5 spoke road rims??

fastfed · Feb 7, 2011

I remember a few years ago, or maybe longer, I saw many high-end bikes that had these rims..

Today I see less and less of them.. Whats the story behind this? Are they still admired? Do you roadies really want these type of rims??

Thanks

SlurpeeKing · Feb 7, 2011

Aerospokes, and theyre Popular with the fixie crowd .

Ventruck · Feb 7, 2011

There is the hawt Mavic iO, which is only offered as a front track wheel (paired with a rear Comete disc). Sometimes it's found as a prototype for TT bikes. Instance I best remember was Pellizotti using one on the rear for a hilly TT at the Giro. Nice idea as it should weigh considerably less than the Comete after a rear hub conversion.

*Crap, sorry for the huge pic.

rx-79g · Feb 7, 2011

If I'm recalling correctly, the various 3 to 6 spoke wheels of this variety are relatively hefty. The tension spoke, tall rim aero wheels popular now are about as aero and much lighter.

But that could certainly change or have changed. Everything carbon is getting lighter, and new construction methods are being tried.

cxwrench · Feb 7, 2011

they're not the lightest things out there, but on the track pretty much everyone...and i mean everyone...uses the mavic comete disc and the io front wheel. our national team, the aussies, kiwis, brits, french(obviously), italians. they're all on mavic wheels. the aussies use the BT frames almost exclusively, and many other countries use the LOOK track frames. it's funny when you're at a world cup and there are maybe 200 athletes total, and 90% of them are on the same stuff. talk about an equal playing field!

bigbill · Feb 7, 2011

Like the others, Mavic iO for the track. The old aerospokes weren't that aero and were heavy, even by early 90's standards. These days they're for TT and Tri use only. You could probably get away with using them in mass start races as long as it wasn't a district championship or nationals.

looigi · Feb 7, 2011

HED, of course, makes a line of three spoke carbon aero wheels...

http://www.hedcycling.com/h3/default.asp?content=H3_Tubular

watchman4 · Sep 29, 2011

had to resurrect this thread. i have zero interest in the weight or functionality of these wheels but they look dope. searching the interwebz they seem to be pretty tough to come by...anyone have any tips on where to find a reasonably priced set of these?

Ventruck · Sep 29, 2011

watchman4 said:
had to resurrect this thread. i have zero interest in the weight or functionality of these wheels but they look dope. searching the interwebz they seem to be pretty tough to come by...anyone have any tips on where to find a reasonably priced set of these?

Sometimes on CL I see the older HED3's moving around for $300-$500. The Specialized variants are usually ones on the lower end of that range. Spinergy Rev-X's can be had for cheap, without knowing exactly what condition it's in.

kbwh · Sep 29, 2011

Ventruck said:
Spinergy Rev-X

Michele Bartoli's favourite.
Had a fellow turning up on a club ride with a pair. Told him why I hate those, and asked him not to use them in bunches any more. He didn't.

Hughsdad · Sep 29, 2011

kbwh said:
Michele Bartoli's favourite.
Had a fellow turning up on a club ride with a pair. Told him why I hate those, and asked him not to use them in bunches any more. He didn't.

Just curious: why?

tihsepa · Sep 29, 2011

kbwh said:
Michele Bartoli's favourite.
Had a fellow turning up on a club ride with a pair. Told him why I hate those, and asked him not to use them in bunches any more. He didn't.

And you are?

32and3cross · Sep 29, 2011

He's prolly someone that knows that rev-x have a history of A) exploding B) the ability to slice off body parts.

I have never asked someone to stop riding a piece of equipment but I tend to stay away from folks with rev-x and the mavic carbon spoked wheels.

kbwh · Sep 29, 2011

Pretty much spot on there, 32.

spookyload · Sep 29, 2011

32and3cross said:
He's prolly someone that knows that rev-x have a history of A) exploding B) the ability to slice off body parts.

I have never asked someone to stop riding a piece of equipment but I tend to stay away from folks with rev-x and the mavic carbon spoked wheels.

Rev-x had a long history. The second gen wheels they produced were damn fine wheels. The exploding Rev-x was hyped almost as much as the exploding Ford Pinto. And losing body parts? Stay away from the Kool-Aide. There were a small minority of people who started urban legend. I am sure there are plenty of wheels that have failed with catastrophic results. This was a product that was unique and helped propogate a legend because it was visually easy to recognize.

Salsa_Lover · Sep 29, 2011

I have the Corima 4 Spoke, full carbon, clincher version

It is quite heavy 930 gr.

MR_GRUMPY · Sep 30, 2011

Aerospoke wheels are "Fredtastic"

I picked up a Specialized Tri-spoke for $100 because it was a rear freewheel type. Little did the seller know, that I could convert it to a front for $10.

I also have an old pair of Rev-X wheels that I use on Retro rides on my old Bianchi. (I check them for cracks before every ride).............(Again, I got the set for $100 because the seller was skeered)
I love the clacking sound they make when you hit a bump or small hole. It scares the crap out of riders near me.
.
.
.

5 spoke road rims??

fastfed

SlurpeeKing

Ventruck

rx-79g

cxwrench

bigbill

looigi

watchman4

Ventruck

kbwh

Hughsdad

tihsepa

32and3cross

kbwh

spookyload

Salsa_Lover

MR_GRUMPY

Top Contributors this Month

Recommended Communities