Identify this tubular rim
07-16-12, 11:55 AM
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Identify this tubular rim
Can't quite read the label. Maybe somebody recognizes it. I can read 700c/325 grams.
Is it anything special or is it just run of the mill? Thinking of selling and switching to a clincher unless there's reason to keep this...
Is it anything special or is it just run of the mill? Thinking of selling and switching to a clincher unless there's reason to keep this...
07-16-12, 12:00 PM
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Well, it says Matrix Iso (Trek's house brand) right on it.
Good rim tho, heat-treated and probably made by Sun or by Weinmann's U.S. factory.
Good rim tho, heat-treated and probably made by Sun or by Weinmann's U.S. factory.
07-16-12, 12:02 PM
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Didn't know there were USA tubular rims made! Your oil clip is not covering the hole unless the hole was offset! 325 grams is a reasonably light rim. MAVIC GL 330 is equivalent at ~ 330 grams and 280 is even lighter but have a reputation of being a little fragile for some. Many are heavier at over 400.
07-16-12, 12:04 PM
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Matrix Iso...marketed by Trek back in the 80s-early 90s...I once had an aluminum Trek 1500 that came with the clincher version. Hit a pothole one day. The impact bent the fork back so far that the wheel hit the downtube, which promptly buckled. The wheel survived fine...the frame didn't.
07-16-12, 12:08 PM
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BTW, Trek's generic-looking ss spokes from this era were top-quality and could be counted on to last many tens of thousands of miles.
That's a solid wheel, not fragile if the spokes have good tension.
That's a solid wheel, not fragile if the spokes have good tension.
07-16-12, 12:08 PM
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07-16-12, 01:04 PM
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I have a wheelset with these rims. My one complaint with them is that the brake track is not particularly parallel, particularly if used with brake pads that are not extremely narrow. The tapered aero profile of the rims seems to make the brakes much more suseptible to shuddering.
07-16-12, 03:28 PM
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No, the extrusions were made someplace else (I can't remember specifically) to Trek's design, but the rims were rolled and drilled in-house in Waterloo. The heat treatment and hard-anodizing was done by a third party company in Milwaukee after the rims were rolled and drilled.
Last edited by JohnDThompson; 07-16-12 at 03:33 PM.
07-16-12, 04:34 PM
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Think anyone would want to trade a clincher of comparable quality for this?
What would be a comparable trade?
Something like a Mavic MA40 laced to Campagnolo Record hub?
What would be a comparable trade?
Something like a Mavic MA40 laced to Campagnolo Record hub?
07-16-12, 04:54 PM
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Unfortunately, tubulars are worth about half what a comparable clincher goes for, this from a guy who has a ceiling full of nice Campy & Dura Ace tubulars 6-7 speed that won't sell for the price of the hubs alone.
07-16-12, 05:00 PM
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07-16-12, 05:21 PM
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I think I have at least five tubular wheelsets hanging on the wall at the cabin.
Most are in vg+ condition and date to the years that I still built all of my own.
I tried listing some locally and didn't receive a single response.
Most are GP4s with Record hubs, so sooner or later, they may have some street value.
07-16-12, 05:54 PM
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I have no experience with Matrix rims, but Sheldon brown sure didn't like them. I believe what he said was that Trek cheaped out on the rims.
07-16-12, 05:57 PM
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At least it's not the sharp edged Matrix rims, although I am not sure they made those in tubulars? Sharp edge aero Matrix dark ano rims come in two varieties. Cracked, and will be cracked. I've only ever seen one set that wasn't, and it was on a garage queen.,,,,BD
The flat and rounded aero rims are fine with me, and I have a couple of bikes with them.
The flat and rounded aero rims are fine with me, and I have a couple of bikes with them.
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07-16-12, 06:10 PM
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I wouldn't trade my older Campy or Mavic clinchers for another tub wheelset.
I think I have at least five tubular wheelsets hanging on the wall at the cabin.
Most are in vg+ condition and date to the years that I still built all of my own.
I tried listing some locally and didn't receive a single response.
Most are GP4s with Record hubs, so sooner or later, they may have some street value.
I think I have at least five tubular wheelsets hanging on the wall at the cabin.
Most are in vg+ condition and date to the years that I still built all of my own.
I tried listing some locally and didn't receive a single response.
Most are GP4s with Record hubs, so sooner or later, they may have some street value.
07-16-12, 08:46 PM
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Trek's design called for rim washers to be used when building the wheels. I've had no problems with Matrix rims built with rim washers. But it seems that eventually people thought they could get away with building the wheels without using the washers and that's when rim cracking became an issue.
Last edited by JohnDThompson; 07-16-12 at 08:49 PM.
07-17-12, 07:06 AM
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I think Sheldon's complaints were more against the Helicomatic hubs than the Matrix rims.
Trek's design called for rim washers to be used when building the wheels. I've had no problems with Matrix rims built with rim washers. But it seems that eventually people thought they could get away with building the wheels without using the washers and that's when rim cracking became an issue.
Trek's design called for rim washers to be used when building the wheels. I've had no problems with Matrix rims built with rim washers. But it seems that eventually people thought they could get away with building the wheels without using the washers and that's when rim cracking became an issue.
