New Wheels

Two new wheelsets in the house:

 

Neugent Cycling 3cm Aluminum Rim 

First is the Neugent Cycling 3cm-deep, 23mm-wide aluminum rim set with the big-and-tall men's build (24/28 spoke count).  Sapim CX-Ray spokes and hand-built.  John advertises them as weighing 1495 gms with the higher spoke count.  These come with rim strips installed and, while I am not part of the tubeless club, the ones John installs sure look like they are designed to allow you to run tubeless.  John also includes his house-brand skewers, which I have never loved but which at least offer a big lever to ensure adequate tightness.  I paid $550 for these shipped to my door.

I rode these on Ascension last Sunday with the Compass Chinook Pass SL tires that Sam gifted to me for Christmas.  With what was decidedly the wrong gearing -- 39-25 at the lightest -- I can't speak to the wheels as an aid to my climbing, because my climbing was painful from the first pedal stroke.  I will note that I gave the rear wheels every excuse to pull out of true and they never did. 

I can speak to the handling.  The combination is fast and stable in the most technical of twisty turns, road-surface undulations, and broken pavement, and fast on the straights.  Whether it was the wheels, the tires, or the Specialized suspension seatpost, I'm eager to get back out on that bike!

Shimano Dura-Ace C24 Carbon Rim

Merlin sells these for $750 shipped.  They are built with a 16/21 spoke count, which might make me nervous except that I've never heard of a problem with Shimano's factory wheels, including the year-2006 Ultegra wheelset that I ride on my city bike in Indy.  They are 24mm deep and 21mm wide rims (not the full 23mm rims that apparently Shimano is now selling).  The advertising says something about "carbon laminate", which I take to mean something other than full carbon.  (Is the laminate there to add strength to a thinner metal build?)  They come with rim strips that, like those on the Neugent wheels, look like they are designed to let you run tubeless.  Shimano includes its incomparable closed-cam skewers with a new blade-like lever.  I weighed these before mounting them.  With rim strips installed, they tip the scales at . . . 1397 grams.  (I kid you not.)  Quick question:  is there anywhere else you can find a sub-1400gm wheelset with Shimano's durability and a modern profile (wider if not the widest) at that price point?  I doubt it.

I mounted these with the 28mm Schwalbe One tires and light-weight Specialized tubes.  They will go on the Neuvation bike for summer riding.  First workout will be on the 2 x 200K outside of Asheville that Damon and I have been discussing for next weekend.

After an earlier sell-off, I'm now back to lots of wheels in the closet.  Though they have been good to me, it is time to sell the Supra 60cm wheels.  (Craigslist link here if you know anybody who is looking.)