# Climbing Wheels



## podilato1 (Aug 24, 2010)

Searching For The Right Wheel. Need A Light Super Climber. I Weigh 80 Kg. My Bike Is A Cannondale Himod Supersix W.red. Currently Have Ksyrium Elites. So Conisdering In Order Of Importance. Climbing, Saving Some Energy On Flats And Aero. Looking At 2011 Reynolds 32 Tubular, Zipp 202 Tubular ,hed Scorpio Flammr Rouge, And Easton Ec90 Sl. 
Does Anyone Have Any Feedback On Fast Foward Wheels Made In Holand?


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## Zen Cyclery (Mar 10, 2009)

The 202 and the EC90 are a bit overweight to be considered a good climbing wheel. The NDS rear lacing on the Eastons is radial which will not exactly be ideal for power transfer or lateral rigidity. Out of your current options, I think that the Reynolds would be the way to go. Durability on those rims is quite impressive and if built right they could easily be much stiffer and lighter than your current wheels.


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*overweight?*



Zen Cyclery said:


> The 202 and the EC90 are a bit overweight to be considered a good climbing wheel. The NDS rear lacing on the Eastons is radial which will not exactly be ideal for power transfer or lateral rigidity. Out of your current options, I think that the Reynolds would be the way to go. Durability on those rims is quite impressive and if built right they could easily be much stiffer and lighter than your current wheels.


The 202s are 1095 grams a set; that's overweight now?

http://zipp.com/wheels/202-tubular/


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## Zen Cyclery (Mar 10, 2009)

Fixed said:


> The 202s are 1095 grams a set; that's overweight now?
> 
> http://zipp.com/wheels/202-tubular/


For tubulars, I would say so. I would be quite easy to go sub 950 grams while still maintaing quite a rigid setup. However, "lightweight" is a relative term I guess.


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## swimbiketag (Nov 28, 2009)

The EC90 SLX's are more a climbing wheel than the SL's... Not as light as the 202's, but still a good climbing wheel at 1175 grams.


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## TomH (Oct 6, 2008)

Great, now sub 1100g wheels are overweight, theres no hope for any of us :lol:


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Super light climber*



podilato1 said:


> Searching For The Right Wheel. Need A Light Super Climber. I Weigh 80 Kg. My Bike Is A Cannondale Himod Supersix W.red. Currently Have Ksyrium Elites. So Conisdering In Order Of Importance. Climbing, Saving Some Energy On Flats And Aero. Looking At 2011 Reynolds 32 Tubular, Zipp 202 Tubular ,hed Scorpio Flammr Rouge, And Easton Ec90 Sl.
> Does Anyone Have Any Feedback On Fast Foward Wheels Made In Holand?


Are you racing as a professional? Shaving 600 grams off your wheels will gain you 20 seconds per hour on a 6% grade. That is big number if you're at the top of the professional ranks. Otherwise, not so much. It's your money.


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## kbiker3111 (Nov 7, 2006)

The best climbing wheels are these, hands down. Now if you can pony up is another question.

http://www.lightweight.info/en/products/ventoux.html


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## jetvagabond (Aug 10, 2009)

Interesting that heavy Zipp 202s just won the first hard uphill stage in the Giro.


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## TomH (Oct 6, 2008)

I dont think wheels have ever won any races.. its usually the rider


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

Will you have to descend on these wheels? Make sure whatever you choose has a decent brake track.


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## jetvagabond (Aug 10, 2009)

Good point Tom. Allow me to more accurately express my thoughts. It is interesting that Zipp 202s are considered too heavy for climbing by some yet they are considered light enough by the winner of the first tough uphill stage of the Giro.


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## AvantDale (Dec 26, 2008)

Pro bikes have a weight limit on how light they can be, so there is more leeway with parts regarding weight. Most of the pros are riding run of the mill parts that some weight weenies would consider "anchors".

Contador could have used 2000 gram wheels today...he still would have ripped the legs off the rest of the field.


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## MisterC (May 26, 2007)

I need to see these "easy" 950g wheels.

My .02. Get the 303. Less than 100g weight penalty from the 202 and you get the aero benefits plus a wheel that has won PR. 80kg rider weight might not want to be on the suuuuuper light wheels.


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## kbwh (May 28, 2010)

I ride Ffwd F2R-240s. 1050g claimed. Rider weight limit 80 kg. Very comfortable. Braking ok. I'm 73 kg.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

MisterC said:


> I need to see these "easy" 950g wheels.


I just picked up some Enve 25s with Extralite hubs from Zen Cyclery. His claimed weight was 870g. My shop's uncalibrated scale reported 900g for the pair.


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*yup*



AvantDale said:


> Pro bikes have a weight limit on how light they can be, so there is more leeway with parts regarding weight. Most of the pros are riding run of the mill parts that some weight weenies would consider "anchors".
> 
> Contador could have used 2000 gram wheels today...he still would have ripped the legs off the rest of the field.


Pros could easily be riding 12 pound bikes but for the rules. I had a Bianchi 928 SL that was 12.5 pounds with pretty standard off the shelf parts ( w/ 303 tubulars). That bike with Ksyrium clinchers was still well under 15 pounds. 

Seems to me, if I were a pro, with the weight limit I'd put the weight to good use, aero + light, like 303 or 404 tubular wheels.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

Fixed said:


> Pros could easily be riding 12 pound bikes but for the rules. I had a Bianchi 928 SL that was 12.5 pounds with pretty standard off the shelf parts ( w/ 303 tubulars). That bike with Ksyrium clinchers was still well under 15 pounds.
> 
> Seems to me, if I were a pro, with the weight limit I'd put the weight to good use, aero + light, like 303 or 404 tubular wheels.


That brings up an excellent question....if they switch from 404s to 202s, do they have to add a little more weight to the bike somewhere?


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## AvantDale (Dec 26, 2008)

IIRC, they use lead weights to_ fine tune_ the weight of the bike. I've seen specially made weights that go into crank spindles, seat posts etc. I remember reading that Cannondale had to use fishing weights as a quick fix.


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## jrz1 (Mar 15, 2006)

+1 on the Zipp 303 tubular recommendation. I have over 5000 miles on mine (the latest, wider, version) and they have been great. By the way, mine came in at 1140 grams. Actually a bit LOWER than Zipp claims.


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## mimason (Oct 7, 2006)

Not to confuse but you can't go wrong with your options and the recommendations already posted. I will add the Shimano 7850 C24 tubular to the mix. I've been riding these wheels for a couple months and love them. They are not the lightest but they are dreamy smooth, aero and stiff. On flats they will maintain speed better that the super lightweights too....not that I wouldn't be happy will a pair of ENVE 25s but just saying. Got them for $900 so deals can be had. Now I need to find the 200 grams to lose around my waist instead of the wheels.

I have numerous wheelsets and these are my favorites compared to Reynolds 32s and Enve 65s in the quiver.


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## enzo269 (May 25, 2009)

kbiker3111 said:


> The best climbing wheels are these, hands down. Now if you can pony up is another question.
> 
> Ventoux


+1
Super stiff, climb and descend exceptionally well.. Never go out of true.. Hubs are like butter.


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## sneakyracer (Dec 1, 2007)

Dont forget a good climbing wheel needs to be stiff so you dont waste any power. At 80kg (I weight the same) you arent light so I would not get a super weight weenie wheelset. Something around the 1400 gram range for a clincher or 1200g for a tubular set is more than good enough.


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