Anyone try the Boyd Altamonte/Altamonte Lite ceramic wheels?

[R3awak3n]

I think I amm going to get a Powertap build done around these rims next week. I was going to wait for the Mavic Open pros but who knows when they will really arrive and I am a big fan of boyd so why not give these a try. They look comparable but no eyelets. Boyd says I can use swiss stop BXP pads which is what I already use, much much cheaper than exalith pads (even though I bet BXP pdas probably work fine with the exalith brake track).

Looking for opinion is any of yall have them or have ridden them before I pull the trigger.

[onsight512]

i've been thinking about a set of these and will be looking forward to hearing your thoughts after you've put some miles on them.

[R3awak3n]

I figured I would not be gettinf many answers since they are so new. I am going to send my hubs tomorrow to get them built. I will update this thread in due time.

[ORMojo]

I have not tried them, but seriously considered them within the past couple of weeks. After the exchange below, I decided to not go the ceramic coated route for an all road/gravel wheelset. While the ceramic would likely be nice to have for the improved braking under some conditions, frankly I was also interested in them for the aesthetics - the all black rims. So I reached out to Boyd. Nothing unexpected or concerning in his response, which I thought I would share here, but I just decided there was no need to incur the upgrade expense, or heightened chance of wear on the ceramic coating, for this build.

I will be interested in your experience with them, since I will definitely consider them for another build in the future.

On May 25, 2017 3:01 AM, ormojo wrote:

Hello!

. . . keep coming back to the Altamont Lite with T11 build.

And, then, just as I'm getting ready to order, I get distracted by your Ceramic Coated option. I love the look, and the improved braking performance.

But my one concern is durability of the ceramic coating. I will be using this bike on light gravel, in the rain, and some packed dirt (road mostly, but also possibly trail).

Will the coating hold up? Or will it just be a matter of time before the coating is wearing away and the appearance is splotchy (something I really don't want).

Thanks in advance for any info!
Paul

Hey Paul,

The ceramic coating on the rims should hold up well, but then there could be a situation that would cause it to wear a streak into the rim. If by chance you get a rock stuck into your brake pad, that would wear a piece of the coating away if you were doing braking with the rock trapped.

For example with the rims we tell people not to use the same brake pads on regular alloy wheels as on the ceramic coated wheels. This is because you can pick up tiny slivers of aluminum that would then wear into the ceramic coating.

[Climb01742]

I've had two email exchanges with Boyd. Both times, the response was prompt, detailed and very honest I thought. They seem like an absolutely stand-up company. I'm saving my pennies for one of their wheel sets. Please keep us updated on how things go.

[R3awak3n]

@ORMojo - that sounds about right, if something gets trapped in there then you will scratch the coating. Its the like ano gray H+Son rims. The coating lasts ok but if you ever take them out in the rain and the grit gets in there, the coating comes out really quickly.

I am going to use these wheels for road only, they will go on my English and so the coating should last a good while. I know it will eventually wear but I have heard to people say that it can take 10 000 miles for that to happen.

I am not going to lie, I want them because I like the look. I had carbon wheels on that bike and they actually broke decently well but with the amount of descents up here, I much prefer descending on aluminum. Better braking, no heating problems, ect.
The better braking is also a plus but I honestly don't think any more braking than I have with the HplusSons that are on the bike (the ee brakes certainly help).

In your case I agree, why pay $80/rim if the coating might not last. The altamont seems like an excellent rim.

@Climb - I have heard nothing but great things about Boyd, I would have totally bought their wheels but I already have the powertap rear and tune front and so will have one of their recommended wheel builders do the build. I will post back when I get some pictures of the wheels and then some miles on them.

[guido]

He's pretty active across the hall. Lots of folks loving his current generation of wheels...

[beeatnik]

Originally Posted by R3awak3n

In your case I agree, why pay $80/rim if the coating might not last. The altamont seems like an excellent rim.

Based on complete wheel prices on the Boyd site, individual rims should retail (through independent dealers) for $200-250/rim.

WI T11 front wheel: $581
WI T11 rear wheel: $781

http://www.boydcycling.com/product-c...-coated-alloy/

[ORMojo]

Originally Posted by R3awak3n

In your case I agree, why pay $80/rim if the coating might not last.

Originally Posted by beeatnik

Based on complete wheel prices on the Boyd site, individual rims should retail (through independent dealers) for $200-250/rim.

No, what he is referring to is the $75-$80 upcharge per rim for the ceramic coating on the brake track.

[cadence90]

I am genuinely curious about these wheels/prices too.

A standard Boyd Altamont (non-ceramic/non-Lite) set w/T11 hubs lists at $1170 shipped.

A very respected wheel-builder here quoted me +/- $785 shipped for T11/Sapim Race/DT RR511, and +/- $540 shipped for the same wheels but with Record hubs. Not shabby wheelsets at all.

After deducting the +/- $160 cost difference between PL Race and Boyd CX-Ray spokes, what accounts for the remaining $225 extra for Boyd T11/CX-Ray/Altamont versus Paceline T11/Race/DT?

Are the 2 Altamont rims $225 better than 2 DT RR511? I wonder who makes the Boyd alloy rims.

Just looking at internet prices (I assume wheel-builders get better prices) a Paceline-built T11/CX-Ray/Hed Belgium C2 wheelset would cost <$1100 shipped.

I am not trying to bash/cast aspersions/etc. I am simply curious.

[R3awak3n]

Originally Posted by ORMojo

No, what he is referring to is the $75-$80 upcharge per rim for the ceramic coating on the brake track.

Yes! The ceramic rims are $180 each from a builder vs the $100 of the non ceramic.

[earlfoss]

To add to the post about pricing, I believe Boyd raised their prices across the board very recently.

[R3awak3n]

I think when it comes to pricing you are getting some increase because of off the rack availability and convenience. You go to the site, pick your wheels and they show up in your house in x amount of days. If you go through a frame builder the process is a bit more involved and take a little longer (not everyone is into this, of course it does not bother me as I am about to do it).

The other thing is, and I just took a look at the DTs, its a much heavier rim than the altamont lites. The Altamonts are a 435g rim and the DTs are over 500g. That is where the price difference comes from right there. The altamonts are well regarded, decently deep, very light and well constructed. I do not know who builds them but they are a super nice rim (construction compared to hed belgium (I think the new one has the same seam process) but lighter than the belgium). So I would compare it to a belgium and not to that DT.

[AngryScientist]

so what hubs are these getting built around? inquiring minds want to know!

[chiasticon]

just to throw it out there, and echo what others have said, Boyd's a standup guy and makes great wheels. his wheels are generally the first I suggest to people looking for great wheels on a budget, that don't want weird proprietary parts or having to deal with selecting all the build components themselves. I've been running a set of his Vitesse (pre-cursor to the Altamont) wheels for 4+ years now and they're awesome, despite me running them predominantly in terrible conditions (winter riding, cyclocross, singletrack, gravel, etc). also got a set of his carbon tubs and adore them. and as others have said, customer service is top notch.

anyway, no idea how the ceramic surface will hold up. but based on my experience with Boyd and his responses across the hall, he's done his homework on it and if he believes it will be great enough to put his name on it, I wouldn't stress. and if there are issues, rest assured they'll be solved in short order.