To Carbone or Not To Carbone?
That is the question. Are carbon wheels a viable option for everyday riding? Should carbon wheels be your go-to wheels rather than your just-for-racing wheels? I don’t really race and I don’t own any carbon wheels and I wonder. Granted, every professional is and has been on carbon wheels for many years so it’s easy to think we should be on them too. Brett’s review of ENVE wheels certainly made a case for them, who dosen’t want to go faster, all the time? Frank has raved about how fast his Zipp 303s are since he first put them on his Cervelo. I hefted his Café Roubaix Haleakala climbing wheels and one dosen’t need to heft them as much as hold them down, they are unbelievably light, sub-1000 grams light.
Those wheels are too light for the rigors of the East Maui Loop pavé and potholes, or so I thought. I talked Frank out of using them and he did the Cogal on Zipp 404s and 25mm clinchers. In retrospect, with bigger tires I think he would have been OK doing the Cogal on his climbing wheels. If ultralight carbon wheels are tough enough for that ride then when are they inappropriate? Ambrosio golden ticket aluminum box section rims versus Zipp 303s, let’s see, Boonen just won Paris-Roubaix on the Zipp 404s. That is the end of the discussion. It should be the beginning of the end for three-cross box section aluminum wheels. If Zipp 303s win Paris-Roubaix then when wouldn’t one use carbon wheels?
@chiasticon-
Surprised to see so much talk of carbon wheels for a Cogal; which is, essentially, not much different than a club run. I understand Frank wanting to run them for his climb up Haleakala, since he was going for a PR up a huge friggin’ volcano and I’m sure they certainly helped. But as an every day wheel for a club/social/training ride? At least within the circles I ride in, that’s a good reason to get laughed off the ride (comments would especially come from the local racers). It’s like saying “I can’t keep up with you guys without these wheels!” Or at least that’s how people generally take it.
…but how common is it among Velominati to use carbon wheels on an everyday basis?
On the Cogal ride, out of seven riders there were two people on carbon wheels. On our Sunday club ride there is maybe one user. I see a lot of bikes on the site with drool-worthy carbon wheels. Are aluminum rims old school? Are we being played here or are we all just a little behind the times or are we saving our money for better bike investments?
Strong, light, cheap. Pick two – I’m going to attribute this to Keith Bontrager as it was etched on my Bontrager’s stem cap. I’d like to add a fourth adjective, aerodynamic, but my tiny brain can’t compute how picking two or three might work so cleverly.
Strong
There are not many high end frames made from aluminum anymore. Could the same case be made for wheels? The aluminum box rim may be light but it is not strong unless you lace a lot of crossed spokes on it. I have some 80s Campagnolo Vento deep wheels, aero maybe, not light and the ride is a bit harsh. An unlaced carbon rim may not be lighter than a light weight aluminum rim but it is much stronger.
Light
I’m afraid carbon is going to win here. While a case could have been made for the Ambrosio golden ticket being strong, it is not light. There are some semi-aero aluminum wheels out there that are light but they make me nervous with their low weight limit.
Cheap
Boing! There it is. Strong and cheap is aluminum’s territory. One pays $1100US more for Easton’s Carbon EC90 SLX wheels than the aluminum EA 90 SLX wheelset. 200 grams is the only difference between the two models. If that was the end of the comparisons I wouldn’t lose any sleep over my lack of carbone wheels but there is still one other factor.
Aerodynamic
Carbon wins this easily. The carbon can be a fairing or integral to the wheel’s strength but carbon’s moldability is the future. Formula 1 cars are no longer made of aluminum. Boonen must have saved significant energy on the long paved run-in to the pavé sectors using his Zipps, maybe enough energy to help burn everyone off his wheel later on. @Tommy Tubulare’s Cervelo with Campagnolo Bora deep carbon wheels makes my heart skip a beat. Carbon wheels look badass.
Conclusion
Once again I have no informed opinion having never ridden carbon wheels. Would I love to see my bike looking extremely pro with some deep section carbon wheels? Yes. Would it be very bad to be shelled out the back end of a group ride while riding said wheels? Yes, it would be very bad.
Should my wheels be worth more than the rest of the bike? Who cares. Let’s address @chiasticon’s question, who’s riding carbon and when?
[dmalbum path=”/velominati.com/content/Photo Galleries/[email protected]/carbone wheels/”/]
@G’rilla
So why do they weight different? If anything, the deeper rims should be lighter (shorter spokes). I don’t buy it.
