Marcus_Ti

I haven't run into that problem, but it depends on the tire you use. No one can claim to have tried them all, there are some bastard combinations out there (Hutchinson road slick tires on Campag/Fulcrum rims for example)...

And as always--technique is critical:

WhyFi

If he was going to get hit with it, I would think that there would have been some kind of indication with the tracking (sig required, at the very least) and that he would have known already, no?

noodle soup

I have no idea how he would know, because I haven't seen anyone get hit with the 25% tariff yet.

Marcus_Ti

Tariffs are usually COD, that the shipper charges "convenience fees" for paying on your behalf at customs.

If he's going to get hit, he probably will not know until his package at local-attempted-delivery is held hostage until he pays up.

MinnMan

Well, they didn't deliver today because I wasn't home to sign for it. I just stopped at the post office and the wheels are still on the truck until 8 PM. I can pick them up at the post office on Monday, after my trip.

I asked at the post office if I would owe any duty COD, and the postal clerk looked at the ticket left at my door and said "no".

That's all I know.

Sy Reene

I think basic geometry tells us that a tire of a given width, will be harder to mount on a wider rim than a narrower rim. The latest fashion of using tires that actually are narrower than the outside rim width is leading to lots of anecdotal mounting issues.

RedBullFiXX

Guess there would be a max width where that would be a concern, however a wider rim should also have a wider gulley for the tire to slide into, so mounting is less of a challenge
Certainly a narrow rim with a wide tire would be more difficult to work with ?

noodle soup

I haven't found this to be true.

The more likely cause is that the tires are designed to fit tighter, and poor technique(weak hands)

I replace tubes/tires hundreds of time a year, and never use any tools to mount a tire.

Sy Reene

The tire bead that goes into the rim should have the same circumference whether it's a 23mm or 32mm wide tire. Once the first tire bead is in that center gulley, the 2nd bead has to get over the opposing rim's edge. For a wider rim, that means having to 'stretch' further than it would have to stretch if it was a narrower rim.

RedBullFiXX

Of course the tire beads have a "similar" circumference
The more narrow the rim, the less width in that gully, so less room for both tire beads

I've never seen a road rim so wide that mounting by hand was not possible, on the other hand, mounting a 28mm tire on some old school wheels, can be a challenge, not that anyone would ever do that..

superdex

ok, I know some of you have been losing sleep while waiting for my pics. or maybe not.

At any rate, she's DONE. Just in time for Elephant Rock Century tomorrow.

Fairdale Goodship (steel)
Campagnolo Potenza 11 (the 105 crankset may get replaced with Campy, dunno yet)
LightBicycle 45mm deep 25mm wide (RRU45C02 rim) on Novatec hubs, Sapim CX-Ray spokes:

robbyville

That is lovely no doubt, hope they ride well and that you enjoy!

Sy Reene

Nice! Is that the standard brake track surface you have? Interesting how the larger logo is almost invisible in the first pic vs the 2nd below. Is it a reflective material that shows up with flash?

noodle soup

That crankset needs to go. I'd get an older style Campagnolo 11 speed crankset like this one.

https://planetcyclery.com/campagnolo...SABEgJY-_D_BwE

MinnMan

Finally....

I actually managed to pick up the new wheels from the post-office on Saturday. I did not have to pay any duty - I just had to show ID and sign for them.

They certainly are pretty. I've mounted a 25 mm GP5000 on the back and a 23 mm GP5000 on the front. Sorry, I don't have a calipers so I can't report an accurate actual inflated width for these, but they both look like they "fit" in the sense that they don't visibly bulge out past the rims.

So these are the 55 mm deep, 25 mm wide Falcons, with X-ray spokes and the DT Swiss 240 hubs. They have the graphene textured braking surface. The bike is my 2011 Felt F3 Ltd (mostly Dura Ace 7900 components), with some modifications from stock.

I took them for a short 10 mile shake-down ride Saturday afternoon and a 60 mile club ride this morning.

Here are some impressions. Note that this is my first set of carbon wheels. I was previously riding HED Ardennes on this bike.

1. I had a hard time mounting the tires. Spare me the lectures about how this reflects my poor technique. If you say so, then I'm sure you are right. I have a tire jack and I used it. For the record, mounting the 25 mm tire was a little easier than the 23 mm.

2. On my test ride, I was running about 90 psi in both tires (remember, the rear tire is a little wider), but that felt a little soft to me. This morning I went with 95 psi and that still felt soft. I'm 155# at the moment, so maybe I just am used to a harsher ride and will learn to enjoy the softer ride, but when I look down as I come to a stop and take the weight off the saddle, there is more than usual visible change in the tire profile against the ground, which makes me think that the contact patch while riding is a little too broad.

3. The textured braking surface makes for somewhat noisy braking. It's not a big deal, but it takes getting used to.

4. At the moment, I'm using the brake pads sold by Light Bicycle. I had a hard time getting them to fit into the Shimano brake cartridges, but I managed. The pads are a little thick, and I need to open up the brake release lever a little so they don't jam the wheels. I may get some SwissStops.

5. I haven't done any demanding braking (long descents or riding in wet conditions). I find the brake gripping to be somewhat jerky - i.e., it's not easy to smoothly apply a little braking pressure. This may simply be technique, it could be the textured surface, or the brake pads. I will experiment.

6. Handling in cross winds is going to take some getting used to. So is cornering, though that is probably more because i'm also getting used to different tires. I was running Conti 4 seasons on the HED wheels.

7. Everybody on my ride kept asking if I felt if the wheels were making me faster. I don't really know. They definitely "feel" more aero and I notice different responses when I'm going fast (above 25 mph, say), but I don't have any quantitative data and a group ride isn't the place to make this kind of evaluation.



