Bike Nirvana
Yet another cycling blog
Carbon Nation Cycling clincher wheelset, 50mm
October 8, 2016
I have been comminucating with Carbon Nation Cycling (CNC) on the possible purchase of their carbon wheelsets. The quote they gave me was very reasonable at P28,000 for a low-profile 1.32 kg wheel with Powerway R13 hubs and aero spokes.
However, queueing time has reached at least a month.
Rewind.
The original intention was to acquire a Campagnolo Shamal Mille wheelset and with a price of 68K (Cristy's) and 65K (YKK Bikes), I felt it was too much to swallow. I tried to look for a Campagnolo Zonda wheelset, but I quickly learned the search was futile. The distributor, YKK Bikes doesn't have them. Cristy's in Cartimar also doesn't have them, and the single OLX listing I found wasn't a success.
The second option was Fulcrum's Racing 3 which was selling at a discount at Life Cycle Bike Shop, but the freewheel hub only takes a 10-speed cassette.
This is when I seriously considered the CNC carbon wheels.
With a stroke of luck, I got an offer for a CNC 50mm high profile clincher wheelset and I didn't think twice, I got it today.
Initial thoughts
Since this is a high profile wheel, I was expecting it to be heavier than the original low profile offering by CNC, so I lowered my expectations when I started weighing them.
| Weight compared in grams, front/rear/total | |||
| Carbon Nation Cycling, 50mm clincher 1 | 795 | 999 | 1,794 |
| Campagnolo Shamal Mille 2 | 638 | 821 | 1,459 |
| Campagnolo Zonda 2 | 678 | 862 | 1,540 |
| Campagnolo Neutron Ultra 2 | 630 | 840 | 1,470 |
| Fulcrum Racing 3 2 | 670 | 885 | 1,555 |
| Shimano WH-R501 1 | 822 | 1,078 | 1,900 |
| Shimano WH-6800 1 | 705 | 940 | 1,645 |
| Zipp 404 Firecrest 2 | 755 | 935 | 1690 |
Notes: 1 actual weight, 2 manufacturer's claimed weight
I gained a few grams in weight reduction with the CNC wheels despite them being high profile.
Prior to the purchase, I have doubts about the performance of the Novatec hubs used on the CNC wheels, so I did a quick test by spinning them and for the second time, I was pleasantly surprised that they outperformed the Shimano WH-R501, which to me was pretty good already.
Fitting the cassette
The CNC rear wheel came with a spacer as it used to be fitted with a 10-speed Ultegra cassette. Installing the CS-6800 cassette simply means removing the spacer.
On the road
Honestly, I can't tell the performance difference between this and the R501, as I am a slow rider to begin with.
But it does feel good and aesthetically, is a pretty darn good match with my Eddy Merckx Blockhaus 67.
When I was out for a ride along my usual route on the Giant Toughroad, I experienced a really heavy crosswind hitting the bike and I felt it on the front wheel. With the 50mm profile of the CNC wheel, I was expecting an even worse effect from crosswinds but surprisingly I have not had any just yet on three days of morning rides in the same route.
I've fitted the Mavic SwissStop Yellow pads in my calipers and they have more bite compared to the previous setup. The feeling is very good and modulating the brakes exhibits better granularity. However, the material from the pads stick to the side of the carbon rims.
