New to cycling

[blueoval]

I have a set of A27 Pro Lite Bracciano's (alloy clincher). They spin for ages, lightweight and not expensive by any means. Alloy brake track.

[mik]

do you guys balance your wheels ?

[FairmontGS]

No, wouldn't know how to. I guess when I replace the broken spoke on my Shimano I'll have to make sure the rim spins true somehow?

[blueoval]

You can get your LBS to true the wheels when they do a service. Takes them 5mins.

[Batmobile]

Originally Posted by prydey

There's nothing to worry about it you buy quality brands, and most cheaper ones won't give too much grief.

As for noticing the difference, my zonda's were less than half a kg lighter each rim but made a reasonable difference. They spin up much quicker and also maintain speed much better. It's all about where the weight is situated. Making the rotating mass lighter always helps.

I would certainly agree . Not will just the weight of the wheels be a real factor but as will the quality of the hub/bearing
On my training bike , I have a heavy 16 radial front wheel and 20 2 cross rear wheel weighing over 2,000g with tyres . Although my purpose build Ambrosio 36 spoke and power hub provides a similar total weigh , the quality of the power hub provides a faster ride
The rear wheel spins up much faster than than the cheap training wheels
So weigh is a factor as is the quality of the hub/bearing

[Batmobile]

Originally Posted by mik

just did google, they look good, but pricey little buggers, just the thought of a pothole would have me in tears .

Not sure about the Fulcrum Racing Zero as I have never own or ridden on a set , but I have had multiple sets of the Campagnolo Shamals both on the road bike ans track bike .
You will wear out the braking surface well before you bin the wheelset . They re worth every it the price tag . As is so very often the case now days , buy a set on line on 'special' usually around $1,000 and you will be very happy

[GTpilot]

Originally Posted by FairmontGS

Well this time I'm going to buy the spoke and repair it myself. I'm 94 kg and 195 cm so a big unit but I've never had failures with non-bladed wheels. Yes, I do put out a bit of power when I attack hills as I enjoy the challenge. I reckon it could be time for something with a few more spokes..

Take it to a decent wheel builder have have all the spoke tensions checked. When you replace one spoke and only do a basic re-true you end up with different tensions. Do this a few times and it becomes a dogs breakfast and spoke will break.

Don't do this yourself. With out the correct tools ( tension guage, wheel stand, setting tool you WILL make it worse. Speak to the wheel builder about using a thicker spoke guage too.

Else get some pro-lite guardas for about $200. Stiff strong highly recommended for heavy riders, you break them you ARE doing something wrong. Don't buy light weight wheels. Get a lighter motor.

[GTpilot]

Originally Posted by Batmobile

Not sure about the Fulcrum Racing Zero as I have never own or ridden on a set , but I have had multiple sets of the Campagnolo Shamals both on the road bike ans track bike .
You will wear out the braking surface well before you bin the wheelset . They re worth every it the price tag . As is so very often the case now days , buy a set on line on 'special' usually around $1,000 and you will be very happy

Fulcrum and campag wheels are identical across the range, only difference are the logos. Fulcrum a were released and are made by campagnolo to capture the shimano/sram riders market that did not want "campag junk" on their bikes.

[geckoGT]

The wait begins.

When I bought the Eddy Merckx frame I built it up with all the parts off my previous bike as it was the frame that was getting tired but the parts were still good. I was always planning on getting a new groupset for the Merckx and building something nice but as usual other things get in the way and 5 years later this still has not happened.

Well now the 2004 model Dura Ace groupset has pretty much died a slow and painful death. With more than 100,000km on it including some hard years with long distance triathlon the shifters rattle, the cranks make a clicking noise I can't get rid off and the derailleurs don't shift like they used to.

So I have ordered my new groupset, a 2015 Campagnolo Record mechanical is on its way. I went a mechanical as I am not too fussed for going electronic and to do so would require modification to my frame. Also a factor was for the cost of an Ultegra Di2 groupset I can get the Campagnolo Record mechanical.

As I do so much climbing and have a particularly nasty climb in my area that I have some unfinished business with I have decided to go for a semi compact set up. Fortunately the campag cranks can accept standard, semi compact or compact chain rings without changing the crank. I have gone for the 52/36 combo with 172.5mm cranks and a 12-27 cassette. That should make the climbs a bit easier than my current 53/39 and 12-27 9 speed set up.

