seymour1910

OP, you have already stated what it is that you WANT. I will not try to list all the things cycling related that are mostly WANTS. I also will not say that any advice given so far was wrong as there has been plenty of good insight.

What I will say is that you already know what you want and going out and buying a set of good aluminum clinchers will not fill that want. I have some aluminum clinchers (BOYD) on my bike and I love them, but they were all I wanted to begin with. I feel that if you get something other than what you already have in mind you will still think about it, and still want it.

If you have the funds, get what you want. You have input from Boyd and November in your thread, I've never heard anyone complain about wheels from either company. I know some will not agree, but go take a look at the "latest cycling related purchase" thread and you'll see how many things are simply just wants. Get the wheels and enjoy them.

elcruxio

There is of course the choice to
1) use disc brakes where the whole heating issue is solved entirely
2) use tubeless in the clinchers where the whole heating issue is solved entirely

RollCNY

Not that my agreement matters, but I totally agree with everything in this post. It is probably the most appropriate answer the 87% of wheel threads on BF.

canam73

Harrumph!

StanSeven

Then your lightweight bike becomes a boat anchor

Edit: I need to add a smilie so it's clear I was joking

rpenmanparker 

How does a tubeless clincher solve tbe heating problem? The inflated tire pushes out on the bead seat whether there is a tube or not. If the bead seat is overheated, the wheel will still asplode

elcruxio

When using the tubeless option? How so?

Continental gran prix 4000 S II tubular 270 grams + glue = something a little over 270 grams
Continental gran prix 4000 S I clincher 205 grams + tube 75 grams = 280 grams
Hutchinson Atom galactic 240 grams + sealant 30 grams + valve 7.5 grams = 277.5 grams

Seems pretty same to me.
If you meant the disc brake, well depends on the rim. Future brings lighter disc specific rims with less rotational weight with the added weight in the hub region. And we are talking about 200 grams or so of extra so hardly a boat anchor. 6.8Kg bike turns into a 7Kg bike. Whoopfriggindoo

coachboyd

1) You can still overheat disc brakes, and when you do you lose ALL braking power. Meaning there's no way to make yourself come to a stop.
2) You can still flat on tubeless, even pinch flat.

elcruxio

Do you now mean that the wheel delaminates because of the heat and that causes the assplosion? I thought they addressed that with new resins and designs.
If you meant that the tire somehow get destroyed I would love to see that happen sometime. The construction of a tubeless system does not really allow for anything to pop. The bead is carbon fiber and there is no tube to pop.

Now if we assume we have an 8 bar tubeless tire and you heat the air up to 150 degrees celsius the resulting pressure will be 11 bar. That may blow the tire granted. However who would ride a 8 bar tubeless tire is beyond me.

A better assumption would be the have the front tire (which heats up more with any normal rider) with 6 bar and let that heat up to 150 degrees celsius. That would result in 8.6 bar of pressure which absolutely will not blow the tire. It will make the ride a bit harsher though.

elcruxio

1) You also can lose all braking power by melting your brake pads on the rim. Does this happen often or is it likely? No. Is it likely with a disc brake? Not really. Pretty much comes down to skill. I have tried, I mean tried really hard to overheat the disc brakes on my hardtail but I have never come close.
In the end it's all about the rider skill. No system is immune and I don't feel any system is inherently better.
I do admit the discs are not yet in their prime. Heat fins and fanned discs are not yet used and people tend to have too small discs up front. Disc size should be rider specific. A 230 lbs clyde is going to have a bad time with a 120mm disc but will be completely fine with a 160/180 disc.

2) You can flat anything. Ridin over a nail which penetrates the rim will cause this. However the tubeless tire with sealant is relatively resistant to flatting and extremely resistant to pinch flatting. But getting a thorn long enough will flat a tube, a tubular and some cases a tubeless. That is the reason one prepares for such events.

After three years of tubeless on both road and mountain I'm still waiting for a flat.

canam73

This is getting a little to carried away. rpenman's original objection was simply that a carbon clincher that would be destroyed due to heat problems with a tubed tire would also probably go down with a tubeless set up, too. Since we are now operating with the idea that any thing can happen to any tire or brake system and that it is often user error, he is right.

onehandman

well I was only thinking carbon because there seems to be such a great push towards them. Sometimes I just want to step back is the cost really worth it? Will I notice the different in a 1500.00 carbon wheel vs. a high end aluminum?

rpenmanparker 

Right. I have no position about the susceptibility of any given carbon clincher to softening of the bead seat area and asplosion. I am just saying that it is not dependent upon tube or tubeless.

RollCNY

When I had my first set of custom wheels built, I called a reputable builder with a simple goal: 1500g 23mm aluminum clinchers for $500. I ended up with Campagnolo Record hubs, Velocity A23 rims, and Race (or Competition) spokes. IIRC, it was 1530g for $520. So you could say I missed both goals, but the design process was a ball, and I loved the wheels. They were a very nice improvement over the previous wheels I had owned (Specialized S500, Easton EA50 Aeros, and some BWW retro wheels), and they have been the least maintenance of anything I have owned. Since getting them, I have used the same builder multiple times, and have always been incredibly pleased.

I have never owned carbon, so I can't say if it is worth it. I have steered several non-BFers who were looking at carbon to Boyd Vitesse's, and have never heard a complaint from those that went that way (Vitesse is an aluminum clincher, used to be narrower, now the wider rim (actually now out of production)).

canam73

If you TT or keep track of descent times, you might notice and improvement.

You also may notice if you get blown around on deep wheels.

And Fwiw, I do own carbon tubulars. And I am still good with AL clinchers for most of my riding.

pdedes

here are the differences you will notice.

The easy one is the way they look. I love the look of my Boyd clincher wheelset. They're a hit with the ladies.

How fast they go. You'll only notice this when you are going so fast you're about to vomit. And even then, the only thing that you notice is that you finished your TT about 1-2% faster than you used to.

cthenn

One of the best threads to hit this board in a long time. Love when the builders show up and drop REAL knowledge. Very informative! Now I'm itching to get some carbon clinchers myself!

seymour1910

scratch that itch my man....go ahead, pull the trigger.

gsa103

This gets back to the point about carbon wheel designs. Yes, the delamination issues have been solved for the vast majority of riders (I'd bet a novice clyde on a long sustained descent could delaminate virtually any carbon wheel). The trick is that the fiber weave and especially high Tg resin are expensive. Ultimately, when you buy carbon wheels, what you're really buying is the guarantee that someone over saw the design and manufacturing process. See the posts by Boyd and November where they comment on the destructive testing required to actually verify the wheel composition.

Lots of people focus on the mold aspects for carbon parts. The mold is probably one of the least important aspects. What matters is the assembly process, which is the part the buyer can't see.

Ultimately, your wheels should depend on the type of riding. If you're racing in the flats, cheap carbon is probably fine, the heat issues are minimal and they're cheap to replace when you crash. If you plan on doing long descents or are a clyde, spend the money for good carbon or use Al wheels.