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Light Bicycle Wheels

Old 06-05-19, 02:48 PM
  #476  
superdex
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Originally Posted by smashndash
It seems like people have mixed feelings about the "upgrade" to the grooved graphene braking surface. Do we know if anyone has tested the grooved graphene and/or the standard "high TG" or whatever in the rain to see if there's a significant difference? Basically, is there a consensus on which brake track is better?
Mine are the "high TG" surface, and while I got rained on last Sunday, it was a part of the ride where I did little to no braking, so I have no opinion. I will say that the setup (Black Prince pads, Potenza calipers) stop and stop good (in the dry).
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Old 06-06-19, 07:15 AM
  #477  
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Originally Posted by superdex
Okay, enough of the bike stuff, let's have a quick ~125mi impression of the wheels--
.
Thanks for the thorough review! I do have to say, the big difference in ride feel and quality will also be down to just being on a new bike I would say. Hard to separate new bike feel from new wheels.

Originally Posted by MinnMan
Finally....
Thanks for the honest review! I guess the usual downsides that you find with carbon deep section wheels still apply here: less performant braking, and less desirable in crosswinds.
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Old 06-06-19, 09:36 AM
  #478  
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Originally Posted by maartendc
Thanks for the thorough review! I do have to say, the big difference in ride feel and quality will also be down to just being on a new bike I would say. Hard to separate new bike feel from new wheels.
Go read what I wrote again. I concede that I'm on a new bike (a couple times). That being said, the wheel/tire combination is stiffer than what I've been riding (32mm Vittorias on Open Sport rims). I can feel that. You would be able to as well; the difference is pretty large.

Originally Posted by maartendc
Thanks for the honest review! I guess the usual downsides that you find with carbon deep section wheels still apply here: less performant braking, and less desirable in crosswinds.
Seems like you skimmed. I said just the opposite on both points. I have better braking than my previous setups, and better handling in crosswinds than my previous setups.
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Old 06-06-19, 09:59 AM
  #479  
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Originally Posted by superdex

Seems like you skimmed. I said just the opposite on both points. I have better braking than my previous setups, and better handling in crosswinds than my previous setups.
He was quoting me, not you.
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Old 06-06-19, 11:27 AM
  #480  
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Originally Posted by MinnMan
He was quoting me, not you.
Correct.
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Old 06-06-19, 01:54 PM
  #481  
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Originally Posted by MinnMan
He was quoting me, not you.
he quoted both of us, so contextually the broad statement applies to both, and contradicted by one of the posts he quoted. Shrug.
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Old 06-06-19, 03:19 PM
  #482  
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Originally Posted by superdex
he quoted both of us, so contextually the broad statement applies to both, and contradicted by one of the posts he quoted. Shrug.
Well, we reported different experiences and for some inexplicable reason, he failed to recognize your superior authority. Shrug.
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Old 06-06-19, 04:23 PM
  #483  
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Originally Posted by MinnMan
Well, we reported different experiences and for some inexplicable reason, he failed to recognize your superior authority. Shrug.
Not trying to be superior, just accurate. Cheers
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Old 06-06-19, 05:27 PM
  #484  
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Can I ask a basic, slightly OT question about Light Bicycle Wheels vs. the major brands?

I have a rim-brake CAAD12 and am just starting to look at replacing my wheels. Without getting into granular details of wheel specifics, I'm curious about the high-level tradeoffs between two very different ideas. 1) A new set of Light Bicycle Wheels, built to whatever specification is right for me. 2) A quality pair of used high-end wheels (Zipp or Enve) from a known retailer such as Pros Closet. Both options are close in price.

The used wheels are likely tubulars. I grew-up on sew-ups, so I understand and accept what this means. Assume also that these wheels, including the brake tracks, are in good mechanical condition and have modern, 11-speed hubs.

