^ same question. have both that and the tange coming in and haven't decided which of the two I get yet and which one the gf is "stuck" with

also, any experience with these rims from H+Son (tb14)? Seems like a lower profile version of something like the A23 but for some reason weigh more. Also I'm wondering if using a x25c wheel on it will neglect a lot of the advantages of going 23 with 23s

Velocity Razor possibly?

I kinda want that 23mm width or I'd probably just go with wabi

or Sun CR18

The Orbit-X? I think it's probably the best headset available in that particular price range and I can't see any reason I'd ever need anything "better" (ie: more expensive).

The TechnoGlide is just as good - I happen to like the looks of the Orbix-X a little better.

I honestly don't know why those TB-14s weigh as much as they do. I've got a 25c back tire on my Kagero and mounted on the A23, the damn thing looks HUGE. It's probably not as effective as a 23c on that particular rim but until it wears out, it's staying.

Velocity Razors are awesome low-profile rims that are completely overlooked and only weigh about as much as Fusions.

Dear Scrod,
Do you know anything about the IRO cold fusion rims? are they just re branded velocity fusions? cuz right now it says i can get the rims for 15 bucks.

Nicotine is a stimulant and actually doesn't relax you or relieve stress. (This is not to say that the physical act of stepping outside and being in your own thoughts for a while doesn't relieve stress, but you can do that without the cancer.) The relief you feel when smoking a cigarette is merely relief from the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal, which start to build as soon as you finish your last cigarette. So in fact, smoking ADDS to stress by adding the feeling of nicotine withdrawal to everything else.

There's a book with a really cheesy title called The Easy Way to Stop Smoking by Allen Carr and I highly recommend reading it. I know people that have quit just from reading the book. I should have a copy laying around the house if you ever want to borrow it. My husband still needed the patch to quit, but that worked pretty well for him. He also had to develop other coping mechanisms and still goes outside for a breather (usually checking email/twitter/etc or playing a quick game on his phone to keep his hands busy) now and then because that habit is really helpful to him.

smoke...

They are indeed Velocity Fusions.

These are all things I know, but you have to remember that half the reason I smoke is that in most restaurants the only way to get a quick breather is to go outside and smoke.

Or you could just go outside and breathe.

I noticed your sig line. You could have a hard time if the crowd you're with also smokes. It's a lot easier to quit when your friends don't smoke. Doesn't mean you can't be successful though. Ultimately, I think you just have to really want to quit. You can't "sort of want to quit". Good luck, I know what this entails.

Thank you sir. How's that 23/23 combo feel up front? I haven't looked back since going to 28s this Spring because of the harshness I felt on my cannondales 23s vs others, but that wider profile is suppose to make up for that as I understand it? feels very weird considering putting two x23s for inner city riding for htx

It feels awesome, even for a big ape like myself. Kinda like a 25 or 28 minus the sluggishness.

wow, that seems like a heckuva deal. Do you know if they're eyeletted and how wide you can go on them tire-wise?

No eyelets and you can probably get away with up to a 32, depending on the tire.

So you're doing the wide rim/narrow tire thing? I want to try that out now that I have CR18s laced

Cold Fusions aren't even rebadged Fusions. They are Fusions. I bought a pair from IRO and they arrived in original Velocity packaging. The only thing that said "IRO" was the shipping invoice.

You are only "supposed" to run up to 28-32c tires on 19mm rims (like the Fusion, CXP22, Open Pro, etc), but I've run up to around 45-50mm tires on road rims and been just fine. The profile of the tire will be rounder/narrower than if you used a wider rim, but they'll work just fine. All kinds of people regularly race 'cross on 32-35c tires on narrow road rims.

You think I could get down to 23s on my Alex R500's?

Also, wanting to quit and knowing you should are two very different things.

Dear Scrod - I just trued up the wheels on my SS and I have to say that I'm surprised and pleased at how well they came out. Q - is lacing up from scratch the next logical progression, or something that's extremely difficult to get right the first time? And, what is the step up in degree of difficultly going from a symmetrical to a dished configuration?

I'm a pretty good mechanic and I'm seriously thinking of building a set of wheels. Any words of wisdom would be appreciated.

That makes it hard not to grab a pair of those. weird that being sold as velocity makes them 3x+ the price. Makes me wish I had the time to learn wheelbuilding.

Leaning towards A23s with the new 25s I have hanging up, until I run them into the ground. Really hadn't planned on buying two new tires too, but that 23 looks sexy as hell I may have to.

Scrod can you describe the benefits between the three spoke options in the kinlin builds? the x-ray spokes take them almost to $400 and I'm wondering what you think of them / benefit / whether you think something like that's really worth the $. I was thinking of the lasers, but I don't even really know why. pretty clueless to be honest.

Also do all novatec hubs come unbranded?

Sapim CX Rays are an aero/bladed spoke that doesn't require filing slots in your hubs and are extremely strong/light (for a bladed spoke). Most likely overkill for just about everyone, especially on a 32h wheel. IMO, Lasers are the way to go.

Some Novatec hubs have logos but the ones RG sells do not.

After gaining a solid understanding for the physics behind truing a wheel, building from scratch isn't rocket science and pretty low-stress if you take your time, have decent wheelbuilding tools and do everything correctly. Building a wheel with an offset dish is honestly no more difficult than one with zero offset - as long as your spoke lengths are correct.

I strongly suggest picking up a copy of The Art of Wheelbuilding by Gerd Schraner. The alternative lacing method found in that book makes the process a walk in the park and the entire book is very detailed without going into overly-lengthy engineering explanations and reading like a tech manual like some other books on the subject.

Also, this spoke calculator has yet to be incorrect on calculations for any of the wheels I've built.

+1 I have a pair built on Campy C-Record hubs for my road bike and they are very nice.