nanunanu

Hey everybody, this is my first post here but have ridden bikes for 34 years. I have a wheels question but bare with while I give some background.

I have an old late 80's Faggin, with old Shimano 105's, and old Wolber wheels (wrapped in new Bontragers) that I have had since the mid 90's. I got pretty seriously back into biking last Summer and am full-on hooked again. So, this year I decided I wanted to upgrade (some here will say downgrade I'm sure) to a carbon fiber bike with integrated shifters/brake levers BUT I am on a budget. I am receiving my Bottecchia CF78 (with the FSA carbon crank and Dura Ace) today so of course I am WAY too excited to be in grad school today! I know how controversial they are and I know where they are made etc....but I couldn't pass it up.

BUT....It comes with really heavy wheels (Vuelta XRP's which are 2100 grams) and I want to upgrade immediately. I do ride a lot on urban roads and will do some commuting with the bike but want to ride more events, especially my first century on it. So like many people, I want to have a fairly solid training wheel that will do well in events (original desire I know...LOL) so I don't have to change wheels a lot. I only weigh 135 and TRY to baby my rims, but I ride at night sometimes and have hit some nasty potholes so those 20 spoke wheels scare me. I would love to get some Mavic Ksyrium ES due to the quality, lightweight, and good looks, but I have been shopping around. The Easton EA90-SL and EA90-SLX look pretty good too. I am leaning on the SL over all the others because they weigh just over 1500 grams and sound solid and stiff.

SO...my big question (finally) is this: Would the SL be too stiff for a 135 pound rider? I hear the Bottecchia frame is a little stiff for a CF, but would I want a stiff rim to go with it? Would the SLX be too easy to beat up with urban riding? I could care a less about the weight difference between them (like 60 grams or so) I just don't want to make my ride any rougher than it needs to be. Feel free to throw out other wheel recommendations if you see any better deals for a 1500 g or so set. Thanks guys and gals.

sced

These came on my Bottecchia and are pretty nice and light. Price includes shipping.
https://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_S...ils&ProdID=737

kayakdiver

So your budget is?.... 500-700 or so or less?

cranky old road 

I'll be surprised if your wheels weigh that much. Where did you get that number? Like sced, mine came with Vuelta XRP wheels that are light and strong.

swebb75ky

I didn't realize they were considered stiff for CF. I have found mine to be stiffer than my steel bike when I stand up and "get on it", but it ride so much smoother over bumps (compared to my steel Lemond) that I would have a hard time calling it stiff. Also when I pedal fast it seems to be sort of bouncy...better than the Lemond, but still not uber stiff..

Or maybe it's the spare tire...

-Steve

Georgebowen

ROL D-Huez are sub 1500g for $600

nanunanu

Hey guys, sorry it took so long to get back. I did just get my bike tonight...and uh...you all know how THAT is. LOL

kyakdiver: my budget is around $600 for a wheelset and I would like to get them in the 1500 gram range, not a weight weeny, but I am 38 years old and 135 pounds so I need all the help I can get.

cranky: The wheels that it came with are the Vuelta XRP Pro, not the Vuelta XRP Pro SL. I got the weight from their website, here is an ebay listing for some, and they claim that they are heavier than the 2100g:

https://cgi.ebay.com/700C-VUELTA--XRP...QQcmdZViewItem

sced: Your bike came with those XRP Pro SL's? God I wish mine did...thats a heck of a price for a 1589 g wheelset. The ones I have here are VERY good looking and seem to have pretty good quality (they were a little out of true, but they seem very solid...I'll see how they hold over time after I true them a touch)

Hmmmmm...$219.98 for the pair? If these numbers are all right and I am not confusing anything, I will just buy those Pro Sl's from Bikeisland, they are like 150 grams more than I wanted but who cares

Am I missing something guys? Are these numbers right? Thanks a million for the replies. Oh and BTW my Bottecchia is the shizzle. The gamble was totally worth it. The packaging had a hole in it where the rear quickrelease came through and lost its plastic shipping cap and it was scratched up (ARRRGGGHHH) but luckily the rest of the bike is PERFECT and packed well. I am not even going to file a complaint with UPS for shipping it on its SIDE which they weren't supposed to do. I am going to tell David (is that his name?) at B-USA privately in an email about it but I am mixed on whether I want to leave that in my ebay feedback for him.....this bike is a fricking steal...seriously, after riding it, it seems REALLY nitpicky to say the packaging is subpar. He will get a positive review from me, but I feel that the package could be a little better. Okay...I am officially rambling...what am I supposed to do? I just got my first CF!!!!!

nanunanu

After getting to ride it, it definitely has a "stiffness" that transfers power, but it is WAY smoother and comfy than my old handmade steel Faggin. I am probably using the wrong terms....I thought someone said they were stiff in that way. Whatever the proper adjective is, I like it a lot. It is like night and day with my Faggin...it is SO much easier to ride...not just the 4 pounds lighter...its the smooth ride that is getting me. I am totally signing up for a Century now.

captnfantastic

ha. 135 lbs. you could ride 8 spoke wheels and be ok. My 200 lb a$s needs 32.

NathanC

Yeah, at 135pounds (I am the same), you could get away with very light wheels.

nanunanu

LOL...I guess I've got that going for me.

nanunanu

Thanks Nathan and Captn...

sced

Tell them about the quick release skewer and they might send you a new one for free. I bought a Windsor from BikesDirect that came with a defective chain ring and they overnighted one to me.

Found these on Ebay:
https://cgi.ebay.com/VUELTA-CORSA-SUP...3%3A1|294%3A50

Grasschopper

135 lbs? Soul S2.0 $435 delivered 1330g

https://bikesoul.com/2009/index.php?o...id=2&Itemid=10

Zen Cyclery

I think you should do a custom build. At you weight you can go way lighter than 1500 grams. A build with some Kinlin Xr200s would fit the bill perfectly.

sced

Some time ago somebody posted a "recipe" for home made wheels that were really light and I think less than $350 for the parts. Does anybody remember the thread?

nanunanu

Thanks Grasshoopper...I just emailed for availability.

Thanks Zen....(I am Acupuncturist so I love the Zen Cyclery logo alot...and I really like the WAY light rims on there too)

NathanC

Listen to this man.

nanunanu

I just may do that this coming winter when i have more time on my hands. I am a DIY'er from way back and would love to build like a 1000g set sometime.

FlatSix911

What did you end up with >?

nanunanu

Sorry..Im never on here. I got the Souls and love 'em. They were really true and light as heck. It took a few weeks to get them if I remember right.

I love my Bottecchia bike too. Just road the Minneapolis tour and got in a small accident which trashed my dura ace rear derail. But the frame is perfect yet, and I have had ZERO issues with this bike in the year and a few months I have owned it. And no I don't care that it isn't a "real" Bottecchia...I just wanted the most bang for the buck and I KNOW I got that.

FlatSix911

Glad to hear you are enjoying the Bottecchia with the new Soul wheels.
Have you contacted the Ebay seller for DA replacement parts ... they may help you out.

Here is a weight check of my CF78 with new BlackBird wheels ... just over 17 lbs

Spiduhman

La Brea coughs up Stone Age thread!

jk

fwiw, I've just over 10K on my Easton 90 SLs, still perfect, and, yes, I'm a Clide (if just barely)

...and no, I did not expect stock cartridge bearings to last forever; the outboard on the cassette side was where that d@mn creak was coming from.