Third Time's a Charm: Litespeed T3

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jooo
Posts: 1510
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2011 3:48 am

by jooo

Might sound like a weird question, but did the cap on the bottle blow off?

by Weenie


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RyanH
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by RyanH

That is indeed an unusual question, no.

I suppose this is another reason I primarily ride tubs. I'm pretty sure hitting the pavement would have been more likely with clinchers. Both tubs are still holding air.

jooo
Posts: 1510
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2011 3:48 am

by jooo

Well if the cap doesn't blow off it's pretty much the same as riding over any other solid object then right? Not exactly pleasant on any road bike.

Seems weak but not exactly unreasonable.

bikebreak wrote:Something to be said for 380g rims over 200g.


Seems best to take it on the chin metaphorically and be glad it wasn't the other option :shock:

NiFTY
Posts: 1493
Joined: Sat May 26, 2012 11:26 pm

by NiFTY

I ran my ax lightness ultra 25t into a massive pothole midcorner and nothing. Definately more traumatic than a waterbottle. Hopeless from tune.
Evo 4.9kg SL3 6.64kg Slice RS 8.89kg viewtopic.php?f=10&t=110579" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

tonytourist
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Location: 90039

by tonytourist

I run Schmolke TLO clinchers (heavier than your wheels but still what most would consider fragile) and I plowed into a pothole at night hard enough that it nearly ejected a bottle from my Arundel Mandibles and my light flew out of its mount, still solid. Sucks that Tune wouldn't take care of this, Ryan! :| :x

Kumppa
Posts: 488
Joined: Mon Oct 13, 2014 10:05 am

by Kumppa

jooo wrote:Well if the cap doesn't blow off it's pretty much the same as riding over any other solid object then right? Not exactly pleasant on any road bike.

Thats true if the cap doesn't blow off and it was totally full bottle. It could be like riding over a brick. But the bottle have to bend a lot so that you can ride over it and broke both rims without falling.

RyanH
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by RyanH

I was tired when I responded to jooo. For some reason I thought he was talking about my bottles. I don't know what happened to the bottle that caused the damage to the rim.

kode54
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by kode54

ryan,

sorry to hear about both wheels. i'm more surprised that you didn't crash, thank goodness. i hit a small rock that was hiding under leaves last fall...i flew over the handlebars but nothing happened to my wheels. i sliced my tires (both) but rims were still good and true. amazing how different debris in the road can cause different crashes and damage. glad you're okay...and your bike frame didn't suffer any damage.
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syplam
Posts: 90
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2017 7:30 am

by syplam

Hi Ryan im sorry to hear about your crash.

I have a question for you about your choice of seat post for the 31.6mm seat post. What are your opinions on other American brands such as enve/zipp? I am considering what to get and i have no idea where to start.
Is the mcfk a purely weightweenie decision or a well balanced seat post in terms of weight and ride quality?

RyanH
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by RyanH

@syplam I have not used an "American" brand in quite awhile (keep in mind none of those are made in America). What I can say is that the Mcfk post is very well thought out. The carbon cradle for example supports the rails all the way across rather than provide only 1mm of surface area like most do. It's also variable thickness which limits its insertion range but compared to my New Ultimate post which is not variable yet was lighter, I'm thinking that the Mcfk is more robust. 31.6 seems to have a lot less flex than 27.2 so if comfort is your goal, then 27.2 from my experience will actually sway while I don't believe I've seen the 31.6 posts budge.

The new version is roughly the same weight but I believe comes in at under $250, which IMO is a very good deal considering it's cheaper than the Enve, much lighter and I'm a fan of traditional two bolt rail systems.

RyanH
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by RyanH

I finally got around to gluing up the Bora 50s. I was shocked by the actual weight. That's a mere 48g penalty over the 35s.

Image

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KarlC
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by KarlC

Ryan, how would you compare the ride quality of the Bora 50s to the Zipp 404 and some of the other wheels you have had ?

I ask because when comparing my Zipp 404 Firecrest Tubulars to my Reynolds Aero 58 / 72 Tubulars I like the Reynolds better in every way except for the ride quality. The Reynolds ride is harsher, I have has to lower my air pressure 5 -10 PSI to get the same smooth ride as I had with the Zipps.
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RyanH
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by RyanH

I'll have to report back later since I just glued them up yesterday. While I didn't have the aero 58s, I found my FortySix's much harsher than the 404s. It won't be a truly fair comparison since the Boras are on 25mm rubber. I can say that the cornering feel of the Bora 35s is superior to every other wheel I've had due to the wider rim bed that mates perfectly to the Veloflex Roubaix. I suspect the 50s will be similar since the increase in depth is more or less a carbon faring. It's super thin in most places which is probably why the weight is so close to the 35s.

RyanH
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by RyanH

I ordered a set of Ambrosio Nemesis to handle dirt riding duty but the seller ended up cancelling since there was an issue with them. I've been wanting to try the Vlaanderens for awhile so I decided to glue them up to the Bora 50s.

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Acid brushes and a can of Mastik:

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Apply a light coat and then wait for 10-15 minutes for it to become tacky before mounting:

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Don't be afraid to pull the tire up on spots to reseat it and get it straight. After all is done:

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My initial riding impression of the Vlaanderens is that they do not gain any suppleness over the Roubaix, which probably means they are less supple than the Roubaix given I'm running them at 60/70 vs 70/80. Riding over bigger "crap" they seem to do with aplomb and I can get away with faster speeds cornering over broken surfaces. So, based on my brief ride I'd say get them if you have a use case for the extra width (e.g. dirt riding or cobbles) but for general road riding my recommendation would be the Roubaix.

Regarding the Bora 50s vs 35s:
I find them to be a hair stiffer laterally and I think vertically. It's just a very very slight difference. That's probably due to the 50s making use of a faring to get the extra depth so it's not structural like most other wheels. I'm preferential to the 35s but the 50s handle very well in cross winds, much better than the 404s (that's an understatement). I rode in a roughly 10mph cross wind the entire way home last week and didn't notice it once. I'm not sure how the other new generation wider rims corner, but these are night and day better than the older narrower Reynolds. I keep matching descending PRs without feeling like I'm trying. Brake track is much better IMO than Zipp and Reynolds. With the red pads they brake very very well and have no pulse. Overall though, I like the 50s and they'd be my recommendation over other offerings in a similar depth.

RMcC
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Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 10:25 am
Location: Scotland

by RMcC

What do you do to prepare the rim? Your way of glueing tubulars seems pretty simple and something I'd consider doing if it is that simple.

by Weenie


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