Author Topic: New wheels for the Paragon?  (Read 1217 times)

jim-ratliff

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Re: New wheels for the Paragon?
« Reply #15 on: October 25, 2012, 12:31:41 pm »
That's good insight.  LP's comment seems to agree, if he got a beefier wheel for his bike.  And I assume that this carries over to mountain bike wheels as well, if not more so in certain ways.  Just curious:  you and Lynn upgraded your mtn. bike wheels to Crossmax....did you notice anything different in their performance?  I know, they're 26 inch, so totally different flex characteristics than 29ers, but was wondering if there was a marked change in how the bike handled or accelerated?

     The main thing I've seen in road bikes was better rolling from better hubs and bearings, and I "feel" like that was true of the Cross Ride as well, but that effect is less apparent when riding easy trails compared to road bikes on blacktop.
Even on easy trails, the mountain bike is noticeably more effort, but only 60% as fast.
     We went from CrossRide to CrossTrail, so not that big a change.
We were also migrating to tubeless with new wheels and some new tires and changing tire pressures, or same tires without tubes and less pressure, so hard to have a "single variable" comparison.
     I think we are 2 mph faster than we were, and I know that Midwif has several times said "Damn, Bushwacka was right about tubeless" rolling easier. But not all of our feeling of easier rolling can be attributed to just one change.

     Not part of your thread, but the Continental X-Kings are a really easy rolling tire for as versatile as they seem to be.  I'm really sold on them.
     We have one ride where we exit the Mortimer Schiff trail from a Boy Scout camp onto a black top road with a half-mile grade back down to the car. Before the wheel/tire/tubeless change my speed was 27-28 down that hill, no pedaling. Same conditions I now coast down at 33-34 mph (54 kph).  :o
« Last Edit: October 25, 2012, 12:43:47 pm by jim-ratliff »
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