Talk to me about carbon wheels.
Discussion
Currently have a pair of Mavic cosmic pro carbon sl 40's from 2017. They came with the bike and I've never been particularly fond of how they look, plus I found them near impossible to change tyres on them.
I'm of a mind to get something a bit deeper, probably 50's, possibly Roval CL 50's or Reynolds AR 58/62's. It will be for use on the good bike so not too concerned about crosswinds, as I obviously won't use it in bad weather.
I've never bought a set of wheels and I'm concerned whatever I buy won't be as good as the Mavics, and I'd also just like to hear any recommendations anybody has for a decent set of deep rims.
I'm of a mind to get something a bit deeper, probably 50's, possibly Roval CL 50's or Reynolds AR 58/62's. It will be for use on the good bike so not too concerned about crosswinds, as I obviously won't use it in bad weather.
I've never bought a set of wheels and I'm concerned whatever I buy won't be as good as the Mavics, and I'd also just like to hear any recommendations anybody has for a decent set of deep rims.
I've got on very well with the roval c38s. Look good, durable, easy enough to change in the couple punctures I had before going tubeless (GP5000s worked wonders since).
Having wondered about deeper rims would probably go for a Chinese set to save 40+ percent regardless. Think winspace ones look great. Yoleo and lightbike also reputable.
Having wondered about deeper rims would probably go for a Chinese set to save 40+ percent regardless. Think winspace ones look great. Yoleo and lightbike also reputable.
JayRidesBikes said:
It will be for use on the good bike so not too concerned about crosswinds, as I obviously won't use it in bad weather.
Didn't end up doing it because of riding some gusty passes. Blowy enough in blazing sun. Probably bought something else unnecessary instead!I have a set of Knight Composites 65s I should sell (now that all my bikes are disc braked). They are awesome at everything except braking in the wet. They are super impressive in the wind for such a deep wheel. They're more stable than the 50mm Mavics I had before and have ridden through more than one named storm safely. Doesn't hurt that they sound amazing too.
If you want to go new then Parcours are well worth looking at. Very high quality wheels at mid-level pricing.
If you want to go new then Parcours are well worth looking at. Very high quality wheels at mid-level pricing.
Gruffy said:
I have a set of Knight Composites 65s I should sell (now that all my bikes are disc braked). They are awesome at everything except braking in the wet. They are super impressive in the wind for such a deep wheel. They're more stable than the 50mm Mavics I had before and have ridden through more than one named storm safely. Doesn't hurt that they sound amazing too.
If you want to go new then Parcours are well worth looking at. Very high quality wheels at mid-level pricing.
That looks fantastic, I’ve thought about going for 60’s but was concerned they might be a bit unruly in every day riding.If you want to go new then Parcours are well worth looking at. Very high quality wheels at mid-level pricing.
I have been looking at the Zipp 404 Firecrest wheel set which looks very nice for under £1500, however it’s tubeless only which is a concern if you get a puncture that won’t seal.
I've had two sets of Roval CL50s, one rim brake and one disc.
Rim brake were good, stopped well in the wet with the supplied swisstop pads.
Disc are good too. Light enough and don't suffer too much in crosswinds.
DT Swiss hubs and spokes/nipples so they're decent quality. I even upgraded the star ratchet to 36T so it's a touch more noisy.
I used 26mm tyres on the rim brake and 28s on the disc.
Rim brake were good, stopped well in the wet with the supplied swisstop pads.
Disc are good too. Light enough and don't suffer too much in crosswinds.
DT Swiss hubs and spokes/nipples so they're decent quality. I even upgraded the star ratchet to 36T so it's a touch more noisy.
I used 26mm tyres on the rim brake and 28s on the disc.
At the risk of turning this into another 'show off your bike' thread, have you considered handbuilt wheels from a specialist? You can choose the depth (mayb e go for bigger front like Enve wheels?), hubs and spokes bespoke to your own requirements and budget. I got some 40mm rims with DT Swiss handbuilt from Wheelsmith, and they're a pretty decent compromise - good in crosswinds, a bit aero and great looking - were about £1100.
