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Old 09-11-17 | 11:33 AM
  #17  
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Dave Mayer
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Originally Posted by MikeWMass
If you are happy with 85% of the performance, why not just get high end clinchers and avoid the hassles of tubulars?
Not what the OP asked for. Besides, there is no performance overlap between clincher and tubular wheelsets. That is, my oldest, heaviest or cheapest tubular wheelset performs better than my most expensive clincher wheels. Plus the safety benefits of tubulars. There is no way I am going to trust my life at 50mph on clinchers... BTW: I have at least 20 well-used wheelsets in my garage and an uncounted number in the attic.

Back to DT Swiss. Their spokes are among the best in the biz. Their ratchet-ring hubs like the 240 are excellent. Easiest hubs I've ever serviced. I suspect their carbon rims are Taiwanese-made. You have to do your homework here..

Other advice: try and get a wheelset with external nipples. Don't scrimp on the number of spokes, especially in the rear. Don't buy the fat-rim wheel nonsense, where current rims are getting wider (and heavier). If you're on tubulars, the fat rims provide no advantage. They actually do on clinchers, but that is only an artifact of the inherent disadvantages of clincher rim technology.

Finally, don't spend too much. You can source a decent sub-1,000 gram tubular wheelset for under $700. These wheels will fly...
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