Road Wheels & Road Wheel Recommendations?

@Hoke - How much (of the (I assume) £1000 R2W scheme budget) has your friend got left to play with?

are they... wide?

22 mm external and 17,5 mm internal

£600 max for wheels, as he is using the rest for the new 105 11 speed and smaller parts

I've read conflicting information regarding the width of RS81 C24 rims. Can anyone confirm if its 22.4mm, or something otherwise?

Interwebz says 20,5 mm external & 14,9 mm internal to me.

Gash, saw a few places that said 22.4. There's that idea out the window then

Shimano tech doc concur with @Mheldring's finding.

So, just picked up the 3T Accelero Pro rims - a day later than expected so now I'm working and can't test ride. But the finish is excellent, cannot even see where the rims are joined. Spokes seem to be evenly tensioned and they spin, and spin, and spin. The freewheel feels like it'll have good engagement and it's clicky, but not hope noisy. They also don't feel weighty to pick up, I'll weigh them when home.

And they are fat, properly so. The profile is very u shaped, no angled brake surface so not a true toroidal shape, but very close.

Overall, initial impression is very good and for £199 - not much can go wrong really!

do y'think the decals will come off, or are they under a finish?

The decals are peeling off as I look at them. They are very lightly stuck on.

I'll weigh them when home.

Yes please.

So am I correct in saying that if I want a 23mm lightweight rim, that isn't the poor quality control A23, that the pacenti SL23 the right way to go? Is there a better option out there that isnt crabon? I seem to recall archetypes were 450g once upon a time, but they all appear to be 470g now.

Pacenti are a right arsehole to get tyres on/off of, thanks to their tubeless ready-ness.
Ardennes would be my choice.

tubs.

Been there done that, can't be arsed anymore.

Fair enough.

If you want clinchers there are the stans 340s. They weigh nothing but you'll want extra spokes.

Only 20mm wide?

^ from fairwheelbikes

Bead socket technology (or something) means sub 400g.

Apologies, when I say 23mm, I am referring to width, so I get the nice fat tyre profile.

The deeper RS81 rims are wider

These are 'wide'. Most 23mm wide rims are 17.5mm internal width.

They're about the same internally and not light.

340s are only for whippets, stans had compaints and made the 400s, only a bit heavier but a lot stiffer, I've got them, easy to get tire on and off gives the wide profile due to same internal width and obviously tubeless ready should you ever get bored of clinchers