Road Cycling - Campy Proton wheels

I am thinking about buying a pair of Campy Proton wheels and would like to hear from anyone that has ridden them and what were your impression about the wheels. How do they compare to other wheels you have ridden,…

Has anyone read a review on Protons?

Thanks,
Blaz

A buddy of mine has a set of protons. He recently said "that was the dumbest bike purchase that I've ever made."

It's not that there's anything wrong with the wheels from a performance standpoint. I've tried them and they're light, fast wheels, ideal for climbing. But they have a couple of drawbacks:

1. The hubset is essentially low-spoke Veloce.

2. They are a pain to true. Like other rims that don't have exposed nipples, if you have an accident and you wheel goes out of true [and this WILL happen at least once a year], you are SOL. You have to pull the tire, the tube and the rim tape to get at the nipples. No road-side repairs for you!

3. They're expensive.

They do look cool and they're light, though I think you'll find that a set of Mavic Open Pro rims laced to 32-spoke Chorus or Centaur hubs, with butted spokes, would be just as light, if not lighter... AND they'll be cheaper, AND they'll be easier to maintain, AND they'll be stronger.

Actually the hubs are from the Centur/Daytona range, and I don’t think that they are that expensive (I am paying $320 for them).

The approximate weight of the Open Pros whit Centaur hubs would be 839g front and 1,176g rear (according to http://www.branfordbike.com/wheels/wheel19.html. The 2002 Protons are as I see it extremely light 680g font, 960g rear (for the price). That is 375g difference!!

That “only” leaves us with the nipples problem…

As I am quite new to road cycling I don’t know how an unexposed nipple looks like, but on this picture the nipples are visible!?? http://www.branfordbike.com/images/wheel/campy/prorim2.jpg

I can only conclude that they've improved the design for this year. If they're affordable and light, go for 'em.

As an engineer, I dislike and absolutely avoid low-spoke-count wheels. Give me 32 or 36 spokes any day!

I have them on my new bike. I'm not an expert, but I like them. The lower profile rim is an improvement over the "aero" Bianchi wheels that I had before. They react less to cross winds and (it may be in my head but...) the lower weight is easier to move up all the hills around here. I only have about 500 miles on them, so I can't comment on durability.

The only super-low spoke count wheels that rock are the Rolf Sestireres and Vector Pros. Those things are just fast as all getout. The hubs look like percision-machined gems.

Low count wheels like the proton, eurus or new shimano d/a are all good wheels. If you break a spoke, it will really wobble. Break a spoke on a 32 or 36 spoke wheel and you might not even notice it! But I have never, ever broken a spoke.

32 spokes sounds like alot to me now! I would never buy anything but the lower count wheels. They spool up fast, are super aero, light and heck-they are even easier to keep clean!

I have the good ol' openpro/32spoke/ultegra hub and its my workhorse wheel that gets collects dust most of the time. Comes out as a race spare...its a great wheel and deserves better for how well it treated me!!

I'm using a set of Sirocco's with the G3 setup. 1000 miles on them already and they are doing the job. My other Siroccos 20 spoke count no problem. They are 5 years old and were trued once and are check twice a year.
I have used the old wheels in crits and TT's. You might want to look into a set.
Happy Cycling!

A buddy of mine has a set of protons. He recently said "that was the dumbest bike purchase that I've ever made."

It's not that there's anything wrong with the wheels from a performance standpoint. I've tried them and they're light, fast wheels, ideal for climbing. But they have a couple of drawbacks:

1. The hubset is essentially low-spoke Veloce.

2. They are a pain to true. Like other rims that don't have exposed nipples, if you have an accident and you wheel goes out of true [and this WILL happen at least once a year], you are SOL. You have to pull the tire, the tube and the rim tape to get at the nipples. No road-side repairs for you!

3. They're expensive.

They do look cool and they're light, though I think you'll find that a set of Mavic Open Pro rims laced to 32-spoke Chorus or Centaur hubs, with butted spokes, would be just as light, if not lighter... AND they'll be cheaper, AND they'll be easier to maintain, AND they'll be stronger.

Most of this sounds like Neutron, not Proton.

Cheers...Gary

I have friends that have Campy Protons and they are 200lbs plus riders, they say they are a strong wheel but are a real bear to get the tire back on if you get a flat.

Actually the hubs are from the Centur/Daytona range, and I don’t think that they are that expensive (I am paying $320 for them).

The approximate weight of the Open Pros whit Centaur hubs would be 839g front and 1,176g rear (according to http://www.branfordbike.com/wheels/wheel19.html. The 2002 Protons are as I see it extremely light 680g font, 960g rear (for the price). That is 375g difference!!

That “only” leaves us with the nipples problem…

As I am quite new to road cycling I don’t know how an unexposed nipple looks like, but on this picture the nipples are visible!?? http://www.branfordbike.com/images/wheel/campy/prorim2.jpg

Asymetric rear rim may cure some of the problems caused by a lot of dish. (Dish is the reason rear wheel has so many problems)

Protons are good wheels. I don't own a set but I have 2 buds that do and they have put lots of miles on them. They are a nice wheelset for the price, plus you can find them on sale a lot.

With regards to the comments on low spoke count wheels vs 32/36 spoke count wheels, some of you guys are in the dark ages.

My Ksyriums are way stronger than a standard 32 spoke wheel. Why? Strait pull spokes... thats why.

Personally, a 200 lbs, I stay away from the paired-spoke wheels but thats just me...

Protons are good wheels. I don't own a set but I have 2 buds that do and they have put lots of miles on them. They are a nice wheelset for the price, plus you can find them on sale a lot.

With regards to the comments on low spoke count wheels vs 32/36 spoke count wheels, some of you guys are in the dark ages.

My Ksyriums are way stronger than a standard 32 spoke wheel. Why? Strait pull spokes... thats why.

Personally, a 200 lbs, I stay away from the paired-spoke wheels but thats just me...

Straight pull spokes are great (aleviate elbow breakage), but they still put a lot more tension on the the nipple threads. Plus low spoke count makes truing more difficult.

Galen, I've seen those wheels for $300 on sale and I think they are probably one of the best deals out there. Even though I don't like low spoke count as stated above I'v been thinking about getting some. asymetric rear rim makes up for the low spoke count.

I've been happy with my Protons. I have the exposed spoke nipple so truing isn't too big of an issue. However, I have yet to have to true them so perhaps I should reserve comment on the ease or lack thereof. I bought them with the intention of being my "everyday" wheel and have held up real well. Granted, right now life on the trainer isn't exactly punishing to a wheel. Prior to winter I rode them quite a lot with no issues.