Possibly depends where you are and what you ride in for the crosswinds. Personally riding in Scotland I wouldn't want anything too deep as there's pretty much no rides with less than 20mph gusts, and for me it just spoils the enjoyment of a ride battling unnecessarily with the bike or getting blown into oncoming traffic at speed. That said, I believe a lot of newer wheels (e.g. ZIPP) are engineered specifically for crosswing stability as well at outright speed.
Gratuitous bike pic !
Possibly depends where you are and what you ride in for the crosswinds. Personally riding in Scotland I wouldn't want anything too deep as there's pretty much no rides with less than 20mph gusts, and for me it just spoils the enjoyment of a ride battling unnecessarily with the bike or getting blown into oncoming traffic at speed. That said, I believe a lot of newer wheels (e.g. ZIPP) are engineered specifically for crosswing stability as well at outright speed.
Gratuitous bike pic !
A smaller brand but I've bought 51mm carbon rim (21mm internal, 28mm external) with DTSwiss 350 hubs recently from https://cyclocrossracer.co.uk/ I got onto them originally through local CycloCross racers who highly recommended them and have a set of Disc Tubs for racing but got these for my road bike, they roll amazingly well and compared to my old cheap chinese carbon clinchers as well as my Hunts you can tell they are more efficient as they roll so much further without having to put any power on to keep moving.
I've gone Chinese carbon in the past but the value just doesn't seem to be there any more, and know I will have a good service if I ever have any issues with these in future.
https://i.imgur.com/Hg8rDZV.jpg?1
I've gone Chinese carbon in the past but the value just doesn't seem to be there any more, and know I will have a good service if I ever have any issues with these in future.
https://i.imgur.com/Hg8rDZV.jpg?1
Dannbodge said:
I've had two sets of Roval CL50s, one rim brake and one disc.
Rim brake were good, stopped well in the wet with the supplied swisstop pads.
Disc are good too. Light enough and don't suffer too much in crosswinds.
DT Swiss hubs and spokes/nipples so they're decent quality. I even upgraded the star ratchet to 36T so it's a touch more noisy.
I used 26mm tyres on the rim brake and 28s on the disc.
It's great to hear your thoughts on the Rovals, I think they are the top option at the moment and they do look fantastic - thanks.Rim brake were good, stopped well in the wet with the supplied swisstop pads.
Disc are good too. Light enough and don't suffer too much in crosswinds.
DT Swiss hubs and spokes/nipples so they're decent quality. I even upgraded the star ratchet to 36T so it's a touch more noisy.
I used 26mm tyres on the rim brake and 28s on the disc.
Gin and Ultrasonic said:
At the risk of turning this into another 'show off your bike' thread, have you considered handbuilt wheels from a specialist? You can choose the depth (mayb e go for bigger front like Enve wheels?), hubs and spokes bespoke to your own requirements and budget. I got some 40mm rims with DT Swiss handbuilt from Wheelsmith, and they're a pretty decent compromise - good in crosswinds, a bit aero and great looking - were about £1100.
Possibly depends where you are and what you ride in for the crosswinds. Personally riding in Scotland I wouldn't want anything too deep as there's pretty much no rides with less than 20mph gusts, and for me it just spoils the enjoyment of a ride battling unnecessarily with the bike or getting blown into oncoming traffic at speed. That said, I believe a lot of newer wheels (e.g. ZIPP) are engineered specifically for crosswing stability as well at outright speed.
Gratuitous bike pic !
Yeah, I've had a look at a handful of the wheel builders, and I keep going to the Enve 5.6 that they all seem to be offering at the moment, which whilst they may be truly fantastic wheels I can't justify spending that much on wheels sadly. I'm running 40's at the moment and don't have any issues in the midlands with overly strong winds, I mean if the weather is bad I'll just use the other bike. Possibly depends where you are and what you ride in for the crosswinds. Personally riding in Scotland I wouldn't want anything too deep as there's pretty much no rides with less than 20mph gusts, and for me it just spoils the enjoyment of a ride battling unnecessarily with the bike or getting blown into oncoming traffic at speed. That said, I believe a lot of newer wheels (e.g. ZIPP) are engineered specifically for crosswing stability as well at outright speed.
