nausjl

Dear forum members,
First of all that you in advance for your help with my question.

I am (finally some might say) ready to pull the trigger on a new wheelset. I have a few requirements.... (1) it needs to be aero (2) it needs to be light, and here I say the lighter the better (3) it needs to be a clincher. I typically ride 200-400 miles/week, and oftentimes include a century or double century. I DO NOT ever race crits or anything of that sort, however.

A RAAM rider friend of mine really likes the 404 clinchers for his everyday wheels, in fact he has over 50,000 miles on his now. I was inclined to go for these, but then another friend said, heck no, go for the Reynolds, stiffer and MUCH lighter. I have to say I can get the Reynolds for a price that you won't believe, almost240 less than the Zipps.

My only reservation about the Renolds is the carbon braking surface, and I guess I am wondering people's experiences here. I don't have much occasion to go down a 30 mile descent (live in St. Louis), but we have some steep hills and I don't like to bomb down at 70 mph either. So, how real is the issue of the rims overheating, is there anything to prevent it, and I guess basically I'm just interested in everybody's opinion.

Thanks in advance.

jmess

I have DV46C ULs that I ride for fun and adventure. I have never overheated the brakes but I can see where it is possible if you don't manage them. Read Reynolds tech guide, it has some good advice. If you are really hard on brakes then a carbon braking surfaces may not work for you. I have grown use to how braking feels with the 46Cs. When riding my spare bike with aluminum wheels the brakes feel less effective at times even with new pads. As a purely recreational rider I have really enjoyed the 46CULs and don't regret buying them; even if I can't completely get rid of the traditional carbon front wheel brake squeals.

https://www.reynoldscycling.com/uploa...f6a81e8d99fe07

nausjl

jmess,
THank you for the reply. I had not seen that on the Reynolds page before, and I did find it helpful. It actually seems that they may work for me. I don't tend to grab on the brakes in a descent, but rather, I like to feather a bit here and a bit there so as to manage the speed and not have to do hard braking at the end. So, from my reading, that sounds like it conforms to the carbon surface.

Terex

I have Reynolds Assaults and I like them for everything other than steep descents with hard braking. I have SwissStop yellow pads and have zero squeal - unless I really apply pressure, as in a steep descent. My other bike with Ksyrium SL's (AL) and DA brakes and pads are worlds apart in terms of modulation and stopping power.

umd

I wouldn't use an ultralight wheel or a carbon braking surface for your situation, and especially not a clincher with a full carbon rim/lips

v70cat

These wheels might meet your needs better

https://www.bikeradar.com/gear/catego...dura-ace-31460

ericm979

Unless your descents are long or steep, and twisty with many (20 or more) turns requiring hard braking, the carbon rims would be ok. But with almost all carbon rims you need to swap to special brake pads when you switch from aluminum rims, or spend time picking out the shards of aluminum from the pads. With Shimano style pad holders it's pretty easy but it turns a wheel swap into a five minute process.

But if you're not racing, you don't need all carbon rims. (even if you are racing you don't "need" them, they just provide a small increase in performance for a large dollar outlay). If you're not racing, you don't need the lightest wheels you can get. Even if you are racing you don't, unless you're doing uphill-only races. For any other kind of race, reasonably light but aero wheels are faster. But if you're not racing its better to trade a bit of weight for durability. I'd get a set of carbon/aluminum rims like the Zipps, which aren't super light but are quite aero. Or some other carbon/aluminum rims. Or, since you're not racing, just some nice wheels with Niobium 27 or 30mm deep rims, which are inexpensive and durable and light and even slightly aero.

BTW, Reynolds DV46UT are tubular rims, not clinchers. They're often on sale for cheaper than the clincher rims.

dgasmd

Quite frankly, I would not hesitate to get a pair of carbon 50 mm wheels custom made by psimet. They'll end up at half the price of either zipp or reynolds (I own and like reynolds BTW) and you can pick and choose the components. As to wether tubular or clincher, it is up to you. I ride tubulars exclusively, so I am biased in my opinion.

KendallF

I have had several sets of carbon brake track rims, and several sets of carbon/aluminum rims (Hed, Zipp). The current all-carbon rims, with a good pad (Swisstop yellow) perform well. I have ridden mine 50+ mph down mountain descents (Six Gap, Brasstown Baldbuster).

The aluminum braking surface rims are still better braking, but **for me** the carbon is "good enough". No amount of good brakes will make up for stupidity..

This thread also gives me an excuse to trot out my new rig with Psimet-built 50mm carbon clinchers. Love the wheels and they brake better than my old Zipp all carbon tubulars. I haven't had a newer set of Zipps with the basalt braking surface, however.

Cateye

Get the Zipps and don't worry about the weight.

Cateye

I have heard of a minimalist saddle but……..wow.