As I can not run 11 speed on my 9 speed Campagnolo Eurus wheels I will have to change wheels as well. It is a shame as these wheels have been faultless. They have only been trued once when I broke a rear spoke and had the rear bearing replaced once in over 11 years of use. I am going to go for a set of 2016 Campagnolo Shamal ultra clinchers, if you have to change you might as well make it an improvement.

Later on I will change out my Ritchey WCS bars and stem for something newer but for now I think I have spent enough.

Can't wait, nothing suits a nice Italian build carbon frame like some high spec Italian components with a large amount of carbon in their construction.

[geckoGT]

Originally Posted by GTpilot

Fulcrum and campag wheels are identical across the range, only difference are the logos. Fulcrum a were released and are made by campagnolo to capture the shimano/sram riders market that did not want "campag junk" on their bikes.

While it is true that Fulcrum and campagnolo are mechanically very similar and hub parts are interchangeable they are not identical across the entire range. A good example is Fulcrum do not use the G3 rear lacing pattern that Campag use, they have something similar but not exactly the same. There are also some differences in quality of materials used particularly in the upper levels of the range.

Certainly not a case of the decals being the only difference.

[geckoGT]

Just to tease, some links to the new toys.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/a.../rp-prod140019
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/a...6/rp-prod88919

[GTpilot]

Originally Posted by geckoGT

While it is true that Fulcrum and campagnolo are mechanically very similar and hub parts are interchangeable they are not identical across the entire range. A good example is Fulcrum do not use the G3 rear lacing pattern that Campag use, they have something similar but not exactly the same. There are also some differences in quality of materials used particularly in the upper levels of the range.

Certainly not a case of the decals being the only difference.

Spoken like a true campag lover ! ;)

Yes - in most cases these days the rear spoke lacing is slightly different, mostly the spacing on the outer rim, thats all.

otherwise same same.
Same company same plant. same parts- Different names.

[geckoGT]

Originally Posted by gtpilot

spoken like a true campag lover ! ;)

yes - in most cases these days the rear spoke lacing is slightly different, mostly the spacing on the outer rim, thats all.

Otherwise same same.
Same company same plant. Same parts- different names.

Spoken like a true Shimano/Sram lover, near enough is good enough.

[geckoGT]

Originally Posted by NTF6

That's why I carry one of these:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/a...Q&gclsrc=aw.ds

The old school trick was to use duct tape to finish off your bar tape at the ends. That way if you get a cut in your tyre you just rip a bit off and stick it inside the tyre. That will get you home.

[geckoGT]

Originally Posted by FairmontGS

Well this time I'm going to buy the spoke and repair it myself. I'm 94 kg and 195 cm so a big unit but I've never had failures with non-bladed wheels. Yes, I do put out a bit of power when I attack hills as I enjoy the challenge. I reckon it could be time for something with a few more spokes..

Are they drive side spokes or non drive side? Only half the spokes on the drive side actually take drive load, they are the spokes that insert into the drive side hub flange and angle back to the rim when you look at the wheel from the drive side. The spokes that angle forward from the hub to the rim do not take drive load.

Have you ever had a chain drop off the cassette into the spokes from a over shift? This is a common cause of drive side spoke failure as just the smallest of nicks not he spoke can cause the weakness that breaks later. This is the reason I broke a spoke on my Campag Eurus rear wheel.

As for strength of wheels, I have had my Eurus for 11 years, before that I had Ksyriums for about 4 years. Weighing in at 85kg race weight doing long distance triathlon and being a big gear monster (ask Prydey) I have never had good quality lightweight wheels fail. Had plenty of heavier higher spoke count wheels fail.

[DBourne]

Sounds like a really nice upgrade, Gecko! Kudos for the 100,000k on the drive train! That's a lot of riding!

[prydey]

Originally Posted by geckoGT

As I can not run 11 speed on my 9 speed Campagnolo Eurus wheels I will have to change wheels as well. It is a shame as these wheels have been faultless. They have only been trued once when I broke a rear spoke and had the rear bearing replaced once in over 11 years of use. I am going to go for a set of 2016 Campagnolo Shamal ultra clinchers, if you have to change you might as well make it an improvement.

.

I guess given the rims are 11 years old the brake tracks would be quite worn as well but couldn't you just fit an 11 speed hub to your existing wheels?

Nice work on the upgrade.