@Marcus
I thought the aero was all about the rim spinning around as opposed to movement through the air, i.e along the road?
Bike #1 started with some cheap Shimano wheels at close to 1900 grams….. soon followed by an old set of Velomax wheels at 1655…. and then ditched for some customs build by my son at 1405. They are SILVER on SILVER on SILVER and shine like they’re on fire! Just gorgeous looking. Aerohead and Aerohead OC with 28 Revolutions cross 2, front and rear, laced to (here it comes)… Circus Monkey hubs. Cheap, light, rebuildable and sexy looking. Got a few 1000 miles on ’em and all smiles. Carbon? What’s that? (re: Circus Monkey hubs…. it’s a shame they couldn’t come up with a better name for what is a pretty good product. Lot’s of PNW folks use them for everything (cross, road, crits) and they deliver the goods for not much $$$. Find ’em on ebay.
@MaLóL I’ve built a few wheels on KinLin XR300 rims. Nice and aero, quite strong, not too heavy and relatively inexpensive. For braking performance and brake surface longevity, I can not go passed Mavic OpenPro Ceramic – but only for a front wheel, and with 32 spokes. They’re a bit light on for 8/9/10/11s rear ends. CF rims are too expensive, suffer from poor braking when wet, and are really only useful with tubulars.
@piwakawaka umm no. Rim spinning is friction. Movement through air is Aero. Friction will count on rollers, not aero.
And Marcus, keep up the good flight on AFL, I’m a West Coast supporter so my argument position is somewhat diminished.
Oh. And I think that tire may be on backwards.
@Dan_R
I’m glad you have joined in. The more professional wheel builders the better. So what’s the carbon clincher for Mouse?
@Gianni
Yeah. What?
Does it weigh less that 1100 grams with skewers?
Carbone. All the way.
Heavier, cheap-ish 40mm carbon tubular rims (Gigantex or similar) that I don’t care about for general riding and training (and racing, on the rare occasion I actually bother), nicer rims – shallow or deep – for nice days and ‘Sunday Rides’. ALWAYS decent hubs though.
I’ve got a set of Nemesis, but when the anodising finally wore off of the rim surface (one wet ride did the trick) I fell out of love with them.
Tart by name…
Another great write up, the lack of firm conclusion is like a red rag to a V-Snorting Bull!
I am all for looking pro…..but have reservations here:
1. All Carbone wheels are not equal (some pig wrote that on a barn wall somewhere a while back). These days the major manufacturers are putting alu break rims on their low end carbon wheels with a carbon core for the spokes, this saves cost and enables them to bring the price down but sacrifices some of the key benefits (weight/aero etc).
2. The day I am light enough to buy a set of these use on anything but molasses smooth tarmac, hell will have frozen over and the local curry house will have shut some months before initiating a dramatic improvement in the Deakus power to weight ratio.
3. Looking pro is great for those who have pro team budgets and a car following them with a replacement wheel for any slight niggle you might want correct. My wheels need to take hard miles on dodgy roads and be easy/cheap to replace….hence I train on a set of £100 Campag Khamsins…the heavier the wheel….the better I am training! Surely light should be reserved for racing?
There is actually a pretty good article on cheaper Carbone rims in this months cyclist magazine, so this is really timely.
I will be sticking to my Alu rims for now largely because I can get a set of 1500g wheels for under £500…..the budget is still one of the most important factors.
@CanuckChuck
Same here. Giant S-R2 with Schwalbe Durano Plus for training; Dura Ace 24’s for fondo’s and TT’s. The D-A wheels are totally “les genoux de l’abeille’ if you ask me. Unflexy in corners, no wind-up; strong, comfy – and fast.
@unversio
I agree. I run my gp4’s/campy SR hubs as my winter/all rounder wheels because they perfect for the rough London roads. They float like a magic carpet and in the wet the Conti’s are stickier than shit on a blanket. It’s got nothing to do with ’80’s sentimentality’, it’s just plain pragmatism. They’ve a proven track record, easy to repair/replace and the hubs look like jewels. What more do I need.
