Lightweight meilenstein 24E schwarz

[TurboTommy]

Posted this pic elsewhere already but I just took these wheels out for the first time today so thought I’d post my (limited) thoughts here. Sorry the pic isn’t giving the closer detail of the wheel. I’ll post up some more closeups later if anyone is interested.

Firstly the weight. Rear wheel is 660g. Front is 504g. So pretty much on the stated weight.

They do feel different to my other current carbon wheels (zipp 303’s and 404’s). But honestly I’ve had one relatively short ride and a lot of that might be the magic feeling of having something new. I would say the ride was incredibly smooth. More so than my ride yesterday on 303’s. But I also have corsa g on the lightweights rather than conti competition on the 303’s, so I can’t say what is the wheel and what is the tyre. All I can say difinitively is that I’m very happy with the combination of the two.

The wheel is stiff. I know it’s slmost a cliche to say this but again, compared to zipps which I know aren’t renowned for their stiffness, the meilenstein is very responsive when I was doing hill repeats and very nice cornering. I’m also very happy with the braking. In my opinion it’s better than with the cork pads and black princes I tend to use with the zipps.

I was very apprehensive mainly about two things with the lightweights. The first is comments I’ve read in various places about the wheels being slightly off true and thus creating a pulsing sensation when braking. Both my front and rear seem perfectly true. Does this mean I can assume I’ve dodged that bullet or have some of you guys found it happens over time?
The second thing of course is the way they handle in crosswinds. Today I discended at around 35-40mph with no problem. BUT... I guess it’s a matter of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’ in this regard. So I must admit I will find this hard to shake when going downhill, ecspecially in more exposed surroundings. But so far I’m really looking forward to putting more miles into these things.

[TonyM]

Yepp the Conti are very harsh compared to the Vittoria tires!

[kgt]

LWs do feel smooth in comparison to other wheelsets. And, yes, they come perfectly true. The opposite is an exception.
BTW Tour has tested LWs in relation to crosswinds. The force on Meilenstein was measured 4 Nm through crosswinds. Enve SES 4.5 was measured 6 Nm and Zipp 303 7 Nm.

[TurboTommy]

LWs do feel smooth in comparison to other wheelsets. And, yes, they come perfectly true. The opposite is an exception.
BTW Tour has tested LWs in relation to crosswinds. The force on Meilenstein was measured 4 Nm through crosswinds. Enve SES 4.5 was measured 6 Nm and Zipp 303 7 Nm.

Hi KGT

I saw that statistic posted somewhere else too, perhaps by you. But I’m not entirely sure what it relates to in the real world to be honest. From my understanding they become more snatchy than other wheelsets when the wind hits them from specific angles and I’ve seen this said again and again. But... I think this debate has been done a lot of times already! I am ready to make my own opinion on them now. They are incredible in lots of other ways and I’m really looking forward to putting some distance into them. These won’t be hanging above my fireplace even though they are a piece of art in my opinion.

[kgt]

Simulating the force applied by a crosswind on a wheel is something much, much easier than simulating the aero drag of a frame or a bike. So, if we are to believe Tour's aero tests we certainly have to believe this test too.

[sungod]

...I saw that statistic posted somewhere else too, perhaps by you. But I’m not entirely sure what it relates to in the real world to be honest. From my understanding they become more snatchy than other wheelsets when the wind hits them from specific angles and I’ve seen this said again and again. But... I think this debate has been done a lot of times already! I am ready to make my own opinion on them now. They are incredible in lots of other ways and I’m really looking forward to putting some distance into them. These won’t be hanging above my fireplace even though they are a piece of art in my opinion.

the narrow lw wheels can 'catch' at some yaw angles, i've ridden many years in high wind and got used to staying alert for it, but i a few months back i found the effect really goes away when the tyre matches the rim width

i just came back from a couple of weeks riding in unrelenting wind, always >30kph, often >40kph and gusting higher, plenty of fast twisty descents, with narrow tubs matching the rim width they handle pretty much like other deep rims with more rounded profile that i've ridden, i'm still surprised at how much better they handle

these are roads i've ridden a lot in windy conditions, i'm used to it, maybe others would still not be comfortable, i can only say how i feel on them, but now i kick myself for the years i had wide tyres on!

with the 24mm wide rim maybe things will be similar

[Beaver]

LWs do feel smooth in comparison to other wheelsets. And, yes, they come perfectly true. The opposite is an exception.
BTW Tour has tested LWs in relation to crosswinds. The force on Meilenstein was measured 4 Nm through crosswinds. Enve SES 4.5 was measured 6 Nm and Zipp 303 7 Nm.

