ThermionicScott 

Maybe you could consider these as a "front and a spare" and build the rear with something a little beefier?

noglider 

I say ride them on rides that are not mission-critical. I commuted on an underbuilt wheel. I said I'll ride it until it breaks. And I did. Now I replaced it with something better.

Chombi1 

It would be the rims that I'd watch out for mostly.
anything below 300 grams would most likely be not strong enough to "daily ride".
36 spokes, cross 3 lacing should be strong enough.

Road Fan

I would say take the rims to a bike shop that has a small food scale, and weigh them. My experience is good durability with rims in the upper 300's, and my bud has had good results in the low 300's. 270 g is very light, possibly a track-only design, but I don't really know what their intended use was. My Masi has 32/32 rims with 1.8 mm straight-gauge spokes (!), and my Mondonico has 32/32 with Sapim CX-rays. The Masi has Wolber Alpines and the Mondonico has Mavic GP4, a 420 or so training rim, meant for daily long training rides on open roads. My GP4 survived a 16 mph head-on collision with a wall of river boulders (as did my helmeted head, but not the frame!!). A bud here in Ann Arbor got a set of Mavic GEL280 (about 310 if I recall Weight Weenie) rims in 32/32, and built them up for road use. I think he used DT 14/16 spokes, his weight around 175 (my height, less fat, much more muscle). Due to good building practices he had no problems with the GEL280s. I can't explain the odd spokes on my Masi - they are most likely original!

With all of these essential to follow excellent practices in lacing, stress-relieving, and tensioning/truing.

Road Fan

Hubs: The most likely hubs are Campagnolo Record with Campy QR skewers. They could have been low flange or high flange. One nice thing is they are cup and ball, so you can always adjust to optimize the play with the QR closed.

NHmtb

Makes sense to me. Anyone got a heavier Super Champion 36h tubular rim they'd like to part ways with?


I have a food scale - these weigh 280g per rim.

Feldman

I had similar experience with Arc en Ciels in the same era, similar weight and usage. Another vintage rim that performed literally well above it's weight were the 310 and 280 gram Martanos--they built much better and lasted longer than comparable Super Champions in mine and others' experience at the time. Maybe the best rims of their era--maybe that's why there are NOS Super Champions moldering on hooks but all the Martanos got bought, built, and ridden to death. Great rims!

USAZorro

I have two pairs of Super Champion Competitions that are in very nice shape. One is 32h - 40h, and the other is matching 36h front and rear. Part of my long-term plan is to be rid of both of these. The challenge I have though, is that both of these are laced to hubs that I very much want to keep, and on bikes that deserve nice wheelsets - but with clinchers, rather than tubulars. I do respond to PMs.

Wildwood 

Mavic 280SELs with 32/36 spokes have been great for this 195pound rider.
Rear has needed truing more than a similarly laced Mavic 330.

I would say ride it without worry if you are on decent pavement. I would not ride it on potholed or cracked pavement high-speed descents. i would also run a lightweight 25mm tire @ 100psi, not 20/22/23. Weight weenie at the tire is for lightweight riders, usually easier on most all components.

Being a @NHmtb = no off-roading on this wheelset, no curb jumping, no wheelies, etc. Also, not the best sprinter wheels - if you mash be regular with truing and rim inspection.

What nipples? or did i miss that??

NHmtb

Guess I shouldn't put these on my cross bike?

Didn't mention it, but 12mm brass, DT Swiss.

Steelzreal

I really can not understand how so few people ever give heavy wheels a chance. Or if they did it was on something that was rusty and had additional resistance. A lot of guys seem to fall into the trap that rotational mass is best place to save weight. Consider why that is. It takes extra effort to spin them but also equally extra effort to slow them. The feeling of some nice good condition steel 27 inch wheels is unmatched.


What draws you to a road bike over other bikes. For me it's coasting and gliding that feels like you have almost no rolling resistance. I have had some very light weight good condition vintage wheels that were obviously faster on hills but I did break one and never could ride as confidentially on light rims after that as my heavy rims. And I can say for sure with experiments that you coast much further in total distance on the heavy rims. It's quite a significant difference. About twice as far in my circumstance. Not only that. But it was the lack of feeling I so loved on my heavy rims that gave me the idea to experiment.