@G’rilla
Yes, this. On top of such factors as flex, area catching crosswinds, and whatnot, it is also generally tricky, to say the least, to assume that a 1400 gr wheelset is by definition better than a 1600 gr wheelset. I once came across a good illustration of one of the aspects, which went roughly like this:
Imagine three identical racing bikes. Next to each bike, there are two lumps (say, the size of burger buns) of some pliable material (clay or lead, or whatever) weighing a pound each. These two pounds of material need to be added to the bikes. On bike nr. 1, the material is lumped together and rolled into a fat cylinder, which is then stuffed into the bottle cage. On bike nr. 2, the lumps are pounded into thick slabs which are wrapped around the axles/hubs of both wheels. On bike nr. 3, the lumps are rolled out into long and narrow ‘strips’ and applied all the way around the rims of both wheels, between the rim tape and the inner tube.
All three bikes (still) weigh the same, and the wheels on bikes 2 & 3 also weigh the same. Which one would you choose for a crit? Or for a time trial on the flat with few curves? Which bike would @Frank choose for climbing Haleakala?
By the way: nice post, @Gianni
if you can keep up with your friends on a training ride you are in the clear, carbon or not. no? don’t spend money on carbon wheels. spend it on two trips instead. and bring your bike. now. where would you go to ride? i’d chose mont ventoux in provence. and madonna del ghisalo at lago di come.
i think it’s worth more than a pair of zipps. and it is surely a more fun way to browse the internet that worrying about weight or stiffness.
too many pro’s have told me this over the years. just train more, loose some weight, get stronger and the zipp difference is of no concern.
yes? no?
@piwakawaka unless your rims are the very rare variable section type, then any particular cross section slice of rim will be moving through a space occupied by the previous cross section slice. There is no air to be displaced.
Any benefit that you are experiencing over an hour on the rollers will come down to other variables, tyre pressure, tyre rolling resistance, quality of the bearings in the hub and the state of the engine on the day.
@Daccordi Rider Please keep an eye on your brake tracks – my guess is that, after 25,000km, they are probably more than a little… concave. This tends to lead to the rim blowing apart when you least expect it!
@Marcus
I would suggest that if every aspect of purchasing bike equipment needed a point other than ‘looking fast or cool’ 95% of cyclists would be riding around on £500 hacks and the the cycling industry would be on its arse. (I guess this goes for many other industries – cars, cameras, phones)
What’s so wrong with wanting to look like a cool cunt anyway?
Carbone all the way for me too.
Fair weather on my No.1 I run Enve 6.7 tubs on 23mm Veloflex Criterium tubs. No finer combination of rim / rubber can I imagine.
Rule #9 / shitty roads sees the spring classic set a la Fronk come to the blacktop. Nemesis / Royce classic 32 hole 3 cross running 24mm Challenge Strada tubs. Really nice and rapidly becoming a fave for the shear abuse they withstand and the way they get better after every ride.
I have a new bike curently being made which is a lugged stainless frame and fork. It will run another set of Nemesis Royce which I handbuilt last weekend and glued, this time built running 25mm FMB Paris Roubaix rubber (the non-green ones, i.e. not Pros). Carbon will not suit this bike although I have seen plenty of modern steel (Pegoretti, Spooky, Sachs etc) rocking carbon hoops.
I also have a clincher set of wheels which I use for multi-day rides when the chance of flatting a tubular and holding up others could occur, clinchers take the worry away from carrying a whole bunch of tubulars, although this has never happened I know it will, it’s’ just my type of luck. Handbuilt H Plus Sons Archtype shallow section alloy rims 28 hole laced 3 cross to Royce Hubs.
Since my first wheel build a little over a year ago I am loving building wheels up. Apart from the first set requiring a minor tweak they have all remained straight and true, only time will tell when I put 1000’s of kms on them if i did a good job but so far so good.
If i had to decide between carbon or alloy it would always be carbon for the special feeling you get and the noise when on them, but only tubulars, but I would miss the shallow alloy box section tubs for their comfort and classic looks.
Don’t believe the hype that carbon wheels are more fragile, a few times mine have slammed into a pothole that would loosen ones teeth and startled me how there was no damage. However a fucked wheel is a fucked wheel and when they do break they are more costly to replace.
Do I need em ? No.
Do I want em ? Hell yeah.
@piwakawaka
Three things:
Rotational weight… you have to keep the weight of the wheel turning, harder the more weight is at the rim – rollers or road no difference.
Rotational drag, alll about the wheel spinning as you say – rollers or road no difference but also not massive difference wheel to wheel. Bladed/fewer spokes/discs can make a slight difference.
