Ok...living in Canada sucks sometimes...especially when the parts you are looking at for wheels come from the US and you have to add 1/3 more to all the prices and add shipping. I think I'm finally down to the final iterations here on the new set of wheels for my Cervelo S2. My Campy Zondas have been good and treated me very well, but it's time to build "my own" for this bike now...as everything else I own is shod in "my own" wheels.
I'm looking to build something faster / more aero than the Zondas for my long distance, solo riding (which is a vast majority of what I do...and my Cervelo S2 is looking a lot like a TT/Tri bike as a result of my adaption to this), but that can still take my Clyde butt's abuse (solid clyde....think 240 lb range, rather than 200lb). My normal riding is fairly flat (rollers at best), but we have a local river valley with nice trails but some nasty grades. I also hit the mountains a couple times a year.
Here's the front running finalists:
Option 1) Onyx road hubs laced 28/32 (2x/3x) to Boyd Altamont rims, Sapim CXray spokes, 14 mm polyax nips
Option 2) Hope RS4 hubs laced 24/32 (radial/3x) to Flo60 carbon clincers, Sapim CXray spokes, 14 mm polyax nips with washers.
Option 1 has a much lower drag and virtually silent hub with a slightly more aero rim than the Zondas. The hubs have a 5 year warranty and some other perks, and are reputed to be the lowest drag hubs in the industry so they'll roll forever when coasting (nice when out for a long ride and you get a chance to let gravity do some of the work). They are also super rare hubs up here, so there's a degree of bling factor there, and the silent coasting has a certain allure to it. The hubs are heavier, but the weight is in a less critical spot (hub) and Boyd Altamonts are no slouches when it comes to alu rim aero either, being roughly equivalent to Flo30's or Zipp101/30 rims.
Option 2 uses a hub brand I have experience with (12,000+ km on my Pro II mountain bike set so far) and can be upgraded to 4 pawls if needed, but they have more drag. It has a much more aero rim from a company that has put a lot of CFT and tunnel work into the design (and has been very open about their process...props to the Thornham boys on what they've done there). The rims are 60mm deep and carbon...the allure is there for the looks on my aero frame...and Hopes, though not as well known in road cycling circles, have a strong reputation and can put up with my local conditions and abuse.
I'd love to be able to do an Onyx hubs and Flo60 rim combo (best of both sets), but it's just not in the budget...by the time the exchange rate and shipping is taken into account, I could pick up a set of Enve 5.6 wheels off the shelf locally (DT240 hubs) and convert them to a Campy freehub for what I'd pay on an Onyx/Flo build.
So...what are folks' thoughts who have built with Altamonts, Hope, Onyx or Flo stuff? Am I missing / overlooking something, thinking too hard on this or ?? Both will take my clyde butt and be an improvement in performance, but which would actually be "better" for the riding I do? Thoughts?
Thanks
I'm looking to build something faster / more aero than the Zondas for my long distance, solo riding (which is a vast majority of what I do...and my Cervelo S2 is looking a lot like a TT/Tri bike as a result of my adaption to this), but that can still take my Clyde butt's abuse (solid clyde....think 240 lb range, rather than 200lb). My normal riding is fairly flat (rollers at best), but we have a local river valley with nice trails but some nasty grades. I also hit the mountains a couple times a year.
Here's the front running finalists:
Option 1) Onyx road hubs laced 28/32 (2x/3x) to Boyd Altamont rims, Sapim CXray spokes, 14 mm polyax nips
Option 2) Hope RS4 hubs laced 24/32 (radial/3x) to Flo60 carbon clincers, Sapim CXray spokes, 14 mm polyax nips with washers.
Option 1 has a much lower drag and virtually silent hub with a slightly more aero rim than the Zondas. The hubs have a 5 year warranty and some other perks, and are reputed to be the lowest drag hubs in the industry so they'll roll forever when coasting (nice when out for a long ride and you get a chance to let gravity do some of the work). They are also super rare hubs up here, so there's a degree of bling factor there, and the silent coasting has a certain allure to it. The hubs are heavier, but the weight is in a less critical spot (hub) and Boyd Altamonts are no slouches when it comes to alu rim aero either, being roughly equivalent to Flo30's or Zipp101/30 rims.
Option 2 uses a hub brand I have experience with (12,000+ km on my Pro II mountain bike set so far) and can be upgraded to 4 pawls if needed, but they have more drag. It has a much more aero rim from a company that has put a lot of CFT and tunnel work into the design (and has been very open about their process...props to the Thornham boys on what they've done there). The rims are 60mm deep and carbon...the allure is there for the looks on my aero frame...and Hopes, though not as well known in road cycling circles, have a strong reputation and can put up with my local conditions and abuse.
I'd love to be able to do an Onyx hubs and Flo60 rim combo (best of both sets), but it's just not in the budget...by the time the exchange rate and shipping is taken into account, I could pick up a set of Enve 5.6 wheels off the shelf locally (DT240 hubs) and convert them to a Campy freehub for what I'd pay on an Onyx/Flo build.
So...what are folks' thoughts who have built with Altamonts, Hope, Onyx or Flo stuff? Am I missing / overlooking something, thinking too hard on this or ?? Both will take my clyde butt and be an improvement in performance, but which would actually be "better" for the riding I do? Thoughts?
Thanks