Road Wheels recommendation for woman under 105 lb

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WMW
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by WMW

The 340s are very nice except for a greater than normal tendency for tires to blow off. I suspect the AC rims would be similar because they basically copied the design. These rims require a tight tire bead to keep the tire on because the bead hook is just a a tiny lip. Problems appear to be random though, with many people having no issues at all. All the other road rims I know of have a pronounced bead hook and the bead does not need to be tight for the tire to stay on... so long as you don't get any tube under the bead.

The number of spokes you need on the back will depend on the rim. If you decide to go with 340s, I'd recommend 24 though you'd probably not have problems with 20. 18f.

These rims also lose a lot of tension with a tire mounted. Ideally you'd want your builder to finish centering and tensioning with a tire on, and make the tension ~100kg on the DS, or maybe even lower depending on the hub.

Use CX-Rays.
Last edited by WMW on Thu Apr 24, 2014 11:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Derf
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by Derf

Why again are you not considering something like:

18/24 Pacenti rims with CX rays everywhere? Use whichever bhs hubs make you happy.

Builds a fantastic all-around wheelset, no worries/lingering doubts about tires blowing off rims, stronger rim, more aero, and only ~120 grams total weight difference from the 340. You'll gain more from the lower drag.

Or even better/cheaper, just the dang sale they have right now on the 2013 Pacenti's... and be done with it!

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MNX1024
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by MNX1024

I definitely go with Derf's suggestion. Personally running a 20/24 Pacenti with DT Aerolite(DT's CX-Ray equivalent) and BHS lightest front and rear hubs. Those wheels were built myself and I have gone over 6000 miles with them so far where 80% of the road is in most horrid condition you can think of. So far they're fine and no truing is required yet. Great combination for wheels if you ask me.

P.S. Do you ride with the Triangle group by any chance?

jenfromzen
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by jenfromzen

Not to confuse anyone, but now I'm considering Xentis tubular. I have 0% interest until November on a credit card. Just between the 340 blowout scare and wheels over 1200g not sounding like enough of a difference from what I have now I'm thinking maybe go for broke and do something wild now. You only live once. I like the idea of having something nobody else has. Plus right now they will allow my builder to purchase just the one set of rims, but was told in future they may require minimums.

I think I'd be looking at under $3000 and I like that you don't need special brake pads if I do need to swap with my alloy clinchers.

Yes I TRY to ride with triangle, only the Tues Thurs eves right now. So somebody knows me? Are you on the night ride?

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rmerka
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by rmerka

jenfromzen wrote:I like that you don't need special brake pads if I do need to swap with my alloy clinchers.

You may not need special pads for the Xentis wheels, BUT you shouldn't use pads on carbon brake tracks that have previously been used on alloy brake tracks. Little pieces of Al get stuck in the pads and will damage the carbon tracks.

jenfromzen
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by jenfromzen

Oh wow. Bummer. Everything has a downside.

bm0p700f
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by bm0p700f

I would order from china (farsport e.t.c) a 38mm tubular rim with 16H drilling for the front and a 24H rear. Lace those to hubs of your choice Hope Pro 3's Chris Kings. You could even have a 20H rear. Royce in the U.K will supply a 20h rear hub and a 16H front (may CK do a 20H rear as well, BHS maybe too).

The royce build would weight under 1300g and be quite aerodynamic. You can get lighter too but you are into dimishing returns.

kulivontot
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by kulivontot

I feel like making statements about "greater than likely" tire blowoffs of both 340's and by association the AC rims is misleading. Especially in the AC case because nobody's even ridden them. The failure rate on the 340 rims is known as well as the cause and using actual tubeless tires seems to be less of an issue.
Personally, $3k on a pair of wheels seems like quite a bit, but I have no idea how serious into racing you are. At that point why not just get zips and be done with it?

spud
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by spud

why not look into the Rail 34mm rims from November cycles? You can get them stock with Asian hubs, White Industries (not the lightest), or have the builder buy the rims and use whatever hubs you like. That should put you into a set of wheels for about $1400-1600. Build with Alchemy front (which are available) and a Tune rear and you are down around 1300-1350 grams.

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WMW
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by WMW

kulivontot wrote:I feel like making statements about "greater than likely" tire blowoffs of both 340's and by association the AC rims is misleading.


Sorry... meant to say greater than *normal*. And the AC rims have a similar minimal bead hook, so though it is a guess that they will behave the same it isn't without some basis.

Since some people have also experienced blow-offs on the 340s with tubeless tires, that isn't a sure thing either. I'd hate to be stuck with using tubeless tires anyway.

