BTLOS wheels

[herb5998]

I built up a pair of wheels using the BTLOS RC-50 rims this year and Mavic MR801 hubs, went for the Arc brake track, which has good progressive bite for braking. The rims are very good quality, would happily build up a disc brake set using those in the future.

[54ny77]

i looked at lite bicycle site awhile back and i don't think 25's will work which is their skinniest outer width. the skinniest i found was a model from farsports (i made a thread about 'em) and they work quite well so far....knock on wood...so i bought a few sets for posterity. if i recall they're 16 inner and 23 outer, which is the right number. on some bikes i can use 25mm tires with those rims, on others i'm maxed out using 23's.

Originally Posted by gravelreformist

If BTLOS doesn't make something that works for your older bikes, you might try Light Bicycle which seems to have a very similar business model and offers 25mm wide rim brake wheels in a variety of styles. I've been very impressed with my 28mm wide AR36's.

https://www.lightbicycle.com/carbon-...wheels/17-19mm

[rogerspam]

Originally Posted by Ozz

I agree with this....I have two sets of BTLOS (both built by oldpotatoe). One with the arc and other with the grid.

Both do the job equally well, but the grid does wear pads more quickly. I figure an annual pad replacement will be about right.

What brake pads do people use/recommend? I'm getting some and not sure how many the wheels will come with to start.

[Ozz]

Originally Posted by rogerspam

What brake pads do people use/recommend? I'm getting some and not sure how many the wheels will come with to start.

I am using the SwissStop Black Prince pads

[gravelreformist]

I too, am using the Black Prince pads which so far have been great with my Light Bicycle rims in dry weather.

The Shimano pads are a harder compound that make a lot more noise, especially the last few seconds as you come to a stop.

[GregL]

+2 on the Black Prince pads with BTLOS Arc braking surfaces. Excellent stopping power and modulation. The pads wear fairly quickly, but I'll pay that price for the quality of the braking.

Greg

[CAAD]

Even better are the campy red pads paired with BTLOS arc. The best rim brake setup I have ever used. Using EE calipers.

[sevencyclist]

Did my ride with the 40mm Extralight BTLOS Arrow graphene wheels on some hills today. They carried momentum better than the 30mm height, and the brakes strength are same for the Arrow and ARC pattern. Won't know about pad wear until later on, but certainly performance not concerning for me on extended descents. I have run Pirelli TPU, Silca Latex and now Zipp Tangente Light Butyl all without issues. The Graphene surface treatment of brake tracks are meant to reduce buildup of temperature and provide consistent braking without safety concerns. They have held up well coming down Page Mill, Kings Mountain, or Woodside for those who knows The Bay Area.

The carbon spokes coming off BTLOS carbon hubs have worked well and have not needed any adjustment. The carbon hubs rolled smooth. Again, good enough for me to let go of my Campagnolo Shamal Mille.

Here are pictures of the Arrow graphene 40mm BTLOS.
2023-09-23 11.45.06 by sevencyclist, on Flickr
2023-09-23 11.45.24 by sevencyclist, on Flickr

[DRietz]

Originally Posted by sevencyclist

Did my ride with the 40mm Extralight BTLOS Arrow graphene wheels on some hills today. They carried momentum better than the 30mm height, and the brakes strength are same for the Arrow and ARC pattern. Won't know about pad wear until later on, but certainly performance not concerning for me on extended descents. I have run Pirelli TPU, Silca Latex and now Zipp Tangente Light Butyl all without issues. The Graphene surface treatment of brake tracks are meant to reduce buildup of temperature and provide consistent braking without safety concerns. They have held up well coming down Page Mill, Kings Mountain, or Woodside for those who knows The Bay Area.

The carbon spokes coming off BTLOS carbon hubs have worked well and have not needed any adjustment. The carbon hubs rolled smooth. Again, good enough for me to let go of my Campagnolo Shamal Mille.

Here are pictures of the Arrow graphene 40mm BTLOS.
2023-09-23 11.45.06 by sevencyclist, on Flickr
2023-09-23 11.45.24 by sevencyclist, on Flickr

Which makes less noise, the arrow or the arc?

[shinomaster]

I have been wanting Bora WTO45 wheels but am just too poor an cheap to pull the trigger, and was looking at the BTLOS website the other day trying to make sense of all the options. What kind of build would be best and keep the wheels aroud $1000?. I am a pretty gentle lightweight climber and don't usually break stuff.

[BryanE]

Originally Posted by shinomaster

I have been wanting Bora WTO45 wheels but am just too poor an cheap to pull the trigger, and was looking at the BTLOS website the other day trying to make sense of all the options. What kind of build would be best and keep the wheels aroud $1000?. I am a pretty gentle lightweight climber and don't usually break stuff.

Bitex hubs

[rogerspam]

What brake pads are those? The ones that come with EE brakes/Cane Creek?

Originally Posted by sevencyclist

Did my ride with the 40mm Extralight BTLOS Arrow graphene wheels on some hills today. They carried momentum better than the 30mm height, and the brakes strength are same for the Arrow and ARC pattern. Won't know about pad wear until later on, but certainly performance not concerning for me on extended descents. I have run Pirelli TPU, Silca Latex and now Zipp Tangente Light Butyl all without issues. The Graphene surface treatment of brake tracks are meant to reduce buildup of temperature and provide consistent braking without safety concerns. They have held up well coming down Page Mill, Kings Mountain, or Woodside for those who knows The Bay Area.

The carbon spokes coming off BTLOS carbon hubs have worked well and have not needed any adjustment. The carbon hubs rolled smooth. Again, good enough for me to let go of my Campagnolo Shamal Mille.

Here are pictures of the Arrow graphene 40mm BTLOS.
2023-09-23 11.45.06 by sevencyclist, on Flickr
2023-09-23 11.45.24 by sevencyclist, on Flickr

[shinomaster]

Originally Posted by BryanE

Bitex hubs

Thanks, this seems like a decent option for summer riding, what pads would be safe with Campy record brakes? For $782.00 I can get a 40mm set which weighs 1335 grams which is pretty crazy. I just may have to try a set.

[GregL]

Originally Posted by BryanE

Bitex hubs

I second this recommendation. I have Bitex hubs on four wheelsets. They have been 100% reliable and preventative maintenance (grease) takes just a few minutes. Since Shimano abandoned the hub market, Bitex has become my “go to” brand.

Greg

[shinomaster]

Brass nipples and cx ray spokes? I know very little about wheels building. Thanks for all this info. I have always wanted to try deeper carbon wheels and this might do the trick.