looking for light, comfy, fast wheel - 353nsw?

[mikehhhhhhh]

I currently have a couple of pairs of Rapide CL wheels and a set of 303s on the winter bike.

All setup tubeless with 28-32mm tyres.

What I'd like to do is replace one of the sets of CLs with a set of wheels that are a little less sensitive to cross winds, maybe a little more comfortable than the aero wheels as well as being lighter for cycling holidays in the mountains.

The best I've come up with is the 353nsw. It's the absolute top end of my budget, but seems to hit all the requirements without sacrificing too much on the aero side.

I don't mind hookless - been running that on the 303s for a couple years.

My question is, is that assessment correct? Should I be looking at anything else within a similar budget?

[OtterSpace]

You could save a good deal of cash by going with lightbicycle AR375 for simliar depth designed to deal with crosswinds.

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I've been looking at the same wheelset for a similar application. The zipps are indeed very expensive but do look cool and are meant to be good for crosswinds. That may be more due to the depth than the sawtooth design from what I've read.

Lightbicycle, 9velo and similar will give you a very good custom wheelset no doubt. The only drawback is there's no badge appeal, depending on how important that is to you.

I was also considering:

Zipp 303 Firecrest — bearings may need replacing regularly but it's easy and the wheels are cheap(ish)

Bora WTO 45 — ultra or not, wait for the 23 IRM to be released

DT Swiss ERC 1100 — good bang for your buck and easy to service

ENVE 3.4 — if you're in the states probably more appealing than if you're Europe (price)

Shimano C50 — the latest ones get good reports and they're good value but probs only if you have a Shimano groupset already and are 12 speed

I'd probably wait for the Boras as I like the idea of not needing rim tape if you're going to run tubeless. Easier to clean the old sealant away and less hassle etc.

Watched a video of Hambini reviewing a new 9velo wheelset last night. The hub sounds incredible, just not keen on the marble effect rim. Wonder if they could make the rim without it?

https://www.hambini.com/9velo-cc45-cc55 ... sterpiece/

[mikehhhhhhh]

I probably should have mentioned, niche wheel builders are likely not an option as I'll use a cyclescheme to purchase.

Just found your thread, it seems like we may be looking for similar reasons - I'm also in SE London riding out to shocking roads of kent

I'm really keen on that wider internal width, so only the firecrest and 3.4 works out of that list. 3.4s are difficult to find for a decent price though, as you point out.

[bobones]

9velo seems to be the latest favourite of the YT shills. Much crossing of palms with silver methinks. I was starting to get drawn in by the hype until I saw this one.

[jlok]

Who manufacture the rims of 9Velo?

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9velo seems to be the latest favourite of the YT shills. Much crossing of palms with silver methinks. I was starting to get drawn in by the hype until I saw this one.

Yikes!

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I probably should have mentioned, niche wheel builders are likely not an option as I'll use a cyclescheme to purchase.

Just found your thread, it seems like we may be looking for similar reasons - I'm also in SE London riding out to shocking roads of kent

I'm really keen on that wider internal width, so only the firecrest and 3.4 works out of that list. 3.4s are difficult to find for a decent price though, as you point out.

Haha. Yeah they get worse every winter eh. A gravel wheelset is getting more and more appropriate for Kent lanes.

If you want to keep your bike super-light then go for the NSWs but the price does smart a bit. Plus not sure how trouble-free the tech in that hub will be.

What bike's it going on (Tarmac?) and what's the current weight with the Rapides on it? I bought a set of Rapide CLX and Alpinist CLX for my SL7. Went with these as they were the lightest compared to the second gen and I'm not arsed about tubeless. The Alpinist are untroubled in cross winds but don't hold speed that well and don't look that great on the SL7 IMO (too shallow).

[Nickldn]

^ This guy had issues when cycling uphill at low rpm, which really tests hub durability. He can clearly put out some power and mashed the hub internals, which were not up to the job.

A colleague at work did something similar (although not quite as bad) to his Mavic hub going up steep hills at low rpm and he can put out plenty of power as well.

So what's the takeaway? Many cheaper hubs are not up to scratch for powerful riders and some use cases. Not really a surprise as new hub designs have proliferated in recently years and the focus is on low weight and cost, not durability.

My view is that if you want a robust hub buy an established design like DT Swiss.

[mikehhhhhhh]

Haha. Yeah they get worse every winter eh. A gravel wheelset is getting more and more appropriate for Kent lanes.

If you want to keep your bike super-light then go for the NSWs but the price does smart a bit. Plus not sure how trouble-free the tech in that hub will be.

What bike's it going on (Tarmac?) and what's the current weight with the Rapides on it? I bought a set of Rapide CLX and Alpinist CLX for my SL7. Went with these as they were the lightest compared to the second gen and I'm not arsed about tubeless. The Alpinist are untroubled in cross winds but don't hold speed that well and don't look that great on the SL7 IMO (too shallow).

They'll go on an SL8 Pro which is around 7.3kg with pedals, mounts and cages in the summer (7.6kg atm with 32mm ASTRs and a little extra sealant)

I have gen 1 and gen 2 Rapide CLs, so ~1500-1550g

There's a great deal on gen 1 Alpinist CLXs at ~£1200 atm but like you, they don't do much for me visually. The appeal of the NSW was being aero while being not much heavier than Alpinist as well as wider and more comfortable.

But I'm not overly fussed on weight, I just feel like there should be some gain moving away from what are already fairly light aero wheels.

NSWs work out around £1600 via cyclescheme, so a decent buy all said and done.

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Sounds like the NSWs are the one, mate

I'll subscribe to this thread and would be interested in hearing your experience with them as I'm considering a set too for the same reasons.

[Nickldn]

^ I would not go anywhere near hookless wheels at the moment. Too many risks to offset the attractive weight.

[DaveS]

I have two sets of BTLOS 29mm hookless rims with 25mm internal width and Bitex hubs. Both have worked great with Pirelli P-Zero TLR tires. Hookless really has nothing to do with weight. I also wouldn't expect a better ride from rims with less depth. No rim tape required.

I use 28mm front and 30mm rear with the same 55 psi in both.

[Cannoli]

^ I would not go anywhere near hookless wheels at the moment. Too many risks to offset the attractive weight.

Risks? Like what?

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I also had a set of zipp 404 firecrest. They were perfect with Pirelli PZero 28mm tyres. Never been able to recapture the segment times I achieved on those due to corner grip amongst other things. Got hacked off with the mess of tubeless in the end. Plus punctures that won't seal aren't fun. Despite some catastrophic examples on the internet my experience was a safe one.

I do think it's fair to say manufacturing imperfections are real, especially in the cycling industry, and can occur in wheels as well as tyres. With hookless rims this has a bigger potential to cause more severe outcomes. But also fair to say these incidents will be isolated, as illustrated by the amount of hookless rims purchased vs documented reports online. If they were as dangerous as some people would suggest, I'd expect to see many more reports online.