Road Cycling - mavic cxp-33, cosmos, open pros, velocity deep v, razor,

what are some general opinions on these?

so i gather that the Deep V are very strong... the open pros are popular among the messenger crowd for a combination of strength and light weight.. but i dont know much about the others


also, since most rims in the same pricepoint have little variance in weight, doesnt most of the performance difference lie in the hubs (weight & smoothless)... and the rims are only responsible for ride quality and durability?

I've put a CXP-33 with Ultegra hub on the rear (haven't updated the front yet). I'm about 190 lbs and have an uncanny ability of finding every pothole on the street and that sucker is as straight as the day I put it on. Can't speak to weight or compare the others but the rim is definitely bomb proof.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I was out on a ride recently and hit a hole that threw my 2nd water bottle out of the holder and onto the street (don't know if this has happened much to anyone else, but it was a first for me. I stopped to check the rim (and grab the bottle) but it was true as can be.

Yea, I ride CXP-33s also and have hit a rut so deep that the bike stopped and I kept going. Shockingly the front wheel was not fazed other than a large mark across the tire that remains today. The wheel remained straight and true. My back didn't.

I have a couple of velocityrims. they are the arrowheads. very nice and simple. my front wheel ahs a velocity hub and it is really nice and smooth.

I have the Velocity Spartacus wheelset and am very happy with it. Its very durable, and the hubs are very smooth and good quality. I've seen quite a few failed CXP's recently, like maybe 5-6 in the last month or so, I am kind of leery of anything with a CXP label on it now. Open Pro's have an excellent reputation as well.

I'm pretty sure that if the Velocity Deep Vs are anything like Rigida DP18s or Mavic CXP30s, then they will weigh a tonne. Both of wheels, while being super strong, are about 570g each; rim only! CXP33s are about 450g.

this thread has some more info:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=51261&highlight=cxp30

Hi Redfooj,

I am lucky enough to have CXP21, CXP33 and Velocity deep V rim wheelsets (all 32 spoke, 3-cross lacing). The '33s have had 2 years of 4 season riding and needed only minor truing after the settling in period. I have done fewer miles on the Velocities, as these are kept as a "best" set, but they too are very robust. CXP21's are (I believe) superceded by the CXP22, but are also proving to be a good set of wheels.

In my experience, you will not go wrong with either the Velocity or CXP 33 choice. As you mention, do the wheels justice and get a decent set of hubs, they will last longer and run better.

Cheers,

Ed

Ed, which do you think would make the bigger difference? Rims or Hubs? I am fairly light, so durability is not so much a concern as is performance

probably hubs, at least on the rear. I love my dura-ace hubs. even on the back, they will spin for a few minutes.