Erik
Don't get me wrong about Mavic. Just like a lot of wheel companies, Mavic makes good wheels, they're just overpriced, heavy, and use a lot of proprietary parts that can be difficult to find.
So, yeah, they're fantasitc . . . if you're loaded and you never ride your bike enough to need a rebuild.
What do I recommend as an alternative? Anything hand made in a bike shop. Any good mechanic half-awake can build you a better wheel for less money. My race wheels come in at 1300g and would retail for about $650. Better yet, if I total the rear wheel I can walk into any bike shop and have it rebuilt inside of a week for less than $100. With Mavic, American Classic, or anybody else the same issue will cost me at least double that (I was once quoted $230 + shipping for an AMclassic rear rebuild) and I'd be without my race wheels for up to 8 weeks. If, knowing that, you still think cookie cutter pre-fab wheels are the only way to go, be my guest.
Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:12:01 -0700
From: news4joel@gmail.com
To: elongride@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] At what point is enough enough?
CC: obra@list.obra.org
I've been pretty pleased with Mavic's product. What do you suggest as an alternative? On which merits? Always on the lookout for better product...
-Joel
2008/6/18 Erik :
Oooh, aahh . . . 11 cogs on the back end of a $9k Colnago. Obscenely wealthy & fat bike snobs everywhere rejoice at the prospect of yet another component installation to screw up.
10 is a nice, round number. I like 10. A 2x10 drivetrain can allow you to pedal at 90 rpm from 8mph all the way up to 40 on the same cassette. And our wheels are more or less interchangeable with 10spd. Whatever Campy has in mind, it isn't for our benefit.
This crap will still sell, though, because it's labeled "Campagnolo". The combination of consumer ignorance and good marketing makes a flawless money machine.
Then again, people eventually figured out that Spinergy wheels were complete crap, so maybe Campy is finally nearing the end of its absurd cult days.
Then again, people still buy Mavic product, too.
Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:34:26 -0700
From: anquetil@yahoo.com
To: hagenkt@mac.com; joec@aracnet.com
CC: obra@list.obra.org
Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] At what point is enough enough?
My favorite quote from the article explains it all:
"Cyclists are never truly happy whether they are professionals or amateurs."
--- On Wed, 6/18/08, Joe Cipale wrote:
From: Joe Cipale
Subject: [OBRA Chat] At what point is enough enough?
To: "Karsten Hagen"
Cc: obra@list.obra.org
Date: Wednesday, June 18, 2008, 8:04 AM
http://www.velonews.com/article/77895/tech-report-the-campagnolo-11-speed-super-record-group
It seems to me that at a certain point, the improvements are marginally
incremental.
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