That's all for now.

superdex

I hang my head in shame, I know.

This is the combo that works for me (and happens to be Potenza, whichisnice)

https://planetcyclery.com/campagnolo...175mm-crankset

Rode the Elephant Rock Century (Castle Rock, CO) today, getting my buddy through as much of it as he could do. 30mi of headwinds took him out at mile 75. But the Goodship was a rockstar, and the wheels are SWEEEEEET. Any little downhill and they rolled right to 30mph without even thinking about it. Go aero!

superdex

Standard brake track -- and I put SwissStop Black Prince pads on. Coming from 2003 Campy record, these stop better (granted, the Potenza brakes are pretty awesome). No concerns whatsoever on braking.

The logo isn't reflective, so I dunno, it's pretty subtle, but just enough visible. In full daylight I'd say it's probably somewhere in between those photos. From today (yes, I know the crankset has to go. All in good time!)

noodle soup

I’m not a fan of the 4 arm Campagnolo crankset, so I looked for a good deal on a 5 arm version.

Anything black and Campagnolo will look better than the silver 105. I’m sure it works, but it detracts from the beautiful that ride.

superdex

Agreed. Just a matter of timing. And jumping into Campy BB/Crankset "fun" has always kept me to Shimano. I think the Ultra Torque setup may be doable without as much in tools as the crankset itself...

edit: just pulled the trigger on a Centaur UT crankset (in black). You'll sleep better tonight

superdex

Okay, enough of the bike stuff, let's have a quick ~125mi impression of the wheels--

Previous wheels: Mavic Open Sport with 32mm Vittoria Zaffiro for a little over 1000mi, and then maybe 4k mi on some Fulcrum Quattros

What I bought: 45mm deep 25mm wide (RRU45C02 rim) on Novatec hubs, Sapim CX-Ray spokes. Regular brake track.

Initial impressions: Wow these are PURTY. But wait, no skewers? no spare spokes? (I mention this in a previous post)

Mounting: Vredestein Fortezza All Weather 25mm. They were tight. Really tight. I'm a wimp and my hands are weak tight. So Stan's lever to the rescue. Worked fine, no damage or anything. I was scared, then relieved.

The Elephant Rock Century is a Denver-area staple ( https://www.rollmassif.com/elephantrock/ ), and though the route has changed up in the last few years, it's still a great 'early season' organized ride. Rolling hills (5700-6000ft elevation gain) and inevitably some wind. Usually it kicks up in the afternoon, but yesterday, we were treated with 10-15mph steady from the south the entire day, and only getting stronger as the day wore on. And the route has a good 25 miles of due south riding.

First thing I noticed was the wheels like to roll. Places where I would mentally expect to pedal to maintain momentum, I didn't have to (as much). And on any downhill slope the wheels just picked up speed. I've never rolled up to 30mph without pedaling. With these wheels, it was normal. They just jump up to speed. Go aero profile!

In the 25mi headwind section I had plenty of time to reflect on their performance, seeing as I was trying to pull my buddy and kept dropping him (his relative lack of training, not my strength). The wheels (and the new bike in general) didn't seem to care about the wind or notice. The only place I "felt" resistance was my big ol' arse getting pushed back by the wind. If I pushed it, the bike was happy to oblige, headwind or not. I've not felt that before with wheels (and the Fairdale isn't exactly an aero superbike. It's round-tubed steel).

Braking: Better than what I'm used to. 2003 Campy Record (which, in its day, were pretty good, but the single pivot rear brake is passé) and more recently some Tektro Cantis on the FrankenCrux. If you are worried about relative braking performance, stop. With the SwissStop Black Prince pads, I had modulation and control and though I didn't do any comparative testing, grabbing a handful of brake stopped forward momentum far faster and easier than previous experience.

Crosswinds: I was hoping I wouldn't have to find out about crosswinds on a century ride, but lucky me, I got to find out yesterday. The only time I felt sketchy was north of 30mph (downhill rollers on the way back into town) and gusts of crosswind made me pucker a couple times. Other than that, they were easier to handle than the Open Sports (probably the most unaero, round spoke, lightbulb profile wheelset you could have), and though I haven't been on them in a number of months, I think the LB's handled even better than the Quattros. Again, go aero!

Ride Quality: This one is hard, because I was also on a new bike all the way around. I ran the 25mm tires at 90psi (I'm 6'3", 185lbs) and they felt a touch harsh. Expansion joints and broken seams came right up into the saddle and bars. I will experiment a little lower and see if it helps. --I will say this, though: I hadn't really trained for this ride (only a couple >40mi rides all year), and I wasn't beat up or fatigued from road buzz. I was sore in the expected places, but no lower back pain or other signs of getting beat up from the ride. Go steel!

Verdict? Buy them.


Epilogue: Without riding Enve or Zipp or Williams or Flo or Reynolds or any of the 4-figure wheelsets, I can't say how LB compares, or what % of performance to those wheelsets you'll get with far-east options such as LB. I will say, as a first pair of carbon wheels, the combination of build quality, profile, and weight are awesome, and then price point makes them more or less a no brainer. Especially if you don't have (or want) the 4-figure budget.

noodle soup

I don't know much about the Vredestein tires you chose, but almost any tire is an improvement over the Vittoria Zaffiro.

superdex

The Vittoria's were a budget, non-CX tire that I put on the Crux, which did far more than its just-get-to-April duty this year. I have no complaints; they're okay. Not prize-winners, but okay.

robbyville

yum, very stealth. Looks awesome. I feel like something is weird with the cornering with mine as well. Waiting to swap out the gp 5009 tl’s witg some Schwalbe tl’s to decide if it’s the tires.

MinnMan

Interesting. Let us know how that goes.

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?