Fulcrum 7 --> Campag Zonda Wheels

ol9

Folks,

I'm toying with making the above change to my Colnago Arte 2, will I notice a difference or should I save my money?

Thanks in advance

Stuart

gethinceri

I have both wheelsets, the Zondas look better and roll better.

DKay

Gethinceri wrote:

I have both wheelsets, the Zondas look better and roll better.

They 'roll better'. :?

OL9 wrote:

Folks,

I'm toying with making the above change to my Colnago Arte 2, will I notice a difference or should I save my money?

Thanks in advance

Stuart

What do you want from a new pair of wheels is a better question.

keezx

OL9 wrote:

I'm toying with making the above change to my Colnago Arte 2, will I notice a difference or should I save my money?

No , you won't notice any difference.

Origami02

DKay wrote:

Gethinceri wrote:

I have both wheelsets, the Zondas look better and roll better.

They 'roll better'. :?

OL9 wrote:

Folks,

I'm toying with making the above change to my Colnago Arte 2, will I notice a difference or should I save my money?

Thanks in advance

Stuart

What do you want from a new pair of wheels is a better question.

This post appears to be completely pointless. On the one hand mocking Gethinceri, and other the other hand telling the OP he's asked the wrong question.
If you've nothing useful to add don't post .

gethinceri

When i place a skewer in a wheel and spin it the Zonda rolls for longer for the same input of energy. I hope that helps you DKay, it's not difficult to do this "test".

DKay

This 'roll test' doesn't mean anything in the real world. Even the difference between standard steel bearings and ceramic bearings which cost many times more, is so minicule, as to be irrelevant unless you're a pro where every fraction of an advantage counts. Wearing a different jersey or helmet would make far more of a difference in terms of overall resistance, even between different makes of hub assuming they're both in good condition. Also, if I wanted to be really picky, I'd ask how do you know you're giving the same amount of energy each spin. That would make the test quite a bit more difficult to do consistantly.

The Zondas will be quicker to spin up and make the bike feel more lively, but they won't be a huge leap in performance. A switch to a wider rim and a stiffer build would be more worthwhile.

gethinceri

Blow me.

darkhairedlord

how a wheel spins up in your hand is irrelevant.
It is only important how it spins up under load (a radial load equivalent to the rider weight).
Spinning it in your hand is only really measuring the friction in the seals and viscosity of the lubricant.
It is when the wheel is under load that factors such as surface roughness, hardness of the surfaces, relative radius etc become relevant and only then that any frictional losses are of any importance.

ugo.santalucia

darkhairedlord wrote:

how a wheel spins up in your hand is irrelevant.
It is only important how it spins up under load (a radial load equivalent to the rider weight).
Spinning it in your hand is only really measuring the friction in the seals and viscosity of the lubricant.
It is when the wheel is under load that factors such as surface roughness, hardness of the surfaces, relative radius etc become relevant and only then that any frictional losses are of any importance.

This

Bobbinogs

Yepp, the spinning thing is a red herring.

The Zondas are well built, very stiff, have a serviceable cup/cone hub and come at a great price. They are also about 300g lighter than the Fulcrums. So, all this is good and the Zondas will make a good next set of wheels for the OP. However, dropping 300g on wheels is not going to make anyone fly up hills even if all the (yet to be proven) psuedo-science of rotational weight comes into it.

However, on a bang per buck basis, I would advise to look at tyres first as some nice 25mm GP4000s 2's or Schwalbe Ones will make a noticeable difference to ride quality and general zippiness (again, usual caveats of not flying up hills apply). I would then just wear out the Fulcrums and replace when they are worn. If you must buy some wheels then the Zondas (or RS81s) are a good option (particularly for chunky-ish riders who suffer from brake rub when grinding up hills)...although very heavy riders would be much better directed towards wheels with a lot more spokes. Then, keep the Fulcrums for winter usage.

Funny thing about winter wheels though, they always feel heavy and sluggish but Strava rarely detects a major difference which kind of suggests that fretting over 300g is rarely worth it for performance but, heh, riding is about quality not performance for the vast majority of us.

JoostG

OL9 wrote:

Folks,

I'm toying with making the above change to my Colnago Arte 2, will I notice a difference or should I save my money?

Thanks in advance

Stuart

Just forget all mention above because it is irrelevant.....

You will notice a big difference: your bike will look better. And that counts!

ugo.santalucia

OL9 wrote:

Folks,

I'm toying with making the above change to my Colnago Arte 2, will I notice a difference or should I save my money?

Thanks in advance

Stuart

There seems to be a wave of skepticism on this section of the forum at the moment. You will find that the upgrade deniers are also those who ride the most expensive wheels on here and often rave about them...

The benefits of a lighter wheel (and more so rim) is evident if you ride a highly fragmented course, with lots of ups and downs. When you start piling up 15-20 mt of climbing per Km of riding, you do want lighter wheels.
When I ride my heavy wheels on such courses, I tend to finish a metric century pretty shattered, while when I ride the lighter ones, I feel there is something left in the tank and even an imperial century is a possibility. I don't measure the split second on Strava, so whether it is there or not I can't really bet on, but otherwise the difference is noticeable.

Bobbinogs

Ugo, in this thread we are discussing the merits of buying a 1550g wheelset compared to a 1850g wheelset. If you believe that will make the difference between finishing a century fresh or knackered then fine, but that is not my experience. Wind/weather/pace/beer and a thousand other factors play their part in my world.

drlodge

To the OP - if you're thinking of splashing out on a pair of Zonda's then for not much more money you can get a pair of handbuilts. Just ordered a pair myself with RR440 rims & Hope mono rs hubs. £107 for the rims (posted) and £212 for the hubs (Novatec would be cheaper). Build & spokes could be done for around £90 I suggest which totals about £400. You get tubeless ready, asymmetric rear rim, choice of no. & type of spokes for you and your riding style and complete repairability.

Rocketm0n

OL9 wrote:

Folks,

I'm toying with making the above change to my Colnago Arte 2, will I notice a difference or should I save my money?

Thanks in advance

Stuart

I recently demoted my Fulcrum5's with a pair of Zondas from www.4thebike.de . Great upgrade for £215 plus postage.

oldbazza

Got to say after a year of use I'm pretty pleased with my Zondas,had no problems so far even with the rough roads around here;especially nice now with 25 open paves on although in hindsight I probably should have gone for the two-way fit ones to make use of tubeless tyres.

DKay

Gethinceri wrote:

Blow me.

The case rests m'lud.

mfin

OP. I have experienced 7 --> Zonda. Will you notice the difference? Yes, as long as you're not a 12mph guy you will. The difference is about as plain to feel as any wheel upgrade could be, if you didn't notice it then I'd be very surprised if you could notice the difference in any change of gear.

gethinceri

DKay wrote:

Gethinceri wrote:

Blow me.

The case rests m'lud.

mm1

I bought a pair of Fulcrum 7LG (£116) as an emergency replacement when my old rear hub died on the first day of a recent holiday. They are the first wide rim wheels I've ridden and I'm extremely impressed. Don't care much about weight, thet are a robust and comfortable ride, ideal for a winter / training wheel and look good too. Hard to believe they are bottom of the range.