Lightweight Fernweg, Reynolds RZR92 or Bora Ultra 80

[maverick_1]

So, I'm in the market for a high profile wheelset. The ability to mix and match with the wheelsets that I currently owned is very much sought for. I do intend to use the new wheelset on the TT bike as well.
My fleets include 3 road bikes and a TT bike (TIME VXRS Ulteam, C50, Master, and Cannondale Slice TT)

Current wheelsets are LW Std Gen3 Tu, Hyperon Ultra Two (clincher), LW Ventoux Gen3 Tu, 'soon to arrive' Reynolds RZR46 Team, Eurus Carbon and 2pairs of 32spoke classic wheels. The Zipp 808 Tu is on my TT bike which at the moment is Shimano equipped.

Have previously owned both the Enve Composites 65mm as well as the 45m tubulars (both with DT240hubs), Shamal Ultra Tubeless, Bora Ultra as well as the Reynolds RZR46 regular (which i find it to be a tad soft under acceleration)

I'm a lightweight, at 58kg. I'm more of a weekend warrior, since I'm just too busy and tired after working from Mon to Fri here in Tokyo. Checking on the forum, I can't find much of an info for direct comparison between the mentioned wheelsets. The Bora Ultra 80 is especially scarce.

Reynolds RZR92, 1470gr in 92mm profile
Lightweight Fernweg, 1355gr in 81mm profile
Campagnolo Bora 80, 1540 in 80mm profile

Here's from my experiences gathered so far with the brands above. Lightweight and Reynolds both has great customer service. In recent months Reynolds is getting my praised for their excellent service. Campagnolo makes great, bullet proof wheelsets though their wheels are a tad porky, however excellent bearings compensates for that.

Can anyone with some knowledge on the above wheelset chime in and perhaps share additional thoughts or comments?

Ride safe and have a great weekend!

[notsoswift]

+1 for Reynolds service, but I can't add anything else, Campy Shamal Ultra Tubular and Reynolds 46 are my only reference points - but then I doubt anyone has a direct comparison

[borja]

Hi there,

I would go Ferwegs. Light, extremely stiff and best looking.
LWs are always the best in terms of weight, stifness and acceleration. Simply because the spokes are laminated and they have much larger bonding areas compared to normal spoked wheels.
I'm a dealer and had a chance to try many wheelsets and LWs are the best. However, I never tried Reynolds.
LW also has a good customer support and wheels can always be repaired (until you break a spoke). They can also renew the braking surface if worn out.

[maverick_1]

@notsoswift
thanks for the comment on Reynolds. Yes gotta agree their service is up there with Lightweight.

@borja
Yes, the Lightweight is technically a stiffer wheel due to the construction methods.
Though one thing that the RZR92 has over Lightweight is the replaceable spokes, and perhaps a tad
more aero than Fernwegs (81mm vs 92mm)

[Geoff]

Don't forget the Hed Stinger 9's...

[maverick_1]

Thanks for the suggestion Geoff, but i would prefer to stick to only the mentioned wheelsets.

[Snicks]

I have to admit, I haven't ridden (/treated myself) on the lightweights, but I rode the Reynolds wheels for 20km or so and they felt fast!

References:
Zipp808 Tubs
Mavic Cosmic Ultimates

[maverick_1]

@Snicks,

Which Reynolds did you rode? the RZR92?
And how would you compare the Reynolds with, say the 808 tubulars?

[Snicks]

Yep, the 92s

I have the older, not-super-chubby zipps and they are kept on my time trial bike exclusively. This makes comparison a little harder as even though the 92s are more tt-specific I had only gotten the chance to ride them on my roadie when our rep brought them in for us to have a 'look' at.

I do think they spin up faster than the zipps, and that is probably due to the better weight (note: same tyres between zipps and RZR92). For time trial specific applications I'm reticent to say they are faster than the zipps only because I haven't tried them on the TT bike. However if you believe the claims made by the tech guys over at Reynolds they are '41 seconds faster over 25miles than 808'

[maverick_1]

@Snicks,

Thanks for the feedback. Btw mind sharing how much do you weight? While testing, do you notice any rubbing between the brake pads with the wheelset during hard acceleration?
I guess we definitely can't have the best of everything, stiffness, depth, lightweight and aero..there will be compromises.
1470gr vs 1355gr for the Fernwegs, with the RZR having a slightly deeper profile..hmm.

[Snicks]

Around 65kg + I'm no sprinter or man for hard accelerations in the hills. Classically I believe deeper = stiffer so that might alleviate your problems that you've had with the RZR46 before, but I haven't really put the wheels through for example a reasonable climb or a proper sprinting acceleration, only a few smaller accelerations.

Isn't it nice to have to much choice?