Its hard to say precisely where the line lays, but I’m certain I’m well on the wrong side of it. I never notice lines as I pass over them but I can usually tell after I have because it feels suddenly liberating to leave reason, sensibility, and convention behind. I find them very restrictive – claustrophobic, almost. They force me into the same old way of thinking, always within a set of parameters of what is accepted. Parameters are a good thing, to be sure – especially for everyone else – but since I wasn’t involved in defining The Universal Limits of Reason and Sensibility, I can’t be sure they’re calibrated correctly so I prefer to roam freely and am quite satisfied to be considered crazy for the time being.
Just like most of us, I started down La Vie Velominatus rolling along on the wheels my first bike arrived with. I trusted them to be indestructible and always carry me about safely. Then one day while racing my friend, I locked up the back wheel coming into a corner too hard and destroyed it, the illusion of The Indestructible Wheel riding up the road alongside the friend I had only moments earlier been locked in shoulder-to-shoulder battle with. It was also at this precise moment that I faced the reality that a wheel is not only destructible, but a basic element facilitating productive locomotion aboard a bicycle.
I spent the next month shingling the roof of my family’s cabin in Northern Minnesota earning the money to buy a replacement wheel. And, having recently shingled a roof, I was suddenly a Shingling Authority, discussing in depth the merits of choice in color, material, and shingle pattern of every roof I passed by. Similarly, upon having been subjected to the myriad choices of replacement wheel, after purchasing my replacement wheel, I was a new inductee into the The Order of the Wheel and noticed (and commented upon) every bicycle wheel that passed me by. Due more to the volume of by observations than their merit, I was soon thereafter indulged by my Cycling Sensei – my father – to help him curate the wheels for his custom Eddy Merckx.
At the time, choices were more limited than they are today; quality of hub varied greatly, as did the rims, spokes, and tires. Everything was limited to an alloy of some kind, though you could have any spoke pattern you wanted, as long as it was 3-cross. At the time there was also a choice between tubular and clincher, which was a relatively new option. We labored over the choices and wound up having two wheelsets built – one clincher and aero; one box-section and tubular – a choice I stand by today.
That was my awakening, but nevertheless, I have throughout my life as a Velominatus had only one wheelset per bike. The lightest for Bike #1. Whenever Bike #n came into play, it received its own wheelset; as with all the other parts on Bikes #2…n; a hand-me-down from Bike #n-1’s upgrade. (Using the Hand-Me-Down Upgrade Methodology, a single upgrade improves not just one bicycle, but several – with the added benefit of filling a longer period of time moving bits from one noble steed to the next.)
It was only recently, during preparation for the 2012 edition of Keepers Tour over the cobbles of Northern France and Vlaanderen, that I took my own place in the realm of the Specialty Wheelset – which also afforded me another of those moments when I was strangely aware of having crossed one of Those Lines. After all, a big, fat Dutchman can’t be expected to ride over the pavé of Paris-Roubaix – unleashing the awesome wattage of his artillery – on just any old wheelset; certainly not any of those wheels which I already owned. This called for a set of wheels purpose-built for the occasion. Rims, hubs, spokes, and tires were selected with great care and assembled (four times) in a wine-enhanced rite.
Riding these wheels is a pleasure highlighted by the fact that I don’t always ride them. They hang on the workshop wall in a wheel bag, waiting for the Right Occasion to ride them. Those occasions are often anticipated several days – if not weeks – in advance and deliberated over carefully. Then, when the choice is finally made to pop them in for the ride, I wrap myself in the delta between my regular wheels and these. This contrast, like the negative space in a great painting, is the area in which I dwell while riding them. The difference in tire type, width, spoke pattern, weight. The way the wheel feels when the pedal is engaged. The way the wheels and tires flex over a bump in the road or hug the pavement in a corner.
I’ve since embarked on a journey to get each road bike in the house – mine as well as the VMH’s – on the same drive train in order to be able to maximize the wheel-swapping effect. Each wheel is a new language, each tire a new dialect, and inner tube a new turn of phrase. To paraphrase the nursery rhyme: one for sorrow, two for joy, three for hills and four for stones.
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View Comments
@scaler911
Yes sir! Thanks for this comment, as it has settled me down and given me a bit of peace o' mind. My cross bike has some Ksyrium ESs that are second-hand. While higher up the food chain still kind of in the same family. They've been incredible wheels, can't believe the abuse they put up with and are still in great shape. And they were already used! Nice! Yeah, already at this point, just a few months into marriage and having more work on my hands I can already feel myself wishing I simply had more time to ride, not necessarily wishing I had better gear.
