"Terry Collins" wrote in message
...
Zoom wrote:

Is it really an improvement or just a gimmick?

Having watched the prog, it is just another gimmick to me.

Con: expensive = restricted market. "I can buy a bicycle for that"

Well, yeah, it was aimed at the high end market. I certainly understood that
from the show.

Con: aluminium = buckles easily

Yes, but I'd still rather have an aluminium rim. If you're not running discs
(another fad - to some), aluminium rims stop better in the rain.

Con: weight. It looks as if it would be great for low spoke wheels for
racing, but he showed an mtb rim which is more metal. It makes more
sense to me to aim at the racing wheel market.

You're worried about weight but recommend steel rims? ;^)

Con?: tubeless = poor sealing(?) for mtb.

Tubeless is the new black. Sealing existing rims is the biggest problem with
current tubeless arrangements. I can't see how rims with no holes could be
worse for sealing a tubeless tyre than "ordinary" holey rims.

Con: all wheels have to be hand built.

At the level they're aimed at, most riders would want their wheels hand
built. Hand building is generally stronger than machine built.

Pro: coloured bits in the rim which is easier than painting.

ummm... I thought these looked tacky, but could be fixed for production.

Pro: low spoke count wheels, if you can get the hub. thinking of a past
conversation where a bicycle only has to last long enough to pass the
finish line.

If you can get the hub? I thought an advantage was that they'd work with
whatever hub you have.

Pro: high spoke count wheels, if you can get the hubs to match.

Again - use what you have. And it shouldn't be too hard to obtain a hub with
whatever number of holes you want.

I think you're looking at them from the POV of an "average recreational
rider". I don't think that's the intended market at all. Time will tell if
they work, and if they do, then prices will come down, and they'll trickle
their way down to average spec bikes. Look at mtbs - suspension was a
gimmick at first - but it works, and works well - now it's hard to buy a mtb
without suspension. Discs were a gimmick at first, but they've proved so
effective and popular they've trickled down to K-Mart level.

Sure, the massive "third world" markets won't snap them up, and sure they
won't have spares in that little village where you broke down as you trek
across Asia. Simple for those markets is better. However, in societies where
we have a few extra dollars, there's plenty of people who'll want to pay
extra to gain some small performance edge. The same market that uses low
spoke wheels, or fits top line components rather than adequate components,
or even has (gasp) more than 3 gears.

Me? I'll just go on using traditional style aluminium wheels until the price
comes down - then I might be in a position to make more informed comment.

Tony F