Track Cycling: Velodrome Racing and Training Area - Cane Creek abandoning track wheel market

It appears that Cane Creek is abandoning the track wheel market and liquidating its remaining stock at absurdly low prices. I just purchased a new Cane Creek Sprint 50 carbon wheelset for $500, which is 1/3 the MSRP and 1/2 the lowest competitive street price. Compare that with over $2000 street price for a Zipp 404 track wheelset. There are other models also on sale, and this is a great opportunity for anyone who is looking for a great deal on high quality carbon track wheels.

http://www.canecreek.com/component-trackwheels?product=sprint-50

http://stores.ebay.com/Cane-Creek-Closeouts__W0QQ_sidZ799941132QQ_trksidZp4634Q2ec0Q2em14?_pgn=1

BTW, I am not affiliated with the seller.

Getting rid of some older stock means that are not making track wheels anymore? I guess I missed that memo. Maybe they just needed the room freed up for some new models.

I also bought a set of wheels, but got the V33 clinchers. I only ride the local 'drome a few times a year and even at that price can't justify a deep section carbon track wheels.

Getting rid of some older stock means that are not making track wheels anymore? I guess I missed that memo.

Appears so:

http://bikeblips.dailyradar.com/story/cane-creek-stops-production-on-wheels/

http://www.bikerumor.com/2010/01/27/cane-creek-discontinues-wheels-has-closeout-blowout-sale/

"As some of you may know, Cane Creek has decided to discontinue it’s wheel building business in order to focus on headsets and suspension. They’re selling off their remaining inventory on Ebay (http://e2ma.net/go/100000633596/2522832/90809943/36336/goto:http://shop.ebay.com/canecreekcyclingcomponents/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686)."

I wish I had $675 for a set of those 85's. Thats a serious deal.

I wish I had $675 for a set of those 85's. Thats a serious deal.

They retailed for $1800, so that's about 1/3rd as much. I don't think I've ever seen a deal like this, and it's not like it's one of those crap brands that have issues. My 2006 Pista Concept came with the Cane Creek Volos, which use the same hubs, and they have been really durable and the bearings are very smooth. I've seen several of the CF wheels at the track and have heard only good things from ther owners. I'm glad I picked up a set of the Sprint 50s, because they are now all gone, but there still are some Endurance 85s remaining, so you still have some time to raise the money or else kick yourself for missing this opportunity.

Edit: the 85s are gone, only Endurance 50s remain. I just got notification that my Sprint 50s are the way. Can't wait.

This couldn't have come at a worse time for me. I've been watching these for three weeks now, trying to figure out how I could raise the money to buy a pair. And now they're all almost gone.

This couldn't have come at a worse time for me. I've been watching these for three weeks now, trying to figure out how I could raise the money to buy a pair. And now they're all almost gone.

Aren't you Canadian? Do they even ship to Canada?

dang i missed out, would bought those in a second

Mine just showed up today. They are beautiful! As it turns out, they are not old stock but were just built up 2 weeks ago and the build quality is excellent. They even came with a special spoke wrench, 3 spare nipples, valve extenders and of course 2 lock rings (flip/flop). This has to be the best deal I've ever gotten on anything. We just had a record snowfall in DFW so it'll be a while before I can try them out. Well, I'm off to bed, and my new toys are sitting next to the bed so I can keep them in sight. It's like Christmas in February.

pix?

Aren't you Canadian? Do they even ship to Canada?

I don't know where you get that idea, but no, I am not Canadian.

pix? Enjoy

Hot! Nice tires, too. I think those tires would last about 5 laps at my track.

Wow! The rear is amazing. I never liked the hub before but I had only seen red anodized ones. Great find.

Hot! Nice tires, too. I think those tires would last about 5 laps at my track.

