Appreciate the feedback, Serge — but this definitely isn’t a vanity project.
The DFS wheels I previously bought were a bit of a punt — small brand, relatively unknown — but with a 90kg rider limit, they were within spec for me. I took the chance, and they’ve been excellent so far. At 1230g for a deep aero set, they’ve really delivered.
The 50/60mm wheels I ordered from XMC (via XMCarbonSpeed) are still on the way — haven’t received them yet. Their lead time’s a bit longer, but hopefully I’ll get a message next week saying they’re ready to ship. I went for them as a solid all-rounder to replace my older Craft Racing Works wheels. I sold those because the rear had a 21mm internal width, which wasn’t ideal. The XMCs have a 24mm internal front and rear, which better suits modern tyres, and they’ve built up a strong rep for quality and performance. Peter from XMC estimated the weight at around 1200g, which is impressive for a wheelset in that depth range.
The 40–45mm wheels I’m building now are more of a climbing-focused setup. I considered going shallower and even lighter, but for me, performance always comes first — the gear has to work. I didn’t just go for the lightest version of these rims either. I wanted a more balanced setup, particularly with durability in mind. Adding 40g to both front and rear rims raises the system weight limit to 110kg, which is the same approach Light Bicycle takes — slightly heavier at the rear for strength, lighter at the front. In my case, I opted for the reinforced rear only, since that’s where most of the load goes. At 77kg rider weight and with the SL8 at 6kg plus about 2kg of bottles and tools, I’m still well within spec.
I also put up a thread on Weight Weenies about lightweight Chinese hubs to see what’s out there that could genuinely compete with Western brands like Tune, Extralite, Tactic, etc., without spending €1,000+.
All in all, I spent a good couple of weeks researching before committing. Light Bicycle was a solid option — their 45/45mm wheelset is advertised at 1063g with a 110kg weight limit and comes in around $1,500 USD delivered. In comparison, these came in at $866 USD delivered (about £670), including hubs, which I felt was excellent value for the spec. Now it’s just a case of getting them built and seeing how they ride.
