Pacenti Cycle Design

[Kirk Pacenti]

A SL23 review from a former industry insider:

"I got the wheels built up and have had an opportunity to ride them now three times (65miler, 94 miler, & a 45 miler). I thought I'd give you an overview of my build and my riding impressions. I'm 49 years old, a fit/muscular 195lbs and a former track racer with a good sprint. I've had the opportunity to ride/test/develop lots of wheels over the years and have come back to the conclusion that handbuilt wheels suit my needs better than all but the highest end pre-builts.

The initial impression of the rim quality is very high. I think the anodization is the equal of the best I've seen. I noticed no burrs or milling scraps indication great attention in the QC at the manufacturing level. Weighed on my gram scale both rims were exactly
440 grams. The wear indicators are a nice touch.

Components used were are Campagnolo Record Hubs (newest version) 32 hole, Sapim HW rim washers, brass hub washers, Sapim Laser spokes & Alloy nipples for all but drive side where I used std. DB spokes with brass nipples. Wheesmith spokeprep for spoke threads and Dupont Teflon grease (now called Finish Line Extreme Fluoro) for lubricating the rim/ washer/nipple interface.

Usually on non-eyeleted rims I debur the rim holes with a dremel grindstone, but this time I decided to build with the sapim HW washer.
It is a time consuming choice but in the end I believe it did allow me to reach the maximum tension of the rim with alloy nipples and the windup prone Laser spokes. If had built without the washers I probably would have deburred/countersunk the interface out of habit , but these were as clean as any I've ever seen.

The wheels built up beautifully indicating to me that the rims were flat and concentric. Final tension is in the 135kgf range for the front wheel and 145kgf for the rear drive side. Actual weight came to 1605g (725 front/880 rear).

I have ridden wider rims before but not with the current trend of combing them with 25C tires and lower pressure. I'm sold! This is the missing piece of the puzzle for me. I installed a nos pair of Michelin Pro's (circa '05) 25C and ran them at 85psi. My bike never felt faster or more comfortable. The riding has been fast group pacelines and hard climbing.

The wheelset these replaced were built with 32h Velocity Fusion rims. Those rims have been entirely functional but needed lots of deburring and the brake track has always been a problem. I feel like the SL23's are a huge improvement.

I should add that I hadn't encountered a rim that was center drilled before. I don't know the pro's/cons of this, just thought I'd mention it as it did cause me to scratch my head for a minute. Being a Campagnolo rider I would love to see an off center drilling option for the rear wheel. I'd build up a light weight event set in a heartbeat (with King or DT hubs) if those were available.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to drop by Co-Motion and show the wheels to Dwan. Brian, Zach, and Bob had already seen them since we've been training for the Oregon Gran Fondo together. Now that Dwan's back from Taiwan he'll back in the fold with the gran fondo team.

Thanks again for helping me out on these - it's much appreciated.

Great product and one I will give my highest recommendation."

Cheers,

Alan Cline

[denapista]

I have a set built up to pink Tune hubs. Hand down the best clincher wheelset I've ridden to date. So butter smooth and I actually like them with 23c tires. I've been smiling ear to ear since I received my wheels.

[reggiebaseball]

Fairwheels bikes just did a rim roundup:

http://fairwheelbikes.com/cycling-bl...m-roundup.html

While it must be noted that they have a relationship to this particular rim (I think they were consulted in it's design), they are clearly quite pleased with how it turned out.

Congrats Pacenti!

[TPetsch]

Nice review, thanks for sharing

[ryker]

Kirk - what is your practice or recommendation as far as rim/nipple washers go with this rim?

[Oregonic]

Really, really like these rims. My first home build, on a set of 7800 hubs, 28H, Lasers, 3x all around. Still using 23mm PR3's on these (until they're worn out and replaced with 25's) and they make for a great ride.

Will most likely order some more in 32H for another set of hubs currently laced to some aging Open Pro's, and use them for CX season.

My only (albeit petty and inconsequential) criticism is the graphics. Would love to have seen a cleaner, updated look. I'm a big fan of the simplicity of the H+Son graphic design, or a subtle matte black/gray/silver on gloss black look. But really, not a big deal, and an awesome rim!

[DRZRM]

I'm having trouble finding a 32h set of these. Kirk, and idea when they will be available? Or where I could get some now?

[Kirk Pacenti]

Originally Posted by DRZRM

I'm having trouble finding a 32h set of these. Kirk, and idea when they will be available? Or where I could get some now?

They sold out much, much faster than anticipated... we'll have more in stock late next month.

Cheers,

KP

[Kirk Pacenti]

Originally Posted by ryker

Kirk - what is your practice or recommendation as far as rim/nipple washers go with this rim?

Certainly not necessary, but they don't do any harm...

Cheers,
KP

[Oregonic]

Originally Posted by Kirk Pacenti

They sold out much, much faster than anticipated... we'll have more in stock late next month.

Cheers,

KP

Not a bad problem to have!

Obviously there is market demand for a product like this, glad to see someone out there is listening!

[Kirk Pacenti]

As sometimes happens a customer will order a frame set and for one reason or another are not able to take delivery of it when it's done.

I happen to have such a frame set on hand right now... Fortunately, it has not been painted. So, if there is anyone here who is interested and can make this design work for them, they can get a great deal on a Pacenti frame set, including an Enve 2.0, 50mm fork painted to match with almost no wait. Just pick any single color and we'll get it delivered in a few weeks. Please see the attached PDF for design details. If you have any questions please PM me or email kirk@pacenticycledesign.com

You can check out some pics of a similar frame I did for another forum member here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/9856980@N02/page6/


Cheers,

KP

[reggiebaseball]

That's too tiny for me
but I have wondered- do you have a website with more details on your frames?
I saw samiam has a nice Pacenti and I saw some reviews of a frame in 2007 in a magazine, but I haven't found much detail

[GRAVELBIKE]

I just posted my review of Kirk's SL23 rims, which you can read here:

http://www.gravelbike.com/?p=1847

Riding these rims has been really eye opening for me. I've always gravitated towards wider rims (because I run wider tires), but I've been disappointed with the wider rims' weight. That is, until now.

Count me in as one very satisfied user.

[Kirk Pacenti]

Originally Posted by reggiebaseball

That's too tiny for me
but I have wondered- do you have a website with more details on your frames?
I saw samiam has a nice Pacenti and I saw some reviews of a frame in 2007 in a magazine, but I haven't found much detail

RB,

No web site... I do frames mostly for friends and friends of friends, strictly by word of mouth. It keeps it low key and fun for me. But there are a few good reviews on this forum...

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showth...hlight=Pacenti

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showth...hlight=Pacenti

Probably a few more if you care to search.

Cheers,
KP

[Kirk Pacenti]

It’s hard to believe it's been 6 years since I first introduced the 650b / 27.5" wheel size at NAHBS (2007). Time really does fly when you're having fun. It's amazing to me how far the 650b / 27.5” wheel size has come in such a short period of time.