Road bike wheelsets

[Warren Foyn]

Morning Eon,

 

No, all our wheels use Sapim spokes, so freely available either from us or from most bike shops.

[Danie Taljaard]

Hi Wez O. I have a set of 60mm Darkhorse Carbons, also experience the flex issue with mine, im not light either and come in at 87kg's.

[Cylon]

Riding Token C50 clinchers with ceramic bearings at the moment and I'm super impressed. They're very stiff, roll well and I haven't experienced any flex issues at >80kgs. Not sure that I could ever justify spending double the amount on Zipps or another high-end brand and I doubt most people would be able to tell the difference. 

[NordicElf]

Why not have a look at the TOKEN C22A's. Extremely light alloy wheels, just under 1 300g per set. Standard with TBT Ceramic bearings. I honestly don't know of a better wheel for under R 10k. Have a look at the specs and give me a shout if you have any questions.

 

We also stock loose TBT Ceramic bearings for a number of different brands. For those considering upgrading their current bearings to ceramic it may be worth checking if we have your required bearings in stock. We know which bearings most of the popular wheels take, so just let us know the wheel, not necessarily the bearing size.

 

 

I've been checking out your wheels, online... what is the difference between the 22A and 28A - in terms of ride, not that the rim heights and weight are different. I'm trying to learn more about wheels.

 

And assuming that I could fit ceramic bearings to my existing wheels - what difference will I notice?

And on average/thumb suck, what would be the cost?

[Warren Foyn]

I've been checking out your wheels, online... what is the difference between the 22A and 28A - in terms of ride, not that the rim heights and weight are different. I'm trying to learn more about wheels.

 

And assuming that I could fit ceramic bearings to my existing wheels - what difference will I notice?

And on average/thumb suck, what would be the cost?

 

The ride will be very similar, and I'm not sure you will physically feel much difference. With the exception that the C22's may feel slightly more responsive on quick accelerations. It's more about small gains. So every time there's a surge in the bunch you will use a few watts less to go with it. And up every hill you'll again use a few watts less with the C22A's due to the weight difference.

 

The 200g weight difference between the rims equate to around 1.5kg of body mass difference. So if you work out your ftp/kg, and then compare it to your ftp/kg at 1.5kg less, that's pretty much the benefit you'll gain.

 

Regarding fitting ceramic bearings to your existing wheels, if you go with TOKEN ceramic bearings it'll cost around R 2 000 assuming we have the size you need. You will notice a pronounced difference if you fit them. The wheels will roll so much smoother and with less effort. Compare your Strava segments before and after ceramic's and you should see some nice improvements. This will vary according to weather conditions, but generally you will be faster.

[NordicElf]

The ride will be very similar, and I'm not sure you will physically feel much difference. With the exception that the C22's may feel slightly more responsive on quick accelerations. It's more about small gains. So every time there's a surge in the bunch you will use a few watts less to go with it. And up every hill you'll again use a few watts less with the C22A's due to the weight difference.

 

The 200g weight difference between the rims equate to around 1.5kg of body mass difference. So if you work out your ftp/kg, and then compare it to your ftp/kg at 1.5kg less, that's pretty much the benefit you'll gain.

 

Regarding fitting ceramic bearings to your existing wheels, if you go with TOKEN ceramic bearings it'll cost around R 2 000 assuming we have the size you need. You will notice a pronounced difference if you fit them. The wheels will roll so much smoother and with less effort. Compare your Strava segments before and after ceramic's and you should see some nice improvements. This will vary according to weather conditions, but generally you will be faster.

 

Thanks for that reply! The bearings sound like good value, I'll drop you a mail about them shortly.

 

Back to the 22A's vs 28A's, they're the same price, right? So why would someone buy the 28A's when they are 200g heavier?

[Warren Foyn]

The C28A's have a 10kg higher rider weight limit. They are also a bit more robust being a larger, heavier rim, so they make a really nice set of training wheels that can also be used for racing in windy conditions where some may not be 100% comfortable riding deeper carbon rims that will weigh pretty much the same.

[26er]

The ride will be very similar, and I'm not sure you will physically feel much difference. With the exception that the C22's may feel slightly more responsive on quick accelerations. It's more about small gains. So every time there's a surge in the bunch you will use a few watts less to go with it. And up every hill you'll again use a few watts less with the C22A's due to the weight difference.

