RS2 Updated

After spending about 2-3 weeks trying to decide on what kind of wheels to get, whether to buy a wheelset, or build, I finally made a decision… or perhaps, the decision was made for me.

The decision I had come to was to look either a set of carbon clinchers, or build a powertap wheel. I’d been shopping around, looking for a reasonably light set of aero rims. I was looking for something similar to a set of Reynolds DV46C wheels, or a Gigantex based 50 mm rim.

I ended up getting a good deal on a set of Reynolds DV46T wheels. I had not originally planned to switch to tubular wheels at this time, although I’ve toyed with the idea off and on due to the advantages in ride quality. Reynolds wheels are pretty well liked, and they use quality parts – their standard wheelset use Reynolds badged DT Swiss 240 hubs, and DT Swiss spokes.

The wheels showed up earlier today, and I set about installing a set of tubulars for the first time. I can understand why some people are wary of tubulars – gluing a set of tires doesn’t seem like it would be fun. That’s why I went with the Tufo tubular tape instead. Works great, really use to use, no mess. Once the tires were installed, I went ahead and installed the SRAM Red cassette I picked up a couple weeks ago to complete the wheel setup.

I took a quick spin down the driveway after installing the wheels – they seem pretty nice. I’m planning on doing the Veteran’s day ride on Saturday to give them a real test. They’re a lot more aero and lighter than my previous wheels, so anxious to see how different accelerating is.

I’ve also made a few other changes – most obvious is the KCNC brake shoes. They were red, and since I need to switch brake pads now depending on which wheels I’m using, I wanted another set of shoes to make swapping easier.

With everything said and done, I’ve dropped almost a whole pound off the bike since the last update. And I still have a few things left to do! I have a brand new Dura-Ace crankset sitting in a box, and I definitely want some new handlebars, but I’m waiting on a couple new bars to become available before I make a decision. However, no plans to make any changes for the rest of the year.