StirFry

Running some 32h 3X front & rear, high flange Archetypes from Retrogression right now, but am starting to want for something lighter and with a little more flare. I'm eyeballing another of Scrod's Archetype builds with low flanges and a radial laced front. Looks like the weight difference is about 1.25lbs according to his site. Would it be worth my time and money to spring for these? How would the comfort and durability of radial rims fare on semi-****ty bay area roads in relation to my current setup? I'm mostly a weekend warrior, but run a moderate amount of short range errands throughout the week whenever I can get a chance.

TejanoTrackie 

There should be no difference in comfort, which is mainly a function of tire choice and durability is mostly a function of your weight. The main issue is not the radial lacing, but the low spoke count and the light gauge spokes. Unless you weigh well over 200 lbs, there should be no problem.

StirFry

Cool. I'm only about 145lbs. Anyone have any feedback on how well the black anodizing holds up on the Archetypes? They'd look great on my bike, but I'm not really a fan of silver and black rims unless they have decals are distinct enough to spruce them up a bit. I read someone say that his were still black after several thousand miles and most people normally say that it's during rain rides that the anodizing began to wash away. I wouldn't be opposed to keeping my old rims around if it meant keeping the new set black for an appreciable amount longer of time. I imagine these will feel a decent bit lighter as well, no?

Or, would it be possible to convert my current high flange, 32 hole rims to a 24 spoke, radial low flange design instead?

seau grateau

Seems like a lateral move rather than an upgrade to me. There's not much noticeable wear from braking on mine, but I don't put a lot of road miles on them. The answer to your last question is no.

ThermionicScott 

What tires and tubes are you using? There might be more room for improvement in that regard, wrt weight and rolling resistance/comfort than you realize.

jonelliotelliot

I had a pair of the black anodized h+son tb14s. i used them on my winter bike last year, with a front and rear brake. the anodization on the braking surface disappeared on my first couple rides through the rain. and continued to make a mess all over my white fork, throughout the season.

prooftheory

Did anyone else think this thread was going to be about shoes?

Carcosa

^ Yes.

Was ready for a #giro.

StirFry

Front:
Conti GP4000S II (25mm)

Rear:
Conti GP 4 Season (25mm)

Tubes are either Conti or Forte lightweight tires. I can't remember

TejanoTrackie 

Those are premium tires. No need for improvement. My tire pressure calculator indicates that you should be running about 80 psi front and 90 psi rear, based on your 145 lb weight.

nightfly

Yes I thought it was about shoes.

And if you run a brake the sides of your Archetypes will turn silver-ish regardless of rain.

Sounds like you have some money burning a hole in your pocket. If you really want to drop weight you might look into a set of those lightweight Wabi wheels or something similarly more weight focused. Otherwise I don't think swapping rims makes sense. Sounds like you already have a nice setup.

Maybe just buy a new pair of actual shoes.

StirFry

I actually have an old set of Wabis sitting in my garage right now. Had two instances of their bolts break on me while out riding, so I'm cool on running them. It's strange because I only weigh 145lbs and am actually really gentle on my bikes. Plus I'm not big on how narrow they are. I guess I'll just be happy with what I have. Thanks, everybody.