# Bicycle Wheel Warehouse - Blackset Race wheels - my impressions.



## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Today was my first spin on my new BWW Blackset Race wheels. They've been sitting here all winter, just waiting for the right day and today was that day. I've been riding a nice set of training wheels, also from BWW, for over a year - a set of Open Pro/Dura Ace laced 32 h with Comp spokes. They're fine worry-free wheels for all my general riding but I needed something lighter for my special rides - my world championships, as I don't race anymore. As I lost 35 lbs of body weight last year I deserved a set of light wheels to do my riding justice.

So today I slipped the wheels into my Argon18 Platinum and off we went into the stiff breeze for a quick hour's ride. A longer test will have to wait but any gain from these wheels would show up immediately on a route I know very well.

The Blackset Race are a true bargain in lighter wheels. They weigh lots less than some well known wheelsets that benefit from huge advertising budgets to boost their sales. The BWW boys are very low key on these wheels in their promotion and their decaling. My wheels, spoked with the optional CX-Ray aero spokes, weigh in at 1410 grams which is a savings of 352 grams or 12.4 ounces over my Open Pro/Dura Ace wheels. You'll spend lots of extra money to get below that magical 1400 grams for a set of clincher rimmed wheels. The BWW boys claim the rims alone weigh 383 grams each and I don't doubt them as their claimed wheelset weights are dead accurate.

The sensible 24 spoke front and 28 spoke rear wheels are laced x3 at the rear and spoked radial at the front and aluminum nipples connect spoke to rim. The hubs roll on sealed bearings and the three double sets of pawls are noticeably louder than my DA hubs, but then not many hubs are as quiet as those.

I could feel the difference as I carried the bike up the basement stairs. Twelve ounces has to be noticed whether carrying or riding the bike. Off we went up the street and around the corner. It's on the slight rise here that I can tell whether I'm on a good day (well rested) or the bike is performing differently. The difference in the feel of the wheels was immediate - the bike felt so much more "nippy" as I accelerated around the corner and up the hill. But I was going zero mph!! Dohh I'd forgotten to swap the computer magnet over. A quick trip back home fixed that. Off we went again; up the street at 20mph this time. There were no pings and pops from the wheels showing that the BWW boys had done their stress relief.

I did a one hour, 17+ mile circuit in the howling wind and the bike was much more lively than normal, so much so that it felt like a different bike. I'd better not tell Momma T that as I'm always hinting at new bikes. The out-of-saddle accelerations were probably where I noticed the wheels' benefits the most but that's no surprise as less rotating mass should spin up faster. The extra nippiness showed up in everything I did on this ride - out of the saddle sprints up low hills and the handling battling the strong crosswind at 21mph. It was all very different and without the ponderous feeling of the relatively heavier OP/DA wheels. I have a bit of a re-learning curve here.

The BWW wheels were everything I'd hoped for - a big weight loss and performance gain for nothing close to the 4 digit cost of some heavier wheels. Now I look forward to a 40 mile ride on a windless day. I'd post a pic but my camera seems to be on the fritz. All my pics of the bike turned out with a red tinge  Maybe it's just the rosy glow from the new wheels?


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## Kuma601 (Jan 22, 2004)

Nice review...thanks!
On my return ride today, I heard a scraping sound coming from the rear hub while freewheeling. I'll pull it part to inspect....depending what is found... the BWW will be on the short list.


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## Svooterz (Jul 29, 2006)

I've bought a set of the Blackset Race wheels at the end of the summer, and I logged approximately 800 km (a bit more than 500 miles) on them before the winter came. Yes, they are very responsive, but what struck me the most is their lateral rigidity. OK, I'm a 145 pound dude, but these are rock solid wheels. They inspire confidence in turns and even though I like to have very minimal clearance betwen my brake pads and rims, I never heard the rims hit the brakes on my best sprints or hardest climbs...

I really like these wheels and I think you'll enjoy the longer distance runs on these 

Oh and last thing : they can really take a pounding. I've hit rough stuff with my wheels and they're still dead straight!


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Svooterz said:


> Oh and last thing : they can really take a pounding. I've hit rough stuff with my wheels and they're still dead straight!


I took the same route in & out of town that I take on my OP/DA and OP/Ulteg wheels (both sets see duty on my CX bike too) which is through alleys, a long rough sidewalk, 4 sets of railroad tracks and a sharp steel-edged bridge expansion joint. The BWW Race had better be able to take this. When I got home from their maiden voyage they were still between the pads


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Ok I borrowed my daughter's camera (mine's futzed) for pics of my BWW Race wheels with CX-Ray. I've got five one hour rides on them now (it's cold up here ~ 3c at the moment) with 20 sets of railroad tracks (4 per ride) taken at full gas. They still feel fast & nippy and are still as true (0.127mm) as the day they arrived.

Edit - I've never used such light and low spoke wheels before - or even a radial spoked wheel. I was skeptical about how flexy they would be as I'm used to 32/32 spoke wheels and in my road racing days (way back in the '60s, '70s and '80s) I used 36 spoke wheels (tubulars of course) for mostly criterium races. So these wheels, for me anyway, are a complete leap of faith. As "everyone" is going to lower spoke wheels (some of which seem faddish & stupid to me) I thought I'd give lower spoke numbers a try to see if I could flex the snot out of them as I'm a power climber of short sprinty hills.

But try as I may in the 5 rides I've done on them there is ZERO flex that I can detect. Powering the bike uphill, out of the saddle and rocking side to side doesn't flex them. I'm 170lbs. They feel incredible. The Vittoria Open Corsa CX's don't harm any either. Nice tires.


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## steve_e_f (Sep 8, 2003)

great review. those wheels sound and look very nice... with the exception of the "Bicycle Wheel" sticker. Seriously? I had no idea it was a bicycle wheel.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

steve_e_f said:


> great review. those wheels sound and look very nice... with the exception of the "Bicycle Wheel" sticker. Seriously? I had no idea it was a bicycle wheel.


Lemme take a close-up pic fer ya so you can read the last word on the sticker - Warehouse.


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## steve_e_f (Sep 8, 2003)

ha! oh I get it now. that makes a lot more sense.


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## Kuma601 (Jan 22, 2004)

If you peel them off, let us know how easily-hard it is. A few stickers from the "N" company were a PITA even with hair dryer... The adhesive remained tacky letting the surface lamination come off instead. Not all did that but those few made it a task.


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