1400 gram AL wheels?

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by doomridesout

You probably want something with super stiff aluminum spokes to get a noticeably "light" feel when climbing as compared to your current alloy handbuilts.

Uh oh, more Kool-Aid drinking. No, aluminum does not make for "super stiff" spokes. Aluminum has the same specific modulus (modulus per unit density) as steel, so an aluminum spoke of the same weight as a steel spoke will have the same stiffness as the steel spoke. Only, the aluminum spoke will be fatter than the steel spoke (and therefore likely less aerodynamic).

Besides which, spoke stiffness is only one variable in wheel stiffness, and often not the most important - for example, flange spacing tends to be more important to wheel stiffness than spoke stiffness. A case in point is the aluminum spoked Mavic Ksyrium wheels. Stiffness testing of these wheels has shown that they are not a particularly stiff wheel, likely due to their slightly narrow flange spacing. Data on wheel stiffnesses can be found here:

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/rinard/wheel_index.html

[BRad704]

Late to the party and maybe a boring idea... but I've got a pair of Easton EA90SLX wheels (picked up through the forum here) and they have been great for me. Just over 1400g. Same as these: BikeRadar Review Easton EA90SLX

They are 16/20, but have stayed true after a year of secondary use under a 180lb rider.

Not trying to sell mine, just giving a recommendation.

[mhespenheide]

Originally Posted by BRad704

Late to the party and maybe a boring idea... but I've got a pair of Easton EA90SLX wheels (picked up through the forum here) and they have been great for me. Just over 1400g. Same as these: BikeRadar Review Easton EA90SLX

They are 16/20, but have stayed true after a year of secondary use under a 180lb rider.

Not trying to sell mine, just giving a recommendation.

Have you had any issues with cracks in the rims near the spoke heads, like the commenter on the BikeRadar review?

[BRad704]

Originally Posted by mhespenheide

Have you had any issues with cracks in the rims near the spoke heads, like the commenter on the BikeRadar review?

I just checked every nipple and have zero cracking.

[Seramount]

haven't ridden that many different wheelsets, but my 9000 C24s are very nice.

light (sub-1400g) and affordable.

thought the 7900 version was slightly nicer-looking, but can't find them any longer.

[Bob Ross]

The no-longer-available DT Swiss 1450 Mon Chasseral were, as their name implied, 1450 grams for a 28h pair. Hub is basically a 240s. I've had a pair, then rebuilt (several times) them a couple times around various other DT rims. Always turned out to be a wonderful clincher, on par with the a la carte DT wheels I've had Joe Young build me. Not sure I'd be comfortable riding a wheelset that was much lighter.

[madcow]

Easton R90SL rims which come out of the same factory as the Hed rims are one of our favorite alloy rims. 20/24 laced to Carbon-ti hubs with Sapim CxRay come out at about 1330 grams. That's one of the more popular lightweight alloy options that we build.

[sib]

Originally Posted by madcow

Easton R90SL rims which come out of the same factory as the Hed rims are one of our favorite alloy rims. 20/24 laced to Carbon-ti hubs with Sapim CxRay come out at about 1330 grams. That's one of the more popular lightweight alloy options that we build.

Interested:

Does the weight include rim tape?
Can you recommend any lighter builds for everyday use?
And (finally), how much would the wheels you specced cost?

Thanks!

[Seamus]

I purchased the above recommended R90SL/CXRay/Carbon-Ti wheelset from Fairwheel last year, for what it's worth. I've been really happy. Use them as an everyday wheelset throughout the late-spring to late-fall (just to generally keep them out of any really bad muck). Weight with rim tape was 1354g.

Super-loud freehub though, in case that's your thing or not.

[sib]

@Seamus

Good to know you're happy with them!
I rather like a loud freehub myself, I think it's good for safety.

Do you mind me asking how much the wheelset cost?

[Seamus]

I think I was all-in around $850-ish, but I'd just email Fairwheel to request a quote and check availability. I think Carbon-Ti updated the engagement on hubs since then and there might be a small price bump on the rear hub at least or tariff-adjusted pricing.

My one note on the hubs, is the "polished silver" finish hasn't ever quite cleaned up to like-new for me(similar to faint water-spots), so you might want to stick with black or the other colors might fare better? They look great from three feet away though, just mildly annoying.

[metalheart]

In comparison to the DT-Swiss 240s hub, are the Carbon-Ti hubs the choice because of weight or some other reason?

[Seamus]

Slight winner on weight. Carbon-Ti wheelset saves just shy of 100grams.

In emailing with Fairwheel they stated the Carbon-Ti's are the lightest hubs they'd consider viable for an everday wheelset but considered DT240s bombproof plus the added benefit of most every LBS being able to work on them if needed. So, pick your poison.