Thinking of selling my Meilensteins due to practicality...

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mike001100
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Joined: Sun Dec 04, 2016 10:26 am

by mike001100

Hello,

I have been thinking about my bike stuff... and while I love my Lightweights, I am considering selling them for practicality's sake... but then again, when I think about it, what could go wrong that's "different" to any other wheelset:

- I hit a pothole and the rim breaks - it would probably break on the "other" wheelset as well. If only the rim is damaged, with the "other" wheelset, I could just replace the rim - but could I, practically speaking? I mean, if I run Boras, Zipps, Reynolds... they probably don't sell rims to end customers, and getting rims in "crash replacement" has never seemed much of a great deal to me (i.e. I can buy a whole wheelset at a discount of say 50% from street price, while the manufacturer will offer me a 25% discount off MSRP... doesn't quite add up).

- a spoke breaks - on a steel spoked wheelset, I replace the spoke, while the Meilensteins are toast to the extent of the whole wheel. So... I can have the wheel rebuilt on an "other" wheelset, which will be much cheaper than a whole wheel. But, do spokes "break" out of the blue, or is the associated damage so severe that the rim needs replacing as well?

- hubs are not easily serviceable (the front one apparently) but OK, it can be sent to LW and back...

All in all, since I got the Meilensteins at a stellar price... keep 'em or sell 'em? If I sell, I will buy another "traditionally" built wheelset... Ax Lightness, Schmolkes, Boras or such...

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Kayrehn
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by Kayrehn

Since you already have it why not enjoy it... No point having them on race bikes but if they are on your Sunday bike you should just enjoy them every ride till it meets its eventual demise or till something else catches your fancy. Selling them in anticipation that an incident will wreck them eventually should be a pre-purchase concern only.

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sungod
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by sungod

a lw spoke won't break "out of the blue", unless something hits the spokes they'll be fine - even if something hits, unless it gets trapped and then jams against frame/forks it may just bounce off, i think a damaged (but not completely severed) spoke can be repaired by lw

i've hit a few huge potholes at speed, the wheels (obermayer) were fine, hurt/shook me though!

carbon fibre is tough

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kgt
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by kgt

+1
Meilenstein is amongst the most durable wheelsets. Certainly the stiffest and most durable at its weight. As sungod says, the only dangerous hits are those perpendicular to the spokes. Broken tarmac, potholes etc. are not a issue.
I know there is a trend against LWs in our forum lately but this wheelset is a great performer and a piece of modern cycling history.

moyboy
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by moyboy

Enjoy the wheels, don't worry about what can happen. If so just be careful when you are out riding to minimize the chance.

dim
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by dim

not sure where you live, but here in the UK, I use Wiggle insurance for my bikes ... it covers all damages/crashes, legal aid and a whole lot more .... I use Wiggle Elite:

https://cycleinsurance.wiggle.co.uk/our-cycle-insurance
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AJS914
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by AJS914

If you can't afford to bust or simply use up a $6000 wheelset then sell them, otherwise enjoy them.

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TonyM
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by TonyM

I have some Meilenstein Schwarz Edition but since I bought my Bora 50 Ultra (and One) I don’t use them.
I was thinking about selling these but looking at the depreciation I was not sure if I should do it. And I remembered that I regretted to have sold a few years ago this magnificent Spynergy wheelset.
So no I will keep my Meilenstein and use them from time to time in the next 20 years and enjoy them.

KCookie
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by KCookie

I would keep them, as stated get insurance which would cover an accident resulting in any damage to the wheels in use or transit. I've just sold my Meilensteins only because I have another three pairs of Lightweights. They are fantastic wheels that deserve to be ridden. The money you would loose when you sell them is just not worth it. I sold mine for AU$3500 just for reference.

KCookie
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by KCookie

Forgot to say that most damage on the wheels could be fixed by Jure Berk. Stop worrying and go ride the hell out of them. 😀

RyanH
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by RyanH

I've been unlucky enough to have gone from the "what if" to the "mother f&#@ I did break them" stage. I may have been lucky but I replaced my front for $1k which is a hair over what a new enve rim costs. If you're replacing a used wheel with a used wheel, then replacement cost isn't horrible.

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havana
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by havana

I would sell them because of the old fashioned rim profile (V-shape, 15 c).
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1415chris
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by 1415chris

Shhh, if people find it out nobody will buy them anymore ;)

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pdlpsher1
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by pdlpsher1

havana wrote:
Sat May 12, 2018 5:19 am
I would sell them because of the old fashioned rim profile (V-shape, 15 c).
Interestingly the new Bontrager Aeolus wheels went back to the NACA aero shape, not too different from the new Bora WTO. They claimed they analyzed 10,000 different rim profiles.

https://www.bikeradar.com/us/road/news/ ... ces-52012/

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kgt
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by kgt

The 'old fashioned' argument is just a proof of the trend against LWs I was talking about...
Meilenstein's V profile (also available at 24mm) is necessary in order for the wheel to perform as it does. How can an 'old-fashioned' wheelset have the highest stiffness to weight ratio? In addition Tour have recently tested the 'old-fashioned' V profile Meilenstein in relation to sidewinds and it performed better than the U profile Enve.

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