel if you're looking for something versatile is probably around this range. My new team wheels are 68mm, which is great if there's no wind. They climb well, but as the road turns steep, I prefer something in the 30 or 40mm range.
Up until now my review has been positive, but these wheels do have their drawbacks. I've had them trued once, and this was quite a pain as the tires need to be pulled off the rim due to the internal nipples. I weigh 35lbs under the maximum rider weight limit, and while I didn't find them flexy, I could see a rider approaching 185lbs finding them a bit on the soft side due to the spoke count. However, the rim depth also adds a great deal of stiffness, and the hubs are wide (adding stiffness) so that is speculation. Breaking is pretty good on these wheels, but I only use Swiss Stops yellow pads. I can throw in a used pair of the campy version for free, and a new pair of the Shimano style for $20.
A bit of information:
1210g with a bit of glue on the rim
16 spoke front, 20 spoke rear
White Industry Hubs
Shimano & Campy freehub available, I will include whichever size lockring you need (11t, 12t, campy or shimano)
Wheels are true, and have never been crashed/wrecked.
Wheels use internal nipples (aero), and spoke wrench is included. I'll also include skewers and valve extenders.
Wheels have a 185lb rider weight limit. I weigh 150lbs.
A bit of information from an article on slowtwich.com (http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/product2006/wheels/wheelslew.html)
This 43mm-deep rim is built extra stiff, and, like Zipp, has a ceramic braking surface molded in. It is just a very nicely made wheel. Lots of care.
All that said, Lew makes a big deal of rim weight on its website, but a Zipp 303––at 280g––is lighter than a Lew Sydney, and quite a bit lighter than a Palermo. To be fair, the Lew is also 5mm deeper than the 303. But, the problem is the price: You can just about buy three pairs of 303s for each pair of Sydneys.
So these are a pair of carbon tubulars that have spent most of their life gathering dust. I've raced on them under 10 times, as I'm very nervous about crashing my expensive wheels. I don't know the exact milliege, but my guess is between 500-750 miles. I'm on a new team now which has a wheel sponsor, so I'm trying to find a home for them. I'm asking $700 (plus shipping), and I can throw in two Vittoria EVO CX tires, which I spent $180 on. I mention this, because these were my first pair of tubulars, and the sticker shock on new tires was quite memorable : )
My synopsis of how the wheels ride is as follows. The wheels really shine on anything involving climbing. Out of the saddle efforts are absolutely amazing when compared to an aluminum wheel. I attribute this mainly to the overall wheel weight, but also to to the rim weight. The rims are also narrow when compared to traditional aluminum rims, which is noticeable when descending and time trialing. The 43mm rim depth is a nice compromise between super light weight and aero-dynamic efficiency. I think the optimal rim depth of a carbon wheel if you're looking for something versatile is probably around this range. My new team wheels are 68mm, which is great if there's no wind. They climb well, but as the road turns steep, I prefer something in the 30 or 40mm range.
Up until now my review has been positive, but these wheels do have their drawbacks. I've had them trued once, and this was quite a pain as the tires need to be pulled off the rim due to the internal nipples. I weigh 35lbs under the maximum rider weight limit, and while I didn't find them flexy, I could see a rider approaching 185lbs finding them a bit on the soft side due to the spoke count. However, the rim depth also adds a great deal of stiffness, and the hubs are wide (adding stiffness) so that is speculation. Breaking is pretty good on these wheels, but I only use Swiss Stops yellow pads. I can throw in a used pair of the campy version for free, and a new pair of the Shimano style for $20.
A bit of information:
1210g with a bit of glue on the rim
16 spoke front, 20 spoke rear
White Industry Hubs
Shimano & Campy freehub available, I will include whichever size lockring you need (11t, 12t, campy or shimano)
Wheels are true, and have never been crashed/wrecked.
Wheels use internal nipples (aero), and spoke wrench is included. I'll also include skewers and valve extenders.
Wheels have a 185lb rider weight limit. I weigh 150lbs.