New wheels - Honest opinions only please!!

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ardennes777
Posts: 36
Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2014 12:45 pm
Location: Liege Belgium

by ardennes777

Hello fellow WW :D !

I am currently looking at getting a new set of wheels for my bike! (new wheel day almost as good as new bike day!)

Current bike is as follows:
2014 Avanti Corsa DR. 56.5 Size
Full Shimano Dura-Ace 9000
Pro Vibe Stem & Bars.
Prologo Zero2 Nack Carbon saddle.
ZIPP 60 Wheels

The bike currently with the above setup weighs 7.2kg (inc pedals and bottlecages)

The current wheels on the bike are a semi-carbon alloy clincher, 58mm deep and around 1870g all up!

I am after getting a Carbon Clincher that is at-least/close as aero dynamic as these wheels yet alot lighter! These set of wheels will be my only set of wheels for the bike in all conditions!

My riding is split between the following:
45% on long flat open roads
45% on Ardennes type terrain (lots of steep short climbs)
10% on Alpine regions (ie long seated climbs >800m gained per climb)

When up to speed/sprinting the weight of my current wheels doesnt matter (aero takes over) but on some steep short climbs (ie 800-900m @17%) I can feel they hold me back just a little bit! I am therefore tossing up between getting wheels that are either around 40mm deep or 55-60mm deep!

The wheels I am considering are:

- ZIPP 303
- ZIPP 404
- MAVIC CC40
- ENVE SES 45
- VISION 55 METRON CLINCHER
- VISION 40 METRON CLINCHER

Any honest opinions on the above would be much appreciated based on my riding breakdown! I am hoping to at least shave 200-300g off the bikes weight bringing it near the current 6.8kg weight limit!

Poonjabby
Posts: 31
Joined: Thu Mar 05, 2015 5:18 pm

by Poonjabby

Consider Roval CLX40's
Poonjabby Rides a Bike on Facebook

by Weenie


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ardennes777
Posts: 36
Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2014 12:45 pm
Location: Liege Belgium

by ardennes777

Poonjabby wrote:Consider Roval CLX40's


Whilst I acknowledge Rovas make an exceptional wheel, I would rather go for a brand that is "brand neutral". As Specialized is Roval I would not go for them! Similar with Syncros which is Scott

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wheelsONfire
Posts: 6280
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2014 8:15 am
Location: NorthEU

by wheelsONfire

Easton EC90SL front (38mm), Aero 55 rear (55mm)?
Clincher version in your case, i guess.
Bikes:

Ax Lightness Vial EVO Race (2019.01.03)
Open *UP* (2016.04.14)
Paduano Racing Fidia (kind of shelved)


Ex bike; Vial EVO D, Vial EVO Ultra, Scott Foil, Paduano ti bike.

ardennes777
Posts: 36
Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2014 12:45 pm
Location: Liege Belgium

by ardennes777

wheelsONfire wrote:Easton EC90SL front (38mm), Aero 55 rear (55mm)?
Clincher version in your case, i guess.


Keener to get a complete set rather than mix-match :o

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wheelsONfire
Posts: 6280
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2014 8:15 am
Location: NorthEU

by wheelsONfire

That's cool! I think the 38mm is lighter, especially if you'd go tubular it make sense.
I might go for the suggested as rims would actually match in width. The 38mm front will not cause any steering issues even in cross winds.
I think the Aero 55 clincher is actually 1690g, it is very wide at 28mm.
Tubular 38mm version is like 1175g i think, so it is rather light with that width.
There are some tapes working really good. So for weight saving tubular is no bad idea.
Bikes:

Ax Lightness Vial EVO Race (2019.01.03)
Open *UP* (2016.04.14)
Paduano Racing Fidia (kind of shelved)


Ex bike; Vial EVO D, Vial EVO Ultra, Scott Foil, Paduano ti bike.

Nautiboy
Posts: 61
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2014 3:54 am

by Nautiboy

I Know you wanted clincher....but here are my recommendation

2015 Campagnolo Ultra Bora 35/50mm

2015 Corima MCC S+

It is 1.2 & 1.1kg respectively....light enough to climb, fast enough on flats...