Actually those tires are pretty tough and I can get a full season out of them at my track (Superdrome Frisco), which has a pretty abrasive surface. The rear is a Conti Sonderklasse, which has a fat 23mm section and actually weighs 220gm even though the sidewall label says 165gm. The front is a Dugast Pista Cotton 20mm which weighs 210gm. Both tires have fine diamond point treads that work well on both wood and concrete and are thick and hard enough to give good tread life. They are not particularly high pressure, about 170 psi max, and I normally run them at about 150 psi. They are popular in six day events due to their longevity. One thing I really like about the Conti Sonderklasse and Dugast Pista is that they are very round and the tread and base tape run true, which is really important on the track. Of course, they are pretty expensive, costing over $100 each. I'm careful to put them in wheel bags when I travel.

I want to give them a try one day. Maybe I'll glue some on for Master's Nationals this year...at the Superdrome!

Here's some photos with them mounted on my Pista Concept. Although I bought and paid for the Cane Creek Sprint 50 wheelset, and the box and invoice stated that fact, in fact they sent me the more expensive Endurance 50 wheelset instead. So I ended up getting a $1600 wheelset for $525 shipped. The difference is that the Endurance 50 uses bladed instead of round spokes and fewer spokes in the front, making them about 100 grams lighter and more aero. I also bought a new Izumi ESH chain to replace the original KHS chain that was starting to show some wear. It uses a NJS bolt type connector link and I also have a bolt type half link to give me enough room to use a 50x14 (96 GI) for overgear training, instead of needing a 46x13. This is the first fix/fix flip flop hub I've ever owned, so I can now use a 16T cog for warmup and then flip to the other side with a 14T for racing. No longer do I need the monkey around changing cogs or chainrings. As shown, I've got my 47T chainring on it, which gives me a typical 90 GI racing gear. That gives an ideal 79 GI for warmup with the 16T cog. I've ridden it briefly on my residential street, which is very clean of debris, and I'd say the rear wheel is stiffer than other spoked wheels I've ridden, but still no match for my Zipp disk. The Zipp with the same tire is 170 grams heavier (about 6 ounces) than the Cane Creek with two cogs, so the difference is not that dramatic, and I will still use the disk for sprints and standing start events.

That is a very cool (albeit fragile looking) rear hub.

That is a very cool (albeit fragile looking) rear hub.

It does look fragile, however, it's basically the same hub shell that is used on the Cane Creek Volos rear wheel that came on the bike. I've never had any problems with the Volos wheel, except that it felt kinda spongy and it got out of true. But then, I'm relatively light (135 lbs) and only moderately powerful (1100 peak watts), so I don't know how it might fare with a larger and more powerful elite rider. One good thing about its design is that the spokes are crossed on both sides of the hub, so the loading is shared with both flanges. Also, since it's flip/flop, there is no dish, resulting in even spoke tension. There are a lot of nice details in the Cane Creek hubs, such as the axle accepting a hex wrench to hold it steady while tightening or loosening the nut on the other side. The material and build quality is exceptional. Too bad they've gone away and left us with few affordable choices.

Cane Creeks wheelset blowout was awesome. I picked up a set of Endurance 85s for $625 + 10% bing.com cashback. Already have a set of older Cane Creek Aros 58's, but heck if I was going to pass up a $1000+ wheelset for less than $600.

i got some endurance 85's
i just wish those godawful decals weren't under the clear coat

Looks like they put more stock on ebay, in case anybody is interested.

Looks like they put more stock on ebay, in case anybody is interested.

Holy deal, batman! A rear carbon rim track wheel for $200! I just bought a Sprint 50. I don't really need it, but could easily sell it to someone at the track for twice as much, anyway. Thanks for the heads up.

Do the Cane Creek wheels take a Shimano threaded lockring or is it proprietary like Mavic?

Do the Cane Creek wheels take a Shimano threaded lockring or is it proprietary like Mavic?

They take a standard 1.29" x 24 TPI lockring like the Shimano Dura Ace. The wheels include the Cane Creek lockrings, which are wider than the Dura Ace and are better IMO.

Ordered. thanks!