ZTR Valor wheelset, reviewed
first, some context:
150 lbs, single speed XC racer. I ride about 5000 miles/year on a mix of hardpack Michigan trails with some roots and the occasional rock garden, plus dirt roads with lots of pot holes and washboards.
Last year I rode a pair of Crest rims on Hope Pro2 hubs, ~1750g. I had to true the wheels a few times throughout the year, broke a few spokes on the rear wheel, dented the rear rim, and eventually some cracks started to develop around a few spoke holes on the rear rim.
bike setup:
-frame = Planet X Dirty Harry carbon
-fork = Niner RDO carbon
-front tire = Racing Ralph 2.40, ~20 psi
-rear tire = Specialized Renegade Control 2.3, ~22 psi
========================================
onto the Valors...
front wheel = 610g including yellow tape and valve stem, 15mm end caps installed, no skewer or rotor
rear wheel = 730g including yellow tape and valve stem, QR end caps installed, no skewer or rotor
total weight = 1340g
rim notes:
-measured internal width at 21.3mm using digital calipers
-uniform matte finish, logos seem to be painted on and look way better than the normal cheapo NoTubes rim stickers
-rim sidewalls look much shorter than on my Crest rims
-spoke holes are not offset, i.e. all holes are in the center of the rim
-spoke holes look like they are drilled straight, perpendicular to rim surface, not at an angle. this results in the nipples exiting the rim holes at an angle
-I noticed some "pitting" on the inside edge of the rims in a few places. it's minor and not visible with the tire mounted, but not the flawless quality I was expecting
50 miles on them so far, including Michigan's famed Potawatomi trail with plenty of rocks, roots and climbing. I didn't hear any spoke pings or pops, and the wheels are still perfectly true.
-first thing I noticed is how ridiculously light they are, nearly a pound lighter than my previous wheels. reduced weight was especially noticeable on climbs, maybe because of the more surge-like nature of mashing big gears at low RPM on a SS.
-front wheel didn't feel any different than my Crests
-rear wheel felt like I had a little bit of suspension back there. definitely took the edge off of harsh bumps
other notes:
each wheel also included a cloth Valor zipper bag with a very cool spoke plot printout showing vertical runout, horizontal runout, and spoke tension for each spoke.
pics to come
post updated 4/21/14
first, some context:
150 lbs, single speed XC racer. I ride about 5000 miles/year on a mix of hardpack Michigan trails with some roots and the occasional rock garden, plus dirt roads with lots of pot holes and washboards.
Last year I rode a pair of Crest rims on Hope Pro2 hubs, ~1750g. I had to true the wheels a few times throughout the year, broke a few spokes on the rear wheel, dented the rear rim, and eventually some cracks started to develop around a few spoke holes on the rear rim.
bike setup:
-frame = Planet X Dirty Harry carbon
-fork = Niner RDO carbon
-front tire = Racing Ralph 2.40, ~20 psi
-rear tire = Specialized Renegade Control 2.3, ~22 psi
========================================
onto the Valors...
front wheel = 610g including yellow tape and valve stem, 15mm end caps installed, no skewer or rotor
rear wheel = 730g including yellow tape and valve stem, QR end caps installed, no skewer or rotor
total weight = 1340g
rim notes:
-measured internal width at 21.3mm using digital calipers
-uniform matte finish, logos seem to be painted on and look way better than the normal cheapo NoTubes rim stickers
-rim sidewalls look much shorter than on my Crest rims
-spoke holes are not offset, i.e. all holes are in the center of the rim
-spoke holes look like they are drilled straight, perpendicular to rim surface, not at an angle. this results in the nipples exiting the rim holes at an angle
-I noticed some "pitting" on the inside edge of the rims in a few places. it's minor and not visible with the tire mounted, but not the flawless quality I was expecting
50 miles on them so far, including Michigan's famed Potawatomi trail with plenty of rocks, roots and climbing. I didn't hear any spoke pings or pops, and the wheels are still perfectly true.
-first thing I noticed is how ridiculously light they are, nearly a pound lighter than my previous wheels. reduced weight was especially noticeable on climbs, maybe because of the more surge-like nature of mashing big gears at low RPM on a SS.
-front wheel didn't feel any different than my Crests
-rear wheel felt like I had a little bit of suspension back there. definitely took the edge off of harsh bumps
other notes:
each wheel also included a cloth Valor zipper bag with a very cool spoke plot printout showing vertical runout, horizontal runout, and spoke tension for each spoke.
pics to come
post updated 4/21/14
