Sub 1000g wheelset for sub US$1000? - Ride report p12

[farm_lim]

@super brad,
have around 850kms already.
btw, as im no expert, ill just compare it with other wheels i used/ have:
stiffness- out of the saddle on climbs, didnt notice any difference in stiffness from the deep tubs ive used before (planet x, 404). stiffer than my previous ebay matrix 50mms. no noticable difference in stiffness as fulcrum racing7.
acceleration- reacts fast, although understandably doesnt maintain speed as well as the deep wheels.
brake tracks- this surprises me up to now, using mavic yellow pads by swisstop and no noticable grooves or shine on where the pads hit. just a faint discoloration and thats it. brakes as well as the 404s, better than planet x. solid braking.
overall, so far so good.

[xnavalav8r]

My hubs have shipped and will be here Monday. I'll post pics and actual weights before sending everything off for the build. I'm tempted to buy a stand and try building them myself considering the money I have saved over a name-brand wheelset, but I'm incompetent in that specialty. One of the local shops is great at wheel work, but I would feel like a schmuck bringing in all the parts I bought online and asking him to build them for me. So they are off to a mechanic/wheel-builder/friend of mine for assembly. Hopefully I'll be able to get a ride report in before the end of the month.

[miniviking]

What spoke tension do you build these wheels with?

[xnavalav8r]

The spec sheet said they could go >300kgf. I'm not a wheel builder but I'm told that is pretty high so the rim should be pretty strong.

[xnavalav8r]

Bad news!

I received my hubs today. I also bought a new digital countertop scale to weigh everything.

The front hub came in spot on at 58 grams. However, the rear came in 18 grams over weight at 223.

Also, re-weighing the rims on the new scale they came in at 255 and 257 grams vice the 230 I previously posted.

Spokes came out to 209 grams and nipples came to 16 grams. That puts me at 1018 grams for the wheelset... 18 grams over the goal weight.

Photos here...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... c738875f1d

[dmotoguy]

Also, re-weighing the rims on the new scale they came in at 255 and 257 grams vice the 230 I previously posted.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo....


oh well, now I need to get a bit lighter hubs than I planned to use with the groupbuy wheels.

[xnavalav8r]

Sorry guys... I feel like I misled people but it certainly wasn't intentional.

[xnavalav8r]

I'm considering changing spokes... Wheelsmith XL 15 could save as much as 33 grams.

[Juanmoretime]

Ted, no apology needed. You were stating claimed weight and banking on that they were close. Did you not go with Sapim CXRay for spokes?

[xnavalav8r]

I've got the CX Ray spokes but they came in at 209 grams for 44, plus 16 grams for the nipples. Wheelsmith XL 15 should come in around 176 grams for 44. That saves 33 grams and gets me back below the 1000g limit.

[farm_lim]

makes me think the 246g/248g pair i got was one-off. the 2nd pair i got was 255g/256g.

[devinci]

me want pics

I keep looking at this thread in case Xnavalav8r posted pics, but Im always disapointed huhuhuhu

[xnavalav8r]

Rims and hubs are off to the builder. I hope to have finished wheels next week. Pics to follow. Sorry to keep disappointing...

[devinci]

lol no prob, just curious to see the finished product

[xnavalav8r]

Just got an e-mail from my friend who built the wheels for me. He says they came to 1047 grams for the set. That's a bit heavier than I anticipated but I suspect his scale is better calibrated than mine (as he does this for a living). However he was able to build the wheels, including spokes and nipples, for $131.00... much less than I was paying for spokes and nipples on my own. So the price came back down.

Total price including parts, shipping, and build labor is $717.00. Subtract shipping costs and the price was just over $600.

I missed my target weight apparently, but I came in nearly $300.00 under budget. I am satisfied. Pics to follow once I have the wheels in hand. I'm traveling on business next week so it might be the first week of May before I post.