Hi, this is my first post. (Cross posted from bikeforums.com)

I've put on about 300 miles on a set of wheels built by Mike Garcia and thought I would post my impressions so far.

The specifics: All Black
Rims: IRD Cadence
Hubs: Speed Specific
Spokes: 28/28 Wheelsmith AE15 (Bladed), aluminum nipples (brass on the drive side)
Weight: Front 622, Rear 798 (w/o rimtape)
Price: $329 including shipping

The first time I rode these, the difference from my old wheels (Alex AT400, Specialized hubs, DT spokes, stock on my Allez Sport) was quite dramatic. Similar to putting on super light running sneakers for the first time after wearing only basketball sneaks. They almost felt too light if that's possible. The biggest improvement I felt was in acceleration, and climbing was better too. They also make the bike feel much more lively and agile then with the old wheels, which weren't that heavy to begin with.

These are not wheels to be abused and should be ridden with care on rough roads, but for super light wheels at a great price a couple extra truing sessions a year seems worth it for now but might get annoying later. Also, I ordered them on a Wednesday and they arrived the following Thursday, which was great.

Pros: Incredibly light, agile feel, accelerates very quickly, good for climbs, hubs are really smooth, fast turnaround.
Negatives: Questionable durability, may need frequent truing.

Hi, this is my first post. (Cross posted from bikeforums.com)

I've put on about 300 miles on a set of wheels built by Mike Garcia and thought I would post my impressions so far.

The specifics: All Black
Rims: IRD Cadence
Hubs: Speed Specific
Spokes: 28/28 Wheelsmith AE15 (Bladed), aluminum nipples (brass on the drive side)
Weight: Front 622, Rear 798 (w/o rimtape)
Price: $329 including shipping

The first time I rode these, the difference from my old wheels (Alex AT400, Specialized hubs, DT spokes, stock on my Allez Sport) was quite dramatic. Similar to putting on super light running sneakers for the first time after wearing only basketball sneaks. They almost felt too light if that's possible. The biggest improvement I felt was in acceleration, and climbing was better too. They also make the bike feel much more lively and agile then with the old wheels, which weren't that heavy to begin with.

These are not wheels to be abused and should be ridden with care on rough roads, but for super light wheels at a great price a couple extra truing sessions a year seems worth it for now but might get annoying later. Also, I ordered them on a Wednesday and they arrived the following Thursday, which was great.

Pros: Incredibly light, agile feel, accelerates very quickly, good for climbs, hubs are really smooth, fast turnaround.
Negatives: Questionable durability, may need frequent truing.


Saw the hubs on the web site the other day and they look interesting. How are they on noise? I don't like aluminum freehubs much but what the heck, the price is right.

Ed

Saw the hubs on the web site the other day and they look interesting. How are they on noise? I don't like aluminum freehubs much but what the heck, the price is right.

Ed

Thx!

They are definitely not quiet, especially compared to the Specialized hubs they replaced, but not louder then the other noisier hubs you hear on the road. The noise was distracting at first but I am used to it now.

nice write up.

I have about 300 miles on a similar set from oddsandendos.com, ird cadence 24/28 on american classic hubs. The wheelset weighed 1386 grams with rim strips. The rims themselves are of questionable quality. The rim joints only seemed to be pinned; at this joint there was a lip created where the two sides did not line up perfectly. Also on the first ride, with koolstop black pads, pieces of aluminum from the rims became embedded into the pads. This then caused portions of the braking surface to gall from the al/al contact. To correct this problem I sanded both the rims with a fine sandpaper, don't remember the grit #. This removed the damaged sections and the lips at the joints. Since the sanding the previous problems have dissappeared.

Other than that the wheelset is nice, light, and has remained true. Hopefully the quality of the rims will not further negatively impact the wheelset's perfomance and longevity.

Hi,
I have a Specialized Allez and am thinking of upgrading my AT Alexrims 400s to one of Mike's wheelsets.
I read you used the Cadence. I'm thinking of the Aeros rims. I think they are the model below yours. What made you choose Cadence over the others? Are you still happy with your wheelset? I'm thinking of buying from Mike.
Thanks.


Hi, this is my first post. (Cross posted from bikeforums.com)

I've put on about 300 miles on a set of wheels built by Mike Garcia and thought I would post my impressions so far.

