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A few months ago, I posted a thread (linked here) showing images of my then newly built (by LBS) wheelset consisting of H+Son Archetype rims laced to WI T11 hubs with Sapim CX-Ray spokes. After that the wheelset spent time waiting for spring to arrive so I could ride and race them.
Now that spring is (kind of) here and after a month of mostly racing (road, circuit) and some training rides on the wheelset, I thought I'd offer some impressions I have about them.
Let's get a DISCLAIMER out of the way first: I've been riding road for a year now and these are the nicest most expensive wheels I've owned so far. So I might be a little more than biased.
23mm comfort: I honestly don't feel it... if I inflate the tires just right, they ride great, if I over-inflate them, they are harsh and bouncy, just like my 20.1mm and 19mm wheelsets.
Cornering: This is by far the most obvious advantage of a wider rim, IMO. Cornering fast and extreme is one of my favourite things to do and I noticed the Archetypes being far better in this respect than anything else I have, almost immediately.
Aerodynamics: I do feel this wheelset to be smoothier, even "slippery" in comparison to others when cutting through a strong wind, but that might have more to do with the CX-Rays than the rims? I'm not experienced or knowledgable enough to tell which of those is the case or whether it's just a placebo...
Sound: Nothing to do with performance or durability, but these wheels sound amazing. The rims have a steady and pleasing hum while the CX-Rays make a nice wind cutting sound that other spokes don't.
Other things I noticed: This wheelset handles potholes very well, in fact it seems to just glide over them rather than fall in and out, it's hard to explain.
I'm attaching some images of the wheels, showing brake track fading, tire profile with 23mm Vredesteins one with the wheelset on my Argon 18:
View attachment 279256 View attachment 279257 View attachment 279258 View attachment 279259 View attachment 279260 View attachment 279261
Now that spring is (kind of) here and after a month of mostly racing (road, circuit) and some training rides on the wheelset, I thought I'd offer some impressions I have about them.
Let's get a DISCLAIMER out of the way first: I've been riding road for a year now and these are the nicest most expensive wheels I've owned so far. So I might be a little more than biased.
23mm comfort: I honestly don't feel it... if I inflate the tires just right, they ride great, if I over-inflate them, they are harsh and bouncy, just like my 20.1mm and 19mm wheelsets.
Cornering: This is by far the most obvious advantage of a wider rim, IMO. Cornering fast and extreme is one of my favourite things to do and I noticed the Archetypes being far better in this respect than anything else I have, almost immediately.
Aerodynamics: I do feel this wheelset to be smoothier, even "slippery" in comparison to others when cutting through a strong wind, but that might have more to do with the CX-Rays than the rims? I'm not experienced or knowledgable enough to tell which of those is the case or whether it's just a placebo...
Sound: Nothing to do with performance or durability, but these wheels sound amazing. The rims have a steady and pleasing hum while the CX-Rays make a nice wind cutting sound that other spokes don't.
Other things I noticed: This wheelset handles potholes very well, in fact it seems to just glide over them rather than fall in and out, it's hard to explain.
I'm attaching some images of the wheels, showing brake track fading, tire profile with 23mm Vredesteins one with the wheelset on my Argon 18:
View attachment 279256 View attachment 279257 View attachment 279258 View attachment 279259 View attachment 279260 View attachment 279261