Dura Ace 7800 wheelset

[quattro]

I am interested in purchasing the new Dura Ace 7800 wheelset and was wondering if anyone has had any experience with them. They look very nice and I like the idea of the nipples on the hub for less rotational weight. I would appreciate any input about these wheels as well as reviews. I am also looking at the Speed Dream wheels and know many people have commented on how nice a wheelset Dave builds. Appreciate any input from the community on either wheelset to help me make my decision. Thanks

[Climb01742]

i've ridden the new DA wheels for the past three days, putting in about 8 hours on them. my first impression is that they feel fast. acceleration is very good. they ride smoothly, and it doesn't feel as though you need to apply a lot of torque to get them rolling. braking surface is very good too. stopping is sure and progressive, i can modulate the braking easily. in general, i'd say they are comfortable. they certainly aren't harsh by any means. but i have noticed as i've ridden them more that there is a bit of buzz coming (i think) from them. i have them on a pegoretti marcelo, a steel frame. i'd be curious to try this switch: put open pros on the marcelo and put the DA wheels on a ti frame. here's why: i have a litespeed ghisallo and an ottrott, both riding ksyriums, and on neither bike did i ever feel as though the k's were harsh at all. but then i put the k's on a steel frame, and the ride was noticeably more harsh. on the other hand, i have a peg fina (scandium) with open pros, and the ride is quite sweet. and my other steel frames ride on open pros, too, all of which ride really sweetly. so what i'm curious about is: is it wise to match wheels to frame materials? obviously this is quite personal, and we each have a comfort-to-speed trade-off ratio. where i think i'm coming down is: steel frames, for me, ride more nicely with a non-trick wheel, like an open pro. while ti or ti/carbon frames can soak up the extra vibration from a stiffer, more trick wheel--so in effect, the comfort-speed ratio is maintained by matching wheel to frame material.

i haven't had the DA wheels long enough to be 100% sure about stuff, but based on my experience so far i'd say--if you're thinking about putting them on ti or carbon frames, go for it with a high degree of confidence, because they are fast and the small amount of buzz that comes from them can easily be soaked up by your frame. until i do my little switcheroo, i can't say for sure about matching the DA wheels to a steel frame, or at least my marcelo. right now i can't say for sure what part of the small buzz is from the wheels or the frame.

sorry for the long answer. maybe here's a shorter one: i'm waiting on a IF ti crown jewel that i'm hoping to build into a climbing demon. i am planning on putting my DA wheels on it in a nanosecond.

[Sandy]

quattro,

Do a search using the words dura ace wheels. You will get a list of threads. One of the threads is Why I Want a Serotta. Scroll down to those that have the words wheels or 7800 in red print. There are some very interesting comments, such as those by Smiley and the Jerk.

I have wheels built by Jeremy (you will see him mentioned by Smiley) that use Dura-Ace 10 hubs (those used in the 7800 wheels) and Nimble Spider rims. I really like the wheels a great deal.

Sandy

[Sandy]

Try giving Jeremy, at Alchemy Bicycle Works, a call at 505-699-4307. He is very helpful, knowledgeable, and will answer all questions you have in a most honest and direct manner. I have enjoyed dealing with him in my 2 wheels purchases with him.

Sandy

[quattro]

Climb, thanks for your review of the 7800's. I recently purchased a custom IF Crown Jewel Ti ( from Belmont WW) and it is built with a 9-speed dura ace group and I am running the Velocity Aerohead/Hugi/DT wheels and like the set up very much. The DA 10-speed set up with the 7800 wheels will go on a Parlee Z1 carbon fiber I have recently ordered. I appreciate your observations about these wheels on Ti and carbon bikes. When will you be receiving your IF? Can't decide if I should purchase something that I will be able to switch between bikes. I am told the 7800 wheels can only be run with the DA 10-speed cassette, so I wouldn't be able to use them on the IF with 9-speed DA. Decisions, decisions.

