ldesfor1@ithaca

OK, so I train with power and love it. I Own 2 ptap training wheels.

I raced last season with 2 different rear wheels, both non power.

I'm ready to race with power this season and have bought a 24hole pTap hub.

I need to decide which rim and spokes I'll be using and I'm currently looking at 2 options.

(I'm 190ish (hoping to be 184 or so) and will be using the wheel for race only (20 races/season). My limiter is climbing, but I was in breaks about 40% of the races I entered, so aero is important). My front wheel is a HED Jet 60 C2. I love hilly races and being in the wind.


Choice 1: HED C2 ardennes rim. 430 grams, C2 design (wider rim, which I really like) all alloy. 27 mm deep.

Choice 2: Edge Composites 1.45 rim. all carbon clincher. 400 grams. 45mm deep. Will need special brake pads.

Then come the spokes: CX-rays or DoubleButted DT Swiss. Nips will be aluminum or brass non-drive, brass drive side.

Price is important but I could be swayed to go carbon... or stay aluminum.

Any thoughts?

thanks.

-L

ridethecliche

Could you do the Zipp clincher rim with the AL brake surface? Or something to that effect?

kensuf

Suggestions? Seriously -- sell your powertaps and buy a quarq/srm.

ldesfor1@ithaca

I'm not selling my ptaps.

I'm not going zipp.

ridethecliche

You could honestly get a used SRM for the cost of all the powertaps you have...

Can you find any carbon rim with an Al brake surface?

kensuf

They're out there.. I have a set of zipp clincher rims custom built to tune hubs. Nice wheels, I rarely use them but they're bulletproof.

I should put them on the new bike and take a picture.. Maybe this weekend.

And yes, you're right. He could buy an SRM for cheap.. A buddy of mine just picked up a wired one for around $1400 on ebay.

waterrockets 

Guys, if you sell the ptaps, then you still have to replace all your wheels, buy you've just spent all your money on an SRM or quarq. PTaps are hard to beat for the money.

ldesfor1@ithaca: I like the HED a lot.

kensuf

Umm, he has non-ptap wheels he uses in races. I'm assuming he'd still be able to use those wheels...

mollusk

I'd PM psimet and hear what he has to offer.

nitropowered

I'd get an Edge Clincher. Probably the best carbon clinchers out there right now. I can set you up if you go this route

Hida Yanra

I've heard nothing but good things about those HED rims - no personal experience though.
also, I've heard nothing but praise for the edge wheels -

I'd go with edge wheels... i have been told they are tough enough to do anything, and the depth is better for working out in the wind...
they will be a lot more expensive, and the hed's are amazing wheels by all accounts, but it sounds that you want a high-end, fast wheel for riding the break, and that would be the edge.

pinky

Leo, might want to talk to the MetLife guys about their experiences with HEDs and the local roads (though they were riding carbons). I'd vote for Edge but see if you can grab one of their "Blem" wheels - cosmeticly blemished Edge rims that sell cheap, a couple guys on Embro were riding them with no issue and only praise.

waterrockets 

That's fine, but he said he has two PT training wheels. Selling the PTs, he'd have to replace those wheels, or train on race wheels. Granted, you can get rear Open Pros for $150, but that would be about 20% of the price of a good deal on an SRM, assuming you could get $600 each for the PTs.

The ~$1200 ebay SRMs are attractive though. The prices keep coming down.

Racer Ex 

If I'm spending your money for a race wheel of your choices I'd go Edge and Sapim. The pad thing is not a big deal to swap out. FWIW I run the dual compound Kool's on the rear and don't bother changing them from wheel to wheel on a couple of my rigs.

If you're looking at a budget you may want to consider the 50mm Gigantex carbon clincher (marketed under Token and several other brands). Good aerodynamics, very stiff, and very tough. It'll be a bit heavier, but at your weight and with a PT, it's not much of an issue.

Carbon rims aren't relevant to aluminum rims.

ldesfor1@ithaca

CX rays @ 185 lbs? Any worries about durability?

thanks though for the replies that actually dont involve SRM (Yes, SRM does make sense, but it would mean selling a bunch of stuf and finding 2 SRM's as I need one for my training bike, too. Plus the reliability and customer service from Saris seems to be higher, from what I've heard. Feel free to correct me, but I'm not ready to make the switch.)

Brake pads aint an issue as I'll be running one wheel only on this bike (excepting pit wheels/trainer wheel).

-L

waterrockets 

No, CX-Rays all the way (or Aerolites). They're actually more durable than a 2.0/1.2/2.0 because they stretch more to get to tension. That means that the NDS spokes are less likely to go slack on a big hit, so less chance of a taco, and less fatigue with general riding. Granted, they will stretch more when tension loads increase, but that's a really minor factor in a built wheel -- it's lower tension you have to battle, and springy spokes are better. It's the same reason that a 2.0/1.2/2.0 spoke will be more durable than a 2.0 straight.

It also won't be an issue regarding stiffness, as the biggest factor there (by an order of magnitude) is spoke count, not spoke cross-section.

Regarding EX's Giantex recommendation, you might ping our own psimet2001 for a loose rim....

ldesfor1@ithaca

I've talked to Psimet.

I'm looking at edge for the weight loss. I'd rather pay more for what I really want..... which is NOT a SRM!!!!

I think I will go cxray. Psimet suggested otherwise, he said DT dub.

Cant resist fancy spokes, though!!

grolby

Go Edge, but 68, not 45.

Soil_Sampler

https://forums.roadbikereview.com/sho...96&postcount=1

ericm979

With only 24 spokes and your weight, I'd get the stiffest rim you can find. Ogtherwise you'll be flexing it and the spokes will come loose.

CX-rays are good spokes and can hold a lot of tension.

Besides Edge, you could get Reynolds. If you have Shimano style brake pad holders it's trivial to swap between your carbon rim pads and aluminum rim pads.

If course if you have a fancy rear crabon rim, you'll need one on the front too, or your bike will be dangerously unbalanced.

Racer Ex 

Everyone I know with them loves them. Just a Q, what's the scoop on Edge durability?

briscoelab

Edge rims are amazing and they really stand behind their products. be sure you get a good wheel builder though, the Edge rims like a LOT of tension and not everyone is competent/comfortable building in that tension range.

This is another reason I'd opt for CX-ray or Aerolites.... easier for the builder to combat twist. Actually, Edge recommends only to use those spokes on the MTB wheel builds.... you need the strength of the cold forged bladed spokes to be abel to handle the ~150Kgf they say to put the DS spokes at!

Hida Yanra

go big, don't go home... the weight isn't that much of a factor.

ldesfor1@ithaca

tempting, but no. 50-75 grams matters at the rim. i think

asgelle

Well everything matters to some degree. The question is does 75 g matter enough to offset other considerations. I think not. https://www.analyticcycling.com