Alloy Tubular Rims

meesterbond

Thinking about a new set of wheels for the summer, mainly for a week in the Alps and another in Majorca so lightweight and reasonably stiff but that brake well on the descents. Happy to use tubs as I'll probably be taking my day-to-day wheels as well as backup, so what's woth looking at?

On paper the Ambrosio Chronos look perfect, but some reviews say they're too light and noodley (?)... I'm 80kg (although falling) so they need to be able to be built into something pretty strong. Would the Nemesis rims be a better option? What other alternatives are there?

Durability is secondary to weight, although it would be nice if they lasted the week and didn't kill me on one of the descents - that said, they won't be subjected to thousands of miles in driving rain, so more Sunday-best than commuter.

Jim C

Magic reflex?

racingcondor

I'm lighter at around 67kg but I've just built up some Crono's as race wheels (DA hubs, 2 cross, 28/28) and they're definitely not noodley under me. First impressions have been that they spin up very nicely indeed and so far I'm extremely happy with them.

If you don't want to take a risk look at the Velocity Escape instead. It's got a more triangular section and a reputation for being stiffer. That built up 28/32 would make for a stronger wheelset that should still be very light.

http://www.velocityusa.com/default.asp?contentID=563

meesterbond

Cheers. That's good to hear about the Chronos. With a reasonably lightweight set of hubs I should get to about 1400g I reckon, maybe slightly less.

markos1963

Nemisis always look so good though 8)

Monty Dog

Shallow tubular rims are never going to be the stiffest, so make sure you don't skimp on the spoke count. Relatively little choice - Ambrosio Cronos or Nemesis, Mavic Reflex or Velocity Major Toms. Ambrosio Nemesis are probably a better bet if you want something strong - they're regular team issue for the Spring classics.