Best lightweight wheelset no matter money

[hannawald]

What would be your best universal wheelset when money is no restriction?
Is it Lightweights? I have heard they are harsch and Obermayers are narrow at 20mm so not very aero..
Mavic Cosmic Ultimate? People say they don't roll very well..
Reynolds RZR? Narrow and I have read not very stiff..
Boras? Good braking, stiff but at the edge of what you would call light..
Custom wheelset? Carbon Ti hubs are praised but what rims? Schmolke is light but then you read that some heavier Zipps or Enves rolls better..
What is your dream wheelset?

[alcatraz]

Bontrager xxx 60 clinchers run tubeless with schwalbe pro1 or gp5000tl?

[Marin]

Best for what

[kgt]

For me the best "money is no object" lightweight wheelset is the one I ride since 2012: LW Gipfelsturm (Ventoux III). Rather light (1060gr), 'comfortable', very good hubs, no problem with crosswinds, by far the stiffest at its weight, by far the sexiest low profile carbon wheelset. Its narrow profile was never a problem for me (23mm front, 25mm rear).

BTW LWs are not harsh. On the contrary.

[hannawald]

Kgt: How is the braking on 2012 Lightweight models? I sometimes look at their older refurbished wheels:)

[Imaking20]

A custom FSE build from Fairwheel Bikes. I've got a set of 35s (which measure 26mm wide) built to Carbon Ti hubs that came in at 1091g. I spent less on these than I've spent on used Lightweights and the braking performance is light years better. With money being no object and if you want even lighter - have them lace the rims up to Extralite hubs. If you want an even shallower wheel, the 25mm rims can build up to ~900g with one of these hub combinations


Edit: the support that comes with this approach is also fantastic. I hit a sharp rock on an asphalt descent that damaged the top of the brake track on my front wheel. Emailed FWB about it and they were awesome in getting me fixed up again.

[kgt]

Kgt: How is the braking on 2012 Lightweight models? I sometimes look at their older refurbished wheels:)

It is very good with their LW pads. Someone said that it is even better with Campagnolo pads. I don't know, I have not test them.

[RyanH]

I've owned: Mavic CCU, Mavic Cosmic Ultimates (2017), Lightweight Ventoux and Gipfelsturm, Reynolds RZRs (2016), Enve 3.4 to Wheels Mfg (custom), Enve 2.2 to Dt 240, Bora 35 and 50 and a bunch of others...

What I've learned is that there's no single wheel that's the best at everything. If I had to only choose one, it'd be the Bora 35s paired with Arenbergs (yes, money no object, above anything else available). However, if you don't have to choose just one, it's a more realistic question of whihh is best for which purposes?

If I want a feisty ride, I grab the Ventoux with Veloflex Extreme (22mm). Dick around in grimey conditions in dirt or pothole ridden terrain and ride without a single f*&k given? Ambrosio Nemesis with Veloflex Vlaanderen. Not sure what terrain I'll be covering but I know I'll be riding hard: Bora 35s paired with Arenbergs and pressure set on the high side for hard days or low for solo rides.

Notice how I mention tire pairings with the above. That's because an equal if not greater influence of which wheel I grab is due to tires. 25mm tires on the Ventoux lost a lot of the "specialness" of LW. 22mm is aggressive but highlights the uniqueness of the ride characteristics but it's not well suited for crap roads. With that being said, if I want to get a KOM I almost always grab the LW.

At the moment, I'm contemplating adding Bora 50s back into the mix. They'd get 25mm tires and the 35s would get the 27mm tires but then I'd probably not ride the Nemesis anymore.

[KCookie]

Since owning the Extralite Ultra 25s I'd say they are my best all round wheel. I did agree with kgt and Ryanh about the Ventoux they are a superb wheel and awesome for climbing, then once I'd ridden the Ultras there was no going back. Even on windy days the Ventoux would catch and get a slight wobble, Not so with the Ultras they are amazing. My Gipfelsturms Schwartz etd and Obermayers don't come anyway close and they were double the price. $15k worth of wheels now gathering dust.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

[hannawald]

Ryan: amazing collection of wheels!
Currently running Bora One 35, they are great, i like how they climb, brake and hubs spin very well. They have terrible sound while braking (ac3), but i can live with that. Sometimes thinking how would some Gipfelsturms/Meilensteins compare being even lighter and supposed to be very stiff..or Cosmic Ultimates with similar construction but cheaper and more aero..or some Schmolke or AX Lightness in 45mm profile..in this depth they should be lighter, more aero and stiff as well..another idea may be Enve 4.5 rims laced to carbon ti hubs. I know it is a deeper profile, but those rims are around 360g front and 400 rear, so complete wheelset under 1200g, stiff, aero..simply said something even lighter or same weight and deeper..
Amazing to read about your experience from all of you. Lightweights seems very polarising, Cosmic Ultimates and Reynolds RZR seems to lack something, Bora is very high in ranking although on paper it doesn't excell in any specific parameter, probably well ballanced..
I may try Arenbergs next time. Currently on Corsas because of their measured rolling resistance..

[Wookski]

Since owning the Extralite Ultra 25s I'd say they are my best all round wheel. I did agree with kgt and Ryanh about the Ventoux they are a superb wheel and awesome for climbing, then once I'd ridden the Ultras there was no going back. Even on windy days the Ventoux would catch and get a slight wobble, Not so with the Ultras they are amazing. My Gipfelsturms Schwartz etd and Obermayers don't come anyway close and they were double the price. $15k worth of wheels now gathering dust.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

I have to admit the ultra 25’s are wonderful but there’s something magical about running obermeyers shod with Veloflex on a steel bike. Gets me every time!

[Imaking20]

Enve 4.5 does not handle wind particularly well. Nor brake particularly well. Having owned 2 different generations of them.

Bora 35s are a wheel that's just "good" at pretty much everything - also great at nothing.

[calleking]

I have the Enve SES 4.5 and they handle cross winds exceptionally well. Your weight and how that weight is distributed on the bike (for/aft) makes a big difference in how much of an impact cross winds have. I race so my position is quite aggressive and I'm not the lightest around at 73kg.

Braking is excellent and the only drawback in terms of braking performance compared to my other bike with hydraulic disc brakes is the split second it takes to clear water from the brake track in heavy rain. That's my experience after racing them for two seasons with some training camps in Spain.

[kgt]

I agree that Bora ultra 50 is the most balanced, do-it-all wheelset in the market but it weights 1215-1220gr, almost 200gr more than Gipfelsturm.

[LionelB]

As Ryan said, if money is no object, one wheelset won't do.