How do you decide between a new set of wheels made in China and a used set of wheels from a major brand such as Zipp or Enve if price is nearly the same?
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Old 06-06-19, 06:37 PM
  #485  
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Originally Posted by Robert A
How do you decide between a new set of wheels made in China and a used set of wheels from a major brand such as Zipp or Enve if price is nearly the same?
For me, it would be the wheels from the major manufacturer, provided they are in great shape. The LB wheels seem like great value for money, but I can't imagine they were designed with the same degree of engineering nor the same degree of quality assurance. That's pure conjecture, of course, and no slight on LB -- they are what they are.
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Old 06-07-19, 10:42 AM
  #486  
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Originally Posted by Robert A
Can I ask a basic, slightly OT question about Light Bicycle Wheels vs. the major brands?

I have a rim-brake CAAD12 and am just starting to look at replacing my wheels. Without getting into granular details of wheel specifics, I'm curious about the high-level tradeoffs between two very different ideas. 1) A new set of Light Bicycle Wheels, built to whatever specification is right for me. 2) A quality pair of used high-end wheels (Zipp or Enve) from a known retailer such as Pros Closet. Both options are close in price.
TPC is a respectable outlet and I would trust used carbon from them (as opposed to some random set on CL/ebay). For me, the tradeoff was really down to mentally riding "new" vs "used" -- I wanted to ride something brand spanking new. The only thing I would be curious about with used carbon wheels is the age. For example, an $800 pair of Enves might be 4 or 5 years old. There have been enough tweaks in rim profile in that time that it's worth noting. On the other hand, dependong on how old, in favor of used Zipps/Enves etc is (probably) better hubs and bearings. Maybe.
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Old 06-08-19, 01:51 PM
  #487  
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Boost 29er LB build

I'm a newbie and can't post photos yet, but recent injuries have got me much more excited about wrenching.

Recently completed -

Carbon wheel build for a friend.
LightBicycle rims (ReconPro AM930) laced to I9 Hydra hubs with D-Light spokes.
photos.app.goo.gl/8hpMbDJvCgt2Ja3e7

I'm happy with how it turned out. Very true and even spoke tension. I'd love input on final tensioning. What do you do? My drive side tensions were perfect before mounting tires (130 kgf or 21 on Park tool meter). After mounting tires, however, they dropped to 16 on the TM-1! (roughly 80 kgf) I tightened them up to compensate, but wasn't quite sure if that's the right thing to do.
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Old 06-08-19, 02:00 PM
  #488  
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That's not the right thing to do. Take tire off and redo.
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Old 06-08-19, 02:02 PM
  #489  
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Originally Posted by lukedunk
I'm a newbie and can't post photos yet, but recent injuries have got me much more excited about wrenching.

Recently completed -

Carbon wheel build for a friend.
LightBicycle rims (ReconPro AM930) laced to I9 Hydra hubs with D-Light spokes.
photos.app.goo.gl/8hpMbDJvCgt2Ja3e7

I'm happy with how it turned out. Very true and even spoke tension. I'd love input on final tensioning. What do you do? My drive side tensions were perfect before mounting tires (130 kgf or 21 on Park tool meter). After mounting tires, however, they dropped to 16 on the TM-1! (roughly 80 kgf) I tightened them up to compensate, but wasn't quite sure if that's the right thing to do.
Completely the wrong thing to do. You'll crack a rim.
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Old 06-08-19, 04:56 PM
  #490  
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Originally Posted by trailangel
That's not the right thing to do. Take tire off and redo.
I know next to nothing about wheelbuilding.. but would I be correct that maybe he should de-tension before deflating or removing the tires?
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Old 06-09-19, 03:21 AM
  #491  
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Yes
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Old 06-10-19, 01:42 AM
  #492  
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Just pulled the trigger on a set of RR56C02 wheels. A bit of a weirdo setup:

Grooved graphene brake track
Sapim inverted internal brass nipples
CX Ray spokes (black)
DT 350 Straight pull front 20H
Dura Ace 9000 J Bend rear 24H

Total cost for everything including some spares and tape: US$1033.xx. Quite steep. I'd love to have gotten something for closer to $800 out the door, but I went with some top end components here. And even disregarding cost, these wheels seem to be some of the best on the market, so I don't feel too terrible.


