silentfrost

I currently have Hutchinson Cross Town 700 x 32 on my cyclocross bike with disk brakes. I'm looking to upgrade them to something a bit lighter. I went to my LBS and they recommend that I should get the following.

ZTR-Crest-32: https://www.notubes.com/ZTR-Crest-26-...lack-P341.aspx
XT hubs, 245 Front and 260 Rear.

On the site it says that the maximum weight for the rider is 190 lb and I'm currently in-between 220-230. I was wondering what your opinions were on their recommendations! Is it risky to ride on a rim with that weight difference? I read about rims that can taco and it sounds terrifying.

bigfred 

The "hutchinson Crosstown" you reference in your first paragraph are tires. Which tells us nothing about what sort of wheels you currently have.

The Stan's "ZTR Crest" you reference in your second paragraph in combination with the Xt hubs are wheels. However, the link you provide is to 26" rims. I suspect if you're on a cross bike you need 700c/622/29'er rims.

The ZTR Crests are all of 380 grams. That is an exceptionally light rim for a clydesdale. If you're racing and in pursuit of performance at the expense of longevity they might be real consideration. However, if you're you're using your bike for fitness or commuting I might suggest a slightly more durable rim in combination with lighter tires.

I'm not sure what they mean by "245front 260 rear", unless that's spoke tension in pounds. Normally most of us would reference spoke tension in kilgrams force (kgf).

Taco'ing or absolute collapsing of the wheel would be highly unlikely unless you're doing something extraordinary.

What are your current wheels? How are you using the bike? What are your expectations?

skilsaw

Us clydes are better to stick with heavier stronger wheels. Particularly if we occasionally get off the road onto unpaved trails.

Saving 1/2 a pound on a lighter wheel set won't make much difference because, like me, you are carrying excess body weight.

We could ride faster and at lower cost than buying wheels if we just lose weight.

silentfrost

Thanks for the reply bigfred!

Opps :3, my current rims are the Mavic CXP22 S. I think you are correct about the 29'er rims. All these new numbers are confusing haha, slowly getting it though! I have no idea what they meant by 245 front and 260 rear. I assumed that the numbers represent a model number but appears that isn't the case from google searches.

This is my beauty:
https://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Cyclin...cle-unisex.jsp

My current goal is to bike as far as I can which is around 70~ km at the moment. Currently I find my hybrid tires are slowing me down and want to go faster. There are a few hills but nothing too crazy. I mostly bike on cycle paths and don't go off any jumps.

silentfrost

Thanks for the reply skilsaw. Just curious, which wheels are you currently using? Would you recommend them?

bigfred 

The Mavic CXP22's are a perfectly acceptable rim. At 510 grams they are neither heavy, nor light. Most clydes would be on rims of around 430 grams to 585 grams. So, they're right in the middle. This might explain the LBS' suggestion of a very light rim if you want to actually "notice" a difference in your wheels. 130 grams of rotating weight per wheel might actually be noticable.

However, your tires could easily save you more weight than that and at a fraction of the cost. The Hutchinson Crosstown 700X32 are listed at 650 grams. Depending upon what you consider a "cycle path" you could save as much as 400 grams per wheel by substituting lighter, narrower tires that will also roll with less resistance.

Your "cycle paths", are they paved? Are they graded gravel (like a rail trail)? Or, are they dirt, rock and mud?

Mr. Beanz

Can I ask how many miles you currently have under your belt in recent weeks/months?

Imo, too may riders think that buying really light wheels will give them the speed they want when in reality, more training is the key. You could buy some sped but another rider with some time in the saddle is going to smoke you on every ride and the wheels won't help a bit.

I've seen some real fast riders on CXP22's and they should be fine as far as speed for a clyde rider. Unless you're at race level where you can really appreciate the paid speed, save your money.

jethro56 

Wheels and tires are like gyro's and they contain stored energy when rotating. The farther away from the center the weight is the more more energy they store. It takes more energy to accelerate and decelerate heavier wheels and tires.They also provide straight line stability. At steady speeds wind resistance is by far the biggest energy consumer. As you take weight off them higher tech materials and manufacturing procedures must be substituted to maintain durability and puncture protection.

As others have stated your wheels are mid-pack as far as weight. Your tires are on the heavy duty side. So to cut down weight on them you start making compromises or add cost. I'd bone up on tires first. The choices are vast.

silentfrost

I haven't ridden much in the past few months since it was winter in Canada and all . Last summer I rode about 1000km and hope to ride 2000km+ this summer.

I agree with you that more training is key. I had the urge to buy something new and shiney but think I will wait. I set a goal for myself that if I lose 30lb i'll upgrade my wheels .

@bigfred
I didn't actually realize my current rims support smaller tires. I think getting some new tires would be perfect until I lose more weight.

The bike paths are all paved, smooth like water overall; I'm very lucky! I was thinking about getting x28 gatorskins, should be lighter than my current setup and stronger as well.

Rvav8r

I have Rolf Prima wheels on my road bike and I couldn't be happier. They are very strong and light and per the link they make wheels for cyclocross bikes as well.

https://www.rolfprima.com/products-cross-page.php

jsigone

I'd skip the stans crest. And go with the arches ex. Wider tad bit heavier and takes a ton of abuse. I've been using them for a few yrs now and beat on them hard on the rocky single tracks here in socal. Also factor in that you can't run road tires on stans mtb rims because the rim profile is rated only to 70psi. Theydo have roadie rims as well that are good.