Road Cycling Essentials

Status
Not open for further replies.
Yeh, the only real choice of spec you get from canyon is the chainset and the cassette (and frame colour). So it's coming with the standard cosmics, which is no bad thing of course.
 
Grr, having a nightmare speccing up my new wheels.

Every time I speak to someone about it I get more options.

It's for the weekend bike so I want to keep the weight down. I hate truing wheels so has to be solidly build. I want to try a 23mm wide rim as I've heard great things about comfort and grip at lower pressures, which is something I really enjoyed with my tubeless set-up.

Budget is about £1,000 as I'm selling a pair of Fulcrum Racing 1s, a pair of Reynolds Assault Cs and a Cervelo S1 frame which should cover the cost (plus £70 for tyres and I picked up some DT Swiss RWS Titanium skewers for £60 on ebay)


So, I'm looking at Chris King R45 hubs. That's a given and yes, I like how they sound. 317g for the pair. I know I could get lighter and I know I could get cheaper but I love Chris King engineering and I trust it.

Spokes will probably be Sapim CX-Rays; 24 front and 28 rear. Lacing patters will be up to the builder, but when I imagine them I see radial at the front and radial / 2x on the back. Again, I know I could probably have fewer spokes but I don't want to have to true or tension them. Ever. A spoke and nipple is about 5.5g max if I use brass nipples, less for alloy nips. It's a weight penalty I'm willing to pay, although I'm not willing to go to 32 / 32 like I have on the commuter.

All that leaves are the rims.

I started out looking at the Stans ZTR Alpha 350 as it's light and designed to run tubeless. I could get a decent complete build for around 1350g. Spoke to a few wheel builders and one said 'Yup, not a problem' whilst the other two expressed concerns with cracking rims due to the stresses being put on such a light rim and cited examples of wheels they had built. Both said it would be a much better rim if it was just 10g heavier and stronger as a result.

I then moved onto the Velocity a23 and started reading about the benefits of using wider rims. Apparently they are aerodynamically better (taken with a pinch of salt) but most importantly they can be run at lower pressures like a tubeless tyre giving more grip and more comfort. Double win. Some reading of the forums revealed that they were good rims although not particularly well finished and not very well balanced. Apparently there were better options........

One was the HED C2 Ardennes rim, as used on the HED Ardennes wheels. 23mm wide and 460g. Not bad. The main difference is that the Stans and the Velocity were around £55 a rim, HED UK wanted £150 a rim (£199 if I wanted the Scandium version used for the front of their Flamme Rouge Ardennes). I've also ready that it has pretty thin sidewalls which will mean they will dent easily and wear quickly. It is still an option though.

Had a few conversations with a local wheel builder who was recommended and he gave me some other options that I have discounted as either too heavy, not wide enough or too 'classic looking' (I want my wheels to be black, not highly polished silver). One rim did catch my eye and that was the H Plus Son Archetype; 450g, 23mm wide and sexeh. I've asked for a quote but rumour has it that they won't be available in the UK until the end of June.......

Possibly back to square one.

tl:dr? I want some black rims, 450g or less each, 23mm wide, well made, and don't cost the earth.

Edit: Placed an order for the black H Plus Son Archetype rims on black Chris King R45s with 24 / 28 black Sapim CX-Rays and black brass nipples. 3-4 weeks wait for the rims, unfortunately.
 
Last edited:
Some people should not be given driving licences....
On my way home,there are few roundabouts. As I was approaching one of them, I saw 4x4 behind me. Just about a meter from roundabout ( I started to turn in to it) this 4x4 started to overtake me...no problem in that second...but half a second later(or even less) this 4x4 starts to get in my way to leave roundabout!! I was doing something close to 25km/h...hit the breaks, back wheel started to slip sideways ( remember I was turning) - road was wet due to weather conditions so my breaks were not 100% efficient and helped tyre to slip on road...I managed to turn front wheel to the right ( driver went left) . And went behind car like 1-2inches ...i screamed my lungs out on the driver. She stopped because of that...otherwise she wouldn't....surprising , I haven't called her names...jus shouted : do you want to kill me!! She opened the window and apologised...haven't really accepted...got of the bike and roundabout to get a breath in and calm down...