The sharp V-shapes excel here, torodial rims are worst. Lightweight with V-shape and thick spokes is average - Zipp 808 have 11 Nm, Reynolds 58 Aero 1 Nm like 23mm high Ksyrium Pro.

[TurboTommy]

...I saw that statistic posted somewhere else too, perhaps by you. But I’m not entirely sure what it relates to in the real world to be honest. From my understanding they become more snatchy than other wheelsets when the wind hits them from specific angles and I’ve seen this said again and again. But... I think this debate has been done a lot of times already! I am ready to make my own opinion on them now. They are incredible in lots of other ways and I’m really looking forward to putting some distance into them. These won’t be hanging above my fireplace even though they are a piece of art in my opinion.

the narrow lw wheels can 'catch' at some yaw angles, i've ridden many years in high wind and got used to staying alert for it, but i a few months back i found the effect really goes away when the tyre matches the rim width

i just came back from a couple of weeks riding in unrelenting wind, always >30kph, often >40kph and gusting higher, plenty of fast twisty descents, with narrow tubs matching the rim width they handle pretty much like other deep rims with more rounded profile that i've ridden, i'm still surprised at how much better they handle

these are roads i've ridden a lot in windy conditions, i'm used to it, maybe others would still not be comfortable, i can only say how i feel on them, but now i kick myself for the years i had wide tyres on!

with the 24mm wide rim maybe things will be similar

I know what you mean. I’ve often ridden 404’s in windy conditions and you do get used to compensating for it and anticipating the wind. It’s obviously less fun when you’re descending at speed. I’ve had it once coming down an exposed cliff top road where the wind has whipped in off the sea and for a moment I thought I was in really bad trouble. I’m not embarrassed to say it shook me up a fair bit. I guess in circumstances like that any deep rim can behave like a kite. I think what I’m weary of is being caught out by it. But I figure the more I use the wheels the more of a feel I’ll get for them.

Sungod thanks for the tyre recommendations too. I’ll need to put some on my zipp wheels before I can make a half decent comparison. But man the ride on the lightweight/corsa g combo is unbelievable vs zipp/conti comps. Sometimes when you read things either from online review or internet comment, you have to take it with a pinch of salt. But the difference in ride quality is incredible. Like you and your narrower tubs. I wish I’d of switched to different tubs before now! Maybe I’ll keep the comps for winter and switch to something more plush when we get the nicer weather.

[sungod]

on my current lw wheels over the last three years i've ridden veloflex, corsa g+, dugast strada, and conti comp (which i tried to see if they were more durable in the wet, they weren't)

i find the first three are similar in ride feel, 'plush', the ride with the conti comps just lacks that feeling

[MomentumR5]

So... how much of an upgrade is the 24E clinchers over the narrower Meilenstens clinchers? Which one should one buy?

[Beaver]

17mm inside will improve tire performance and you won't have as much tire overlap as with the old model and save a few watts aerodynamically.

The differences are not huge though...

[MomentumR5]

17mm inside will improve tire performance and you won't have as much tire overlap as with the old model and save a few watts aerodynamically.

The differences are not huge though...

So Performance difference isn’t huge but is the weight penalty worth the performance difference?

[kgt]

IMHO no

[moyboy]

Depends how much 28mm tires mean to you as i recall the 24's were made to accommodate larger diameter tires.
The older versions topped out at 25mm.

So... how much of an upgrade is the 24E clinchers over the narrower Meilenstens clinchers? Which one should one buy?

[Beaver]

17mm inside will improve tire performance and you won't have as much tire overlap as with the old model and save a few watts aerodynamically.

The differences are not huge though...

So Performance difference isn’t huge but is the weight penalty worth the performance difference?

The differences between these wheels will be tiny in real life.

With 23mm tires you could reduce the pressure a bit on the new model and there will be a tiny comfort gain, better cornering and a lower rolling resistance. Noticable for sensible riders but others will say they feel nothing. For 25 or even 28mm tires you should consider wider rims for best performance. And for best aerodynamics you would have to run a 20mm tire up front. Everything wider will reduce the effect of the high rims a lot.

The 50g more weight in the rims will also have a minimal effect and I doubt anyone would notice.