Wheel time again (and so on).
Continuing from yesterday.
I'm rebuilding my master's rear wheel.
I'm using an Open Pro tubular rim.
This rim appears to have the same rim width, rim depth, and shape as the Reflex tubular,
so I'd say it's really just a model name change,
though I'm probably not the only one to point out how odd the naming is.
"Open" is supposed to refer to
a clincher rim whose bead hook section is "open"
as opposed to a tubular rim.
With Vittoria's Corsa CX tire,
the Corsa CX is a tubular tire with the mounting surface stitched closed,
while the WO tire with the bead attached to the tire's edge without stitching
is called Open Corsa CX for the same reason.
So Open Pro tubular is
like saying "thorn-free with thorns"—it just feels odd.
To begin with, the Reflex rim
came in two specifications with the same name: tubular and WO.
There was an Open SUP WO rim until 1997,
but despite being pricier than the Reflex WO rim, it was actually heavier—
it was a sturdy, premium-line rim like those on Paris-Roubaix SSC or Ambrosio's Nemesis,
prioritizing finish and hardness.
In 1998, as the Reflex WO was discontinued, the Open Pro appeared,
but this wasn't just a model name change—it's a different rim with different dimensions.
The Open Pro is roughly 1mm larger in both rim depth and rim width, with a slightly different shape.
Out came a big chunk of metal shavings. After clearing out all the powdery debris,
there were times when it rattled and times when it didn't—
when silent, something must have been catching somewhere.
It's built.
Dura-Ace 25th anniversary hub, 32H semi-championship laced with solder joints.
I would've liked to do a 48-spoke lace, but the spoke length didn't work out.
As a consolation, I went with semi-championship rather than semi-competition.
Looking at the total spoke volume (the total material volume of spokes used in the wheel)
beyond just spoke length—a simplified measure—
compared to a full competition 6-cross lace,
the freewheel-side competition ×6 spokes plus non-freewheel-side competition ×6 spokes
versus the freewheel-side championship ×4 spokes plus non-freewheel-side CX-RAY ×6 spokes
comes to about 95.7% of the former, and while the weight is roughly the same,
it's ever so slightly lighter.
Both yesterday's Reflex and today's Open Pro tubular
had their rim inner diameter measured, and there was only a negligible difference.
Getting into the minutiae,
rim inner diameter often varies depending on the rim's phase (up to about 0.2mm max),
and ZIPP carbon rims in particular show noticeable individual variation
even among the same model from the same era (like a pair of 303s bought as a set),
so rather than using past measurements, I take current measurements of each rim individually every time.
Continuing from yesterday.
I'm rebuilding my master's rear wheel.
I'm using an Open Pro tubular rim.
This rim appears to have the same rim width, rim depth, and shape as the Reflex tubular,
so I'd say it's really just a model name change,
though I'm probably not the only one to point out how odd the naming is.
"Open" is supposed to refer to
a clincher rim whose bead hook section is "open"
as opposed to a tubular rim.
With Vittoria's Corsa CX tire,
the Corsa CX is a tubular tire with the mounting surface stitched closed,
while the WO tire with the bead attached to the tire's edge without stitching
is called Open Corsa CX for the same reason.
So Open Pro tubular is
like saying "thorn-free with thorns"—it just feels odd.
To begin with, the Reflex rim
came in two specifications with the same name: tubular and WO.
There was an Open SUP WO rim until 1997,
but despite being pricier than the Reflex WO rim, it was actually heavier—
it was a sturdy, premium-line rim like those on Paris-Roubaix SSC or Ambrosio's Nemesis,
prioritizing finish and hardness.
In 1998, as the Reflex WO was discontinued, the Open Pro appeared,
but this wasn't just a model name change—it's a different rim with different dimensions.
The Open Pro is roughly 1mm larger in both rim depth and rim width, with a slightly different shape.
Out came a big chunk of metal shavings. After clearing out all the powdery debris,
there were times when it rattled and times when it didn't—
when silent, something must have been catching somewhere.
It's built.
Dura-Ace 25th anniversary hub, 32H semi-championship laced with solder joints.
I would've liked to do a 48-spoke lace, but the spoke length didn't work out.
As a consolation, I went with semi-championship rather than semi-competition.
Looking at the total spoke volume (the total material volume of spokes used in the wheel)
beyond just spoke length—a simplified measure—
compared to a full competition 6-cross lace,
the freewheel-side competition ×6 spokes plus non-freewheel-side competition ×6 spokes
versus the freewheel-side championship ×4 spokes plus non-freewheel-side CX-RAY ×6 spokes
comes to about 95.7% of the former, and while the weight is roughly the same,
it's ever so slightly lighter.
Both yesterday's Reflex and today's Open Pro tubular
had their rim inner diameter measured, and there was only a negligible difference.
Getting into the minutiae,
rim inner diameter often varies depending on the rim's phase (up to about 0.2mm max),
and ZIPP carbon rims in particular show noticeable individual variation
even among the same model from the same era (like a pair of 303s bought as a set),
so rather than using past measurements, I take current measurements of each rim individually every time.