I hadn’t planned to ride them every day. In fact, I had planned to only ride them once and let other people ride them. But, genius that I am, I forgot my ceramic brake pads and had to source some new ones which was a maddeningly difficult process given that Europe observes something in the neighborhood of 363 holidays per year.
I was more than a little apprehensive, to be honest, of riding a lightweight set of carbon wheels down the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix – let alone on three separate occasions and two days on the kasseien of Vlaanderen. At long last, I got my hands on some brake pads, but then my hopes of riding my Golden Tickets died with the harp hiss emitting from Stefano Museeuw’s back when when he took my FMB-clad Nemisis through a hole big enough to lose him in. One thing for sure, the young talent has the “Look Pro Stop at the Side of the Road in Disgust” nailed. I suppose it helps when you’ve got the Lion of Flanders as your dad and mentor.
But truth be told, the Cafe Roubaix Arenberg wheels were amazing to ride, especially on the tarmac. On the cobbles, they were noticeably less compliant than my box-rim tubs, but they more than made up for it in speed and featheriness on the tarmac bits. And that is the element we so often overlook about Roubaix: we identify so heavily with the 50km of Pavé, but we so easily forget there are 200km of tarmac to deal with as well – which is why Museeuw ultimately lost to Tchmil aboard his ill-fated Bianchi “Throne”. When judging a wheel, all these aspects must be weighed against one another.
One thing of note, however, is that on the roughest secteurs of pavé – in particular the Trenchée and Carrefour – I found it more difficult to discover my rhythm than I did last year. Could it be that the lightweight wheels bounced too much and spent too much time going up rather than forward? I find that notion easier to digest than the notion that there was something amiss with my riding.
I proclaim this knowing full well the wrath I’m sure to receive: even for the enthusiast, the carbon wheel is the future for every discipline of cycling. While my Ambrossios are much more lovable in terms of nostalgia and good-old-fashioned hardman looks, the strength and stiffness of the Roubaixs outmatched the classic box-rim of the Nemesis in every respect from weight all the way down to trueness. On the other hand, three-cross bladed spokes on a deep-dish rim are a real bitch in a Flemish crosswind.
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@frank aye, looks like a normal day in the north sea there, all good.
Fhronk, when you say,
"The most important element is that by the time you buy a product, you have your eyes open in terms of performance, durability, maintenance, and cost. You don't want to be surprised",
that's the best argument for the Nemesis wheels going. Just as Faboo doesn't care if he can use his 303s again, Sep Vanmarke's destroyed C50 front wheel, while probably excellent in terms of performance, fails the other criteria you've listed. I'm not anti - carbon tubs, I have a pair, but I also have a pair of Nemesis wheels and refuse to ride an 'endurance' geo bike. So the best way for me to get a decent ride out of the bike on shitty surfaces is not to put the outrageously stiff, aero wheels on and hammer my poor self, but to put the compliant wheels on that roll really well, that I'll be able to swap out and use again next time. What the pros ride in races is the shop window for the Ferrari showroom. What most of us drive, and the decisions we make on what to drive, is miles away from that.
Anyway, I'm sure all this is moot now that Sram's hydro brakes have been released and we're all going to need new bikes to brake properly or we'll be delivering death and destruction via inferior braking to the other Mamils we ride with. It's a fucking never ending parade of consumption this sport, that quite frequently shits me.
I always figured this is what @frank looks like on the trainer getting ready for Halelakela:
@minion Spot on.
@minion
That is very well put.
@strathlubnaig
Holy shit, you must have some cash handy, to finance your bikes and a helicopter ;-)
Whow! A lot to talk about. My wheels and I am busy with like business and family and stuff... I will try to add my 2 cents and answer a few questions that have popped up...
@roger
To be clear, roger has ordered some rims and nipples from CR to build his own wheels. We all wish him luck with this project. To answer roger and the group, I have enough of a small design change in our rims to warrant the open mold that we have employed with our manufacturer, to call the rims our own. This also puts our manufacturing in a queue that boasts some other great companies. So while our rims are based on an open source mold, they are unique (kinda, I am told I am not the only company that asks for similar changes). CR carbon rims are painted by my manufacturer, as they have produced some of the best finishes I have been able to find. As for pricing, I wanted to put them within range of the avid rider, but while they are a labour of love, I need them to pay some bills too. I think we have a good balance so far. Another great thing about doing things my way, is that I can build them up any way I want. I have a "stock" lightweight Taiwanese hubset that makes these wheels nice and light, but I also bring in Miche, Shimano, Campagnolo, Chris King (yes! finally!), White Ind and Alchemy hubs. In the end, my own wheels are a small part of a larger project called Cafe Roubaix, as I am bringing in Enve, Ambrosio, and DT Swiss rims too. Oh, and bikes. We have a lot of bikes for a small studio....
As for the large number of chinerello, cholnago, etc frames & parts on the market, once a major company is doe with its mold, they "sell it off" to the actual factory or another company. These CF molds can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, so when you are changing your main line up every year, it makes business sense. This is why you will find more of NA and Euro custom and semi-custom producers using a tube to tube construction, as it eliminates the need for a mold and still produces a great frame.
@eightzero As for my MSRP, I am not sure I can even call my own pricing "MSRP."
I would love to spend more time, but I have some demo rides to finish building, a Bianchi and mountain bike to service, a set of custom mnt bike wheels to quote, and a whack load of social media networks to comment on! And I have to clean out a garbage can - damn, I need a junior unpaid intern/apprentice.
Oh, and that whole A-Team sequence is completely realistic. They just changed a few of the names and made three characters to fill my role...
@Dan_R you could get the young'uns to do the lacing? grab some color coded painters tape and make a game out of it!
@roger
hehe, if the 6 year old wasn't always asking for a more money...$2 a week? I own a bike shop not a bank!