Pearson Carbon Audax Pro: A comfy, modern & fast (ish) long-distance bike

What sort of speed do your Audax trips normally average Fox?

It'd be interesting (to me, at least) to attempt a value calculation, albeit one with a lot of assumptions.

i.e. what the cost is in watts to push a wheel through the air at your average speed, and some basic calculations of wheel cost versus power output etc.

^

Yep.

Due to horrible viral illness October-May ish then buying a flat after that there's not much data available I'm afraid ;)

But what I do have:
Shaftesbury Spring 150km 15.2mph
Man of Kent 200km 15.7mph
Green and Yellow Fields 300km 14.4mph

These were all fixed though and although I felt ok on the Man of Kent I basically felt like I was dying on the other two and probably shouldn't even have done them, with hindsight :/

On gears I'd probably be looking to average at 17mph minimum, last year before I got ill I was doing 70 miles+ at 17mph average fixed so maybe a bit more.

Presumably technology like the Ardennes 'Belgium' rims have, where they're wider and therefore give lower rolling resistance, better aerodynamics and a better ride are going to be advantageous to any kind of rider though?

This is what I'd like to do with the build really, incorporate beneficial technological advances that would benefit any rider, not just an audaxer.

I was chatting to one of the chaps behind The Tri Store in Eastbourne (great shop, lovely people) and his view was that until the gradient went over 6% weight was unimportant when compared to aerodynamics.

The Ardennes/A23 are meant to have decent benefits in terms of tyre profile, rolling resistance and so forth, but I'm not sure they perform significantly differently to (say) an Open Pro in terms of aerodynamic considerations.

Firecrest 303 clinchers might be the better choice- or those HED's.

Presumably technology like the Ardennes 'Belgium' rims have, where they're wider and therefore give lower rolling resistance, better aerodynamics and a better ride are going to be advantageous to any kind of rider though?

I'm sure HED would like to promote this thought, but yeah they should theoretically be better than 32h open pros. The deeper section helps them build up stiff with fewer spokes.

Taking all the crap out of your jersey pockets, putting it in a bar bag and wearing a skinsuit would probably make the most difference, if you're brave enough!

Steve HED started the wide-areo rim revolution, he’s been working on them since the late 80’s. They introduced the first wheels in 89 in the Jet style which incorporated bladed spokes, deep rims and aero toroidal shaps and were granted the patent for the toroidal and hybrid-toroidal rim design which allows the tyre to form the leading edge of the bulged or oval shaped profile. HED now shares this patent with ZIPP. I'd suggest HED has done the research to back up their claims ..

awesome thread. Im gonna keep my eye on this one.

Nice frame Pete!

Due to horrible viral illness October-May ish then buying a flat after that there's not much data available I'm afraid ;)

But what I do have:
Shaftesbury Spring 150km 15.2mph
Man of Kent 200km 15.7mph
Green and Yellow Fields 300km 14.4mph

These were all fixed though and although I felt ok on the Man of Kent I basically felt like I was dying on the other two and probably shouldn't even have done them, with hindsight :/

On gears I'd probably be looking to average at 17mph minimum, last year before I got ill I was doing 70 miles+ at 17mph average fixed so maybe a bit more.

Rethinks move from sportives to audax.............

HED claim better aerodynamics over a 'standard OEM' wheel.

Whether or not they're any better than a £16 Rigida CX rim (of very similar shape)... who knows.

I know I should really read all the posts before commenting (and I will), but have you looked at Soul for wheels?

The 4.0's are a are ~40mm, a bit wider and all use the same length spokes.

http://bikesoul.com/2009/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=15

Seem like a nice do-it-all.

HED claim better aerodynamics over a 'standard OEM' wheel.. who knows.

I may mis-understand your point, but I'll answer how I see it .. I suggest HED (and ZIPP's claim for the 101) is that although the rim is a shallow rim because of the design of the rim and the additional width when the correct width tyre is installation the virtual rim depth becomes greater .. the rim and tyre are an integrated aerodynamic design.

^ also from the blurb I've read they're more roundy(?) shape is meant to be better aerodynamically over even slightly deeper v-shapes.

TBH the HED C2's seem like the sensible choice. Wide, (supposedly) aero, often recommended, good even braking track (apparently) .

However, the real answer for this question is to discuss it with a experienced and reputable wheelbuilder who will take into account things like your weight/power/use/etc.

Then get the deep carbon ones.

The Ardennes on Chris King's are looking like a pretty tempting option at the moment....

I spent about 3 months choosing wheels whilst waiting for an insurance payout and these are the ones I went for because they are light, have the 23mm width and can be fixed with freely available spokes / rims / bearings. The last of these reasons might be important to you if you bust a spoke 200km out and the LBS doesn't have super short straight pull spokes in stock.

Yes, that's definitely a plus to them.

The problem I now seem to have is getting hold of the rims. You can buy the Ardennes with CK as a package from Evans and other places, but with silver spokes. I'd want black CX-rays. I can easily source the hubs and spokes, but nowhere seems to sell the 'Belgium C2' rims...

http://www.hedwheels.com/proddetail.asp?prod=HopeArd

??

I saw those, but hadn't realised the hubs are black by default (yay) and the spokes are also black. They'd be quite a bit cheaper than the CK option, but the claimed weight is 85g heavier, I would rather have lighter if possible.

I like Hope hubs (have the older ti ones on the Colnago) but don't know about these ones, I'll do some reading.

I've only heard and read positive things about Hope hubs. My friend Dan, who manages the workshop at a large independent retailer, reckons they are the best hubs you can get.

You can find the hed. rims on ebay and via US shops. I'd also guess that wheel builders would be able to get them.

Buying them direct from HED is nice and convenient, warranty and so forth held direct with them.

Yep. And I'd have matching hubs on my road bikes :)

And more importantly save at least £200 over the CK option...

£200 or 85g? I know my choice as I'm guessing the weight is in the hub and you're not building a weight weenie ..

AFAIK - the Hope road hubs are not available as a radial front hub. Just FYI and all that..

Hope hubs are very awesome though, and noisy as fuck (a definite plus in my book)