Gratuitous bike pic !
SoliD said:
A smaller brand but I've bought 51mm carbon rim (21mm internal, 28mm external) with DTSwiss 350 hubs recently from https://cyclocrossracer.co.uk/ I got onto them originally through local CycloCross racers who highly recommended them and have a set of Disc Tubs for racing but got these for my road bike, they roll amazingly well and compared to my old cheap chinese carbon clinchers as well as my Hunts you can tell they are more efficient as they roll so much further without having to put any power on to keep moving.
I've gone Chinese carbon in the past but the value just doesn't seem to be there any more, and know I will have a good service if I ever have any issues with these in future.
https://i.imgur.com/Hg8rDZV.jpg?1
I'll check these guys out now, thanks.I've gone Chinese carbon in the past but the value just doesn't seem to be there any more, and know I will have a good service if I ever have any issues with these in future.
https://i.imgur.com/Hg8rDZV.jpg?1
Also worth looking at Hunt wheels. I've got 2 pairs for the gravel bike ,very impressed by them, about to buy a set for my rim braked road bike. Currently have old Zipp60s on the road bike and they are pretty good in crosswinds, but want to go full carbon so am looking at these:
https://www.huntbikewheels.com/products/hunt-62-ca...
They have interesting write ups of aerodynamic testing on their website. And I love a bit of carbon bling
https://www.huntbikewheels.com/products/hunt-62-ca...
They have interesting write ups of aerodynamic testing on their website. And I love a bit of carbon bling
MarcelM6 said:
Also worth looking at Hunt wheels. I've got 2 pairs for the gravel bike ,very impressed by them, about to buy a set for my rim braked road bike. Currently have old Zipp60s on the road bike and they are pretty good in crosswinds, but want to go full carbon so am looking at these:
https://www.huntbikewheels.com/products/hunt-62-ca...
They have interesting write ups of aerodynamic testing on their website. And I love a bit of carbon bling
I do like the look of Hunts, and have had a look into the 44/54 wheels on their website - https://www.huntbikewheels.com/products/hunt-4454-...https://www.huntbikewheels.com/products/hunt-62-ca...
They have interesting write ups of aerodynamic testing on their website. And I love a bit of carbon bling
However people seem to love them or hate them, there was a thread on here not too long back where people weren't particularly favourable to them, which makes me a little unsure about them, despite the decent pricing.
... or Campagnolo.
I've Bora 50 Ultra rim brake type on my Bianchi and WTO 45 Discs on my BMC. Neither have ever so much as twitched in a cross wind and seem to be really robust in terms of the hubs and the freewheel mechanism
On the other hand my winter Canyon came with Reynolds Assault 40's... I nearly had a heart attack at the slightest gust, they moved all over the place, sold them and replaced with a set of Miche which have been fine (nothing special but they weren't too expensive and are fine for the winter steed)
I've Bora 50 Ultra rim brake type on my Bianchi and WTO 45 Discs on my BMC. Neither have ever so much as twitched in a cross wind and seem to be really robust in terms of the hubs and the freewheel mechanism
On the other hand my winter Canyon came with Reynolds Assault 40's... I nearly had a heart attack at the slightest gust, they moved all over the place, sold them and replaced with a set of Miche which have been fine (nothing special but they weren't too expensive and are fine for the winter steed)
z4RRSchris said:
zipp hubs are s
te,
Agree, specifically the bearings. The pawl system on my 303 FC's is just any old 36t pawl system, plenty of engagement there although I'm used to 102t on my MTB. Its been fine...... for 2k miles. te, I got 303 Fire crests in November 2020 for the sake of low pressure tubeless and by February a couple of bearings had rusted and seized. Swapped out for some Enduro ceramics which are so far great and roll well, but I've yet to use them in any nasty weather.
