Edco Competition 38mm, 58mm vs. combo

[hdeprins]

I'm a non competitive (may change) not so young (>50) road cyclist, yet enjoy this hobby and want to invest a bit in new wheels. Safety is high on my (and my wife's) list and this summer I broke 2 wheelsets (Zipp 101 & Mavic Cosmic Carbon) beyond repair without clear reason and whereas I weigh normal (80kg). Edco carbon Competition seems really interesting given the ceramic braking surface (use of regular braking pads), the use in (intense) cyclocross and the fact I can for instance combine a 38mm front wheel with a 58mm rim height on the rear wheel (this may not look good). Any advice. I looked at Bontrager RTL, Edco AllSport (Reynolds Ctg breaking surface), Mithc etc. Appreciate insight

[davidalone]

figuring out how you broke those wheels in the first place may be a good place to start. you say you're non competitive ( and hence probably easier on equipment) , but I race on something similar to zipp 101s but I have never broken them in 3 years. I weigh 68kg and I'm hard on equipment, so that somehow doesn't add up. zipp 101s are solid alloy wheels and mavic cosmic carbones are quite the bombproof wheels. I'd be worried if you could break those. if you broke them without clear reason could you possibly warranty them?

also, why do you want a deep carbon clincher for non-competitive use? this may sound cruel, but alot of people buy deep clinchers for vanity's sake when they don't really need them. carbon wheels ( esp carbon clincehrs as compared to tubulars) are racing products. some compromises in longevity and some necessary skill is required to handle them ( braking, crosswind stability), so these are things you need to accept. there is not going to be any 'perfect product' . if you want the safest wheel, get a 36 hole box section alu rim. and it'd be cheap. heck, a 40mm alu rim with 24 spokes would be plenty safe and look pretty good too.

how did they break? who built them? are they new? did you check spoke tension? what kind of surfaces are you riding on? which part failed? are you riding with sufficient tyre pressure? whats your braking style? did you crash? buying a new product without getting to the root cause of the problem is poor economy in my book.

for my money though the Mavic CC40s and the cosmic SLEs look nice. the exalith braking surface is good.

[petepeterson]

This may sound cruel but I can't stand it when people give others attitude for riding "racing wheels". Who cares if it's vain? We ride/race bikes because it makes us happy and if riding carbon wheels adds to that then I say do it. If it makes you happy ride carbon wheels year round. Sure the braking is worse in the wet but don't make it sound like you have to be a pro to ride carbon rims and can only ride them in UCI sanctioned events. This isn't 1998.

To the OP: If you are doing a lot of massive steep descents that require prolonged braking then avoid full carbon clinchers. Otherwise get whatever makes you most happy and excited to get out on the bike. Unless they are defective there is no reason why you would require anything special at 80kgs.

[davidalone]

I'm not giving him grief. Op wanted safety and carbon clinchers, which is not exactly synonymous, and I think he should deserve to know that.you don't need to be a pro to ride carbon wheels but choosing a wheel base. On your riding needs is what works.
I race, and I rarely ride carbon wheels.

and I stand by the fact that the op would be bbetter suited to figuring out how that zipp 101 and cosmic carbone failed before splashing the cash on other more expensive wheels because those are not lousy wheels.

[hdeprins]

Thanks. All good insights as I am close to deciding. The reason for the failures on the wheels I don't exactly know, yet I never felt good with the Zipp after spoke failures and bad repairs. I can't prove it yet suspect just a poor repair shop that in the end lead to a hub failure. For the Mavic I'm not so sure as a friend of approx same weight had exactly the same failure after about the same time. Now, that is all water under the bridge and vanity does play somewhat. I found a wheel builder who does a custom build for my weight, preference etc. I may choose the Edco rims, yet at least am a bit more comfortable with the hubs and spokes. I'd still need other wheels for long descends of course. I realize that even for the looks I'd be better off with a carbon/alu clincher like bontrager or mavic ... I just think that if I don't try the full carbon now I'll never do it. Great feedback


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