Through the air drag on the road (there is probably a proper phrase for this) This is simple aerodynamics, why are TT bikes made so slippery? Massive difference wheel to wheel, flat trailing edge of a standard rim as it breaks the air at the front of each wheel causes massive drag as does the flat leading edge of the rim at the back of each wheel, especially as the air hitting it is still all messed up from trying to get round the front of the wheel. Bladed spokes can help here too.
Nothing spells comfort like a set of Golden tickets and fat sewups. The roads where I ride here in Tennessee are often chipseal or gravel, and a super-compliant wheel/tire combo makes a big difference. They also help with adherence to Rule #26…what could be more photogenic than Golden Tickets?
Anyway, Tom Boonen is a badass, and he can take the beating that Zipp 303s administer on the pave. I, unlike Tom, am not a badass, and need something a little softer under my ass.
There’s also the braking thing: even with the right brake pads, stopping power with carbon hoops is non-awesome. Since I often commute on bike no.1, switching wheels and brake pads all of the time is a non-starter for me – being able to do an emergency stop is a requirement around here if you’re to survive the traffic.
@Mark1
Maybe I’m not understanding your point, but I thought this had been debunked. I don’t think that at speed a wheel requires any effort to maintain its rotation. This is evidenced by:
@Isaac Newton
Once the wheel is at speed it should be friction (road and bearings) slowing it down. Nothing more. Aerodynamics notwithstanding.
Wheel weight is a concern for climbing and for spinning up, and I suppose the weight plays into rolling resistance, but when you are talking about 200g on a 65kg object, it should be a non factor.
Of course I could be completely wrong.
Once you tried the light weight and great looks of the carbon clinchers you don’t want to go back tot aluminum. I’ve got the Hyperon’s from Campa (oh yeah the top ones) and they’re great on the flat and hills. Don’t like to bring them to the cobbles though…..
@Sluggo
The R3’s the Pros race are famously adapted for this; longer stays and more clearance.
That said, there is no way you’re getting 28’s in your R3, but if you aren’t getting 25’s in your R3, you’re doing something wrong. I had the same problem until I replaced my fork (the Alpha Q GS40 didn’t have the clearance) and of the two R3’s and one Soloist in the household, all rear triangles happily take a 25 without modification.
@G’Rilla’s newer R3 took them without complaint as well.
@sidi3058
Agreed – the key is how light the rim is; after riding carbon tubs (Haleakalas and the CX wheels from Café Roubaix), I truly don’t want to ride my 404 clichers any more – the rim weight is very noticeable once you’ve been let into the dark room.
@frank subtle bit of advertising for KT13 there!
I’ve got to run and I’m sure lots of people have said lots of smart things which I hope to catch up on later this week, but in response to @chiasticon’s remark in the post –
Maybe its because once I’ve put an idea through my own brain’s value metrix, I don’t feel compelled to put it through someone else’s, but this reasoning about getting laughed out of the group is one of those things where Roadies genuinely deserve the reputation for being snobby douchebags.
Ride what you got, ride what you want – why is there some arbitrary wheel that deserves to be ridden on any given day? I ride for pleasure – even when I race – and I conduct myself as such. I’ll ride the wheels that are fun on the day whether that’s on box clinchers, box tubs, deep dish clinchers, or deep dish tubs and that should be that. N+1 applies to wheels as well, by the way.
On the other hand, I’d suggest that if money is an issue and they can only own one set of wheels that it should be a racing wheel, not a training wheel, especially if they intend on racing.
@frank Yes the difference is amazing. For anyone looking for an upgrade for their bike, i’d say invest in lighter wheels. And in new shoes, socks and rim tape every now and then.
Let’s say a feller has only ever ridden on Al clinchers. Should he venture first into tubular Al wheels or just go all in a take aim at Carbone tubulars?
And for those of you doing a lot of your riding on carbon tubulars, do you always carry & spare & swap it on the road or do you just always carry your phone for the VMH Sag Wagon? (I know this is in the Rules, but thought I’d ask, since we’re askin’ questions.)
I’m a LOOOOONNNG way from the point where the weight/aerodynamic advantages of carbon wheels would make any difference whatsoever, so I’ve always been in the cheap and strong camp.
I’m currently going into my third year on a set of Vuelta Corsa Lites, and for $250/set, they have performed ridiculously well. True as the day I got them, and they still spin forever. They are handbuilt and lighter than many lower-end carbon wheels out there at about 1350 grams. I was expecting to have them for a year and then go on to other more expensive wheels, but they’ve given me no reason to change them out. Truly one of the best “diamond in the rough” velo-deals I’ve been lucky enough to find.
