# Boyd 44mm carbon clincher vs Shimano Dura Ace 9000 C35 clincher



## lliden (May 8, 2013)

Hi Folks, I'm new to the forum, and I need some advice. I ride a Trek Domane, Ultegra Di2, Bontrager Race x-Lite wheels. I'd like to upgrade my wheelset to something more aerodynamic, but within the same weight range as the current Race x-Lites (1530gr). I want clinchers, as I have no experience at all with tubulars. After two weeks of research, I've narrowed my choice down to two wheelsets: (1) the Boyd 44mm carbon clincher, and (2) the Shimano Dura Ace 9000 C35 clincher.

Both are wider and deeper than my current Race x-Lites (19mm wide, 23mm deep). I want a wider tire to better match the wider 25mm Vittoria Evo CX II tires I prefer. And I think a deeper rim will help me sustain higher speeds, especially in the headwinds I seem to battle.

I want to use this as my everyday, all-around wheelset. Both for my daily 25-mile rides, as well as the centuries I ride on the weekends. And for the upcoming Seattle-to-Portland ride in July. 

Both the Boyd and the Shimano are in my price range ($1300-1400, can't swing the pricier HEDs, Zipps, or Enves). But I am worried about braking performance:

I'm 165lbs, and I have 2 large hills on my daily ride. I average about 18mph on the daily ride, and the same for weekend centuries. And just starting out each day, I have to descend a short 300-yard 16% grade with a hard stop at the bottom. The final daily descent is about 8% for 3/4 mile. I reach 34mph, and have to watch for cars coming out of driveways, and of course have to stop at my house from that speed.

I live in Oregon, so there are plenty of hills to climb/descend. Am I ok with the braking on the new Boyd 44mm carbon clinchers? Or should I stick with the alloy brake track on the Shimanos? 

Is there a noticable aero difference between the 44mm depth of the Boyds vs the 35mm depth of the Shimano?

Final question: quality/longevity-wise/smoothness/ride quality: Which is the better all-around wheelset?

Thanks in advance for all your help...


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## nhluhr (Sep 9, 2010)

The C35 clincher is a $2000 wheelset. If you can get them for $1400, it's a steal.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

there really isn't any 'ride quality' difference between ANY wheels. they just can't flex enough to allow a discernible difference in comfort when compared to how much a tire flexes. even an overinflated tire will flex more than any wheel in the vertical plane.


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## Fireform (Dec 15, 2005)

I'd go with the C35 if I were you. That's a great all around wheelset, very durable, and you'll have better braking in the wet.


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## coachboyd (Jan 13, 2008)

I will let the thread go with others giving their input but I do just want to alleviate any concern with the braking performance. My daily ride goes up and down Paris Mountain at least once every day. It's a 2.2 mile climb that averages over 7% and has a few sections of over 14%. I weigh within a few pounds of you and have even overly ridden the brakes on purpose for a longer time going down the descent to see how they respond and what the rim temperature gets up to. We spent about 14 months working on the high TG carbon to make sure they can handle hilly terrain. 

I'm not going to say it's impossible to damage them due to over excessive braking, but that is the same with any carbon wheel (even the ones who claim it's impossible). I have ridden my 44mm clinchers almost every day this year and regularly go into the long 5+ mile climbs and descents in the Carolinas.


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## Eric_H (Feb 5, 2004)

I wrote a first-impressions of the C35 clinchers in another thread. Note that they are NOT 23mm wide at the brake track, they are 20.8mm. The C50 clinchers are 23mm wide.

need advice on choosing a dura ace wheel or something along the lines.


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## lliden (May 8, 2013)

Thanks Eric, glad you clarified the width of the Shimano 9000 C35s. I've decided to buy the Boyd 44mm carbon clinchers, and will place my order this weekend! Just hope they can arrive before my next century on June 1.


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## zigmeister (Jan 26, 2012)

For the price, you can't go wrong with Boyd. Their customer service is top notch, and rest assure, they are going to show up straight and ready to ride, granted the shipping company guys don't jump up/down on them and run them over in the truck.

Not the lightest wheels the new Boyd, but they are likely bomb proof.

Shimano is a good wheel also, can't say anything bad about those, pro teams ride them and they are proven as well.

Just personal preference I suppose.


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## ukbloke (Sep 1, 2007)

coachboyd said:


> I weigh within a few pounds of you and have even overly ridden the brakes on purpose for a longer time going down the descent to see how they respond and what the rim temperature gets up to. We spent about 14 months working on the high TG carbon to make sure they can handle hilly terrain.


Now that's some personal commitment to your product! Have you considered testing them to destruction to see what the failure point actually is? I don't mean on Paris Mountain of course. You could use a rear wheel, and put the bike in a trainer with zero resistance. Then lock down the rear brake and get just the right amount of braking with the cable adjuster. You then ride for 10mins at 100W, measure the rim temperature, check for any delamination and allow to cool. Then increase by 100W and try again. Repeat until the wheel breaks, and post the video to YouTube!


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## coachboyd (Jan 13, 2008)

actually, we just did some testing in a lab. we ran 4 seconds on, 4 seconds off at 12kg of braking force, which is quite high. we let the test go on for 20 hours, and the temperature plateaued at 68 degrees celcius. we are still establishing the max temps, but it should be in the vicinity of 220 degrees celcius.
i am going to do an extreme braking test soon and descend white oak mountain (which is the big descent used in the Hincapie Gran Fondo, where 19 sets of carbon clinchers met their fate) with my brakes on the whole way limiting my speed. I am hoping to have time to test this in the next couple weeks.


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