So,

i have decided to treat myself to some nice carbon tubs to go with the nice carbon bike and, having done lots of research on the merits of branded vs oem rims I have a couple of questions for the weightweenies gesalt.

my options are

Gigantex 50mm on novatec superlight

Gigantex 50mm on Chris king r45

Reynolds assault

These are the three options that seem best to me on the basis of: wheel weight and suitable spoking i.e. 20/24 which I consider a minimum for a 97 kg rider like myself.

1. Gigantex with Chris kings is pretty much the same cost as Reynolds assault. with the gigantex I know I am getting top quality hubs and a heavier rim but whats the trade off with the Reynolds? is the rim much better than Gigantex or are the hubs an equivalent to chris king?

2. Novatec superlight hubs - they are so much cheaper than Chris King hubs I assume there must be a corresponding drop in performance or durability - does anyone have expereince that says otherwise?

3. Have I missed any obvious other choices? n.b. the wheels need to be UK / EU distributed.

Thanks all Stuart

I run Novatec Superlight hubs paired with Easton EC70SL's, the hubs really work great! No it's not CK finish ofcourse, but they certainly do their job and the bearing/seal resistance is in the Mavic/Shimano league which atleast to me is worth a lot, not to mention that really says something too...

All the CK mountainbike hubs I've had over the years, have had some serious bearing/seal drag. You can really tell the difference when comparing back to back with for instance a Mavic hub, even the really low grade Mavic stuff. This has nothing to do with over preloading of the CK stuff, they're just built that way as they're built to last...

Great for touring or year around training, but if you want fast - forget CK IMHO.

As for spoke count, going as low as possible will do you no favours! Sure 20/24 will hold up, but they'll flex way more than something like 28/28 under your 97 kg, which is just another way of loosing alot of energy that should reach the ground instead. Ie more spokes will be faster for you!

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Roadbike
Kinesis RaceLight T2

Mountainbike
Van Nicholas Zion Ti

hi,

thanks for the feedback on the novatec superlights, very interesting to hear.

I am in agreement with you on the spoking front. I think the ideal for me would probably be 24/28 but I am somewhat restricted by what the wheelbuilder can supply.

I am still waiting to hear from Adrien at Rar to see if they can build something interesting and sturdy using the corima aero rims.

Stuart