Best 35 mm Carbon Clincher: Campa vs Cera vs Handbuilt

hockeyjunkie

Hi there folks,
I'm looking for an advice on selecting the best pair of 35mm carbon clinchers for crit racing.
Why 35mm? Well, ask British Cycling - this is the limit on the rim depth for youth riders. Yes, the wheels are for my boy who moved to the U14 age group, where most of the guys ride on carbon aero wheels. He's a very keen roadie, so my father in law decided to sponsor his new ride and put a budget behind new wheels.

The options that I can see now are as follows:

1. Cero 35 mm https://www.cycledivision.co.uk/wheels/ ... elset-8924
£749, 1293 grams

2. Campagnolo Bora One https://www.campagnolo.com/WW/en/Wheels ... ora_one_35
c.£1200, 1405 grams

3. Custom built wheel from a very reputable local builder.
Full "pre-preg" carbon from F1 technology, Sapim CX-Ray spokes, Sapim brass nipples, Titanium skewers on rim brake versions only,Full set of pads for rim brake versions, Stan's rimtape for clincher and tubeless ready clinchers
These wheels come at £850 with a "private label" hub, 1450g.

What is your advice on these choices? Thanks

Matthewfalle

sorry - £1,200 wheels for a 14 year old doing crits?

Seriously? Like seriously?

Carbonzone or Farsport for £400 or Planet X.

What is the rest of the spec on his new bicycle out of interest?

First.Aspect

14 year old. Crits. Mmm. Nice stiff set of alloy rims that are cheap to replace after a crash perhaps?

Should add up to about £1200 soon enough.

cycleclinic

Forget carbon.

Kinlin xr31t is the rim. You can build sub 1500g wheels with these that are reasonably aero a NB do cost a lot less. I would wager the kinlins would be as aero in reality as the options your looking at.

imposter2.0

hockeyjunkie wrote:

Hi there folks,
I'm looking for an advice on selecting the best pair of 35mm carbon clinchers for crit racing.
Why 35mm? Well, ask British Cycling - this is the limit on the rim depth for youth riders. Yes, the wheels are for my boy who moved to the U14 age group, where most of the guys ride on carbon aero wheels. He's a very keen roadie, so my father in law decided to sponsor his new ride and put a budget behind new wheels.

The options that I can see now are as follows:

1. Cero 35 mm https://www.cycledivision.co.uk/wheels/ ... elset-8924
£749, 1293 grams

2. Campagnolo Bora One https://www.campagnolo.com/WW/en/Wheels ... ora_one_35
c.£1200, 1405 grams

3. Custom built wheel from a very reputable local builder.
Full "pre-preg" carbon from F1 technology, Sapim CX-Ray spokes, Sapim brass nipples, Titanium skewers on rim brake versions only,Full set of pads for rim brake versions, Stan's rimtape for clincher and tubeless ready clinchers
These wheels come at £850 with a "private label" hub, 1450g.

What is your advice on these choices? Thanks

As someone whose lad has spent the last two seasons in U14 and is about to move up to U16 - there may well be a desire to ride 35mm carbon hoops, but there really is no practical benefit in doing so in youth bunch racing. Any decent, lightweight set of wheels - preferably in alu, would make more sense than shelling out on carbon at this stage. Spend the money on entry fees, hotel bills and diesel instead. If you're absolutely determined to buy some, then take a look at suppliers like Carbonzone or Farsrports, where you can get perfectly decent 30/35mm clinchers or tubs for a lot less than you are prepared to spend.

Also keep some money aside U16, when it all goes nuclear...

joe_totale-2

I race on Fulcrum Racing Quattro although a Campy Scirocco would also do the job. The extra 300g doesn't make a big difference when racing.

Also you can buy 3 sets for the price of 1 set of carbon wheels which given it's crit racing is worth considering.

shamrock134

Campag Boras are easily the best carbon wheels I've owned so far in terms of braking, hub quality, looks and ride feel but I agree with the others. Get something cheaper and less precious.

I raced "cheap" 60mm carbon clinchers on novatec hubs from carbonspeedcycle this season and they did the job. Also, in 6 of the 8 crits there were crashes.

svetty

Of the three you've suggested I'd probably get the handbuilts on the basis that they can be rebuilt in the case of (inevitable?) crashes

imposter2.0

Svetty wrote:

Of the three you've suggested I'd probably get the handbuilts on the basis that they can be rebuilt in the case of (inevitable?) crashes

There are crashes, but not as many as you might expect. The majority of competitive youth riders come up through the BC go-ride club structure and will have been receiving coaching in group riding, bike handling and bunch skills from age 8 onwards...

I'll say again though, funky wheels are always nice to have - but really not necessary in U14 and your lad will not be at a disadvantage if he doesn't have them.

Matthewfalle

buy carbonzones and spend the rest on a riding hol in Lanzarote or similar.

photonic69

Imposter wrote:

There are crashes, but not as many as you might expect. The majority of competitive youth riders come up through the BC go-ride club structure and will have been receiving coaching in group riding, bike handling and bunch skills from age 8 onwards...

You would have thought so

I've seen some kids do some pretty bloody stupid things on the track during races. True the kids that do BC Go-Ride have a lot more discipline but they get caught up in crashes that some ejit in front or behind has caused through no fault of their own. Kids with a lot of pace but no talent usually.

Save the cash for the U16 groups as said above.

Matthewfalle

totes alts - 3mm too wide, but hey, no one will notice.

This is the sort of money you want to be spending, not whatever you were talking about up top.

https://www.zuus.co.uk/38mm-deep-climbi ... wheelsets/

imposter2.0

Matthewfalle wrote:

totes alts - 3mm too wide, but hey, no one will notice.

