Author Topic: New wheels for the Paragon?  (Read 1194 times)

Svend

  • 4-6 Year Member
  • 1000 Posts
  • ****
  • Posts: 1107
Re: New wheels for the Paragon?
« on: October 24, 2012, 09:05:47 pm »
Good article -- thanks Epic. 

My take-away from it is:

-- 28 spoke count is not necessarily a bad thing, if the Crossmax are only 20/24; it's the quality of the spokes that matters, and the stiffness of the rims

-- spoke tension matters....this is interesting, as I have not touched the wheels in three years since I bought the bike, other than to true the occasional wobble, so I should probably head to the shop and have them check this on my Bontragers....perha ps they have loosened over the years and are just making the flexing worse.

I will admit that the Bontrager wheels are comfortable to ride, esp. with high volume tires.  Being a hard tail, having more cush in the tail is a plus.  But I would be willing to give up some comfort for more snappy performance (if that's possible).

Weight is not really an issue -- my preference has always been strength and reliability over low weight.  I like the feeling of being able to let the bike take some hard hits and know that nothing will break or bend.  For that peace of mind, I will happily carry some extra grams.

I'm not clear as to what difference rim width makes to flex, other than thinking that wider = stiffer/stronger(?).  And wider = more stable tire seat = better control.  FWIW, the rim width on my Bontragers is 28mm (must be the outside dimension), but they look pretty wide compared to others.

I also dug up some specs on the Bontrager's spokes -- they are DT 14/15 gauge, but I have no idea what that means -- are they thick or thin?

« Last Edit: October 24, 2012, 09:09:37 pm by Svend »