Product Review: November Bicycles Nimbus Alloy TI Wheelset

It seems so common that factory bikes lately have one Achilles Heel - the wheels. Nearly every review I read seems to say something to the effect of, "an upgraded wheel package would make this bike faster/better climbing/more durable...". This appears to be the area where manufacturers control costs. Most buyers don't really understand much about wheels, while they can immediately spot the difference between Shimano Sora and Ultegra. Too bad - wheels are easily the biggest single game changer for many bikes.

After a few gravel rides on my Specialized Crux, I began to feel that was likely an issue for me as well. At 20 spokes front, 24 rear the Roval Pave SL wheels feel a bit flexy and undersized for my 200+ pounds. I'm not saying I'm some sort of Road Beast, but I'm a decent-sized guy who's reasonably strong. Had a wheel guru at a local shop take a look at the wheels. As seems to be the case with Specialized wheels, the bearings are pretty small. Especially up front. Two strikes.

But what are my alternatives? My wheel guru builds great wheelsets. But we chat and I'm looking at just over a grand for that. Nope. Took a quick look at Mavic, but something leaves me cold about these. 

Enter November Bicycles. I first ran across these guys on the RoadBikeReview online wheel and tire forum. Everyone comments on the great quality and tremendous value. A visit to their web site and now I'm intrigued. Semi-custom 'cross wheels for 600 bucks? For real? After some dialogue with owner Dave (great guy), I settle on the Alloy Nimbus TI with Pacenti SL25 rims in a 28/32 spoke configuration. The hubs are made for November by White Industries - basically a White T11 with a simpler shell and available only in a standard pewter color. I have a White ENO on the rear of my single-speed mountain bike and it's SOLID gear. November offers these wheels in a wide range of spoke configurations, rim choices, etc. so you're sure to find something that meets your needs. And if you don't know what you need, I found them really helpful in guiding my decisions.

Good looking ride!

I love getting sweet bike gear shipments. And November didn't disappoint. In a word: solid. These wheels look durable and solid, without feeling "overbuilt". The hubs are a great color and the bearings are butter-smooth. I really like the T11's titanium drive - nearly as light as aluminum and as strong as steel. And the Pacenti rims have a great profile, a great matte black finish, and even some pretty sweet graphics (hey, I'm a marketing guy by profession).

Once the wheels are mounted, I'm even happier. Somehow they just clean up the look and pull the bike together visually. I love that November even does their own skewers that are just a touch unique and match the hubs. Nice attention to detail.

OK, that's all fine, but what's it ride like?

Bomber rear hub!

Sublime. Smooth. Solid. The smooth-rolling hubs carry momentum wonderfully -- blast the descent on a roller and you get half-way up the next hill! The added rigidity of the higher spoke count and more rugged rim means flex is GONE. Every pedal stroke translates into maximum forward motion.

The Alloy Nimbus TI has transformed the Crux from a bike that I liked a lot to one I love. That's pretty cool. And surprisingly affordable.

Of course, this has me eyeing November's Rail 52 carbon road wheels. My Roval Rapides have been fine, but with a low 16/21 spoke count and the same small bearings, I wonder if I'm crushing them. Ah well, a consideration for next Spring.

If you're looking for a handbuilt wheelset with top-notch components at a mass-market price, I strongly recommend checking out November. Great product!

-Sean-

First Century!

On Saturday, 1 August, I achieved a personal goal I set three years ago - my first Century ride! When I re-committed to road riding seriously three years ago I got this idea in my head to complete a Century before I turned 50. Well, I'm 49 this year, so the pressure was on...

For the past three years, I've ridden and fundraised for the Susan G. Komen "Ride for the Cure". I do this to honor a good friend who lost her battle with this disease in 2011. You can read more on my effort here. The ride is the first Saturday in August, so it's been good timing for goal-setting and training. My first year, I rode a Metric Century (100km/62.5 miles) and was a top-five fundraiser. Last year some health issues sidelined my training, so I did a shorter 30 mile ride (but still raised more money than the previous year). This year was the big one - I increased my target to the full Century ride, and bumped my fundraising goal up a pretty good notch.

Training went well -- I had broken the 40 mile mark multiple times by the end of April and even had a Metric Century in by the end of May. Prior to ride day, my longest ride was 74 miles and the weekend previous I'd done 55-, and 65-miles on concurrent days. So, I had the miles under my legs.

Ride day start - feeling good!

Ride day weather was looking perfect, if a bit windy. That morning was a touch cool, but the wind was down for our 7 a.m. start. Definitely had some pre-ride jitters, but generally felt pretty confident. With about 25 riders for the Century we had a manageable group to tour the farmlands south of Lansing.

