Mike built me a beautiful set of wheels two weeks ago. Front is a nimble spider rim on a speedcific hub while the back is a Velocity aerohead OC rim on a DTSwiss 240s hub all laced with DTswiss revo spokes.

My 3rd ride with them happened to be a crit. I entered the first turn way too hot and luckily did not slide out, but "chattered" across the road (enough to jump the chain). Well, I guess that was enough lateral force to throw the rear wheel about a half inch out of true. Thing is, the race was Sat., I immediately put my training wheels back on for a Sun. ride and didn't realize I screwed up the racing wheel until this evening. Point being, I think I rode the rest of the crit with my rear brake pad rubbing ... doh!!

Which brings me to what I hope might be a useful suggestion for all you racers/fast trainer. I often resist the temptation to keep those brake pads as close to the rim as possible when mounting/adjusting the wheels. My logic is that the wheels will flex under load and may flex right into the pad, thereby slowing you down. keep the pad a decent distance off the rim and anticipate for the slightly longer pull on the lever to engage the brake.

<edit: Here's a pic of me entering the corner in question. I'm the guy in red/black. The damage was done on the previous lap. Props to Photoradius.net>


mark