And if you are concern about tubular repair(or the typical myth of a tour car support sort), see this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GoA9v6ZR0c

Some even reported it fixing a 5mm cut successfully.

Image

wingguy
Posts: 4318
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 11:43 pm

by wingguy

If price was no object the. Enve 4.5s are a fantastic option. For about a grand less the Profile Design Twenty Four 58mm wheels are a really well made new entry. Bit triathlety though... :P

nlouthan
Posts: 188
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2011 2:41 am
Location: SF Bay Area

by nlouthan

I don't have any experience with the wheels listed, but I do own Enve 3.4 tubulars on Tune hubs and they're fantastic, as I'm sure all of the wheels you list are.

However, based on your riding, I can't recommend any carbon clincher. That 10% Alpine riding is a serious risk on a carbon clincher. A long, steep descent, stuck behind a slow truck or bus and there is a real risk of overheating the rim. When your speed is dictated by another vehicle on the road, there can be a problem. I have personally experienced this and there is plenty of comments on this board about this risk.

Probably 99.something% of the time you'll be fine, but, there might be a time you're not. That's one of the reasons I went tubular on my Enves.

jimborello
Posts: 283
Joined: Sun May 31, 2009 5:07 am

by jimborello

If you choose Zipp I would recommend the 404, the difference between the 404 and the 303 is minimal, you wont even notice it and the 404 is more aero and looks better IMHO. The mavic Cosmic 40c is also a very nice wheelset but I think it has old technology because of its rim width. I dont know about vision wheels but the Enve is also a top quality wheelset. I have own all of them but in the tubular version, except for the Vision and instead of the 4.5s I ride 6.7 Enves. Ive also ridden Campagnolo Boras and definitely, if money is no object, I would recommend Enves or the Campagnolo Boras.

And one last tip: dont be afraid of tubulars, you will love them!

tinozee
Posts: 764
Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2011 7:53 am

by tinozee

I'd second considering tubular. A 404 or enve tubular wheel is going to give you the whole deal, a weight difference you can feel, better feel, and tire durability. In 2014 I've run 3 pairs of tubs in a row on 404s without a single flat ~8,000 miles. This is in New England where the roads are total crap. It's worth the gluing time. I won't even look at deep section clinchers until prices or weights come down.

jonnyBgood
Posts: 19
Joined: Mon Mar 28, 2011 10:40 pm
Location: Parker, Colorado

by jonnyBgood

I would also recommend going to a tubular tire. I have a few different bikes and a few different wheel options BUT… everyone of my wheel options is a tubular.

I live in Colorado and the weather and conditions can change quite often and I ride a lot of gravel type roads and my tubulars have held up with no issues. Vittoria has a inflate can called Pit Stop that I carry with me and have only had to use it once in the past three years (knock on wood) that works great if you do get a flat.

I have used Vittoria Specialized Challenge and Dugast tubulars and would recommend them all.

As far as the wheels go you can't go wrong with Zipp or Enve. I have a set of the Enve 1.25 and love them. I also have several sets of Shimano (C24 C35 AND C50) wheels and would HIGHLY recommend them as well.

fogman
Posts: 1066
Joined: Fri Oct 30, 2009 10:36 pm

by fogman

The only three I would consider are Zipp, Enve, or Campy Bora. I ended up choosing Bora One mainly because I have an all Italian bike (Dogma/Super Record). The wheels have not come in yet so I cannot comment on them yet.
It's all downhill from here, except for the uphills.

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kgt
Posts: 8749
Joined: Sun Jun 18, 2006 10:29 am
Location: Athens, Greece

by kgt

Enve, Corima or Fulcrum for me.
I 100% agree you should go tubular. As long as you get used to ride em and see by yourself that these are more practical to use than clinchers (yes indeed) you won't go back.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

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ardennes777
Posts: 36
Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2014 12:45 pm
Location: Liege Belgium

by ardennes777

Many thanks to everyones assistance!!

I was tossing up between clincher and tubular and was leaning more clincher but tubular does in effect make alot of sense!!

Having said that, I believe I have narrowed my clincher search down to either ZIPP404 or the CC40s....
If I were to go down the Clincher path which set would people go for out of the 2?? (404 or CC40)

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