January builds and road carbon rims review

The good news is that recently I'm really busy with various builds. Comparing to last year when my wheel-building season started in March, this time it started already in January. The bad news is that I have less and less time for this blog. I'll do my best to keep you guys updated at least one a month so you get the insights of nicest on-going builds.

January was a month of carbon builds. I did several ones using 35mm and 40mm carbon clinchers with graphene&textured braking surface. These are getting super popular, rightly so, as they perform very well in all weather conditions. At the same time the finish is really good, which is visible especially on 3k finish structure.

The most popular builds so far were with Bitex hubs. They are light, pretty well made with decent bearings. For riders in the weight range of 60-75kg the RAF12/RAR9 combination is recommended. For heavier people, RAF12/RAR12 will do the job.

35mm rims with RAF12/RAR9 will weight around 1420g. There is also extra-light option of those rims which I used this month. These in 35mm configuration with Bitex RAF12/RAR9 came up with 1318g on scale. Despite the light-weight they are very stiff as I used Pillar Wing21 which are similar to Sapim CX-Sprint.

It was nice to see some campagnolo builds. Personally I'm a big fan of campanolo gear so making wheels for this groupset was a pleasure.

As always, included in the price are two layers of tubeless tape, spare spokes with nipples and braking pads for each wheelset. Decals and graphics in chosen color are included as well, unless there is a special demand for very complex pattern. Such ones are in the pipeline now so stay tuned!

Using the opportunity I'd like to summarize the choice of the road carbon rims I'm offering:

1. Super premium, branded rims - Schmolke Carbon. Version SL and Version TL. 

The lightest and most advanced rims in my offer. Made in Germany, one of the best rims in the world. They come only in symmetric version and very limited profiles: 30 and 45mm. Clincher or tubular option.

2. Premium, branded rims - Duke Baccara.

Very nicely made, good looking, with semi-raw carbon on braking track to improve braking in wet. Available in symmetric and asymmetric versions with many profile options. Limited finish version to only one: 3k semi-glossy.

Example of such build here

3. OEM version of graphene with textured brake surface rims. 

I'm very certain that 2019 and beyond will be a year of textured rims. Enve, Zipp, Mavic, Tuffcycling, Campagnolo and many, many others are moving to that direction. The rims I'm offering are directly from the manufacturer. Quality wise, very good. Tested by myself.

Available in UD, 3K matt and glossy finish. Symmetric and asymmetric options. In addition there is a special extra-light version where 35mm rim weight around 380g.

If you're looking for road carbon all rounders performing well in all conditions, those should be on your list to consider.

Example of such build here

4. Gigantex rims.

Gigantex is the oldest (and first) manufacturer in the world producing carbon rims. They have unique technology, much different from China which allows to produce one of the best rims in the world. They supply and produce rims for the biggest players in the market (I won't list them here but if you're curious then use google). If you are advanced cyclist who don't brake too often and weaker braking capabilities in the rain is not a problem then those are worth to consider.

All above options are available for disc and non-disc systems. Clincher with tubeless compatibility or tubular. Four manufacturers allows me to cover 99% of the build needs and projects for road and CX/Gravel.

If you have further questions, don't hesitate to contact me.

Thanks for reading

Tomasz

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