TEST RIDE #2

what a great ride today!!!! Such a different experience than Thursday. My Thursday ride started with a psi of 90/95. I let out a little bit but it was still very harsh and wheel felt very VERY stiff.

Today I did a 35 mile ride and it was cold(28deg). I set my tires at 80/85. My body felt great today as well and maybe that contributed towards this ride. You know those days when you go out and your body just feels like a machine? That was today for me. 35.7 miles, 875ft of elevation, max speed 47.7max, 25.4 average speed (that's like a personal best for me!) Tire pressure made a HUGE difference.

Stiffness:last Thursday when I went out for the first time on these wheels I complained that they felt way to stiff. So stiff in fact that it was a very uncomfortable ride. This ride was much better. I think part of the stiffness I was feeling was from the tires being to firm.
Flats:felt butter smooth and I felt I was able to maintain speed nicely.
Hubs: I really like the hubs. Smooth and strong engagement. I very much prefer the sound of the DT swiss over the CK hubs.
Sprinting:wheels felt nice and stiff but not too stiff this time out. I liked how they felt while sprint on flats and even up hills. Did not feel the lateral stiffness that I thought I was experiencing on Thursday.
Hill climbing: wheels felt strong and smooth. I didn't feel that there was a weight concern at all with any of the hills. I rode with a group of friends and there was a lot of conversation so maybe my mind was not so focused on the weight difference this ride.
Descending: wheels felt alright but I did not feel confident. Maybe because I haven't ridden on them enough to gain that confidence though. I still felt that I was pushed around a little bit from minor winds when j was descending.
Braking surface: really strong

Things to consider on this test ride compared to all of my previous testing:
-i felt amazing today. I plan on going back out this afternoon when my wife and kids go down for a nap.
-i rode in a group today vs solo. I really enjoy riding much more with other people. I push myself much more and generally don't focus as muchmuch on details of my bike and more on conversation and my pace.

I did catch a bit of crap for the pink wheels at first but was told at mid ride or at the end that they actually really dug the colored wheels. Still not a choice I will go with when I do upgrade to a better set but at least I don't hate them. ;-)

Hope to get back out again this afternoon with some real climbing challenges!