Finally....
I actually managed to pick up the new wheels from the post-office on Saturday. I did not have to pay any duty - I just had to show ID and sign for them.
They certainly are pretty. I've mounted a 25 mm GP5000 on the back and a 23 mm GP5000 on the front. Sorry, I don't have a calipers so I can't report an accurate actual inflated width for these, but they both look like they "fit" in the sense that they don't visibly bulge out past the rims.
So these are the 55 mm deep, 25 mm wide Falcons, with X-ray spokes and the DT Swiss 240 hubs. They have the graphene textured braking surface. The bike is my 2011 Felt F3 Ltd (mostly Dura Ace 7900 components), with some modifications from stock.
I took them for a short 10 mile shake-down ride Saturday afternoon and a 60 mile club ride this morning.
Here are some impressions. Note that this is my first set of carbon wheels. I was previously riding HED Ardennes on this bike.
1. I had a hard time mounting the tires. Spare me the lectures about how this reflects my poor technique. If you say so, then I'm sure you are right. I have a tire jack and I used it. For the record, mounting the 25 mm tire was a little easier than the 23 mm.
2. On my test ride, I was running about 90 psi in both tires (remember, the rear tire is a little wider), but that felt a little soft to me. This morning I went with 95 psi and that still felt soft. I'm 155# at the moment, so maybe I just am used to a harsher ride and will learn to enjoy the softer ride, but when I look down as I come to a stop and take the weight off the saddle, there is more than usual visible change in the tire profile against the ground, which makes me think that the contact patch while riding is a little too broad.
3. The textured braking surface makes for somewhat noisy braking. It's not a big deal, but it takes getting used to.
4. At the moment, I'm using the brake pads sold by Light Bicycle. I had a hard time getting them to fit into the Shimano brake cartridges, but I managed. The pads are a little thick, and I need to open up the brake release lever a little so they don't jam the wheels. I may get some SwissStops.
5. I haven't done any demanding braking (long descents or riding in wet conditions). I find the brake gripping to be somewhat jerky - i.e., it's not easy to smoothly apply a little braking pressure. This may simply be technique, it could be the textured surface, or the brake pads. I will experiment.
6. Handling in cross winds is going to take some getting used to. So is cornering, though that is probably more because i'm also getting used to different tires. I was running Conti 4 seasons on the HED wheels.
7. Everybody on my ride kept asking if I felt if the wheels were making me faster. I don't really know. They definitely "feel" more aero and I notice different responses when I'm going fast (above 25 mph, say), but I don't have any quantitative data and a group ride isn't the place to make this kind of evaluation.
That's all for now.
