Originally Posted by
Steve_sr
Hello,
The original Aerohead (20mm) has apparently been discontinued and replaced with the A23 which is a 3mm wider rim. I have ridden both and the A23 is a bone shaker compared to the original Aerohead, even with reduced tire pressure.
So I am looking for a silver alloy rim that is narrower than the A23 (23mm). So far I haven't had much luck. Can anyone offer any recommendations for companies/products.
Thanks,
Steve
You might find the A23 to be a bone shaker but the wheel build, rim tape, tube choice and tire choice all contibute.
I’m curious what tires & tire pressures you were running. Last year I ran Challenge Strada 25mm open tubulars with tubeless tape & Vittoria latex inner tubes & found the combo quite comfortable & grippy @ lower pressures such as 72 front & 85 psi rear.
The better sidewall support allows you to run lower pressures which gives you a smooth ride but retains cornering sharpness.
If you really need extra rubber I suppose that 28’s would overhang the outer width of the A23’s (depending on brand).
Be aware too that A23’s are tubeless ready, arrowheads are not. A creative tubeless setup with the Velocity tubeless conversion kit for the A23’s could be really sublime since with tubeless you can lower the pressure even more.
When I crashed my bike with DT Swiss RR1.1’s & Dura Ace 7700 hubs I had them rebuilt into Velocity A23’s and the wheel builder used lightweight DT Swiss (Revolution?) butted spokes and aluminum spoke nipples. The configuration was 36 spoke 3 cross rear and 32 spoke 2 cross front. The spoke selection lightened up the wheels but the higher spoke count means they are still plenty strong for my 200 pound self.
I have a 32 asymetric Aerohead and standard 28 Aerohead new old stock that I purchased for a build before I became enamored with wider, tubeless ready clincher rims. I think they might be gunmetal blue but I would have to check. I don’t really want to sell them because I already have the Dura Ace 7403/7400 hubs set aside to have my wheel builder @ the LBS build them for a retro project.
Curiously waiting for your response about what tires and what pressures caused the harshness in your previous (negative) A23 experience.