[Climb01742]

quattro--you nailed it. not being able to switch wheels is a bummer. like now, if only i could throw a pair of my open pros on my marcelo, bingo. but all my other wheels are shimano 9. but, the rest of DA 10 is so good, maybe the pain is worth it? about my IF--just got a note from matt bracken. says might be ready this weekend. its being painted as we speak. YIPPEE. how do you like your IF CJ? neat about the parlee. but what is their delivery time? i heard they're kinda slow. but the frames are supposed to be great. who do you work with at belmont?

[Sandy]

You appear to have more than 1 pair of Open Pro wheels. Why don't you just get a 10 speed Dura-Ace cassette for one pair and then you can use that one for your 10 Speed Dura-Ace bike or bikes? You can go from a 9 speed wheel to a 10 speed wheel. I was using an Open Pro wheelset, from my 9 speed CSi, on my 10 speed new bike.

Sandy

[Climb01742]

great idea, sandy. thanks for suggesting it. the custom wheels you had built, could you describe how they ride, what you were looking for? thanks. climb.

[quattro]

climb, I also worked with Tom Norton on size and build. Mine has a 5 degree slope and is painted the same scheme as the one pictured on their site and in their catalog (blue w/ white panals and blue w/silver outlined lettering). The build and paint came out wonderful, my only issue has been the length of the head tube, but I think we have found a solution. The Parlee should be delivered within 8 weeks. My ordering of this frame has a long history as I was waiting for Bob to begin using Ti drop outs, he has, so the order has been placed. The Parlee will be well worth the wait, it is a wonderful frame. Good luck on getting yours this weekend. What color(s) are your paint? What are you building it with?

[Climb01742]

paint will be their pearl orange. yikes. i love the color in theory. when i see the frame, i hope i love it in practice. i'll build it with DA 10. my goal is to build a climbing demon. i finally saw a parlee in the flesh. belmont has one downstairs. really cool. did you ride one before ordering? what's it like?

[Ken Lehner]

They look very nice and I like the idea of the nipples on the hub for less rotational weight.

If you are a princess and can feel a pea under 100 mattresses, then having the nipples on the hub "for less rotational weight" is for you. If, however, you are a human being, you won't be able to tell the difference. For reasonable wheels, where the weight is doesn't matter while riding the bike.

How available are the spokes for these wheels, if you break one or two? Will every shop carry spares?

[Sandy]

Ken,

I would certainly think that the placement of the nipples for saving of rotational weight would be so far down in the list of factors that would make meaningful contributions to speed of wheels that it certainly would mean almost nothing. Perhaps there are other more important reasons for doing such.

I tend to think that most of us place too much emphasis on the importance of weight of wheels as of such great importance in the speed of wheels. Flydhest and csb could use triangular or square wheels, twice as heavy as my wheels, and still whip my butt in any cycling endeavor. Too Tall, might even be able to up that to 3 or 4 times as heavy.


Sandy

[Smiley]

Like the Soup of the Day , next year Somebody will tout a better wheelset. What happened to last years DurAce wheel set ? I am sure these wheels like many others are just fine , are they the Cats Meow or the Ultimate , I think not. I got tired of chasing the latest fads in wheels a long time ago. I think they are sexy but I also think strippers are sexy too but ....... Anyway who am I to say don't buy these wheels. I know that the new DurAce hubs are really nice and I am sure that the rest of the wheel are nice too. Just like others have said here before me DEMO these pre-builts on the frame your using as they may feel different to ride on with different frames and body weights as well as riding styles and chosen travelled terrain .

[Climb01742]

it's hard to know what is a fad and what is an improvement. part of the reason i chose the DA wheels was, i knew i was going with the new DA 10, and since these wheels were built to go with the the grouppo, i figured, why not? i wanted something with a zoot factor. for me, i know the DA 10 is a true improvement, not a fad. are the wheels? i'm not a good enough rider to know for sure. i'm still a huge fan of open pros. they get me going about as fast as i can go. but it is fun to have a zooty pair of wheels. the tried-and-trueness of open pros, coupled with my level of ability, are a nice match. some changes are fads. some are genuine improvements. time, as it always does, will tell on these wheels.