Next time ( but fingers crossed it won't happen!!! Ever again) I will hit the car in front and sue them/ ask for big compensation....


Simillar situation happen to my partner not long ago..some idiot overtaking us decided to turn in front of her to the side road ...luckily she was cycling much slower on a dry day...and she is stil a new cyclist - that's why she cycles under my 'supervision' ...
 
[DOD]Asprilla;21710210 said:
Grr, having a nightmare speccing up my new wheels.

Every time I speak to someone about it I get more options.

It's for the weekend bike so I want to keep the weight down. I hate truing wheels so has to be solidly build. I want to try a 23mm wide rim as I've heard great things about comfort and grip at lower pressures, which is something I really enjoyed with my tubeless set-up.

Budget is about £1,000 as I'm selling a pair of Fulcrum Racing 1s, a pair of Reynolds Assault Cs and a Cervelo S1 frame which should cover the cost (plus £70 for tyres and I picked up some DT Swiss RWS Titanium skewers for £60 on ebay)


So, I'm looking at Chris King R45 hubs. That's a given and yes, I like how they sound. 317g for the pair. I know I could get lighter and I know I could get cheaper but I love Chris King engineering and I trust it.

Spokes will probably be Sapim CX-Rays; 24 front and 28 rear. Lacing patters will be up to the builder, but when I imagine them I see radial at the front and radial / 2x on the back. Again, I know I could probably have fewer spokes but I don't want to have to true or tension them. Ever. A spoke and nipple is about 5.5g max if I use brass nipples, less for alloy nips. It's a weight penalty I'm willing to pay, although I'm not willing to go to 32 / 32 like I have on the commuter.

All that leaves are the rims.

I started out looking at the Stans ZTR Alpha 350 as it's light and designed to run tubeless. I could get a decent complete build for around 1350g. Spoke to a few wheel builders and one said 'Yup, not a problem' whilst the other two expressed concerns with cracking rims due to the stresses being put on such a light rim and cited examples of wheels they had built. Both said it would be a much better rim if it was just 10g heavier and stronger as a result.

I then moved onto the Velocity a23 and started reading about the benefits of using wider rims. Apparently they are aerodynamically better (taken with a pinch of salt) but most importantly they can be run at lower pressures like a tubeless tyre giving more grip and more comfort. Double win. Some reading of the forums revealed that they were good rims although not particularly well finished and not very well balanced. Apparently there were better options........

One was the HED C2 Ardennes rim, as used on the HED Ardennes wheels. 23mm wide and 460g. Not bad. The main difference is that the Stans and the Velocity were around £55 a rim, HED UK wanted £150 a rim (£199 if I wanted the Scandium version used for the front of their Flamme Rouge Ardennes). I've also ready that it has pretty thin sidewalls which will mean they will dent easily and wear quickly. It is still an option though.

Had a few conversations with a local wheel builder who was recommended and he gave me some other options that I have discounted as either too heavy, not wide enough or too 'classic looking' (I want my wheels to be black, not highly polished silver). One rim did catch my eye and that was the H Plus Son Archetype; 450g, 23mm wide and sexeh. I've asked for a quote but rumour has it that they won't be available in the UK until the end of June.......

Possibly back to square one.

tl:dr? I want some black rims, 450g or less each, 23mm wide, well made, and don't cost the earth.

Edit: Placed an order for the black H Plus Son Archetype rims on black Chris King R45s with 24 / 28 black Sapim CX-Rays and black brass nipples. 3-4 weeks wait for the rims, unfortunately.
Click to expand...

Would you consider using other hubs than Chris King?
 
bastic said:
Some people should not be given driving licences....
On my way home,there are few roundabouts. As I was approaching one of them, I saw 4x4 behind me. Just about a meter from roundabout ( I started to turn in to it) this 4x4 started to overtake me...no problem in that second...but half a second later(or even less) this 4x4 starts to get in my way to leave roundabout!! I was doing something close to 25km/h...hit the breaks, back wheel started to slip sideways ( remember I was turning) - road was wet due to weather conditions so my breaks were not 100% efficient and helped tyre to slip on road...I managed to turn front wheel to the right ( driver went left) . And went behind car like 1-2inches ...i screamed my lungs out on the driver. She stopped because of that...otherwise she wouldn't....surprising , I haven't called her names...jus shouted : do you want to kill me!! She opened the window and apologised...haven't really accepted...got of the bike and roundabout to get a breath in and calm down...

