gurk700

Caden Wheels. and you can afford them even if money was an object.

bruce19

Having trouble wrapping my head around the "cost no object" part.

noodle soup

I think the OP was just trying to ask "which 1 wheelset would you buy, without worrying about the cost".

Rocket-Sauce 

These are quite interesting and nicely made.
https://www.princetoncarbon.com/

Kimmo 

If you want to talk interesting, check out a rear Corima MCC: https://www.corima.com/carbon-wheels...xcellence.html

No disc option, though

twinsies

I'm in the ENVE camp.

tkdirp

If money was no object, I will get the dura-ace hub from any dura-ace wheel that is not c24 because of the 2:1 spoke pattern. Than get the Super spoke and aluminum nipples from Sapim. Then I will ask an aerospace engineer called Hambini for the spoke adapters out titanium because prebuilt Shimano wheels use a proprietary spoke system. I will buy 10 sets of Enve rims that will be x-ray scanned and sand back the other sets of rims. with the selected set of rims, I will give a silver cote to except the braking surface if I am still using rim brakes.

dmanthree

It was just a curiosity question, nothing more. I'm not rich.

bruce19

Just to clarify, it was meant to be a light hearted comment about me not you.

ThermionicScott 

You plebs and your ordinary deep-section wheels. I'd score a set of Zipp 454s if I had a few extra grand to blow on wheels, maybe an 858 for the rear. Those things are so neat.

IronM

I have the rim brake Enve 4.5's. Awesome wheels, tough as nails, and (for me) a perfect aero profile that doesn't twitch in cross-winds. Cons: the textured brake surface makes a LOT of noise & eats pads - but it does stop when wet! A big expense, yes; but I race. In a perfect world, I'd replace my bike & go with discs. Disc brakes are fantastic.

dmanthree

Thanks, no worries!

trekmogul 

Here while in sultry Sri Lanka a good set of MEILENSTEIN LIGHTWEIGHTS are just what is needed..!

Dan333SP

Did you trust a regular airline to handle your MEILENSTEIN LIGHTWEIGHT wheels in a typical bike bag? Or did you reserve a business class seat for the wheels?

trekmogul 

I use a hard case wheel carrier capable of holding 3 wheels and never been a issue yet..

Jiggle

I'm not sure but probably something from the top end of Alex or Oval.

Kimmo 

The tubulars for JRA thread has me looking at a set of deCADENce 49s... do you have a set of Caden wheels? If so, interested in your impressions.

gurk700

On my 3rd frame since I posted that. Cadens still going nowhere I have the 59mm decadence tubulars.
https://www.bikeforums.net/20966948-post381.html

Last time I rode them? Today. They are my daily wheels. I train on them. I race them.
They are cheaper than top wheels. They are lighter than top wheels. They don't flex and rub on brakes like some top wheels.

Their braking is just as meh or as good as top end wheels depending how you look at it.

Everything else (aero, stiffness, durability and all that jazz) is on par or better in my opinion. They ride great.

For reference, I've owned Enves, Zipps, Reynolds, HEDs, Rovals, Mavics, DT Swiss. Several models from each. Probably other brands I forget.
Caden by far best bang for the buck and probably better than most above. Only thing I will be putting on my bike soon (again. I sold a pair of same wheels and regret it to this day) is a set of HED Jet 6+ Black because braking on those is insanely good and I want something for rainy/dirty/imperfect conditions that is aero and more durable braking surface. They are heavy AF but I love them.

Kimmo 

Yeah, this is pretty much what everyone in the Google reviews says... reckon I'm sold

BaconSandwich

Even with a money as no object qualifier, I’d still just continue riding my handbuilds. I prefer selecting the exact parts I want and enjoy the process of building them. This is my most recent build. I think I spent about $1500 and they ended up at 1273g

Kimmo 

Yeah, I'm a bit disappointed I couldn't tweak the spec of the wheels, but I went ahead and pulled the pin anyway on those 49mm tubulars.

Might forget the warranty and go ahead and rebuild them with the silver CX-Rays I prefer and a Dura-Ace rear hub... the only thing left of the extra $300 for the decadence spec would be the straight-pull front hub and the fact the bladders were removed from the rims, but oh well.

gurk700

Any reason you want DA rear hub? Cadens are special because of their hubs. They are Extralite weight without the price. Rims aren't what make Cadens special.

Also I might be wrong but I don't think DuraAce rear hub would come in a 21 hole version.

In any case, I don't think you'll be disappointed with the stock setup at all. 49mm tubulars will be insanely light and a joy to ride.

Kimmo 

I think it's a crying shame that only low-end crap like Joytech copy Shimano's cassette body as stressed member design; the DS axle bearing should be next to the dropout, not the middle of the hub. I also prefer cup and cone bearings by a long shot.

And I can't abide Shimano splines in aluminium; in my book it's instant fail unless the extremely rare steel strips are present - which Caden's J-bend hubs have, but the straight-pull hubs don't have them. Ben tells me the cassette bodies on those hubs are 3D-forged and thus harder, but I still think it's not kosher. My main cassette is billet so it won't bite through, but still.

As for 21h Shimano hubs, they've been a thing since 9000, on the C40 and deeper. Pretty much necessitated by 11s dish and the fact deep OCRs aren't a thing.

Basically, I want the bee's knees in every aspect, which inevitably requires some mix and match...

gurk700

Gotcha. I guess what I mean is, by the time you make the mix match changes, what's the point? Just by DuraAce tubulars?
Cause it'll cost just as much and weigh close.

Dunno... I guess I'm not as picky. I've used the Cadens for 3 seasons now with 0 issues stock and if it wasn't for weight and price, there's a TON of other options. untouched DA "used" tubulars on ebay are Caden price or cheaper as far as I can tell. Caden is so unknown that you could never sell it if needed either.

Like I said I still highly recommend them regardless for what they are. Good luck!

Kimmo 

Cheers. It's hardly a red-hot priority; I'm sure I'll be riding them for a while before I can get my hands on a wrecked C50 or whatever...

I used to think the Shimano laminated rims were the duck's guts, but the problem with having aluminium in the mix (aside from all the tyre bed corrosion I've seen on them), is that it can bend when full carbon would just flex. I have a C24 front I had to pull straight after a hit; it's waiting to be disassembled and get the pane of glass check and tweak...

Oh, and the reviews for Caden are pretty incredible, particularly what folks say about braking - apparently as good as Exalith without all the noise. Can't imagine they'll be very unknown for too much longer.