[geckoGT]

Unfortunately a replacement hub would be ridiculously expensive, I would estimate on the plus side of $400 plus the cost of building it in with spokes etc. It would easily be a $600 exercise. For a little under $1200 I get the Shamals.

Also spokes are getting very rare, I may have a few of the last ones in captivity and no one makes them any more, no they are not a standard hooked spoke. On top of all that if I did go to all that effort I would still have wheels that are 11 years old, high mileage with considerable rim wear etc. Yes I could get a few more years out of them if I was not upgrading the components but they are not worth renovating.

Makes me think back to the good old day when you bought hubs and laced them to your favourite rims, when the rims wore out you replaced them but kept the same hubs for 20 years or more. Bikes are so much more disposable now.

The wheels and groupset will not be binned, one day the Monoc will be built back up with all its original components and hung up on the wall out of sentimental value because it is the bike I did a sub 10 hr Ironman triathlon on.

[Batmobile]

Originally Posted by geckoGT

Just to tease, some links to the new toys.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/a.../rp-prod140019
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/a...6/rp-prod88919

I am currently running the Campagnolo 11sp Super Record with Titanium . I prefer the Egropower shifters , and love the way they enable you to drop the chain down the cassette .
Last year at the TDU I was lucky to demo a Scott with Dura Ace DI2 , and loved the way it handles the shift in the front rings - smooth .. I did 100k ride , and really didn't want to give it back ..
I still not sure I like the idea of worry about whether I need to charge the system up before a ride . I have enough to worry about , and I don't think I want to add another thing to worry about

[MAGPIE]

I was reading this thread last week about these spoke breakages thinking weird as I have never broken a spoke ever. Sure enough riding the MTB tonight and what happens, yup broken spoke

[geckoGT]

Originally Posted by Batmobile

I am currently running the Campagnolo 11sp Super Record with Titanium . I prefer the Egropower shifters , and love the way they enable you to drop the chain down the cassette .
Last year at the TDU I was lucky to demo a Scott with Dura Ace DI2 , and loved the way it handles the shift in the front rings - smooth .. I did 100k ride , and really didn't want to give it back ..
I still not sure I like the idea of worry about whether I need to charge the system up before a ride . I have enough to worry about , and I don't think I want to add another thing to worry about

I was originally planning on the Chorus 11 mechanical but found I could go for Record for $400 more which appealed to me. I considered going up another level and going for the SR but that was really stretching the budget. I just hope I don't end up regretting it.

I had Record many years ago, before Ergopower and dual pivot brakes then changed to Dura Ace due to sponsorship during my time in triathlon. Over the years I have found Dura Ace to function very well and they have been great group sets but I did miss the quality of the Campagnolo equipment. I also like the lever layout of the Ergopower more than STI in that the brake lever has one function. Although it was rare I have had occasions that a shift in a hurry has resulted in me pulling on a brake at just the wrong time.

I am sticking with mechanical at this point in time primarily due to cost. With the riding I do I do not need lightning fast shifts, not that Record or Dura Ace mechanical shifts are really that slow. I also do consider the care of cables and adjustments that much of an issue, I don't ride in the Paris Roubaix so replacing cables and giving a good service is not that frequent for me. When you look at the life span I got out of my current group and the amount of km's it has done, it is obvious that I find cleaning and servicing my bike as one of life's simple pleasures anyway. For me to go for Campagnolo EPS would cost $700 more for a Chorus group, Record would be even more. On top of that I would have to have my frame modified to suit EPS which would add about $300 more to the cost. $1000 extra for a lower spec group just did not seem worth it to me.

I have no doubt that when I eventually replace the Record group in the years to come everything will be electronic.

[geckoGT]

Originally Posted by MAGPIE

I was reading this thread last week about these spoke breakages thinking weird as I have never broken a spoke ever. Sure enough riding the MTB tonight and what happens, yup broken spoke

Don't you just hate that.

When I broke a spoke in my Eurus wheels last year it was 2 days after I was informed by my favourite bike shop that they were having trouble getting replacement parts for 2004 Eurus as Campagnolo were no longer making spare parts. Campagnolo distributor in Australia could not get a spoke kit, had to order it online from the US. Now I have a few spares in the tool box, might be hanging onto those as it appears they are now known as the Precious.

[Batmobile]

Originally Posted by geckoGT

I was originally planning on the Chorus 11 mechanical but found I could go for Record for $400 more which appealed to me. I considered going up another level and going for the SR but that was really stretching the budget. I just hope I don't end up regretting it.

