LIGHTWEIGHT wheelset owners, can U ever come back or can U?

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Frankie - B
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by Frankie - B

It seems Malol has a hard time trying to be constructive and leave the flames and personal attacks aside. I sent him on a three week vacation.


Tape is for wrapping gifts to your girlfriend, not to hold a freaking tire on!
'Tape was made to wrap your GF's gifts, NOT hold a freakin tire on.'
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jimaizumi
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by jimaizumi

Frankie - B wrote:It seems Malol has a hard time trying to be constructive and leave the flames and personal attacks aside. I sent him on a three week vacation.


Tape is for wrapping gifts to your girlfriend, not to hold a freaking tire on!


Great, lets get this back on topic..
THE PAST: 2005 C'dale R700, 2006 Spesh S-Works Tarmac Gerolsteiner, 2009 Pinarello Dogma FPX My Way, 2011 Time RXR VIP

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dadoflam08
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by dadoflam08

From the perspective of a larger rider weighing over 90kgs and who has owned LW's for 5 years they remain unrivalled.
They are a truly light wheel that can take my weight and have fantastic torsional stiffness that translates energy into motion better than anything else. There is not much else around 1000g that I can consider riding with expectations of durability and stiffness. They combine the light rim weight you want for climbing with a deeper profile that can be used for fast flat riding – normally that requires two sets of wheels if you want optimal.

I had two different sets of Enve wheels built in an effort to replicate the weight and torsional stiffness performance - they weren’t close even at 1400g with 28 spokes on the rear. For a heavier rider a conventional spoke wheel is not going to be comparable for anything coming close to similar weight.

They are not miracle wheels - my original Gen IIIs were average in cross winds and weren’t agile when descending. The DT model hubs were very reliable but didn’t roll quite as well as Campy CULT ceramic bearing hubs.
The first Clincher was definitely stiffer than the tubular version and in some conditions was harsh - that changed with the clinchers being 'cleared' for use with 25mm tyres. The Gen IV rims are a more aero shape which has improved crosswind comfort a bit - haven't tried the fully aero version.

The Gipfelsturms offer greater comfort and agility than the standards and again light weight combined with structural stability that is unmatched for heavy riders wanting lightest wheel option.
IMO the optimum setup is LW standard on the rear for aero advantage and torsional stiffness and LW Gipfelsturm on front for better crosswind comfort, steering agility and braking (I use a Mavic Ksyrium SLR with Xalith brake track in wet weather).
I can leave this set-up on the bike for just about any type of riding in my part of the world – the exception perhaps being group riding with others who don’t signal road conditions as I recently discovered to my cost.

They are a hard item to give up if you have the luxury of being able to justify them and /or if time on the bike is rare and valuable in itself and subscribe to the notion that "life is too short to ride s**t bikes".

The gap has closed a bit since they first hit the scene but from a Clyde perspective there is still nothing I am aware of that is close. If I was 25kg lighter my thinking might be different.
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MNX1024
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by MNX1024

I have a friend that has a set and swears by it. Rides it in all kind of condition, even in rain.......

Never rode one myself, but personally not a big fan due to its lack of serviceability and thin rim profile. If they upgrade their rim profile, I might give them a try.

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TonyM
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by TonyM

MNX1024 wrote:(...) If they upgrade their rim profile, I might give them a try.


Same thinking for me but....

...the delivery of my Bora 35 Ultra Clincher are constantly postponed :(
and
...life is short :twisted:

This is why I may buy the LW Meileinstein Clincher now....and may resell these next year if the wider rims come out :mrgreen:

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Gearjunkie
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by Gearjunkie

@Dadoflam: How do you find the stiffness of the Kysrium SLR front compared to the LW front?

Also, is your LW front a 20 or 16 spoke?

Sorry for the slightly OT post.

Thanks!
GJ

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keith
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by keith

Just to add to the interesting debate … LW are supposed to be working on a disk version of their wheel set.
LW Disk 1.JPG
LW Disk 2.JPG
Riding my road bikes around Eryri

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dadoflam08
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by dadoflam08

you mean these?

Image

This bike belongs to LBS owner/Oz LW distributor - early days but not far away.

I can see a big bill coming if Campy bring out discs at the same time LW get these into production.
'83 De Rosa+'11 Baum Corretto+'08 BMC Pro Machine >6kg+'86 Pinarello Team +'72 Cinelli SC +'58 Bianchi+'71 Cinelli SC+'78 Masi GC+'83 La Redoute Motobecane+'94 Banesto Pegoretti+'88 Bianchi X4 +'48 Super Elliott+'99 Look Kg281+'18 Pegoretti

lippythelion
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by lippythelion

I was close to getting LW just before christmas, but a few things stopped me. Firstly, if they are the very best, where do you go next? Secondly, what if they aren't the best? Thirdly, LW must be close to bringing out an updated version of Meilenstein or Fernweg. So I bought a pair of Bora Ultra 80 in the sale and will wait until the next generation LW before making the leap.

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keith
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by keith

dadoflam08 wrote:you mean these?

....

This bike belongs to LBS owner/Oz LW distributor - early days but not far away.

I can see a big bill coming if Campy bring out discs at the same time LW get these into production.


Very interesting, on a Parlee Z0 too I think? Would make a great winter bike if it can take mudguards!
Riding my road bikes around Eryri

http://www.strava.com/athletes/keith_robertson" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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keith
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by keith

lippythelion wrote:I was close to getting LW just before christmas, but a few things stopped me. Firstly, if they are the very best, where do you go next? Secondly, what if they aren't the best? Thirdly, LW must be close to bringing out an updated version of Meilenstein or Fernweg. So I bought a pair of Bora Ultra 80 in the sale and will wait until the next generation LW before making the leap.


Similar issue here, I sold my 10 speed Gen IIIs and am using 11speed GIPFELSTURM now. Will hold off getting a set of Meilenstein's to see what happens in the next year or so.
Riding my road bikes around Eryri

http://www.strava.com/athletes/keith_robertson" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

2old4this
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by 2old4this

They just came out with SchwarzED, which I am about to pull the trigger. Did you hear anything about a new version coming out?

lippythelion
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Location: England

by lippythelion

^Is that the Ceramic Speed & dark logo edition? It's a good looking wheelset but the design is still a few years old. LW must be working on something new, and I don't mean just a disc brake compatible wheel.

by Weenie


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2old4this
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by 2old4this

Yes, SchwartzED is the dark logo with Ceramic Speeds. They are extremely expensive in the US. However, one can order them from a number of German websites. With strong $US and no VAT, the price is almost half of buying from a US vendor. I've almost made my mind up about Gipfelstrum on the front and Meilenstein Obermayer on rear.

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