Lightweight vs AX Lighness

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vanBMC24
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2018 8:15 am

by vanBMC24

Hi,
I want to get a pair of new tub wheels.
Can't decide between Lightweight Meilenstein or AX Lightness Ultra 25t?
Any opinions?

The AX wheels are 300g lighter but i think the Meilenstein will be stiffer and look better.

I'm 78-80kg heavy, an can push some watts.
I want to use these wheels regulary and not just for sunday rides.

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TurboTommy
Posts: 194
Joined: Sat Feb 20, 2016 12:32 pm

by TurboTommy

I had the same choice and went for meilensteins. I’m 78 kg. My logic was that the meilenstein would be stiffer and more able to take the less than perfect UK roads. I also have wanted a set of lightweights for a while. They get very mixed reviews to say the least. And it’s often argued they are outdated and overpriced. But I wanted to make my own opinion on it. So far I’m incredibly happy with them. They ride just beautifully and like you say, they have the bling factor. Basically they make me smile...

If I’d of got the ax lightness they may of just been used on bike trips so more limited use. I just wouldn’t of been as confident using them unless I was on very decent roads. Having said that if you do bust a spoke you can obv get them fixed. Bust a spoke on a meilestein... it’s gonna hurt a little more...The ax lightness are defo more of a climbers wheel than the meilenstein. No doubt they prob flex more but stiff enough. And better for descending when the wind picks up. Also like you say, a fair bit lighter. I guess writing this I know I went with my heart over my head to some degree. But I’m still happy with my choice.

Have you thought about other wheels? I’d really like to try bora ultras. Which aren’t too far off meilestein weight but much cheaper and much more serviceable. Admittedly they don’t have the same aura perhaps.

alcatraz
Posts: 4064
Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2016 11:19 am

by alcatraz

20mm wide rim in the rear is too narrow. The wheels won't be very fast.

That being said, get the 25t so that you can use the hubs with different rims later when you want to upgrade.

/a

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kgt
Posts: 8749
Joined: Sun Jun 18, 2006 10:29 am
Location: Athens, Greece

by kgt

LWs are much stiffer than AX 25 and stiffer than any AX. At your weight I would not consider AX at all. There are other, much better options.
Why not LW Gipfelsturm? Campagnolo Hyperon or Ultra 35?

vanBMC24
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2018 8:15 am

by vanBMC24

kgt wrote:
Tue Jul 31, 2018 8:04 pm
LWs are much stiffer than AX 25 and stiffer than any AX. At your weight I would not consider AX at all. There are other, much better options.
Why not LW Gipfelsturm? Campagnolo Hyperon or Ultra 35?
LW Gipfelsturm are also on my list.
Bora Ultra 35 are nice wheels and i like the looks of them. But I ride a BMC Teammachine with Shim Di2. Don't know how this will look with Boras.

Has anyone expirience with the Gipfelsturm in comparison with the Meilenstein?

sungod
Posts: 1702
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 9:37 pm

by sungod

kcookie has both

he likes the gipfelstrum :) https://weightweenies.starbike.com/foru ... ipfelsturm

btw i've got obermayers, compared to standard meilenstein they are lighter and more comfy, but still laterally very stiff, if you want light deeper section tubs, get obermayers

KCookie
Posts: 1963
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2015 9:40 am
Location: Pom living in Australia

by KCookie

Hands down I would say get the Gipfelsturms, for me the weight difference between these and my Obies is marginal. I only got the Gipfelsturms for windy days but they haven't come off since I bought them. To me they just feel faster, snappier. The Obies feel sluggish on acceleration, there's just something about the Gipfelsturms that make them special.
The Meilensteins I sold as they just never got used once I went tubular. Great wheels, just a hand full in windy conditions.
Just a shame I can't ride for a while, as im laid up in hospital.

