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New wheels dilema

As per any cyclist selecting new wheels I’m struggling to make my mind .
I’m looking to buy a set of carbon,Rim clinchers and I have narrowed it down to three so if anyone can throw in their experiences I would be grateful.
So here goes.
CERO RC45s
Spokesman wheels ,handbuilt from Devon
Scribe Wheels 38mm
Thanks and I would appreciate any feedback.

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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20 comments

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Durianrider1 | 4 years ago
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Ive got over 45 pairs of wheels. Brands send me stuff all the time.

Ive got pretty much everything or have ridden everything.

Best wheels for climbing are my Lightweight Mielenstein Gen 4 clinchers.

Best over all wheel for ride quality, price, weight and durability Spinergy Z Lite. Thank me later!

If you want carbon the farsports make a great product with a very good brake surface called HMX and ATA.

Zipp and Mavic had the worst hubs. Zipp hubs crack and Mavic freehub fails.

My fav hub is the DT 180.

Spinergy the most durable hubs, spokes and rim. Sub 1500g.

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Dangerous Dan replied to Durianrider1 | 4 years ago
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We have Spinergy on the tandem.  They are nice wheels. We had the rear rim fail catastrophicly on tour in France. Probably more the fault of Google Maps bike routes combined with my willingness to ride a touring tandem on single track off road trails.

It was replaced with a deeper dish Spinergy wheel that hopefully will survive.  If you break one of the Polyphenylene Bensobisoxazole fiber spokes... I don't believe you. We run over 450 lbs. of bike riders and gear on the tandem for thousands of miles. You might bend or crack a rim, but you will not break a spoke.

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Richbeck | 4 years ago
4 likes

Speak to David at DCR Wheels - Handbuilt all the way.

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matthewn5 replied to Richbeck | 4 years ago
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+1 for DCR. He built some beautiful alloy wheels for me, using Campag Record hubs and his own rims.

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Municipal Waste replied to Richbeck | 4 years ago
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I've used (and sold) many a wheel from Dave and co. You'll not go wrong there.

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peted76 | 4 years ago
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You'd do well to speak to Malcom at the Cycle Clinic. If he hasn't got a build for you already he'll build you a set to suit. 

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casati53x11 replied to peted76 | 4 years ago
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That's a name that keeps coming up. Yes thanks I will have a look there also.

Basically I'm looking for a rim of around 38/40 ish. 

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sparrowlegs | 4 years ago
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I have experience of numerous carbon clincher wheels. Ranging from cheap eBay ones (avoid) to Hunt (several sets) and to the Roval CLX50 I have now. 

My advice is take a close look at the rim shape if you are going to be using them tubeless. The Hunts have a little ledge to stop the tyre falling back in to the central channel. H lock I think it's called. Brilliant design. Means the tyre can go flat but stil stay seated. 

The CLX50 are supposed to be a step above Hunts in every way, and in a some cases they are. Lighter, stiffer, more aero and come with CeramicSpeed bearings as standard but I've had more issues getting tyres properly seated and straight and staying that way than any other wheels.

Out on the road they are amazing. Everything you think an £1800 wheel set should be but after 3 rides on some new tyres (Schwalbe pro one addix 28mm) both have lost loads of pressure and leaked sealant from where the bead has slipped slightly. Any less pressure and I know they'd unseat and probably need the sealant removing. 

I've ordered a set of Hunt 52 (due in May) as I'm perfectly willing to give up a few seconds and a few grams for the ease  and security of having the tyres seated properly.

Last bit of advice. If they are tubeless compatible run them tubeless. Other than the Rovals farting a bit I've never had a puncture in 6 years of running tubeless road tyres. 

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casati53x11 replied to sparrowlegs | 4 years ago
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That's a pretty in-depth review and thanks.

have to admit,I'm old school and I know I should but I won't be going down the tubeless route.The are not for my best bike ,but my everyday one so I'm not intending to break the budget,especially as I've just retired and it's my occupational pension only at the moment.

I'd read the recent review in cycling weekly regarding the scribe wheels and it was pretty good with a 9/10 . I've  been in touch with them and it seems they are mostly ex chain reaction employees that have branched out on their own. They seem keen to help and advise. Likewise,spokesman wheels in Devon which is only an hours ride from me here in hilly Cornwall . He has been extremely informative also when I contacted him.

As for the Ceros,they look great with some excellent feedback but I think 45s May be that bit wide for me as most of my cycling terrain is either going up or down hills. Not much flat around.

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check12 | 4 years ago
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Have look at hambini aero wheels webpage

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matthewn5 replied to check12 | 4 years ago
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Good call, he's an aerodynamics engineer for Airbus, and has the only 3rd party real-world comparative testing of aero wheels I've seen.

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srchar replied to matthewn5 | 4 years ago
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He's also an odious prick.

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jasecd replied to matthewn5 | 4 years ago
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Terrible call - the guy's a first class arsehole. Don't give him the views.

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matthewn5 replied to jasecd | 4 years ago
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Sure, he's a foul-mouthed and boring prat on YouTube, but the wheel tests are sound.

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Dangerous Dan replied to jasecd | 4 years ago
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Is Dr. Hambini obnoxious? Absolutely! Does Dr. Hambini know a lot about aerodynamics and fluid dynamics? Again, absolutely.

Can you learn a bit about air flow around bicycle wheels by watching his somewhat obnoxious Youtube presentations?  I did.

I have been involved in wind speed and direction measurement for several projects.  Anyone who uses a single cup anemometer to measure wind speed around a turbulent object is not going to get good data.

Did he say that some piece of kit you bought is worthless rubbish? He says that about his personal TT bike frame and wheels, so what did you expect.

Is he correct that spoke nipples sticking out in the wind are a sign of bad aerodynamic design? I'll let you take a guess on that one.

Is he correct that steady state aerodynamics is not an appropriate model for bicycle wheels?  Oh, yes my dear,  He is very correct.

The winds at the earth surface are very complex and behave differently than you would expect.  The Alphabet (Google) funded startup Makani is now dead because of that fact.

A wind energy startup that I was involved with met the same fate because winds and air flow at the surface of the earth are somewhat chaotic.

So feel free to find Dr. Hambini obnoxious, but listen to what he says. Or spend your money on worthless crap.  It makes no difference to me.

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srchar | 4 years ago
1 like

I wouldn't buy any carbon clinchers. Too many friends have had issues with them, one of whom was lucky to escape serious injury.

Get thee to eBay for a pair of used Bora tubs.

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casati53x11 replied to srchar | 4 years ago
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Cheers for the input but tubs aren't for me. 👍

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joeegg replied to casati53x11 | 4 years ago
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Have a look at the Prime stuff on CRC.Reviews look favourable and really not much competes on price ( except Chinese direct wheels on eBay ).

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casati53x11 replied to joeegg | 4 years ago
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joeegg, cheers. I was interested in the prime black edition at Prime but by the time I'd decided I fancied a pair they sold out of the 38s so I missed out.

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joeegg replied to casati53x11 | 4 years ago
1 like

Try Bike24,they stock Prime wheels.

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