The specifics: All Black
Rims: IRD Cadence
Hubs: Speed Specific
Spokes: 28/28 Wheelsmith AE15 (Bladed), aluminum nipples (brass on the drive side)
Weight: Front 622, Rear 798 (w/o rimtape)
Price: $329 including shipping

The first time I rode these, the difference from my old wheels (Alex AT400, Specialized hubs, DT spokes, stock on my Allez Sport) was quite dramatic. Similar to putting on super light running sneakers for the first time after wearing only basketball sneaks. They almost felt too light if that's possible. The biggest improvement I felt was in acceleration, and climbing was better too. They also make the bike feel much more lively and agile then with the old wheels, which weren't that heavy to begin with.

These are not wheels to be abused and should be ridden with care on rough roads, but for super light wheels at a great price a couple extra truing sessions a year seems worth it for now but might get annoying later. Also, I ordered them on a Wednesday and they arrived the following Thursday, which was great.

Pros: Incredibly light, agile feel, accelerates very quickly, good for climbs, hubs are really smooth, fast turnaround.
Negatives: Questionable durability, may need frequent truing.

Hi,
I have a Specialized Allez and am thinking of upgrading my AT Alexrims 400s to one of Mike's wheelsets.
I read you used the Cadence. I'm thinking of the Aeros rims. I think they are the model below yours. What made you choose Cadence over the others? Are you still happy with your wheelset? I'm thinking of buying from Mike.
Thanks.


Bernadette, there is a lot of really good information on this board, and this is nothing against any of the knowledgable posters here, but if you are thinking of having Mike build your wheels, then you really should call him and talk to him about your wheels. Always take the word of the person who is going to build your wheels over that of someone who won't be. That guy (Mike) is the one whose hands will craft the structure that suspends your butt from ground. Tell him what you are looking for out of a set of wheels and let him give you a recommendation. After all, he should know best what he builds best.

That said, the Cadence rim is a rim by IRD. It is very much like the American Classic 350 rim, but it has spoke eyelets whereas the American Classic does not. The aero rim I beleive you are thinking of is the Velocity Aerohead. It is made by a different company, but from my own building experience it is just as nice of a rim. The two do not feel the same though as they are different rims. The Cadence is a box section rim, the Aerohead is an "A" section rim. There really is not a significant aero advantage to the Velocity rim, but the "A" section is slightly stiffer (mostly in theory, as you may never notice the difference in practice) than the box section of the Cadence. Stiff does not always equate to better. Some feel box section rims are more comfortable, but again, that's really pretty much subjective. More of this decision should really be which you like better, unless your wheelbuilder has a preference for one being easier to lace or build. So again, talk to Mike about all this and see what he says. He's a very good and very knowledgable builder. His advice, just as much as his build skill is what you pay him for.

Russ

Thank you Russ for your very informative message.
It seems by all accounts Mr. Garcia does know a bit about wheelsets :) I spoke with him yesterday and although I basically am a novice cyclist he took the time to listen to me. I was impressed by his interest. It looks like I will be having him build my wheelset. He certainly seems to offer more bang for my buck than other manufacturers. I was orginally going to buy Kysriums or Velomax. Everything is so expensive. Thanks again for your input and I appreciate your taking time answering my newbie questions.
Bernadette, there is a lot of really good information on this board, and this is nothing against any of the knowledgable posters here, but if you are thinking of having Mike build your wheels, then you really should call him and talk to him about your wheels. Always take the word of the person who is going to build your wheels over that of someone who won't be. That guy (Mike) is the one whose hands will craft the structure that suspends your butt from ground. Tell him what you are looking for out of a set of wheels and let him give you a recommendation. After all, he should know best what he builds best.

That said, the Cadence rim is a rim by IRD. It is very much like the American Classic 350 rim, but it has spoke eyelets whereas the American Classic does not. The aero rim I beleive you are thinking of is the Velocity Aerohead. It is made by a different company, but from my own building experience it is just as nice of a rim. The two do not feel the same though as they are different rims. The Cadence is a box section rim, the Aerohead is an "A" section rim. There really is not a significant aero advantage to the Velocity rim, but the "A" section is slightly stiffer (mostly in theory, as you may never notice the difference in practice) than the box section of the Cadence. Stiff does not always equate to better. Some feel box section rims are more comfortable, but again, that's really pretty much subjective. More of this decision should really be which you like better, unless your wheelbuilder has a preference for one being easier to lace or build. So again, talk to Mike about all this and see what he says. He's a very good and very knowledgable builder. His advice, just as much as his build skill is what you pay him for.

Russ