I don't believe that the 340s should be banned from consideration at all. I think they are great rims otherwise. It's just that there appears to be an added element of risk that I'd rather avoid... mostly because I live in a place where 50 mph descents are common.
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eric
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by eric

With tubulars you have to glue them. It's fiddly, messy and time consuming. (see the tubular gluing thread in the wheels sub-forum). They're also more difficult to change when you get a flat. Some people pay a shop to glue them, carry a can of fix-a-flat and hope nothing goes too wrong. They also carry a credit card and the number of a cab company or have an understanding spouse.

I prefer to be as self-sufficient as possible, saving up those call the wife moments for when I really really need it. So no tubies for training for me. I have a set on 960g farsport wheels that I use for uphill-only races. To be honest while they feel really light they're not noticeably faster than my usual 1420g training wheels. The models all back that up. It's a myth that weight on the rim is "worth" 4-8x weight elsewhere when we're talking climbs. It's only on hard accellerations where it does matter more than weight elsewhere on the bike or body, and even then it's not all that much. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_p ... ting_wheel

I think you'd be better served with the BHS/stans wheels, or BHS/KinLin xr19s or xr270s for slight aero (about the same shape as the Easton wheels recommended earlier, and what I use for training wheels), or Pacenti if you want to try wider rims. The latter two especially make sturdy wheels while not being too heavy. If you want fancy wheels without blowing the budget, FarSports 38mm carbon clinchers. I recently got a pair and they're pretty decent. I do a lot of very steep technical descents and I'd take them down any but the worst of them on a hot day (as I would and have my other FarSports carbon clinchers). However braking is not as strong as aluminium rims, requiring more hand pressure at the lever.

For places to live the SF bay area has good riding with lots of climbs (more than Boulder CO) a vibrant cycling and racing scene and plenty of single masters racers.
We even have a few goth clubs left.

Wcl4
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by Wcl4

Tune hubs are LOUD!!! That may be what your builder didn't like about them. Other than that, I've heard/read the reliability is good. If you're looking for rock solid no fuss/muss kind of hubs, dt Swiss 240 have been tried and tested and been around forever. Oddly enough, these hubs on one of my sets of lightweight standards is quiet while being pretty loud on another set of lightweight standards I own. Both are Gen III. Go figure??

Geoff
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by Geoff

No question about it. You need to glue tubulars. It does require some effort and a modicum of skill (I have been gluing tubulars since I was a cadet and believe most humans have the requisite skill). If you browse the 'Gluing Tubulars' thread as @Eric recommends, you will see the recurring theme that it is neither 'voodoo' nor 'scary', but rather simple and workmanlike. Having said that, I would also agree that changing tubulars 'in the field' is more difficult than clinchers.

In my experience, one of the reasons that I have preferred tubulars over clinchers is that they do not get flats. Where I live, we do not have giant thorns. We have a Crown-sponsored bottle recycling programme that is decades old, so we also have effectively no roadside glass. We have winter, instead. As a result, most of the flats come from impacts with frost-heaved roads. Because tubulars are particularly resistant to pinch-flats, I have better luck riding them. If the areas you typically ride have more puncture-inducing road debris, maybe tubulars aren't the best choice for you for everyday riding.

If punctures are a problem, I am doing a long-term test of the road tubeless option. So far, that has been a very positive experience.

jenfromzen
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by jenfromzen

I haven't had to fix a flat on the road yet since I started in May 2012. I had a flat last year that I noticed before a ride so guess a slow leak. I'm not even good at changing a clincher tire I hate to admit. I know how to do it, but it requires some muscle to get the tire off or even more so back on and I'm not nearly as fast as I've seen the guys do it. I've tried three different types of levers too. Nobody in a group would wait for me to do it by myself. Like I said, I know what to do, just I don't spend time practicing to get better at it. Plus my hands and nails get all dirty so I've even thrown out $20 to have LBS do it that is 2 min from my house.

I kind of will admit right now I'm living with my mother paying no rent, mortgage or other typical living expenses so I figure get nice wheels before this situation ends. Moving is a dream and now the Bay Area is on my list, but dunno I could afford to live there. My current situation allows me to splurge on my bike. But my mother plans to sell the house within couple years I guess. I take care of it when she spends half year in FL.

bm0p700f
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by bm0p700f

I think you will find changing a tub easier than changing an inner tubes. You get your LBS/friends in your club to glue up your tubs to your rims and prep two spare tub (glued and stretched) which you put in a big saddle bag. Mount a pump/inflator on your bike or carry one in your back pocket and when the flat happens whip of the tub and mount the spare partially inflate centre and then inflate. You'll be done in less than 5 minutes and that with no skill. get some one else like a shop to do the messy bit of gluing the tubs to your rims first time around. After that the glue on the rim and the glue on the spares will ensure a good bond and the spare will become your new tub and so on.

My wife is similar to you she rides and her next bike will be using tubs for this reason, she can't pull a clincher off easily, finds it hard to put them back on and half hour later she is done but she does not like it. Tubs are the solution here. I'll be the one doing the messy bits.

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