Of course, now that I’ve gone on the record praising them, they’ll probably explode in a blaze of glory on my next ride…
@frank
Riding on a non race day on anything that is Carbone is a sin! To have such light spinny stuff under you on a training ride is heresy and should not be entertained, it means you are no longer fighting a gorilla but something more akin to a Capuchin or Marmoset and this is cheating! The heavier, more resistant wheels and tyres you run, the harder you are training! Forget Rule #9 being about riding in bad weather…it should be about the desire to ride cast iron squares!!
I say this not out of wisdom, technical knowledge, or reasoned decision but simply because I cannot afford a pair of Carbones and therefore they are to be ignored or denegrated at every opportunity.
As soon as I am light enough and rich enough to get some they will obviously become worthing riding at every available opportunity…..cue semi colon, close brackets!
@frank
Totally agree. I don’t ride with my club as often as I should, getting away for a ride on Sunday morning is probably harder than skiving off work for a ride, but I really couldn’t give a toss what they might have to say about my bike or kit. The group ride is such a monstrous fuck up of rule infractions that a pithy retort could be found for any comment.
I’ll try to be as rule compliant as possible and if that causes someone else see the light and ditch the EPMS or mirror then great but I’m not going to have a go at anyone for rule infractions (except for see through bibs) or not running the latest gear. I’ve spent too much time suffering trying to hold the wheel of my sensei who’s training bit and kit is far from pro looking.
cheers for the quote/inspiration in the article. good write up and good conversation all around. some interesting points being made.
@frank despite my comment, i’m not 100% in agreement with the idea of never using carbon wheels on group/club rides or condoning the behavior i mentioned. you’re right; it’s your bike to ride and your ride to enjoy, so do so. i was simply saying “hey, here’s this trend…what’s everyone think?” and yeah, roadies can be snobby douchebags (i know some that even created something like 100 rules of things you can/cannot do regarding your bike!). but in general, it’s all in good fun of busting someone’s balls.
personally, i agree with the sentiment that i don’t see much to be gained from carbon clinchers. as far as weight goes, you can get 1200 gram clinchers in alu or carbon, but that’s about the limit. aerodynamics can be gained from carbon clinchers, sure; but i don’t see situations where that’s useful to the non-racer (other than just looking awesome). and if you are racing, you might as well get tubbies.
Nemesis (aka Golden Tickets)/Sapim spokes/Record hubs = best all around wheels. Full stop
@Deakus Hey, I’ll lend you 6.7’s for a day and see if you change your mind !!!
@Deakus
Alas, this appears to be at the core of this reasoning across the board.
@The Oracle
Funnily enough, I think the justification can be made all the more that the longer you are from being able to take advantage of the technology, the more impact it will have on your performance. If the performance isn’t coming from your body, the least you can do is wring it from your equipment.
Unfortunately for everyone, this is also the reasoning that leads to doping.
@morten okbo yes
@frank
So…what I’m hearing is that a wide selection of equipment (*cough* Evelyn Stevens *cough*) can lead to more ejoyment on the bike, and when money issues (*cough* Evelyn Stevens *cough*) arise, you might have to change to a non-optimal training set up (*cough* Evelyn Stevens *cough*) so as to be competitive on race day?
Yes, I’m being a snobby douchebag. And I’d get away with it if it wasn’t for you meedling kids. And stay off my lawn!
@scaler911
exactly, this was how I was taught as well, great point!
so, there have been a ga-gillion good points, and what can I say? Probably just a little, but its a great article that brings us fill tilt boogie back to the pivotal arguement…carbon vs alu wheelsets, daily use vs race day, and yes, the cosmos and karma will sway depending on what we velomanti render as opinion
I have both, carbon zipp tubers, mavic open pro clincher, ksyrium clinchers, mavic cosmos clinchers.
note: most are clinchers, one set of carbons that are tubular
My experience is that by riding the heavier utility wheelset daily and training on them is good in that they are worry free for miles and miles. I have flattened out on tubulars on the road, and its not as fun riding back home ‘hoping’ all goes well with the lone spare tubular you just slap on the rim with a little pressure to slide by. However, the clincher is easy greasy and worry free.
