WillBradley1

Hi there,

For some time now I’ve been mulling over treating my Benotto Pista frame to a set of Cerchio Ghisallo tubular track rims. This would be some treat on my spectrum so need opinions!

Curious about experience people have about how they ride? It would be for light use on choice Uk roads.

Also any opinions on the aesthetics! I can’t make my mind up whether they will make the most stunning combo ever (with the classic champagne) or whether it’s abit naff. It’s a 1976 frame

Ta.

iab

Lots of lateral flex. Brake like crap. Certainly not standard in 1976.

But get whatever floats your boat. Nothing wrong with that.

Russ Roth

Have you ridden them to know about the flex?

I would also assume they brake like crap but done right could have similar stiffness to a basic aluminum rim especially if they use epoxy in the lamination which would add some rigidity much like it does to carbon.

iab

Yes.

Frejus001 by iabisdb, on Flickr

Frejus 01 by iabisdb, on Flickr

homelessjoe

I have never owned wooden rims but have done a lot of research on them.......i think on the right bike they are stunningly beautiful......just beautiful.......from the research Ive done it seems wood rims worked very well .....held up ...stayed straight....could take a lot of abuse......very forgiving....riders loved them.....most racers preferred them to steel........smooth riding....easy to tune.......every one from the era had no complaints.....and after examining a number of antique wheels I found most were straight and true and useable after sitting for close to 100 years.....they are practical and serviceable........downside is you couldnt leave your bike out in the monsoons all winter and most were tubular.......the feedback Ive heard on the new clincher rims is all favorable although I think most of the people buying the new wooden rims are using them as artworks and sunday riders and not riding down mountains and pushing them to the limit.....but I would bet they would hold up well to some rough use

L134 

I've got about 900 miles in the past year on these. They are not track rims but they are tubular. I don't baby them, ride them anywhere in traffic etc and have no complaints. Braking for me is just fine (again - in traffic) and I don't notice any flex. I built them up for no particular good reason other than because I wanted to. Perhaps it was just because I thought it would be fun and the fact that my wife is a professional woodworker/furniture maker made it seem appropriate to me - I don't know. No regrets and I would definitely do it again. I will say the cork brake pads wear fast so I would order extras when you order the rims. As for the ride, it is always a little hard for me to judge differences or think that I could tell in a blind test (if that were even possible) but, I have been more inclined to choose this bike for a ride over others when it has the wood wheels mounted than when it doesn't so I figure that says something.