American Classic Carbon 58

Price Paid:  $1100.00 at LBS

Favorite Ride:
Specialized Rubaix Pro Carbon

Summary:
Great Wheels. Light, strong and reasonably priced.

Strengths:
Low Weight

Weaknesses:
None

Price Paid:  $569.00 at the series of tubes

Favorite Ride:
Mt. Lemmon, Shootout

Bike Setup:
Cervelo Soloist Carbon, DA.

Summary:
Excellent wheel -- light, aero, less expensive than Zipps, what more could you want! On my first ride, I felt like they were pulling me forward. Crazy. And unlike Zipps, they come with skewers. Plus, you get that famous AC reliability.

Strengths:
Light, aero, price.

Weaknesses:
none

Similar Products Used:
Ksyrium ES, SSC.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Bike Setup:
54cm 2008 Orbea Opal with full Dura Ace 10 speed

Summary:
Awesome wheelset. Light, aero, smooth bearings in the hubs, sapim spokes. I use them for road races, criteriums, and time trials. They are the best all-around racing wheelset, IMO.

If you are like me and can't afford/justify buying a different wheelset for every type of racing condition (hills, flats, TTs, crits, what-have-you), then I think a set of 50mm carbon tubulars is the way to go.

The wheels feel solid and stable in high-speed corners (crits), and the acceleration is fantastic due to the light weight.

I've read reviews saying they are not as good as Zipp 404, which is humorous when you consider that these wheels ARE Zipp 404 rims with American Classic hubs (which are superior to Zipp hubs, IMO).

Strengths:
Fast Acceleration, Light Weight, Aero, high quality. I give them a 5 for value rating b/c I was able to purchase these from a LBS that was going out of business. I got them for a great price (about $1100).

Weaknesses:
None so far. I have used the wheels in 2-3 time trials and a handful of category Pro-1-2 criteriums over the past year, and have not experienced any problems whatsoever. Have not had to tighten a single spoke.

Similar Products Used:
None. I am sure Dura Ace 50mm carbon tubies and Zipp 404 are awesome wheels, too. I ended up w/American Classic b/c I got a great deal from my LBS. Besides, these American Classic 58s are built using Zipp 404 rims, anyway. They just have American Classic hubs (which are lighter and have less play) and logos.

Price Paid:  $800.00 at ebay

Favorite Ride:
The fast ones

Bike Setup:
Fuji team issue
Dura-ace

Summary:
Great wheel set so far. These are my first set of tubulars and I love em. I have used them for almost 300 miles with no real problems. I will try to give a 500 and 1000 mile update to validate quality over the long term. The only issue I have had is a noise that sounds like brake rub while riding. I took the wheels to the LBS and they called the manufacturer for advice. They said it was caused by the valve stem rubbing slightly against the hole in the wheel and being reverberated by the deep carbon wheel. LBS applied a piece of clear tape to the valve stem and the noise is all but gone. I was worried, but was assured that the wheels had no cracks or defects.

Strengths:
I cant tell you about the coefficient of drag or aerodynamic advantage, but these wheels smooth the road, are light (1355g)in the climb, and make me think I go faster. Also, higher psi can be run with the tubulars reducing rolling resistance while still giving a compliant ride.

Weaknesses:
Winds are more of a factor with the carbon 58s. Crosswinds tend to give a little tug on your front wheel and blow you around more. As long as you are aware of the winds it shouldn't surprise you. Braking power is diminished and more time is needed to stop.

Similar Products Used:
First carbon wheels, and first tubulars.