 

The 200g weight difference between the rims equate to around 1.5kg of body mass difference. So if you work out your ftp/kg, and then compare it to your ftp/kg at 1.5kg less, that's pretty much the benefit you'll gain.

 

Regarding fitting ceramic bearings to your existing wheels, if you go with TOKEN ceramic bearings it'll cost around R 2 000 assuming we have the size you need. You will notice a pronounced difference if you fit them. The wheels will roll so much smoother and with less effort. Compare your Strava segments before and after ceramic's and you should see some nice improvements. This will vary according to weather conditions, but generally you will be faster.

Hi Warren

 

Do you have any evidence to back this?

I have done a ton of research with no hard scientific evidence

Can you perhaps post the link?

 

Regards

Gerhard

[Warren Foyn]

Evidence to back the wheel weight vs rider weight? It was actually explained to me by Justin Porteous of Swiss Cycles. I will find out who it was that did the research. The formula they concluded was that the rim weight saving was equivalent to 1/7th of the body mass, due to it being the rotational extremity. So in converse, the body weight equivalent of the rim weight is 7x. And that's how I calculated the roughly 1.5kg.

 

I will post the details tomorrow for you.

[26er]

Thanks for the reply

A lot of mixed opinions about this Topic on the Web

Most backing that it only applies under acceleration

But looking forward to your side of the story

Cheers

[Eon du Plessis]

Evidence to back the wheel weight vs rider weight? It was actually explained to me by Justin Porteous of Swiss Cycles. I will find out who it was that did the research. The formula they concluded was that the rim weight saving was equivalent to 1/7th of the body mass, due to it being the rotational extremity. So in converse, the body weight equivalent of the rim weight is 7x. And that's how I calculated the roughly 1.5kg.

 

I will post the details tomorrow for you.

Have any loaner wheels lying around that we can test with? People, understandably, aren't too keen on letting me take their expensive wheels for a spin.

[Warren Foyn]

Have any loaner wheels lying around that we can test with? People, understandably, aren't too keen on letting me take their expensive wheels for a spin.

 

I'm afraid I don't Eon. I unfortunately learned the hard way that there are as many people who have very little respect for other people's things as there are that do. 

 

But I think the referrals that are quite widespread on the Hub after only 1 year is pretty good reassurance that the wheels certainly are premium quality. And I do offer a 30-day money back satisfaction guarantee, so if you're honestly not happy with them you can give them back...

[Mopkop]

A quick question as I'm in the market for a set of racing wheels. Has anyone looked at these?

 

https://www.merlincycles.com/pair-of-zipp-firecrest-77-177-carbon-clincher-wheels-68107.html

 

At current exchange rate including shipping you're looking at R25600

 

Add 15.4% for handling and customs and you've got a set of Zipps @ just under R30k.

 

That's about 25% less that buying local. And you can get a 303 front with 404 rear etc.

 

What do you guys think?

[Warren Foyn]

Personally I'd rather pay less than that for a C28 wheelset. That way you're getting as good a wheel, definitely stiffer, 200g lighter, ceramic bearings, and from a local supplier who you can talk to face-to-face if there are any hassles.

 

But that is just my possibly slightly biased opinion, seeing that you asked :-)

[Mopkop]

Personally I'd rather pay less than that for a C28 wheelset. That way you're getting as good a wheel, definitely stiffer, 200g lighter, ceramic bearings, and from a local supplier who you can talk to face-to-face if there are any hassles.

 

But that is just my possibly slightly biased opinion, seeing that you asked :-)

I like what I'm hearing. Nothing in between the 28 and the 50 perhaps? Are your rims also U shaped?

[Warren Foyn]

No nothing in between the 2 at the moment. And yes, very much the broader U shaped rim. In fact the C50 is 25mm wide.

 

The C28 is a great climbing wheelset, and the C50 is an awesome overall wheel for our type of riding and racing in SA.

 

To put it in perspective, Willie Smit from RoadCover won the Mpumalanga Tour on a set of C28's, while Clint Hendricks won the Argus on a set of C50's. Horses for courses you know...