H Plus Son TB 14’s

brit66

Anyone ride H Plus Son tb14 rims that have any opinion on them? I’ve been flip-flopping between these and some nemesis tubs for ages, but I’ve decided tubs are not for me.

I’ve usually ride 32 spoke open pro’s on Ultegra hubs. These were hand-build a few years ago for just £150. These were a bargain buy because I really do find these preferable to me £600 Mavic Kysrium’s – which give a much harsher ride and are certainly not noticeable faster in any perceivable way.

I could play it safe and get another set of open pro’s but I do like the old-school shallow rim look and the tb 14’s look even better IMO. However they are slightly heavier than the open pro’s, which is surprising to me as they are shallower and so I would assume have less actual material in them?

I suppose I’m after someone who has both and could give me any comparison, although I suppose I there’s going to be hardly any real difference between them in reality.

That’s enough waffle anyway.

ugo.santalucia

They are nice.
They are 23 mm wide and 17 mm wide internal, (Open PRO are 20/14.5) which means your tyre will get bigger and you can ride slightly lower pressure. They are heavier than Open PRO due to the extrusion, the section is different (and not that one advertised on the website).
They do look awesome (but not as awesome as the Nemesis).
You will need new spokes, a the ERD is about 610-612, so very different from the Open PRO you have...

jamie4759

Ambrosio excellence or Open Pro for me. I have ridden both for years and these have been proven all over the world by racers and light tourists alike. Nemesis look fabulous and tubs are famed for ride quality, I just don't think that tubs are needed when 25 mm clinchers are so good these days (IMO). I would stick with 32 spokes and have a nice pair of rims like the two mentioned. If weight is an issue, why not look at the Excellights by Ambrosio. I did look at the Tb14's once, but I stuck with what I knew - rims like Ambrosio and Mavic.

ugo.santalucia

JAMIE4759 wrote:

Ambrosio excellence or Open Pro for me. I have ridden both for years and these have been proven all over the world by racers and light tourists alike. Nemesis look fabulous and tubs are famed for ride quality, I just don't think that tubs are needed when 25 mm clinchers are so good these days (IMO). I would stick with 32 spokes and have a nice pair of rims like the two mentioned. If weight is an issue, why not look at the Excellights by Ambrosio. I did look at the Tb14's once, but I stuck with what I knew - rims like Ambrosio and Mavic.

Sticking to what you know is a good policy... but the only way the tradition of building bespoke wheels can survive is by evolving and adapting to the new trends. If we only built Open PRO and Ambrosio Excellence the market would be insignificant and it would disappear within a decade.
I have tried a lot of so called upgrades on my bike and wider rims seem one of the few that actually does make a (small) difference to the way a bicycle handles. I liked my Open PRO and my Excellence... will I fit them again to my bike having tried wider rims? I don't think so...

jamie4759

I think Ugo makes a very good point, but my obligation is to buy what works for my riding. I fully appreciate that the industry needs to progress, but if it aint broken...........

ugo.santalucia

JAMIE4759 wrote:

I think Ugo makes a very good point, but my obligation is to buy what works for my riding. I fully appreciate that the industry needs to progress, but if it aint broken...........

The difference in price between all the rims mentioned is hardly worth considering...