Damnit. I just bought some HED Jets for my new TT bike. Guess I'm going to get beat in TTs this year....all because of this new sharkfin wheel...yeah, that's it.

If they can afford to spend $8k on wheels, they deserve to beat you.

are they $4k/wheel or $4k/set?

i could not care less about the appearance or the buzz words, but i am curious to see how they test. it will be interesting to see if zipp optimized for long-course triathletes.

My understanding is that they're $4k/wheel. I haven't seen an official price sheet though.

MSRP:
Front wheel: $1,800 €1,800 £1,550
Rear wheel: $2,200 €2,200 £1,950

I stand corrected! My source must've misheard it.

They would probably be cheaper if they were actually made out of whales.

My Wheels Mfg threaded BB adaptor has been great, but then I rode it in the rain a couple times and now it squeaks with every. Single. Revolution. Of the cranks. Driving me crazy. Any ideas?

Pretend it is bb30 and ignore it?

I assume you packed the sucker with grease?

Pull it, clean it, re-grease it, re-install it?


I have a Wheels Mfg (OSBB to GXP) in my Venge and have run it through some awful weather without squeaks, so it may just need a little tidying up?

I did! On the inside. Pretty sure the squeaking is from the fat rubber seals rubbing on... something as the crank spins around. Rather than from the bearings or BB shell.

Yeah, I need to pull the crank off probably. Not sure WTF is going on, as I said I think it's those fat rubber seals. Maybe if I grease them on the outside, too? Ugh. So tired of bike maintenance!

I don't remember what the seals look like. I've been fortunate enough to have installed the bb and not think about it since. The shop serviced the bearings for me at some point earlier this year, but it's been quiet.

Have you checked your pedals? It's not always the BB.

parts that can/will make an annoying noise on your bike

Yep. Definitely the BB.

$4k?!

Nevermind.

Missed the $4k wheel commentary cause I was all absorbed in BB angst.

All I know is I'm definitely going to be able to tell which of my opponents are Wall Street bankers. Zipp gets more outlandish with every new wheel.

Those are all I buy. Bought one for Venge, one for MASI and two for teammates.
The MASI is the Zero ceramic (all ceramic) and junior is promising not to ride in dirt or rain.
Anyway...
is is screwed in tightly?
Using a ruber O-ring or wave washer. I've changed O-ring size before and got some un-squeek.

Definitely screwed in tight, using the O-ring. Or whatever it is - I've been calling it a fat rubber seal, cause it goes in the same place as a normal bearing cover on a typical BB, but it's lot thicker and more rubbery. Haven't had a chance to pull the crank yet, but I'm going to take a look when I get around to it.

Following up on BB30 to GXP converters. Any reason to go with Praxis over Wheels MFG or vice versa? Looking at add one to another bike. Local shop has both at the same price and the designs seem "similar" with the Praxis claiming to have a more secure fit.

any sprinters here? what do you think about stem stiffness? do you worry about it? what I find interesting and somewhat contradictory is that sprinters prefer to have smaller frames to get lower, and longer stems. the smaller frames generally flex less, but the longer stems should flex more, right? so what gives?

Just cracked open the Enduro TorqTite XD-15 BB on my MTB for some "off-season" maintenance.

Doesn't need it, was just curious, really. Haven't touched it since I installed it over a year ago, which is doubles any previous BB. Including DA/XTR, Chris King, etc.

No noticeable wear. Truly amazing. I thought the ceramic balls would be eating the races alive at this point, given that it has been ridden and raced in all conditions, to include snow, rain, sleet, dust, mud, creek crossings and sand.

Granted, I'm only 143lbs, and not the most powerful rider around, but I'm a "pro" XC racer and this bike sees the vast majority of my riding. I'll be buying more of their stuff.

Longer stems feel more stable at higher speeds, because they place the hands further forward on the bike. This is assuming you can move around enough to get more body weight forward also.

For stem stiffness I prefer a stiff stem but one that fits is more important.

Having said that the whole reason I went to compact bars was that I tried a set (FSA Wing Compacts) and realized that holy smokes these bars are stiff compared to my 15-20 year old crit bend bars. So I got a stem that I hoped would be stiff enough so I could use the stiffer bars.

Also smaller frames... I don't think size has much to do with stiffness, at least not in the range for one rider. I used a size M and size S Giant TCR, never really noticed a difference in stiffness. However a similar sized different bike (Merlin Ti, 55 cm) was insanely flexible compared to the size M Giant.

I did request a super short frame for me but that's because then I could have more post showing (and the top tube would be below my knees most of the time). Seriously though it was more so the bike would feel more throwable while I was out of the saddle, not for any other reason.

Size is more a fit thing. Small frames allow bars to be placed lower due to typically shorter head tubes, which I find conducive toward better sprinting out of the saddle. If I never sprinted out of the saddle a higher position would be fine, but out of the saddle the lower drops is critical for me.

One of the interesting examples of custom fit is Benatti's bike when he was with Liquigas. It was a 52 cm Cannondale with a 58 cm top tube. I actually tried (very lightly) to get one for myself, although a 50 cm with a 57 top tube would be better for me. I figured if they were making a bunch of 52x58s maybe I could buy one. No such luck.

LBS says WMFG.

They said for the Venge (2015) the Praxis was supposed to expand in the middle. The Wheels MFG uses the internal threads to tighten things. I took their advice and so having bought several (4) Wheels MFG BBs for junior and team, do not have any 1st hand Praxis experience. I also changed bearings on juniors once (euro water thing) and that worked well.

Note you have bearing choices. I believe they are all Enduro something.

WhlsMfgCeramic.jpg

Lotsa fun just spinning the crank around.
WhslMfgFunToSpin.jpg

all of those bb's are super expensive. $60+ for a stupid set of bearings?? hell no. Personally, I would look at those BB30 adapters that press into the frame, and converts it into BSA threading. You then get to use the standard, cheap, BB's that are designed with the cranks they're used for, rather than some niche, expensive bb. but that's just me