Ambrosio Montreal Medaille d'Or - do I want some?

[Nick H.]

I like to stash away a few pairs of nice strong tub rims, for use with 25-27 mm tubs on a loaded bike on rough roads when I eventually go round the world on tubs. (Don't ask me why.)

I already have some Mavic Paris Roubaix SSC and some Mavic GP4 with the purple/yellow mountain label. Should I add the Ambrosio Montreal Medaille d'Or to my collection? The seller says they weigh 850 grams (they are 36h). How do they compare with the current Montreal, which according to the Ambrosio site are lighter - only 820g per pair? (Or the current Nemesis for that matter?)

I don't know how old these Medaille d'Or are - they have a very pretty label in yellow and two shades of green.

The price is 87 euros inc shipping. Which seems very steep when you consider that GP4s can be had for half as much. I suppose anything with a posh discontinued label has to be worth a bundle. Maybe I should start a label business.

OK, I'll stop typing now. I bet I don't get a reply unless I message the guru!

[11.4]

I'm not a huge fan of those rims. They were made with a rather antiquated softer alloy and are one of the few rims that will actually develop flat spots -- rather like old Fiamme Yellow Labels and AVA's, two of my other least liked rims. Also, the ferrule rivets weren't stainless and tend to corrode, and the corrosion at least discolors the alloy of the rim extrusion itself if not actually spreading to the extrusion. The ferrules are also rather bulky on most of the Medaille d'Or Montreals I've known, so they keep the tire from seating as well as I'd like. If you have GP4s, Paris Roubaix's, or Nemesis's available, you are working with better rims. At that price, the Nemesis or GP4 is definitely the better rim for what you describe.

[Nick H.]

The guru speaks! Thanks again for your experiences - much appreciated.