Next time ( but fingers crossed it won't happen!!! Ever again) I will hit the car in front and sue them/ ask for big compensation....


Simillar situation happen to my partner not long ago..some idiot overtaking us decided to turn in front of her to the side road ...luckily she was cycling much slower on a dry day...and she is stil a new cyclist - that's why she cycles under my 'supervision' ...
Click to expand...

This used to happen to me when i commuted regularly it was pretty much once a week (cars driving into me). Cars will hate you for it but what I tended to do was move out giving fair warning and signal to occupy the middle of the lane for all round-a-bouts and often junctions too, personally I didnt like doing it but it stopped cars crushing me into the kerbs on round-a-bouts and made my day a little safer.
 
[DOD]Asprilla;21713361 said:
Tune can be delicate
Click to expand...

Quick! Edit that out! You would have been better off insulting his mother than his hubs :p



Seriously tho: Have you considered aero rims? I know that you said a few pages back that you didnt think anything less than 40mm makes a difference, but i have just put my race wheels on my bike this week (38mm section) and i find they make a huge difference over my fulcrum 7s. Some of that will be down to the lighter weight and narrower tyres, but i'm convinced that the aero makes a difference. IMO an aero rim around 40mm is a good choice for all-around riding and is worth the extra weight over a smaller section rim.
 
Last edited:
I've already got a pair of full carbon Reynolds Assault Cs which are 48mm rims that I bought last year. They are great but they aren't very comfortable in the Surrey Hills where road surfaces are frankly appalling. I've only used them twice and I think I'm going to sell them to a lad at work.

My commute is fairly flat, but at weekends it's all about the hills. My self imposed weight limit was 1,500g, which is 65g less than my Fulcrum Racing 1s.
 
Last edited:
New bike arrived today. Cant wait to ride it, but its wet out.:(

dsc08649o.jpg
 
Just wanted a few opinions on whether the red stem and post look ok, before I order lol.
(its all about the looks)



RoseXeonRS-4000KsyriumSL-1.jpg
 
Last edited:
I know only too well about white bar tape, but it just looks nice and crisp when its new.

The Rose bike will be my "only used on special occasions bike"

I have this for the rest of the time, although I'm without tyres at the minute due to some smashed pint glasses in the road. :D



IMG_0646.jpg
 
Last edited:
I had considered buying those when i was looking for some new wheels, one of the local bike shops deals in American Classic.
They get good reviews and they look great, but i couldnt afford :(
 
Using gatorskins on my bike for 1 month and riding home today got punctures in both tyres ?!?!? Is it best just to check tyre and replace inner tube or can you repair road bike tyres?

Also I thought gatorskins where decent ? Only had them for a month nd 2 punctures !

Any opinions?
 
Did they both go at the same time? Could be glass or something on the road?

When you take the tube out, dont take the tyre fully off the rim. Take one side off and slide the tube out.
Next, pump up the tube and find the leak.
Lay the tube next to the wheel+tyre, match up the valve with the valve hole.
Check the tyre around the area where the leak was and remove anything that is embedded in the tyre.
Repair tube or get a new one.
 
Woo-Hoo!

Ride into work, going down the gears, much better than previously, no more vague shifting. Might want a little tweak, but will see after I ride it some more, and have the confidence to adjust it myself now :)
 
touch said:
Did they both go at the same time? Could be glass or something on the road?

When you take the tube out, dont take the tyre fully off the rim. Take one side off and slide the tube out.
Next, pump up the tube and find the leak.
Lay the tube next to the wheel+tyre, match up the valve with the valve hole.
Check the tyre around the area where the leak was and remove anything that is embedded in the tyre.
Repair tube or get a new one.
Click to expand...

No which is the weird thing back one went down fast as ****, called the wife she picked me up. 2. Hours later I walked past my bike and noticed front tyre was down:confused:

Can you repair road bike inner tubes with there high pressure ?
 
All of you guys with your fancy wheels! R500s are the best wheels ever :P

Got the pleasure of gluing vittoria corsa evo tubs to these FFWD disc/3 spoke wheels next time I'm in the shop.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom