Weight Weenies

Posted: **Tue Jun 11, 2024 9:58 am**

Hello WW,
About two years ago, I built new rimbrake wheelset using Tune hubs and Far Sports tubular rims. The rims are super light at 240g per rim, but they are too flexy and during braking I can feel vibrations from rims. From time to time I ride them, but I'm still thinking about replacing rims with some heavier, but more robust option. I was advised to buy Light Bicycle rims, which I would like to try.
I've been riding tubulars for last 25 years, so my first idea was buying Falcon R25T tubular rims which are cca 330g each according to manufacturer. But after reading all the articles about rolling resistance, I'm starting to think about buying heavier Falcon R25 tubeless rims. According to manufacturer, they should be cca 380g per rim.

So my question is: would you rather buy lighter 330g tubular rims or slightly heavier 380g tubeless rims? Is the weight penalty of tubeless rims worth few extra watts gained in rolling resistance? What would You choose?

Thank You
Martin

Posted: **Tue Jun 11, 2024 9:58 am**

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Posted: **Tue Jun 11, 2024 11:04 am**

This thought has crossed my mind a few times recently. I run 25mm tubs on my rim brake bike and have wider 28mm tubless on my other disk bike, which add significantly to the comfort, if not so much to RR.

I have been thinking how it would work if I moved to 28mm tubless for the rim brake bike too but have reservations in terms of added rim width to accommodate the 28mm tyres and also the additional heat caused by rim brakes.

Tubless is great with disk brakes but not so sure it works with rim brakes in quite the same way due to heat from brakes and added width of the rim. I haven't found the RR difference claimed by the industry to be that great in practice.

My takeaway is that I could try 28mm wide tubs to get much the same results.

Posted: **Tue Jun 11, 2024 11:21 am**

I have both oskool tubby wheels and tubeless wheels. Just love the tubular wheels Bora One 35 DB tubular as they are stiffer and the ride is livier. My other tubeless wheels were WTO Ultra 60 C19 and now AR45/565. They are better suited to touring as the momentum is better maintained.

I wonder if the ride of Hyperon Ultra tubeless would be as lively as the Bora One tub...

Posted: **Tue Jun 11, 2024 4:40 pm**

Martin1977 wrote: ↑
Tue Jun 11, 2024 9:58 am
Hello WW,
About two years ago, I built new rimbrake wheelset using Tune hubs and Far Sports tubular rims. The rims are super light at 240g per rim, but they are too flexy and during braking I can feel vibrations from rims. From time to time I ride them, but I'm still thinking about replacing rims with some heavier, but more robust option. I was advised to buy Light Bicycle rims, which I would like to try.
I've been riding tubulars for last 25 years, so my first idea was buying Falcon R25T tubular rims which are cca 330g each according to manufacturer. But after reading all the articles about rolling resistance, I'm starting to think about buying heavier Falcon R25 tubeless rims. According to manufacturer, they should be cca 380g per rim.

So my question is: would you rather buy lighter 330g tubular rims or slightly heavier 380g tubeless rims? Is the weight penalty of tubeless rims worth few extra watts gained in rolling resistance? What would You choose?

Thank You
Martin

(Disclaimer: I'm positively biased in favor of tubular tires.)
I built 6 or 7 wheel sets with Farsports rims. The last sets all had defects and delaminated, so I steered away from them and now I built two sets with LB (R45T mm ) and am very pleased with them.
I now ride mostly with 28 mm tubular tires and couldn't be happier about the super smooth ride, and performance.
Really depends what you want to get. I personally wouldn't want rims shallower than 35 mm except if I was doing hill climbing events.
If you are used to tubular tires I would go for tubular rims then.
To get the best of all worlds (except price

)I would go with RAR tubular rims, wide at 28 mm, slightly aero at 40 mm, and light at 350 g:
https://www.roues-rar.fr/fr/1077-even-4 ... e-nue.html
That said, I would ask LB for a Fly build on tubular rims. They can do just about anything.
Oh ! I plan to build a LB clincher wheel set soon, just to see what it's like

...

Louis

Posted: **Tue Jun 11, 2024 6:27 pm**

Double check the rim weights as the LB site has inconsistent information. The main page for the R25 shows 405g +-15g, then the 'Customize and Buy' screen shows 385g, but this goes back up to 405g once you've chosen your brake track surface (I'd choose Grooved Graphene to help water dispersal from rim). When I bought LB AR36 rim brake rims, the weight shown once I'd chosen the rim brake surface turned out to be correct.

tldr: the R25 clinchers might be slightly heavier than you think.

Also, if you go clincher/tubeless, do you have brake caliper/frame/fork clearance to go to 28mm wide rims? They'll be heavier still, but with aero and potential comfort/grip benefits.

Posted: **Tue Jun 18, 2024 8:51 pm**

Thank You for reply.
I think I'll stick with tubulars

I don't live in that hilly area so most of the time I ride my ZIPP 808 FC and I love theese wheels. But I like to have one more wheelset for some hilly events. And that is time for this wheelset.
Maybe I'll build one more wheelset with tubeless rims in the future

Posted: **Tue Jun 18, 2024 8:51 pm**

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