I have an older set of American Classic hubs (no, they weren't subject to the recall) with Sapim CX-Ray spokes and Speedcific Niobium 30 aero rims. If that means nothing to you, trust me when I say that this makes for an utterly swanktastique wheelset. CX-Ray spokes are over $2 - EACH. (and that was a really good price) They're an ultra-lightweight spoke that's formed into an aerodynamic blade, and this process actually makes them tremendously strong... so strong that they've been used in downhill mountain bike wheels. That's the last place you'd expect to find ultra-lightweight spokes!The Speedcific Niobium 30 rims are a deeper aero section rim made with an aluminum alloy that uses Niobium to make it far stronger than normal aluminum, so it can be used to make surprisingly light rims. For most aero section rims, we'd be talking about over 500g each, but these were 457g and 443g!
Blah, blah, blah, words, words, numbers, words! Forgive me, I like this stuff... so I like to talk about it. The ultimate result is a light wheelset which will still be quite aerodynamic and strong.
The best part about it is that since I had the hubs, and bought the rest of the parts from Mike Garcia of Odds and Endos and now Speedcific fame... that means I have to build the wheels myself. Considering that's one of my favorite things, it makes the whole project even better!
Tonight, I got home at about 5:30pm, got to work on the wheels, and now it's after 9pm, the front wheel is done, and the rear is coming together. I really took my time building up this set, and hope it shows when they finally hit the road. Of course there are other things that I really should be doing with that time, but I enjoy this far too much to go and waste my time being responsible. :)
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