There is however something to note, about donning the girl for the prom, whether that is race day, Fondo day, club ‘fast’ day or whatever, there is something to be said about taking the girls clinchers off and donning the race set. There is something about the routine of prep that is not only exciting, but it sets the mindset around ‘things faster’. There is something said about instantly ‘buying’ 4km/hr speed in one sitting. Perhaps also, it is because I am a lazyass, and know if I were to run this premo-carbon daily, I would relax my training because after all…it IS faster, being comfortable and complacent with the averages I average on the clinchers….and then really take an ass-whacking come race day. So, I train heavy, race with the zipps.
But let me also add this, if on a training/club ride…you show up with carbon hoops of ANY kind, they are like yellow or silver shoes, dammit, you better be fast and ready to drill it to every single stop sign and you better deliver the goods! Nothings worse IMHO than a fat ass showing up with eye candy…just because…its eye candy
Carbon-clinchers, more are using them, and thats fine, but for reasons above, i personally see them lulling me into a complacent sleep during training days, running times that are fictitiously slower than I should be running, making things easier than they seem, and allowing the man with the hammer to visit me hard and often come race day. The advantage I see is race day, having a blow out, and just slap a tube in her and go, maybe not even losing a lap
G’rilla also makes some very good notes about lace up and count, I’ll just add, for my rebuilds and open pro’s, I always use BRASS nipples, and only brass. b-o-m-b-p-r-o-o-f
& someone said something about the 7850 C-24’s, thanks, i will have to get these for sure as i have envied these since their arrival
@eightzero
Get over it and ask her out already.
@itburns
Thank you! so much more diplomatic than the have vs have not vs fail to pick good dna tired arguments! One question tho- does he have to pull her hair first or not?
@scaler911
Red rims, white spokes, blue hubs. If you don’t build them that way, the terrorists win.
@gaswepass
And should I wear my full Lampre kitte?
@eightzero
You lost weight? which diet? Nice work.
@frank …not doing anything wrong, they fit. but with wheel flex they rub (51cm frame). And that’s what I’m saying, why do they show case a frame and fork that isn’t actually what it is? You had to change out a good fork just to fit a slightly bigger tire. The longer wheel based / wider stayed frame is a “Mud Frame” you and I can not buy. Some might ride the old RS but that’s not and R3 or much of a race frame.
@razmaspaz
The greatest difference between road and rollers is that in the road one’s momentum (your body) keeps the bike moving forward and therefore, wheels turning as well. On rollers you’ll find that when you stop pedalling you’re wheels stop pretty fast from the friction. There’s possibly more friction on rollers than on the road as there are three contact points instead of two but it could be the case that there’s not enough difference to worry about it.
At speed I’d say a wheel needs at least a little effort to stay in motion even if it’s off the ground as the spokes are overcoming some air resistance and the hub bearings are overcoming frictional resistance so if no force is input they’ll slow down.
My question to the scientific among the Velominati is: Does a heavier rim need more force input to maintain speed than a lighter rim or is it the case that once both rims are at the same speed it takes the same amount of force to maintain the speed. I understand that heavier rims will require more energy to get them up to speed and that their extra weight means that they have more momentum. (Assume same aero qualities, hubs, spokes tyres etc. etc.)
The thing about climbing is that more gravity comes into play. As I understand it, one is accelerating all the time so to speak.
@Gianni not really. Have you ridden Zipp 202 carbon clincher? Stable, aero, fast, with negligible weight penalty. Try them if you are considering an all around/do-it-all type wheel.
Personally, I ride Shimano C50 Carbon Tubulars. You mentioned dealing with flats,…not with Stans.
http://www.notubes.com/Sealant-C14.aspx
2 ounces of Stans and you’ll never have a flat.
@Croupier23
I’ve never ridden any carbon hoops! I must. Even upgrading my aluminum wheels recently felt much better. I really should have taken advantage of Frank’s visit when I could have tried two different carbon wheelsets. The shops here don’t loan out such things either and luckily there is not an Enve dealer out here in the middle of the pacific.
Remember Frank’s take-home message, “N+1 applies to wheels as well, by the way.”
@ scaler911
Fucking hell that baby is looking great! Yikes.
And yes, train heavy, race light – for sure. If you race, that’s a great plan. If not, ride what makes it fun for you.
Incidentally, “train heavy” is why I’m having an IPA right now. Just to build up the guns.
@Sluggo
Gotcha. My R3 did require the fd cable to be zip tied to the size a bit for the FMB’s which measure bigger than a regular 25mm because they’re so awesome. But the Conti 25’s required no tie and run fine in the VMH’s 51cm R3SL. Strange about the wheel rub, not having any issue with that, but my wheels are all pretty burly.