Cheap Carbon Tubby's vs Expensive Carbon Tubbies

[Naas V]

 

 

I bought a pair 50cm Carbon  tubbies end of last year for R7k. Raced with them 9 times, won 2 races, DNF once, above ave to good results for the rest(Vets league, Western Cape)

 

Two of the above races were over gravel sections covering about 4 k's in total - no punctures there

 

Can someone explain to me why  alot of these type of wheels should cost in excess of 15k, some even over 30k and how that amount of cash outlay would improve my results, let alone justify it?

 

I'm not into yuppie-k@k, or brandnames, or worried about my image but if I were, then I still don't see the point especially so with not a lot of difference in weights and rolling resistance, stability, stiffness and all the other **** the distributors claim.

 

Your views guys.

 

Note: I've edited the post to not include brand names - my question really is: Is expensive better than cheaper and why?

 

Thanks

 

Naas.

 

 

Naas V2008-04-22 08:24:55

[AndreZA]

Becasue they have to make up the money they lost when supplying 30 teams of the best stuff out there. Why is Vodacom's tariffs so high? Because they have to pay for 3 Super 14 teams.

 

 

[fandacious]

Its not about the bike

[bob_the_builder]

Oh. Wheels. Oh. I thought he paid 7grand for a set of tubbies. But he meant wheels. Oh.

[fandacious]

Oh. Wheels. Oh. I thought he paid 7grand for a set of tubbies. But he meant wheels. Oh.

And he reckons 7k for tyres is cheap?!!

[Mackem]

If I were spending R7k on a  carbon wheelset, I would rather look at a second hand pair of reputable wheels. At least you are certain of a certain level of backup and service........

 

Plus you are getting the assuarance that in-depth R&D has been undertaken by these firms that produce them.

Mackem2008-04-22 08:35:07

[bob_the_builder]

 

Oh. Wheels. Oh. I thought he paid 7grand for a set of tubbies. But he meant wheels. Oh.

And he reckons 7k for tyres is cheap?!!

 

Exactly. That's what threw me.

 

[Edition 507]

Naas, its about two things, either you are a very good bike rider or you are a very poor bike rider, or both. <?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

So if you are a good bike rider like you obviously are, you could probably win races on any old crap.

 

On the second point I can't say how poor you are, but rich riders will rather spend R30k on a set of wheels because they can and it makes them look good, look faster and feel faster, if nothing else.

 

So to answer your question, if you are a rich cyclist then expensive is definitely better than cheap, but if you are a poor cyclist then cheap is definitely better than expensive. If you are a good cyclist then it does not really matter what you ride.

 

 

[whitesox]

Light, Stiff, Cheap.

 

Choose two.

[Christie]

I'm wondering if it is not like comparing a VW Jetta & a BMW 3 series with te same size engine. The difference in performance speed & power wise not so big, but there would be a difference in the ride that the driver can feel. For the same spec level, the BMW is more expensive than the Jetta, but still people buy the BMW. Why? Some for the difference in how it feels on the road, some for status, some simply because they like anything with a BMW badge.

[GIRR]

Are there any other Hubbers who've been able to try different carbon deep section wheels and can also comment?  I'm not so sure it makes such a big difference but have never ridden deep sections either.

[101SCC]

Price vs Performance like anything relates to numerous factors. a 7K set of Wheels vs a R33K set of Lightweights could come from numerous things ie how the carbon/resin is laid, r&d in the rim design, spokes hubs and bearings. Campagnolo spend a fortune on design an R&D for their Bora's past on to Fulcrum for their Racing Speed's much like Zipp passing on the non dimpled rim to competitors as they return on their investment. The 'cheaper' (R7K is still not cheap) wheels tend to come from the factories in the east that use old moulds from component companies that have allowed the factory to market their expired design as a new brand. Nothing wrong with the cheaper wheelset, just not as advanced as the newer branded version. Lightweights, you'll never understand until you've ridden them. R33K to steep for my pocket, but if I had the cash, you'd have to cut them outta my hands!