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vanBMC24
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2018 8:15 am

by vanBMC24

Ok, so now i defenitly have three wheelsets in my mind and i will buy one of them:
Bora Ultra 35 - 1170g
Bontrager XXX 2 - 970g
LW Gipfelsturm - 1050g

If i get the Bora or Bontrager i could invest some money for ee brakes or a bontrager xxx bar/stem.
Has anyone expirience with the XXX 2?
The Gipfelsturm look just so nice but are really pricey and I don't know if it's worth the hassle to deal with the fragile carbon spokes etc.
The Boras are just bulletproof, but I'm not shure how they will look on my BMC

@KCookie, I'm sorry for you, hope you get back on the bike soon.

sungod
Posts: 1702
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 9:37 pm

by sungod

vanBMC24 wrote:
Fri Aug 03, 2018 7:53 am
/...The Gipfelsturm look just so nice but are really pricey and I don't know if it's worth the hassle to deal with the fragile carbon spokes etc.
the spokes aren't fragile, they are incredibly strong

but being carbon fibre, if damage did occur it is not as simple to fix as a steel spoke, if a spoke is damaged but not severed afaik lw can repair, but if one is completely broken it may need to go to a third-party repairer

KCookie
Posts: 1963
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Location: Pom living in Australia

by KCookie

I second what sungod said, the spokes are very strong. If one was to break Jure can usually fix them.
You could always look for second hand Gipfelsturms. Didn't RyanH have some for sale.
I've also got the older version, the Ventoux III, they come up for sale now and again.
My Gipfelsturms came in at 996g but they are the Schwartz edt.

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RyanH
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by RyanH

I do have a pair listed:

https://weightweenies.starbike.com/foru ... 8#p1404028

They're hands down my favorite wheels out of the nearly 20 carbon wheelsets I've owned. I'm only selling because I'm fairly certain that I'm staying with disc.

They're extravagant wheels in a lot of respects but they're a treat to ride. Bora 35s are one of the best all around wheels, if not the best but it just depends on what you want, a special wheelset or a solid daily performer? For me, I used both. I used the Gipfelsturms for hard group rides or steep climbing days and the Boras were my daily wheels (or Nemesis), sketchy rides/races and crap roads wheels.

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themidge
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Location: underneath sweet Scottish rain

by themidge

vanBMC24 wrote:
Tue Jul 31, 2018 8:20 am
The AX wheels are 300g lighter but i think the Meilenstein will be stiffer
I'm 78-80kg heavy, an can push some watts.
Any wheel that light isn't going to be super stiff, probably built more for weedy climbers like me than heavier, more powerful riders like yourself. Lightweight wheels are known for being very stiff, and they're still really light, so I say go for them.
RyanH wrote:I'm only selling because I'm fairly certain that I'm staying with disc.
I hope this doesn't spell the end for the Litespeed :( .

RyanH
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by RyanH

If the Ax wheels are similar to my Tune Skylines then they are surprisingly stiff. It comes at the cost of being brittle though so in my case, that meant a water bottle could destroy the wheels.

@themidge
In its current glory, yes, this is most likely the end. I'm on the fence if I'll keep it as a backup bike or the Classic.

Geoff
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Location: Canada

by Geoff

Hmm, nice choice to have! I do not have the AX, but I do have LWs. The one thing I will say is that the LWs are really stiff. I have a haed time believing that any light wheelset can be as stiff as a set of LW 20s. I am not big (59kg), but I can generate 1,200 watts in a sprint. Those LWs are really good. If stiffness is a priority, you will not be dissapointed.

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

by NiFTY

I have a set of meilenstein clinchers and ax 25T. I weigh 72kg. I would say I can push watts but you are actually all talking about torque, because that is what flexes wheel not power.

I find both wheels very stiff. The ax I actually thought they would flex and rub but I have never been able to do that, even in an uphill sprint up a steep hill. They brake very well, better than my meilensteins.

I have broken a rear meilenstein and it was unable to be repaired, berk tried. I bought a new one.

The ax tend to live on my bike. I have switched back to the meilenstein but i need to redo my brake alignment so it is a pain. I will say that the lack of inertia in the ax makes then much less stable on flat ground then the meilensteins. It takes a while to get used to the lack of weight. Both are great wheels.
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