rsbob 

Thanks for posting that - ordered one today. Have done the business card method a few times with meh results, so hopefully this will do the trick.

Koyote

You're welcome! A tip: I started by trying to shove it in from the front...but it seems to work better if you insert it from the back of the caliper. Get each side pinched tightly against the rim sidewall, then turn the wheel forward until the tool's blades are fully in-between the brake pads and the rim sidewalls. Then torque down the caliper.

urbanknight

Thanks, I'll give it a try.

genejockey 

Huh. I've never had the business card trick fail to yield rub-free caliper alignment. And since I have nearly 500 obsolete business cards, I'm gonna stick with that. Looks like a slick tool, though!!

chaadster

Yeah, that is a good price on those. Aren't they usually ~1.8k? Good all 'round road wheel specs from a reliably top brand. Nice!

SoSmellyAir

The business card trick works better with clean, cut up credit cards or airline mileage ID cards, one strip on either side of the rotor. Just don't use the sections with embossed text. The additional thickness forces the pads back into the caliper like a brake pad spreader.

Indeed!

genejockey 

Mine are unembossed, thick business cards. I fold one over, remove the wheel, put the card over it - no cutting - and put it the wheel back into the dropouts/roto back between the pads. Loosen the bolts, squeeze the lever and while holding it, tighten the bolts so the caliper won't move. Then release the lever, torque the bolts down, remove the wheel, remove the card, replace the wheel. Works (for me) everytime.

Koyote

Sure, but you're missing the opportunity to spend money on another tool.

genejockey 

I'd only lose it and have to order another one, which would lead to me finding it again the day the package arrived.

SoSmellyAir

I would find the tool as soon as it becomes too late to cancel the order for its replacement.

Sy Reene

Sorry... you lost me with the Specialized on Cannondale thing from the get-go.

SoSmellyAir

Needs must.

Trakhak

First post from "talkingspree" - 87% AI generated. An ill portent.

genejockey 

I wouldn't worry till an AI starts arguing and can't stop responding. Then we'll never know it from one of us.

MoAlpha

Might be user error, but it hasn't worked very well for me. I often have to remove the pads, squoosh the pistons in all the way with a tire lever, and let them reset to the rotor position.

SoSmellyAir

Reserve 34|37 (DT 240 EXP) are on sale at Excel Sports for $1,479. I came close to ordering these when Maelochs suggested mid-depth wheels, but DT 240 EXP freehub makes such a racket. If Reserve 40|44 (DT 240 EXP) were on sale for the same price, then it would have been a difficult call.

Roval Alpinists are on sale at Excel Sports for $568 (F) + $792 (R) = $1,360.

Roval Rapide (rear only) is on sale at Excel Sports for $769 (25% off MSRP), but I must have ordered one of the last two, because it now shows out of stock, ETA 4/30. The front is not on sale anywhere but I managed to find a 20% off online code at Brands Cycle.

Koyote

I wonder if your pistons need to be cleaned and lubed?

MoAlpha

Occasionally yes, but I don't think that's always the cause. Anyway, shouldn't the tool work in that case, at least temporarily?

JohnDThompson 

The shallow rim wheel will likely be lighter than the deep-profile race wheels, but less aerodynamic. But the advantage of aerodynamics falls off with reduced speed, while the advantage of light weight is the same regardless of speed. So, which is better depends on the riding you do.

Koyote

Yeah, you're right, it should. I guess tolerances (pad to rotor clearance, pad and rotor wear, etc) must play a role.

Chandne

For me, light wheels are always more fun to ride. They are often shallower, which makes them feel lively and "springy" which I really find makes riding more fun. Stiff deep wheels feel dead to me. Light are much nicer on climbs since they spin up fast and don't get buffeted around as much as deeper wheels on the windy mountain passes. Mostly though, they just feel nicer to ride. One thing about Specialized wheels- I find a lot of them pretty stiff. ZIPP 303 FCs have that springy light feel. The somewhat similar ENVE Foundation 45s (I sold mine due to this) feels stiff and dead but the ENVE 3.4 feels nicer (not as nice as the ZIPPs). I have not ridden the super light Specialized climbing wheels yet. They look and sound awesome though. You should get them.

MoAlpha

I really only have problems with on wheel one one bike (can't remember back or front) and I suspect it's something about the caliper mount, but don't ask me for a detailed theory of how. The pads also wear asymmetrically. Fortunately, I don't switch wheels that often.

SoSmellyAir

That is true with the caveat, as chaadster noted above, that one must consider air speed rather than ground speed. Aerodynamic benefits of deeper wheels may be pronounced even when plodding slowly uphill into a strong headwind.

This is a great description and better than what I have been trying to articulate for most of this thread. Fortunately, even given this past winter, I don't think Orange County would ever be as windy as the Denver area. (Not that I have ridden there. I am just going by the number of turbulent landings at DEN I have experienced.)

PeteHski

Whenever I read reviews about wheels spinning up much faster I imagine them detached from the rest of the bike and rider. In this case 200g of wheel mass represents around 0.4% of the total mass being accelerated (I’ve even doubled it for rotating mass). So any feeling of faster wheel spin up is imaginary. Lighter wheels might “feel” different but they don’t spin up appreciably faster. Not within the range of weights being discussed in this thread.

MoAlpha

Whenever I read gear reviews filled with subjective, unquantifiable, nonsense like that, I reflect on 3.5 decades of getting my ass hazed over the tiniest chances of unblinding in human studies. Of course, I also have my own feelings about wheels.