I had Record many years ago, before Ergopower and dual pivot brakes then changed to Dura Ace due to sponsorship during my time in triathlon. Over the years I have found Dura Ace to function very well and they have been great group sets but I did miss the quality of the Campagnolo equipment. I also like the lever layout of the Ergopower more than STI in that the brake lever has one function. Although it was rare I have had occasions that a shift in a hurry has resulted in me pulling on a brake at just the wrong time.

I am sticking with mechanical at this point in time primarily due to cost. With the riding I do I do not need lightning fast shifts, not that Record or Dura Ace mechanical shifts are really that slow. I also do consider the care of cables and adjustments that much of an issue, I don't ride in the Paris Roubaix so replacing cables and giving a good service is not that frequent for me. When you look at the life span I got out of my current group and the amount of km's it has done, it is obvious that I find cleaning and servicing my bike as one of life's simple pleasures anyway. For me to go for Campagnolo EPS would cost $700 more for a Chorus group, Record would be even more. On top of that I would have to have my frame modified to suit EPS which would add about $300 more to the cost. $1000 extra for a lower spec group just did not seem worth it to me.

I have no doubt that when I eventually replace the Record group in the years to come everything will be electronic.

Tried the electronic campagnolo and it failed - had read numerous reports all of which stated he had , but i didnt want to believe it.
Having tried it , the shift up front was terrible .
The shimano stuff is streets ahead on the campagnolo gear - it saddens me to say , but its true
I stay with the Super Record and i am thinking of looking at purchasing the new strain on the left crank shortly to measure watts given the vector system by Garmin hasnt been able to get off the ground
I was so hoping it would as swapping the pedals from one bike to the other appealed to me

[DJM83]

Attended a shuttle day at the local MTB park here yesterday (same park as the gravity enduro event in Dec) on 2 different trails. Was bloody awesome fun, you know you have good trails when we pack 20 ppl in a jeep wrangler to take us to the top day started off well but on the first run it started pelting rain no one gave a single care just kept on riding. As the day went on the rain came an went the shuttles kept going, all in all i did about 6 runs between 2 tracks. Cant wait for the next one. Got whats called the fainters ride this Saturday at Falls creek about 40kms of single trail and heart breaking climbs, well walks for me the old Reign just doesnt climb as aswell as other more ascent type bikes. But one thing i have noticed it my skill level is improving a lot and im getting more brave as i may have said jumping isnt my forte but ive hit a few now was a simple as changing my technique really. Anyway heres a cpl pics i took.

[DBourne]

Looks like your bikes twin was there too?

[Batmobile]

Bike contained a concealed 100w+ motor ???
http://cyclingtips.com/2015/04/hidde...how-they-work/

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by Batmobile

Bike contained a concealed 100w+ motor ???
http://cyclingtips.com/2015/04/hidde...how-they-work/

I heard one of the ladies teams got caught with this in their bike. Poor form if you ask me. It's as bad as doping IMO.

[Batmobile]

Originally Posted by blueoval

I heard one of the ladies teams got caught with this in their bike. Poor form if you ask me. It's as bad as doping IMO.

After Armstrong - nothing surprises me anymore .. I can recall a little while back as we watched Trek Superstar Fabian Cancellara smash a course , and a recall the English commentator stating that they had found a 'engine' in the seat tube or bottom bracket and questioned whether such a 'engine' had been built into Cancellara bike ???
UCI have got their work cut up for them if they 're fair dinkum about saving the sport , before it becomes a 'joke'
Soon , bikes will be need to pass scrutineering , and it may be possible that we may see the end to bike being changed from the roof of support and or neutral vehicles .
I guess , given the books I 've read on the subject and listening to many of the older pro's - I have never understood why they don't subject the riders to a blood and urine scrutineering before each race ???
If the UCI doesn't end taking charge of the sport , sponsors will vanish and the sport will die
No one will be interested in watching cheats - and no parent will want their child involved in a sport littered by cheats

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by DBourne

Looks like your bikes twin was there too?

Hahaha there was 3 reigns in same species as mine. And about 5 others reigns Inc a carbon model that is drool worthy.

[DBourne]

Originally Posted by Batmobile

Bike contained a concealed 100w+ motor ???
http://cyclingtips.com/2015/04/hidde...how-they-work/

Would be bloody handy for those commutes home, in to the wind, up hill when you just can't give AF.