Cutting Edge wheels: It begins

I got into the actual installation of the Edge wheels the other night. I will run them on the Lev as it is the only disc bike I have, and if I am going to push the limits of a wheel, it will be on the FS.

I have to say that I was not so pleased after the install process. The loss of tubeless, the narrower tire profile, and the valve extenders had me wondering a bit. Sure, they were lighter by 100 grams a wheel, but that is not a HUGE amount of savings. The final straw was when I spun the rear wheel with the mounted and aired up tire and the tire dipped and wiggled like a roller coaster at Coney Island. I looked at that, it was getting dark, and I thought about Saturday's ride into the distant and remote mountains. I am a bit superstitious in that I do not like to change something significant on the bike, like a completely new and unproven part, and head out to the next time zone. Scary. At least let me get one or two rides in around home to bed things in a bit and then, wagons ho.

So, off came the cassette and back went the Hope/Flows combo for the next day's ride. Sorry GT. Testing will have to wait.

But Sunday's ride was with the local boys. I got up a bit early, worked on getting the bead seated more evenly on the rear tire, and changed the cassette back over. Out the door we went, all rolling on carbon fat-ness (in a lightweight way).

My impressions so far on trail? Zippy. Very zippy. Stiff? yeah...I think so, but I am coming from pretty stiff and light wheels anyway, but these do feel very fast, whatever that means.

Could just be my imagination, so I will roll on them for a while and then swap back to see if I can tell the difference. Stay tuned.