I've heard people say some things on here about a bike is always battling road resistance and wind so you are always accelerating if maintaining speed. I agree with that part. They go on to conclude that light weight wheels are then better at holding speed. This is just against all common sense. My experiment which I encourage all to try proves heavy wheels which have more momentum are less affected by wind and resistance of the road. It's hard for people to accept this when they spent so much on wheels. In an all out climb or Sprint of coarse light wins. But at the cost of a lot of money sacrificed safety in many cases and what feels like an increase in rolling resistance when coasting.


I came up with a simple thought experiment to help people understand what I'm talking about when I say" feel "in a way they can know exactly what I mean. Imagine 2 bikes equally weighted one with much heavier wheels put under a predetermined wattage of power for a set time then coast to a stop. Because both weight the same the 2 bikes would stop at the same spot for total distance. Though in the first half of track the lighter wheels bike would pull ahead only to slowly lose its lead till they inevitably tie. Now let's say I am on the light wheel bike and would like to know what the other bike felt like to ride same distance. It would feel as if you were on a very slight incline while under power as compared to before but the second half would feel as if you were on a slight decline. Or first half feels like head wind second half tail wind. This makes coasting on the flat far more enjoyable and longer lasting rest are able to be had while still keeping up with others. All this to say I'm against carrying any dead weight but i consider the stronger wheels not dead weight as it can aid in the enjoyability of a ride and provides me more confidence to maintain speed and put full power to pedals after having destroyed some lightweight wheels. Also I've always been a weight lifter so more of a power athlete than endurance for sure so higher rest time and high power spurts are the way for me.


Maybe an easier way to think of it is the wheels can store some of you power. Some may not find this helpful if braking a lot. While maintaining speed you are indeed accelerating to some extent but you have to consider how much slower your deceleration happens with those spinning weights on your bike. The one hour record for a track bike was set with weighted wheels. Goes to show when brakes are not givin the chance to rob that stored power in the wheels it can even be faster than light wheels in some circumstances. Overall don't go and add dead weight to a bike to coast further but if you do you will indeed coast further especially if weights near the rim.


Not really looking to start argument just wanted to give my opinion and my experience as I have gone both routes and I think steel alloy is a good medium for me. Now consider tho that adding a few pounds to your bike will increase total energy needed to get that bike any given distance. I just prefer to cut that weight elsewhere for ride quality , money saving and safety reasons

ThermionicScott 

Welcome to the forums, but the OP isn't contemplating steel rims. They're just polished aluminum.

jeirvine 

Funny - I bought at a swap meet a pair of wheels with 36h (w/tied/soldered spokes) Mavic Record du Monde de l'Heure rims, that has some fat, dirty CX tires glued to them. They were straight and true, and had no spoke-hole pulling at all. They are currently serving well on my '73 Colnago Super road bike. (And I'm 190 lbs dry.)

79pmooney

Weyless hubs were widely regarded as light but not very reliable BITD. Medaille d'Or rims were of soft aluminum. No, you will not crack them but you will dent or bend them very easily. My second year of racing I ran one in front (a far stronger Fiamme Ergal in back). Rode a criterium that opened a 3 event, 2-day stage race. I was a poor crit rider so I knew it wold take everything I had to get the magic "st" posted beside my name. (Same time.) There was a pair of concrete slabs that mismatched by an inch on the inside of one corner. By riding over it I cold move up a bunch of places every lap. Got my "st" Before the time trial that afternoon, I had to sit down and true that wheel, It was near hitting the brake blocks both sides. Basket case. Rear wheel was fine. Later that summer, I bottomed out on railroad tracks and put a "V" in the rim, looking from the side. The bends of the "v" being at three spoke holes. Pulled it back to round withe a rim puller and rode the rest of the season on it.

Now I was riding that rim on less than perfect New England roads in the '70s as a racer in races. But I was also a 145 pound rider who was light on wheels. I did lace the wheel with 15-17 ga spokes (now 1.8-1.6) and recommend staying that light to be as easy as possible on the rims.

Weyless hubs, Medaille d'Or rims at your weight? Coffee shop rides and time trials only.

Ben

RobbieTunes

+1

I built the same rims to Hi-E hubs, and have ridden the bike (Teledyne Titan) once. It was great.

Road Fan

One of the words you're looking for (re "storing your power") is inertia.