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TED ESSENFELD
Schoorl, Noord-Holland, Nederland
Bike Pics
English Custom Steel Internal di2
Litespeed Ghisallo

I've just ordered a set of these rims (20mm tubular) from that guy 'Henry' from Archtek Tech Co. I haven't got the rims yet, and I presume they'll take a few weeks to arrive but I'm planning ahead. I am going to use some American Classic hubs (Micro 58 front and 205 rear) and I plan to use DT Aerolite spokes.

Question is, what spoking patterns have people used? I was thinking about radially lacing the front, and going 2x on the rear. I imagine these aren't going to be the stiffest rims so I was considering doing the rear drive side radially and leaving the non-drive side 2x.

Any thoughts people?

Incidently, I will be using these for road racing, and I weight in at about 74kg. I'm 6'1" and reasonably powerful. These wheels are obviously intended as a climbing wheelset but I do want something I can still sprint on.

Cheers.

@Giles.
Ahh, if you want stiffer wheels maybe reconsider your hub choice. I know one person personally and have heard of a few others that have had negative experiences with the AC hubs (although perhaps they have a newer, more reliable model out). I am just skeptical looking at the NDS flange placement (could be moved out a country mile) and the seemingly tiny front hub diameter.

I take your point. The advantage of having the NDS rear flange set in a little is more equal spoke tension on the rear, hence more durabililty. The Micro 58 front hub has very low flanges but should be fine when radially laced I think.

Thing is, I'm planning on building these wheels as a second set of wheels (I have Lightweight race wheels). My priorities are 1. Light, 2. Cheap, 3. Stiff, in that order.

Althought the AM Classic hubs aren't ideal, I'm getting the pair for £100 and I can't get near the weight of them for that price. I was just hoping to make the most of them with the spoking pattern.

Thanks for your advice.

I'm planning on building a pair of these cheap hoops as well and I was wondering if you guys could help me out with some questions.

1. Soul Prodigy V3 hubs, I've seen them recommended here multiple times. Anyone have any personal experience with them?

2. I'm trying to decide between sub 1000 gram 20mm tubulars or sub 1200 gram 38mm tubulars. Is the aero benefit of the 38mm rim worth the 200 additional grams.

3. DT Swiss revolution spokes? Yay or Nay

4. Black hub with gold nipples or blue hub with blue nipples?

Thanks guys, this is my first post.

I built the 20mm tubular rims with the American Classic Micro-58 and RD-205 hubs. I used 20 radially laced 15g spokes on the front and 24 15g spokes 2x on the drive side and radial on the nds in back. I am 5'10" tall and weight about 160 pounds. I'm having no trouble with this combination. Incidently, I'm riding a pair of AC hubs on my mtn bike that are nearly 20 years old. They are still using the original bearings. Admittedly I have taken good care of the hubs but never expected them to last so long. I have never encountered a failed AC hub which is why I was so happy to use them for my build. That said, I know some people here aren't fans but my personal opinion is they are a vocal minority. Let's face it, we cyclists don't typically devote a lot of talk/type to what works, we usually bitch about what doesn't... it's in our nature. I'm as guilty as the next guy.

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TED ESSENFELD
Schoorl, Noord-Holland, Nederland
Bike Pics
English Custom Steel Internal di2
Litespeed Ghisallo

Here's my take on this topic.

Front- 363g
Rear- 551g
Total- 914g.

20/24. Made with our Prodigy V3 hubs with steel bearings. Alloy nipples and Brass RDS. Would be sub 900g with ceramics and full alloy nipples.

Front



Rear

Nice!

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TED ESSENFELD
Schoorl, Noord-Holland, Nederland
Bike Pics
English Custom Steel Internal di2
Litespeed Ghisallo

Nice. Are you selling these wheels? If so, do you know what they will cost?

What he said.

Need some help guys...I've only used clinchers in training and races so far. I see 2 problems with building up a super light carbon tubular set of hoops.

1) There's a huge selection of very high quality and cheap clinchers. Based on a test, ride comfort and rolling resistance in these high quality clinchers is better than any tubular can offer. So I'm at a loss at what set of tubular will be good for training and racing like the GP4000S clincher tires are.

2) I've seen that some manufacturers have a max weight of around 190 for light 38mm carbon rims. I'm 170 so could that spell disaster if I hit a big pothole?

I train a decent amount depending on my schedule (100 miles a week usually), and I don't know if I should use the carbon wheels to train or use it only as a race day wheel.

The "tests" you talk about with ride quality and rolling resistance are done on drum rollers and don't reflect real world situations. Ride tubulars yourself and see what feels faster and more comfortable. I won't turn this into a tubulars vs clinchers debate, there are plenty of those. But there is nothing definitive from any type of test that is for sure.

I noticed a massive improvement in ride quality when I switched from high end clinchers to this wheelset with tubulars. My clinchers were very light (AC sprint350s with Ultremos and light tubes) but these shaved off almost a pound! Better riding and lots lighter for not much $$. Best upgrade so far.

get GP4000 tubulars if you like their clinchers, your weight is fine, and no problem riding them 100 miles a week.. the wheels aren't going to wear out

Not much point in training on your carbon tubular wheels though. I use some basic clincher wheels for training. They're heavier, so you work harder in training, and it always feels better when you switch to your nice wheels for racing. Gives you that little psychological lift!