Which set of wheels shall I keep for the track?

I've got three pairs of track wheels and am trying to work out which one to keep and which two to sell. I'm 6'4" and weigh 12 stone.

The first is Campy Record laced 32 or 36 to Campy Atlanta 96 tubular rims. Nice hubs and deep and shiny rims, but I'm worried that the rims might be too heavy for racing.

The second set is DA track hubs (first generation - look like Campy record with cut outs) laced 32 3x to tubular Mavic Gel 280 rims. Nice hubs and beautiful ultra light rims, but I'm worried that they might be too flimsy for me.

The third set is DA 7600 laced 28 3x to a Weinmann rear and a Velocity Aerohead front. Great hubs and nice light rims, but I'm worried that 28h isn't enough for someone of my build. I recently trashed the front rim and so am a bit paranoid (I have a big scar, a lump of stainless steel and lots of little bolts in my collarbone).

I need advice from the trackies!

PS I know that this is a nice decision to have to make!

First I'd see how much you get to the track this year, you lazy git :)

As to weight. I raced most of last year with Deep Vs (prob heavier than the Atlantas) and I was too out of shape really too notice rim weight :) So I would take the Campy/Atlantas down to Herne Hill and try them out. On the track weight is not so much of an issue as you'd think, aside from pursuit racing.

But my solution would be to sell the Campy Record/Atlanta wheels on Ebay to generate mad cash. Sure they're very shiny and pretty but they would give you plenty of money to sort out the other two wheelsets.

I'd then relace the DA 7600s to a really nice set of new tubular rims (sod those Weinmann rims) and keep the other DAs as spares (which if you're not using you can always sell at a later date). The nice thing here is both take the same lockrings and cogs.

I'd also add that I doubt you could do much damage to the Mavic Gel rims. Used to have a pair for racing and they were great.

It’s a nice dilemma to have

Thanks for the good advice Pip - this bit is only too true:

fixedpip:First I'd see how much you get to the track this year, you lazy git :)

My dilemma is that I have way too many wheels - my flat is starting to look like a bike shop! As well as these three sets, I've got the street wheelset (Goldtec etc) and a new set of formulas on OPs for another street wheelset. Then there's the girl's two bikes with their wheelsets. And another four wheels that came with one of them. And I have another spare front.

So that's four complete bikes, one frameset and about 20 wheels!

I might keep the Campy wheels cos I would never buy a set like that. They've already been used with a DA cog so I just need to get a lockring. Sell the old DA wheels (I know someone who wants to start track racing) so that they get used instead of sitting in my flat. Relace the DA wheels and sell them on the Bay.

Ok so I was wrong about the Mavic Gels being any good. Probably seemed ok cause I'm a skinny git and the wheels were built really well.

So I'll revise my originall advice - sell the DA/Mavic Gels and use that money to finance relacing the DA 7600s to something practical.

agree 100% with fixedpip - sell the campys as you'll get some daft trust funder paying big ££££ for 'em. And race the 7600's relaced to something nice. I've had good experiences of Ambrosio Thesis, but maybe hard to get now. Reflexes are surprisingly nice and a good compromise between weight and durability (375grams). Or if you want to go more bling see if PlanetX will sell you a pair of 28h 50mm carbon rims to lace em to. I can vouch for these rims - light, stiff and really nicely made. You could pay for em from the dosh you get from selling the campy's.

mickster

Already asked Planet x about their rims - £150 a pop. That'd give me an amazingly sweet wheelset, but, as Pip says, I haven't really started riding the track properly (just got some great wheels lined up!) and I'm not good at getting out of bed on Saturday mornings!

Think I'll sell the DA and the Campy wheelsets and keep the D7600s laced to Aeroheads for the moment (cos I've got them already). See how the track treats me and laugh like an evil scientist over the amount of money I got for the Campy wheels!

What are your opinions on tubs vs clinchers for herne hill?

My opinion is that tubies are nice to have at Herne hill but not essential.

During training and all the go-race stuff no-one in the beginner group was using tubies and most folks ie Speedy Yasu and wee Scott, were racing on the tires they'd ridden down to Herne Hill.

I did at one point bring a nice set of Ultraspeeds with me for racing but it was such a pain to swap tires twice in an evening so I ended up doing the same. Road most of last season on some Vittoria Rubino Pros which did a great job (pretty cheap and never punctured riding back to Hackney)

Pretty much any tire with a decent TPI >= 120 TPI (Continental GP Supersonic, GP4, Vittoria Open Corsas etc) will do fine on the rough and ready surface of Herne Hill. Its one of those tracks where no-one seems to care about what type of tire you have.

Tubies would are a little bit faster, have a nicer feel and its often claimed they're safer if you flat out on the track (though never had a problem - touch wood - with flatting in a race).

But the nice thing about clinchers, if you have to ride to HH, is that you can fix 'em if you flat. With tubies you're pretty much hosed unless some lends you a wheel or you bring a spare.

So if you're comfortable with tubs and don't mind either: riding on the street with them or bring a spare wheel, then go for it. But until you get 'up to race speed' they're not going to buy you anything IMHO.

Has anyone tried the Tufo Tubular Clinchers?
http://www.tufonorthamerica.com/tires/lite.php?seriesid=5

Nah, but I've used their track tubs (S3 Pro and S3 lite). They go on straight and are well made, but they really do have loads more rolling resistance than evry other brand I've used. Probbaly not a big deal for road, but could well be for track. And on rollers, they feel like you're running a gear 2 cogs smaller on the rear they're that bad. Suspect this is to do with the one-piece construction so would likely be true of the Tub-clinchers too. I reckon you need to traditionally-made tubs if you're looking for that tub feel on the road.

mickster
badbean.com

Tubs, quite an expensive jump when you're already running clinchers. I want to find out what difference it makes without having to outlay for new wheels or go through the glueing stage.

I might just ask Cycle Fit to loan me some tubbies to ride on my geared bike for a while, I'm sure they can be talked into it.

I ran my tub wheels for a little while as spares - they do feel much smoother than clinchers (this may also have been the ulta light rims) and you can run higher pressures with equal comfort. Plus mine have a herringbone tread so they go "zzzzzip" when I skip or skid.

my race wheels at HH are 28 hole gel 280s on record....I'm 12.5 stone and have absolutely no probs with them (they are tightly built)
heavier deep section rims may affect your acceleration slightly but unless you are a serious sprinter or think you're gonna be winning a lot of "A" league points races, I wouldn't worry about it, they probably roll real nice and have a bit of momentum...
Tubs are faster and smoother and worth keeping....it's true they're not entirely "necessary" but as the risk of puncture is nearly negligible on the track why not?
If you're thinking of racing a lot, keep a second set....can be annoying after paying your entry fee only to break a spoke or get a blowout only to not be able to finish the meeting, also makes riding different gears for different events a lot easier!