IT'd really be funny if she was really just pranking you!! Sure starting to look like it

by the way, does she know you're reviewing them on here? i.e., is she lurking or a registered member here on BF???

If she is, she's giggling her butt off right now.

Did she give you any guidance on tire pressure? It seems like most people run their A23s a little lower, which will definitely affect the way the wheels ride.

The previous rims (and his own Boyds) are all the same width.

lol...awesome.

My Roubaix looked really sweet with 46mm carbon wheels (2012 Reynolds Assaults). Although the braking on the newer stuff is "better" (and I put that in quotes because I never rode any older carbon wheels), I could never get used to the diminished braking performance. Of course, over time I adjusted to the way they braked, but they never gave me the confidence I have with Swiss stop greens on aluminum wheels. I also worried about them overheating on long descents and some of the local rides like Levi's Gran Fondo has banned carbon clinchers. IMO, you should not ignore the potential safety implications of riding a carbon clincher if you're big into climbing.

Going back to a 25mm deep aluminum wheel took some getting used to aesthetically, but I sure love what I have now. HED Belgium C2, WI hubs, Sapim Laser spokes.

I've also found this to be true:
Ride a lot = don't care so much about how it looks and don't really think about changing stuff
Not riding a lot = care a lot more about looks and constantly thinking of changing stuff

Here are two pics of my bikes with the wheels I mentioned. One setup was fun to look at, the other is fun to ride.




Bob

I'm liking her more and more.

It's good to see the tire, tube and rim strip have been removed from the equation. Tire pressure is the last thing to control. Please keep including that in your posts.

ok ok ok guys....I just got back from a 20 mile test ride.

1st things 1st, The wheels are still not a color choice I would go with if I were purchasing them for myself, but I was surprised to see that they dont look as bad as I thought they were going to!!!

She has been reading through this thread. When i contacted her email yesterday about confirming drop off and pick up she replied saying that a couple of her friends fwd this thread onto her and she was reading along. When I got in today she said she was super happy with my experiences and liked my feedback.

Also @wifi-my boyds are older models and only 19.8 wide


First impressions:
STIFF....my first thoughts are Too stiff for me. She had me start them at a 85f/90r psi. the ride was fairly harsh and so I pulled over to let some air out. problem with that is I dont know how much i let out so I cant compare by numbers. It seemed to help A LITTLE bit, but not much. They dont feel very aero. It was kind of windy today and I felt like i was getting blown around a little bit. This might be because of the 32/32 spoke count? I'm not certain if that has an effect. the wheel felt so stiff that I felt as if I was rolling on a disc wheel with NO flex. Again, this is only first impression and will have more rides over the next week to give impressions.

The wheel does feel a little bit lighter(not incredibly noticeable difference between the h plus son and these though) , but not as comfortable or smooth as the h plus son with chris king hub. I do like the sound of the DT swiss hubs more.

The engagement of the dt swiss felt about the same as the chris king, but the chris kings felt smoother.

the climbing felt better on the h plus sons and I think its because these feel too stiff. Next ride out I will lower the psi and give it a go.

The flat riding and sprints felt about the same but because the h plus son felt more comfortable all around I preferred them to these velocity rims.

Dude I like it

lol, yeah like I said, I was pleasantly surprised that i didn't want to vomit in my mouth after putting them on the bike. After I put it on my stand and stepped back to take the picture I thought, "well I'll be damned, its not that bad!". still not a color I will be choosing, but it opens my mind to something that I thought I was going to absolutely hate and be embarrassed to ride.

Get the kit. You're going to need it for your next test wheels at the rate she's going

Next week's wheels will be plain.

But you'll be wearing these tires:

Dglenday-you are probably right!! lol

What spokes are on the A23's? CX-Rays again?

ah yes, cx ray sapim

And lacing? I can't quite make it out. Front is obviously radial, but what's the rear? DS 2x/ NDS radial?

I dont know enough about lacing patterns to say what it is. Dont want to guess and look like an idiot

here is a better picture and hopefully you can make it out..

That looks like 3x on the DS - yes on the radial for NDS and front wheel.

+1

Bob

Cool thanks. Couldn't tell from the other image.

I don't know if this has been covered, but what do you weigh?

It was, but I'm 170-175lbs

Ah. When you say they're really stiff, do you mean lateral stiffness or torsional?

Laterally stiff.

That's surprising. You might just not be used to a 32 spoked wheel. Haha.

Maybe not. before this demo program I had only ridden 20/24, so 32/32 is a big difference.

His Boyds are not the same width. They are ~20mm.

Bianchi10, the entertainment value of this thread is adequate, however here are some thoughts. Aluminum rims are pretty disposable. I get about 20000km out of them, and then I will either lace up a new rim, or replace the wheel. My aluminum rims see the rain and snow. I keep the carbon rimmed wheels for fair weather only. If I take care of the hubs, replace spokes as required, they will last far longer than my aluminum wheelsets.