Ill probably swap them out for some MTB hubs some day. Ridiculous really.
oddball1313 said:
... or Campagnolo.
I've Bora 50 Ultra rim brake type on my Bianchi and WTO 45 Discs on my BMC. Neither have ever so much as twitched in a cross wind and seem to be really robust in terms of the hubs and the freewheel mechanism
On the other hand my winter Canyon came with Reynolds Assault 40's... I nearly had a heart attack at the slightest gust, they moved all over the place, sold them and replaced with a set of Miche which have been fine (nothing special but they weren't too expensive and are fine for the winter steed)
Thanks for that, I've been taking a look at the Bora WTO 60 disc brake wheel set and they are a thing of beauty - I'm really tempted by these at £1600. Any downsides to campag wheels anybody?I've Bora 50 Ultra rim brake type on my Bianchi and WTO 45 Discs on my BMC. Neither have ever so much as twitched in a cross wind and seem to be really robust in terms of the hubs and the freewheel mechanism
On the other hand my winter Canyon came with Reynolds Assault 40's... I nearly had a heart attack at the slightest gust, they moved all over the place, sold them and replaced with a set of Miche which have been fine (nothing special but they weren't too expensive and are fine for the winter steed)
JayRidesBikes said:
Thanks for that, I've been taking a look at the Bora WTO 60 disc brake wheel set and they are a thing of beauty - I'm really tempted by these at £1600. Any downsides to campag wheels anybody?
There's no downside to Campag wheels except the price! In all seriousness they roll really well, look amazing and from my experience of the best part of 10000 miles on the Bora 45's and Ultra 50's rock steady in the event of a crosswind Worth having a read of this if you want something fast in real conditions: https://www.hambini.com/testing-to-find-the-fastes...
Some interesting results from the big brands Vs some of the slightly cheaper Chinese ones. I'm thinking of getting myself some Winspace Hypers. Look cool with the carbon pattern too (imo).
Some interesting results from the big brands Vs some of the slightly cheaper Chinese ones. I'm thinking of getting myself some Winspace Hypers. Look cool with the carbon pattern too (imo).
JayRidesBikes said:
I do like the look of Hunts, and have had a look into the 44/54 wheels on their website - https://www.huntbikewheels.com/products/hunt-4454-...
However people seem to love them or hate them, there was a thread on here not too long back where people weren't particularly favourable to them, which makes me a little unsure about them, despite the decent pricing.
I've had my Hunt carbon aero 50's on for 2 years now. Had a major issue with corrosion on spoke/nuts and Hunt covered the replacement parts and cost of wheel rebuilds. They run lovely and true and the bearings still seem like new. I run tubeless and only issue I've had is with the rear wheel, which seems incredibly tight for tyre removal/replacement.However people seem to love them or hate them, there was a thread on here not too long back where people weren't particularly favourable to them, which makes me a little unsure about them, despite the decent pricing.
I've got other mates who've had nothing but problems and have ditched Hunts also.
StuB said:
I've had my Hunt carbon aero 50's on for 2 years now. Had a major issue with corrosion on spoke/nuts and Hunt covered the replacement parts and cost of wheel rebuilds. They run lovely and true and the bearings still seem like new. I run tubeless and only issue I've had is with the rear wheel, which seems incredibly tight for tyre removal/replacement.
I've got other mates who've had nothing but problems and have ditched Hunts also.
Aluminium nipples? you get galvanic corrosion with the carbon in the rim. They should have a better understanding of materials properties. Better off using brass.I've got other mates who've had nothing but problems and have ditched Hunts also.
JayRidesBikes said:
Thanks for that, I've been taking a look at the Bora WTO 60 disc brake wheel set and they are a thing of beauty - I'm really tempted by these at £1600. Any downsides to campag wheels anybody?
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