ochizon

Hey guys,

So i would have posted this question in the clydesdale forum, but as it is more race related, i figured my trackie folks are a better cross section of heavy racers to ask.

I want to buy a set of deep section carbon wheels for crit racing, but most offerings are very low spoke count and i worry that i might kill them under my weight (235ish lbs), especially as a sprinter.

Is this a real concern? For those of you that race more than just track, what do you do for wheels?S

carleton

I'm moving this from Track to Road Racing. There are some big guys there, too

merlinextraligh

Zipp 404's have a recommended rider weight limit of 250lbs.

We have a set of Zipp 808's on our tandem.

The deep sectined rim makes for a pretty strong wheel.

botto 

yes.

rkwaki

Screw that, weight is one thing, power is another.
I am both.
Trained on 404's last year and they were fine. If you are a new road racer (assuming Cat 5) - 32H, 32X handbuilts...

mattm

Great, a cat 5 sprint artist.. just what we need! =]

rkwaki

You shut up, I am one too.

jsutkeepspining

hey in the lower cats everyone is either the next cancellara, cavendish, or contador. I overhear more silly things about who's the best climber/tt'er/sprinter at a cat 4/5 race than i've ever heard anywhere else (besides maybe a fred ride, but i like those, the freds feed me well).

rkwaki

I haven't done a fred ride in years...

jsutkeepspining

i do one or two a year, and then quickly regret it. During the school year i don't have 6 hours to ride on the weekend. I can't take a 1 hour lunch break.

In the middle of the summer when most of my riding is easy in between races i love riding with slow people. I have all day (i think my girlfriend's second swim practice ends at 3 pm, so i don't need to be free until after 4).

rkwaki

When did you move to Portland your majesty?

brawlo

As a big guy that's has done a lot of looking around, I think Boyd might be an option with the ability to choose a higher spoke count. It's been a while since I looked around, but I think most of your other options outside of Zipp will be custom. In the end for me, I decided to let the matter rest for a while and will reinvestigate later. Being on the weight limit for wheels in a rough environment with the potential for damage was too much of a trade off for my wallet.

Also, tubs will be a slightly stronger rim by all accounts.

botto 

psimets.

/thread

Racer Ex 

Disc front and back.

Homebrew01

I climb like Cavendish, and sprint like Frank Schleck.

jsutkeepspining

Moi aussi, mon ami.

hammy56

qft.

mine are serving me well.

rbart4506

I like the Boyd's, but then I'm 135lbs and can't sprint worth the beans so I should probably shut up

canam73

How's your TT?

botto 

his nickname is franck.

shovelhd

I'll second the recommendation, although I'm no heavyweight at 145 lbs. I bought my set used, from the BF classifieds. They are a cross build 50mm clincher, 28/24. Total overkill for me, but they are my only training wheelset, and they do pit duty as well, so they have to be rock solid reliable. They are.

If not psimet or other custom wheelset, I'd recommend that you go with a heavier build. November calls them a side of beef. Zipp calls them a cyclocross wheel. Lighter wheels shouldn't collapse under your weight but the heavier build will last longer.

topflightpro

I believe Hed offers a clydesdale option on its wheels

ochizon

thanks for all the suggestions guys!

Not the Slowest

I think the bottomline is the higher the spoke count the SAFER you'll be. It's not just about YOUR weight it's also the amount of Power that will be transferred to the wheels.

My two cents is a GOOD Hand built 32 spoke like the Velocity A23 with 25mm tires which will transfer and absorb alot of the power.
Once you get more comfortable in the Crits you will see the direction to take.

As the saying goes "If You Can't finish , You can't win".

Good Luck

Racer Ex 

Most everyone stopped using the 32x box stuff at Paris Roubaix several years ago. Aluminum rims aren't going to hold a candle to good carbon rims in terms of stiffness, and the stiffness to weight ratio is not even worth talking about. That's going to go up as you go higher on the profile in many cases.

The old school stuff is way overrated and noodly.

Cancellera rode an 18 spoke front to win P-R. The cobbles put an effective load into the rims that's a lot higher than a 230 lb guy is going to see in normal riding.

This year I did a stage race that included a long gravel section. I rode a 6 year old pair of 20/24 carbon clinchers. I broke a spoke in the back and didn't notice till after the race. That same set of wheels I had a guy skewer the front and remove two spokes and I raced another 20 miles on them. I've double flatted and destroyed tires on those same rims several times.

Seem pretty safe to me.