I'm thinking of requesting radial NDS rear lacing. I assume that's acceptable for someone who weighs under 65kg? I'm trying my best here to make the wheels look as clean as possible - even at the cost of durability. Future me can deal with those issues (if any).

Anyway, I expect that I'll be using the wheels by July or so, and I'll be putting them through some VERY technical descending (stage 3 of TOC this year is my backyard) that requires tons of braking. I hope to post some (positive?) impressions here soon.

UPDATE: Their supplier no longer stocks dura ace hubs so I saved $156 and swapped to a DT350 rear hub. I’ve heard mixed things about the DT hub, such as the freehub being soft and the bearings being meh... oh well. At least I no longer have the anxiety of possibly scoring the cups or cones and trashing the hub.

Last edited by smashndash; 06-14-19 at 01:11 AM.
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Old 06-10-19, 10:35 AM
  #493  
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Spoke tension

Thanks trailangel and marcus...
I guess I would have thought the same thing from what I've read (going from mostly Musson and Sheldon Brown), but then LBS told me I should do final tension with a tire mounted. Looking around it also looks like November Dave may do the same thing?
Probably getting a little OT, I'll try to start a Mechanics thread soon.
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Old 06-10-19, 10:37 AM
  #494  
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Maybe they meant a final "truing/touchup" with tire mounted.
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Old 06-15-19, 11:50 AM
  #495  
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For all of you that HAVE pulled the trigger...any follow up as to performance and reliability after a little more riding? I am gonna be selling two sets of Reynolds Assaults soon and want to put some of it into an LB set that is more future proof.
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Old 06-15-19, 04:08 PM
  #496  
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Originally Posted by michael_hill
For all of you that HAVE pulled the trigger...any follow up as to performance and reliability after a little more riding? I am gonna be selling two sets of Reynolds Assaults soon and want to put some of it into an LB set that is more future proof.
What bike do you have? Rim or disc brakes?
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Old 06-15-19, 04:12 PM
  #497  
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Originally Posted by noodle soup
What bike do you have? Rim or disc brakes?
Disc....likely going with the 25mm width as it will make my 26mm tires roughly 27-28mm. Considering just going the rim route and building the wheel off a Hope Pro 4 Hubset.
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Old 06-15-19, 04:28 PM
  #498  
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Originally Posted by michael_hill
Disc....likely going with the 25mm width as it will make my 26mm tires roughly 27-28mm. Considering just going the rim route and building the wheel off a Hope Pro 4 Hubset.
If your bike has clearance for wide tires, I'd go as wide as possible.

12 speed is right around the corner, so if you think you might want to go that way eventually, I'd go with DT hubs.
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Old 06-16-19, 06:50 PM
  #499  
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Originally Posted by michael_hill
For all of you that HAVE pulled the trigger...any follow up as to performance and reliability after a little more riding? I am gonna be selling two sets of Reynolds Assaults soon and want to put some of it into an LB set that is more future proof.
I've had mine for 2 weeks and have about 550 miles on them. Right now, I'm loving them. Haven't ridden them in the rain yet, but I quickly switched out the LB brake pads for Swisstop Black Prince and the dry braking is just fine. I've hit some potholes hard without a problem. It's my first pair of carbon wheels, and compared to more conventional alloy rims (I was riding HED Ardennes), the differences are very noticeable, especially above 25 mph. I'm not sure how much different the performance may be from your Reynolds.
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Old 06-16-19, 07:02 PM
  #500  
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Originally Posted by MinnMan
I've had mine for 2 weeks and have about 550 miles on them. Right now, I'm loving them. Haven't ridden them in the rain yet, but I quickly switched out the LB brake pads for Swisstop Black Prince and the dry braking is just fine. I've hit some potholes hard without a problem. It's my first pair of carbon wheels, and compared to more conventional alloy rims (I was riding HED Ardennes), the differences are very noticeable, especially above 25 mph. I'm not sure how much different the performance may be from your Reynolds.
Can you elaborate on how the LB's compare to the Ardennes? Also, which config of LB do you have? The Ardennes is one of the sets I've been considering.

Last edited by Robert A; 06-16-19 at 07:07 PM.
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