This is youth racing we're talking about - I guarantee literally everyone at the event will notice.

Matthewfalle

Imposter wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

totes alts - 3mm too wide, but hey, no one will notice.

This is youth racing we're talking about - I guarantee literally everyone at the event will notice.

hmmmm - true.

how about some Lighweights then?

Matthewfalle

or buy him one of these

https://bikerumor.com/2018/11/13/dimens ... a-charity/

w00dster

Matthew, 35mm is the maximum wheel depth for Youth B riders. Bling is important, but regulations are regulations.
I'd agree with the sentiment though, unless of course money is no object for the OP. I'd be looking at a set similar to the Cero's or cheaper, but I'd be weighing that up with the other costs of racing and cycling which the OP may not need to worry about.
Other options:-
https://www.thetristore.com/product/bon ... gId7_D_BwE

https://www.probikekit.co.uk/bicycle-wh ... lsrc=aw.ds

ovi

amrosio nemesis laced on royce hubs and when he beats his opponents that won't half mess with their minds.

Matthewfalle

Lew Racing Pro VT-1.

job jobbed.

hockeyjunkie

Thanks everyone, appreciate all the advises.

As a general observation, youth racing is an arms race these days - you see U8s riding full carbon frames with Enve wheels... Long gone are the days when Islabike was considered the top of the crop.

A few of you made a very valid observation re crashes... Honestly, I probably see fewer crashes in Youth closed-circuit racing vs the adult ones. Hence I was hoping that wheels could be a good long-term investment (that is, keeping them purely as racing wheels). They can travel from frame to frame as he keeps growing up, and we could get at least a few seasons out of them.

imposter2.0

You could do that, and it may indeed be an arms race, but at the end of the day the fittest rider will still cross the line first, regardless of whether they are on an islabike or a carbon wonderbike. The wheels will look cool, but they won't win races for you..

I've been doing this since my boy was u8, and if I've learnt nothing else on this journey, it's the importance of the need to stay grounded. I've seen u12 /14 kids on £8k bikes, and they're rarely the ones at the front..

Matthewfalle

whats the rest of the spec on the bike?

hockeyjunkie

Imposter wrote:

You could do that, and it may indeed be an arms race, but at the end of the day the fittest rider will still cross the line first, regardless of whether they are on an islabike or a carbon wonderbike. The wheels will look cool, but they won't win races for you..

I've been doing this since my boy was u8, and if I've learnt nothing else on this journey, it's the importance of the need to stay grounded. I've seen u12 /14 kids on £8k bikes, and they're rarely the ones at the front..

Cheers, appreciate your advice. Best of luck to your lad in the next racing season

hockeyjunkie

Matthewfalle wrote:

whats the rest of the spec on the bike?

Carbon frame with Shimano 105

Matthewfalle

carbonzones to suit the level of the rest of build then. simples.

hockeyjunkie

Matthewfalle wrote:

carbonzones to suit the level of the rest of build then. simples.

Carbon Zone don't do 35mm though... Most Chinese brands do 38 mm, which is 3mm too wide vs BC regulations for youth racing.

Matthewfalle

still no reason at all to spend more than £400....

imposter2.0

Don't get too hung up on the 35mm thing, it's not a BC 'recommendation' - it's an enforced depth limit. Ironically, the rule was introduced to discourage parents from spending daft amounts on carbon wheels for young riders. It doesn't mean you have to look for 35mm section. Any other rim depth in any other rim material will work just as well in bunch racing. There is no significant aero advantage at that depth - and none in bunch racing in any case.

Incidentally, this year's U14 road champ won on an aluminium frame, with bog standard aluminium clinchers. Hope that puts what I'm trying to say into a better perspective...

simon_e

Imposter wrote:

You could do that, and it may indeed be an arms race, but at the end of the day the fittest rider will still cross the line first, regardless of whether they are on an islabike or a carbon wonderbike. The wheels will look cool, but they won't win races for you..

I've been doing this since my boy was u8, and if I've learnt nothing else on this journey, it's the importance of the need to stay grounded. I've seen u12 /14 kids on £8k bikes, and they're rarely the ones at the front..

Agree 100%.

Kids need to enjoy riding their bikes. Adding pressure with fancy bling kit is not going to help them in races and often adds unnecessary pressure. Too many of them become unhappy and give up when reality doesn't match the fantasy. Parents too.

Matthewfalle

i must admit that if it was one of my bambini they would have an old CAAD with Rival and Kyseriums - none of the carbon frame/wheel unnecessary broo ha ha to pander to egos....

hockeyjunkie

If you think I'm looking to spend too much you guys should really read this... https://rouleur.cc/editorial/generation ... -for-kids/

Installing etap on a 7 year old kid's 20-inch bike...

"A recent customer brought in his child’s Team Sky Frog bike with 20-inch wheels; Pat stripped it and dressed it in eTap. “Now he can ride the bike properly,” Pat says. “They can change gear easily and brake from the hoods.”

imposter2.0

hockeyjunkie wrote:

If you think I'm looking to spend too much you guys should really read this... https://rouleur.cc/editorial/generation ... -for-kids/

Installing etap on a 7 year old kid's 20-inch bike...

"A recent customer brought in his child’s Team Sky Frog bike with 20-inch wheels; Pat stripped it and dressed it in eTap. “Now he can ride the bike properly,” Pat says. “They can change gear easily and brake from the hoods.”

Every kids' sport has big spenders - but it doesn't make it any less absurd. Nothing to add to what I said earlier - this year's national champ was on an aluminium frame and low profile alu clinchers. Reading that article was very depressing. Don't be like them...