Very true that you can get quite solid, decent wheels for a good price. I have some Neuvations, I paid around $200 for the set, they're right around 1500 grams, roll just fine, and in two years I've had a broken spoke or two. I think that's pretty impressive.
@Barracuda
Can't go wrong with those wheels. They have avoided fashion of carbon clinchers and the 35s have an al braking track.If I was going to choose ANY wheel it would be tubular C35s. I think there's a link embedded, dunno if it worked so
http://www.bikerumor.com/2012/05/31/2013-shimano-road-wheels-new-aero-clincher-tubeless-tubular-options/
@the Engine
OK time to own up...115kgs here, I climb like a sprinter but descend like a spanked rhino. I have to say if you want budget and bulletproof you can't go too far wrong from a set of Campag Khamsins. I have two sets (just because they were so cheap) and the second set I picked up for £100 from Ribble. They are bombproof, no issues in the first 1500kms although they are a little heavier than you might like at 1900gms per set. I have a set of American classic 420's for bike 2 that I am building and I did look at the 350s (much lower cross section) which are lovely wheels but probably not strong enough for my mass!
Oh wow, Oli! Great looking wheels. Those are really sharp looking & very inspiring for build-up ideas. Nice!
I have Veloflex tires on...my Casati. Didn't know you had one as well! Very cool. Also have some Veloflex Records on my Tommasini.
The Casati currently has black Record hubs, silver straight gauge spokes, and mismatched Open Pro rims, one black, one silver. (Got them used at a good price, I didn't mismatch them.) Trying to decide what direction to go in with the wheels. Can't do the silver hub, silver spoke, black rim option, as the hubs are black. Have considered all black, as the bike is silver/white. Might be a nice contrast. But black hub, silver spokes, black rim could be nice too. Ah, the choices I face!
@graham d.m.
Have Velocity set from last century. The front wheel/rim always gave me a flat the next day. I've lost count how many times I've looked for burrs around the spoke holes and valve hole even having velox rim tape. Checked tyre inside & out for any feel of glass, stones, nails, screws even putting on a new tyre! Ended up running a Mavic mavic open 4CD on the front and maybe in 15 years only trued no more than twice!
@Ali McKee
Looking for aero effect in wheels at the level most of us operate on is much the same as Rule #74 and power meters - like hiring an accountant to tell you how poor you are.
It's not just about speed. It's that there are so many other things you can do to be more aero or more efficient before worrying too much about the choice between box-section, deep rim, carbon, aluminium, high flange and so on and so on... IIRC wheels are less than 30% of the aero resistance.
So most people are spending an extra couple of thousand [dollars/pounds/dirhams/cowrie shells] to get a gain of 5-10% of 30% in their aero profile. And I have no idea how that translates into actual speed or power but it probably starts with a decimal point.
As brett said above (in his new career as a Jobs Brandt impersonator) most people will benefit from having light, strong, low-profile, traditionally-laced wheels.
I have to say I also come at this from a wheels-are-wheels-they-go-round perspective. It's yet another area of obsession I just don't quite get.
While on the subject of wheels maybe y'all want to avoid these ones. It's not often bike sites have such scathing reviews, but this one is worthy of a theater critic.
http://road.cc/content/review/67169-spin-speed-metal-30-wheelset
@graham d.m.
Now trying to decide which sew-ups to glue on them? I have a set of 24mm Vittoria Pave's which would work really well for the rough road surface around here. Would that be a crazy tire to put on carbon aero wheels? I know it is a tougher tire, probably a bit heavier than some? But I will be using them most days so I need some durability as well. Any suggestions on this one?
@Chris Hi, I love those Golden Ticket rims. Can someone please post a link or a phone number to the shop where one may purchase such rims. Thanks, Derek
@Derek The pictured wheels are from Wheelsmith.com. If you are after Nemesis tubulars (which they also do) and are willing to go down the ebay route, there is a pair of wheelsmith built Nemeses on ebay at the moment.
I can't get the picture to post at the moment but the owner seems to have done an amazing job of de-gluing them.
You know you guys make me so sad to be poor, you really do. I'm currently riding on Giant P-R2 stock wheels on my bike, and they are by far the weakest link of the bike.
They are heavy and not very stiff considering the weight. And they are running Kendra Kriteriums which are by no means fast rollers.
I've been trying to win some ebay auctions for Mavic Kyrium Elites but I can't win an auction for my life.