The "perfect" wheel quiver...

[fignon's barber]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

1) carbon tubulars. Go fast road only wheels. 25c road tubies mounted.

2) aluminum clinchers with 28c tires mounted. Moderate dirt roads and wet weather days. 28r/24f lacing.

3) aluminum clinchers with 25c veloflex tires mounted. Mileage monsters. Bulk of the miles ridden on these. 24r/20f lacing.

4) aluminum clinchers with FAT compass tires moonted. Gravel wheels. 32 spokes. Reliable. Ride em everywhere.

Pretty good selections, but I would delete the carbon tubulars (not for an all road bike), and make your #3 a pair of Shamal Ultras.

[merckx]

1. rain/winter wheels
2. mundane everyday wheels
3. slightly less mundane wheels

All aluminum with a spoke count that will bring me home at the end of the day.

[chiasticon]

the very least I could do, while still being hella fun, would be:

road:
- carbon tubs for go-fast, grinning ear-to-ear rides
- solid aluminum clinchers for everything else (especially crap weather)

cross:
- carbon tubs with all-around tread glued (I prefer fangos)
- carbon tubs with mud tread glued (limus)
- solid aluminum clinchers for practice and singletrack

that said, I have way more than that.

[Black Dog]

32 hole Hed C2 or DT R460, with 28mm tires. Can put on different tires if needed. This covers almost all riding conditions. The legs make the wheels go around not the other way around.

[merckx]

Originally Posted by Black Dog

32 hole Hed C2 or DT R460, with 28mm tires. Can put on different tires if needed. This covers almost all riding conditions. The legs make the wheels go around not the other way around.

amen

[Vamoots58]

ENVE 25 Tubular / CKR45(r):Tune Mig 70(f) / CX-Ray / currently shod w/ FMB Service Course 25

Campy Bora Ultra 2 Tubular / currently shod w/ FBM Paris-Roubaix Pro 25

Corima Aero S+ 47mm Tubular / currently shod w/ Veloflex Roubaix 25

[JAGI410]

Something with a dynamo hub, something without a dynamo hub.

[MattTuck]

Originally Posted by Black Dog

32 hole Hed C2 or DT R460, with 28mm tires. Can put on different tires if needed. This covers almost all riding conditions. The legs make the wheels go around not the other way around.

No doubt, but swapping tires on a daily basis is a huge hassle compared to swapping a set of wheels. I did a personal TT attempt last year and changed my usual training tires to race tires, and then back the next day. Ok for a one shot deal, but if I were doing this a couple times a week to prepare for training vs. faster group rides, it'd get tiresome very fast.

[EDS]

In a perfect world I would have one set of aero carbon tubulars and one set of aluminum clinchers that had the same rim width (My Zipps and Archetypes are close but not exactly the same). Of course, it would also be great to have the carbon specific brake pads and aluminum specific brake pads with identical wear at all times but that will never happen.

[stien]

Originally Posted by EDS

In a perfect world I would have one set of aero carbon tubulars and one set of aluminum clinchers that had the same rim width (My Zipps and Archetypes are close but not exactly the same). Of course, it would also be great to have the carbon specific brake pads and aluminum specific brake pads with identical wear at all times but that will never happen.

HED Jet wheels at all times. That's my perfect wheel quiver. Granted, I use a crap weather bike. Nobody here has just one bike anyway!

[Gummee]

Something 28/32 or 32/32 for 'everyday' or winter riding w bigger tires
C24s
something deeper and carbon for those fast rides. I'd probably stick with clinchers tho

If we're sticking to 3.

If you get more, something like a Hed Jet for going fast in the wet (no carbon braking surface)
box-section tubulars for gravel road riding

etc

M

[dgauthier]

Originally Posted by Louis

Oh for the days when you put some Open Pro's on a bike and considered yourself set.

I still live in those days...

I like Angry's selection, though I would delete no. 2. You can certainly ride the FAT compass wheels on moderate dirt roads, and ride the mileage monsters in wet weather. Use the money saved for world peace. Also, I wouldn't skimp on spokes for the mileage monsters, either. Use the 28/24 lacing for those, and go for the low spoke count on the carbon tubies.

[chiasticon]

Originally Posted by Louis

Oh for the days when you put some Open Pro's on a bike and considered yourself set.

the modern day equivalent would be belgiums/archetypes/sl23's or similar, laced with 28 or 32 spokes to a solid hub that will last several iterations of rims. there's more options of course, but it's a similar strong build that can do anything. as evidenced by all those saying "just gimme that and a bunch of tires."

[Black Dog]

Originally Posted by MattTuck

No doubt, but swapping tires on a daily basis is a huge hassle compared to swapping a set of wheels. I did a personal TT attempt last year and changed my usual training tires to race tires, and then back the next day. Ok for a one shot deal, but if I were doing this a couple times a week to prepare for training vs. faster group rides, it'd get tiresome very fast.

Yea I hear you; two sets of the same wheels with different tires would cover just about everything however.

I will ask why a training set up would be any different than a fast group ride set up? A good training tire is a good "fast" tire. Conti GP 4000S II or a Michelin Pro Endurance ect.. certainly covers both circumstances fully. These tires last long enough and are cheap enough to justify everyday use. I think that a lot of cool-aid has been drunk around the whole specialty wheel marking schtick. When you see Zipp selling a "lower cost" wheel set at 1500 USD I know that the shark has been fully jumped.

[MattTuck]

Originally Posted by Black Dog

Yea I hear you; two sets of the same wheels with different tires would cover just about everything however.

I will ask why a training set up would be any different than a fast group ride set up? A good training tire is a good "fast" tire. Conti GP 4000S II or a Michelin Pro Endurance ect.. certainly covers both circumstances fully. These tires last long enough and are cheap enough to justify everyday use. I think that a lot of cool-aid has been drunk around the whole specialty wheel marking schtick. When you see Zipp selling a "lower cost" wheel set at 1500 USD I know that the shark has been fully jumped.

That, I will agree with.

My primary bike has HED Belgiums 32/32 with Gravelking 32s. It serves all my real needs, and I can take it on virtually any road ride.

However, they are neither light, nor especially fast. If I were better and lighter, and wanted to be more competitive, I could see how an aero wheel with more supple 23 or 25s would make sense for fast group rides; likewise with a light/low spoke rim for climbing days.