Carbon tubs - deep rim, or shallow and light?

AidanR

Right, I have a dilemma. I've decided to take the plunge and build myself some carbon tubulars. They're going to be a budget build, using:

Soul Prodigy V3 hubs
Sapim Laser spokes
Planet X carbon rims

Now the question is, do I go for the 20mm rims or the 50mm rims? The subsequent wheel weight would be a shade over 1000g and 1200g respectively.

I'm aiming to start a bit of racing next year as a rowing injury is preventing me from competing in my primary sport. I'm no powerhouse or sprinter, but I think with a bit of weight loss I'd be a half-decent climber. With that in mind (and the fact it's often pretty windy round here) I'm tempted by the lighter shallow rims. But then 1200g is still very light, and perhaps I'd benefit from a more all-round wheelset.

What is the Wisdom of the Forum?

markos1963

I would say go shallow. If you are racing you would be sheltered in the pack so aero advantage not important. However get dropped on a climb in a race and you're bu%%ered. Other way around if you think you are super strong and want to go on long solo breaks

fleshtuxedo

Just a thought, but have you considered using Planet X Pro hubs instead? They're only £90/pair and would be only 32g heavier than the Soul ones.

Anonymous

50mm rims.

Better aero and the weight difference will be hardly noticeable. They look more bling and sound cool too!

Monty Dog

Agree on 50mm rims - you'll notice the effect on faster sctions/ downhill and probably won't notice the weight penalty either. The deeper rims are also a bit stiffer / stronger - I don't know what wheel building experience you have and apologies if you know this already, but carbon requires require a bit more care, particularly to get the spoke tension even - a lightweight, shallow rim requires more care building and wouldn't be my first choice if you haven't built a pair before.

max888

I'm building up a set of the planet x rims with American Classic Micro 58 front hub, AC 205 rear (rebranded as FFWD) DT Aerolites and DT standard nipples. According to my calculations on claime weights is should be 1000g grams or less for not much more than the prebuilt Planet X wheels but far lighter.

:shock:

Max

max888

In case it's not clear I'm using to 20mm rims.

Anonymous

Be interesting to see if they are like spaghetti hoops...

They will be a freakin' bargain if they are stiff.

dennisn

AidanR wrote:

What is the Wisdom of the Forum?

Go with the one you like the looks of the best.That's the one you REALLY want.
I believe you're way over thinking this, considering that you've never raced before.
You can, however, buy things that the pro's use and get that pro look, which seems like what you want. The rest(weight, aero, etc.) won't matter for at least a few years until you get into race shape and learn how to race.

max888

They should be built in about two weeks as I have to send one rim back as it is 20h when I ordered two 24h. Also to me nearly all bike components are stiff to me as I'm 57kg. I'll report back when completed and tested.

AidanR

Cheers for the replies guys, especially to FleshTuxedo - those hubs are certainly worth considering.

dennisn wrote:

AidanR wrote:

What is the Wisdom of the Forum?

Go with the one you like the looks of the best.That's the one you REALLY want.
I believe you're way over thinking this, considering that you've never raced before.
You can, however, buy things that the pro's use and get that pro look, which seems like what you want. The rest(weight, aero, etc.) won't matter for at least a few years until you get into race shape and learn how to race.

Dennis, you say many things on this forum I disagree with, but I fear in this case you are the wisest here. Perhaps I shouldn't worry about potential racing and trying to justify wheels in this way, and just get ones I like.