Weight Weenies

Looking at 3 alternatives for ultimate light climbing but sturdy, comfortable long distance tubular road wheel set:

1) Custom: Tune, Alchemy. Extralite, Dash Cycles or Chris King hubs with ENVE 1.25, Reynolds 32, or Zipp 202 carbon rims
$3096 using Enve 1.25 and DT 180 hubs; Weight 888 grams!
2) Campy Hyperon Ultra 2 Carbon Tubular Wheelset
$3800 1231 grams
3) Lightweight Gipfelsturm Wheelset
$4995 Weight 999 grams

Obviously different price points but any one have experiences to compare or advice to give?

Most owners rave about the Hyperons, and they would be my go to. The finest, smoothest bearings, and a weight that might just cope with real world road conditions;KOM in this year's TdF used 'em, and there's no one like Campy.

The others are lighter, but would you trust them?

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I would so go for the customs with Dash hubs and Enve rims if I could afford them!

Reynolds RZR

Where did you get 999 grams for the Lightweight Gipfelsturm Wheelset? http://lightweight.info/us/en/gipfelsturm lists front wheel as 450 g and rear wheel as 575 g, which totals 1025 g, although this may well be a conservative weight which should not be exceeded, and it may be the case that some wheelsets come in as low as 999 grams, or even lower. Have you actually weighed a set you're considering for purchase at a store?

Have you now sworn off carbon clinchers when descending Page Mill viewtopic.php?f=3&t=75801&p=713529#p713529 ?

Hyperon's or mavic cosmic carbone ultimates if your buying thanks?

1) Weight for Lightweights: 450 + 575=1025 grams
FRONT WHEELREAR WHEEL
GIPFELSTURM

WEIGHT FW450 gr
WEIGHT BW575 gr
RIM DEPTH27 mm
RIM WIDTH19,5 mm
NO. OF SPOKES (FW/BW)20/24
TYRE WIDTH19-27 mm
MAX. SYSTEM WEIGHT110 kg

2) Carbon Clincher Wheels not on my wish list:
Strongly discouraged for Levi Leiheimer's Gran Fondo
http://levisgranfondo.desk.com/customer ... her-wheels
Please leave them at home.
Carbon clincher wheels are strongly discouraged because they can fail/explode under the extreme braking necessary on sections of this route. Each year, we have riders experience failure of carbon clincher-type wheels. The extreme braking necessary on some of the descents along this route heat up the rim beyond their failure point and they explode. Don't be one of those people.
Here's one account: http://themanleyreport.blogspot.com/200 ... ilure.html
And some tech for your reading enjoyment: http://roadbikeaction.com/Tech-and-New- ... chers.html

I've had LW's I and II and they were great wheels. Would still have the II's but the bike got nicked. I also have the Mavic Ulti's as well, but haven't ridden them much. My faves are my Edge (now Enve) 25's on Tune hubs / DT Aerolites (I think) built for me by Legs11. Mine came in around 900g's. No problems with cross winds either that you get with deep section rims.

Not ridden Hyperon's.

Depending on your weight the Reynolds RZR 46 is in the 960g range and costs $4500. I rise the RZR 92 and it is like nothing else I've ever ridden. easily my favorite wheel and at only 1478g for superior aerodynamics I ride them for everything.

Enve with DT-Swiss hubs would be great. Extra point is that you can switch the free hub body between Campy and Shimano (or Sram) without needing to redish the rear wheel.

Hyperon is a good choice, they are a little heavy but there is just something about campy hubs---they roll very nice.

No experience in the new LW, i only had the Ventoux, obeymeyer and Standard. They look sexy as hell, but break like glass.

For custom built, I'm a big fan of Fairwheel Bikes. Since you are in California, sending the wheels back to them (for service in the future) will cost you less than 40 dollars by USPS (non priority mail). They after-sale service is TOP NOTCH and they know what to do to EARN your business. I had a set of wheels with Tune hubs that I sent back for service (rear hub) and inspection, they even picked up the shipping cost for return shipping!

Guess it depends on what my needs are on a particular day.

I would love to take my Zipp 303 FC tubies and put some higher end hubs on it, same Sapim spokes. So weight would still be under 1200 gms, aero, but get some more stiffness out of the hub/axle.

If I just want stiff, I would just go buy some Mavic Cosmic Carbone Ultimates...overall, great wheel.

So many ways to build a great wheel though, hard to answer this one.

Mad Fibers for fun days.
Maybe some ENVEs for every day.

Enve rims and Dura Ace or Campag hubs. I think saving weight at your hubs at the expense of smooth loose ball bearings is a bit silly...

There's a pair of Enve 1.25s built with Dash hubs at the shop that has my name on them. Sub 900-grams at less than $3K!

If money was no object (and I could afford to replace a broken wheel without flinching), I would go for LW Obermayers.

For everyday riding, I'm seriously considering ENVE Smart 3.4s with Tune hubs.

I got a pair of sub kilo extralite enve 1.45s
And just got a set of alchelmy enve 6.7s
Pretty ace wheel selection.

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