This crew included a wide range of cyclists - including a fit looking guy a few years older than me who planned to ride the Century on a FAT BIKE! Rock on! We stayed largely together until the first rest stop, though I'd started to ride and chat with a guy who turned out to live in the neighborhood across the street from mine! I was surprised by how quickly we got to that first stop at 25 miles. Everybody was laughing and having fun - some of us even got our photos taken in grass skirts and coconut bras (no, I don't have a photo yet...).

By the lunchtime stop at around 60 miles our group had split up a bit, with me riding with neighbor John, and gravel-grinder Nat (on a Specialized Crux 'cross bike much like mine!). For the most part we cruised comfortably at a 15-17 mph pace. When the ride turned west into the mounting wind, we formed a pace line and took turns pulling on the front without losing too much speed. I was really fortunate -- found two really good guys to ride with who were comfortable at about exactly the pace I wanted to ride.

Riding companion John - with me on the chase!

At the 77 mile rest stop, all three of us were eager to get off the bikes for a stretch, re-hydrate, fuel up, and have a little break. But it wasn't long before we set off again. The ride was set through some pretty gently rolling country. An area I would definitely return to for riding. By this time, the wind was definitely coming up, but we had some pretty good cover on the tree-lined stretches. Though heading east and south were definitely preferable. Each turn north (groan) or west (GROAN!!!) was a little less cheerful.

The last ten miles were - predictably - the Sufferfest. Not as brutal as I'd expected, but not easy. The three of us definitely took turns pulling each other along. Though the last 3 miles were BRUTAL as the wind peaked and we headed into a strong headwind for much of it. We all finished feeling happy and pretty strong - though not ready to knock off another 20!

A new favorite jersey!

So, I did it - rode my first Century at age 49! I was proud, tired, and happy. I also raised over $2,600 making me the #3 fundraiser - a nice bonus! Funny thing though, on the drive home I was thinking, "Now what?" and sure enough several friends have asked me the same thing. My guess is more Centuries are in my future, and hopefully at a faster pace (we did 103 miles in 6:40) but, stay tuned!

FYI, I'll also be following this up with a lessons learned entry for other first-timers!

-Sean-

Early Season Progress Report

Cycling season is off to a solid start. By the end of April I had surpassed the 40 mile mark several times. Each ride was generally solid with decent pace, despite often-windy conditions. All in all I feel like the off-season work on the trainer, mixed with some skiing, helped me maintain some semblance of fitness. This is a nice feeling as the past Winter was UGLY. Got really good at watching TV and gaining weight.

Thus far, I'm enjoying the new carbon wheels. Lighter rotating parts do make a big difference and I'm feeling some of the aero benefits. We'll see how durable they are - so far things seem to be holding true, but I haven't really got a ton of miles on them yet.

On Saturday, I had a nice day with a relatively free agenda so I thought I'd attempt to break the 50 mile mark. Not only did I accomplish that goal, I did it by adding on the loop up through Hell, MI. If you haven't ridden that area, it's known for being pretty rolling. I needed to spend some time on hills and I must say it went pretty well. In fact, my final mileage was 56.75. Actually closer to 60 than 50, so I'm quite pleased by that. And, I had enough energy to do just over 30 miles with Bike Ypsi

Another notable addition to this season is joining Strava. I had some reservations about this (how much sharing is too much?) but I've actually found that having a smaller community with other active friends has been good for me. If I see that Josh or Jeff did a ride and I skipped, it, I'm more motivated for the next time. And when I put up a solid ride, I get kudos. Best of all, it syncs automatically from my Garmin Connect account, and shares with my LoseIt! app. Pretty cool and some interesting data is now flowing in all directions.

As of now, I've really got the road bike dialed. Everything fits me well and I'm comfortable riding fairly long distances. On Sunday I rode the cross bike and realized we still have some fine-tuning to do. The first is going to be picking up a Fizik Aliante VS K:ium saddle. This is the same saddle my road bike has on it and we're used to each other. I also think it's probably time to score some decent MTB shoes for this bike. My old original entry-level Pearl Izumi's from a decade ago really aren't doing it. Especially after the oh-so-comfy Bonts on my road bike (and sadly Bont doesn't have a two-bolt pattern that will fit the SPD cleats on the 'cross bike).

It's early May, I've got some solid miles in and I'm eager for more. I started fundraising in earnest for the Susan G. Komen Ride for the Cure (feel free to donate!) last week. Thus far, the season is off to a solid start for this cyclist.

-Sean-

Roll On - Roval Rapide CLX 60 Wheels

Got the new wheels out for a first ride last weekend. Josh had a 40+ miler all planned out for me. Despite some pretty serious wind, we headed out in the afternoon.

I'd read a lot about aero profile wheels and the wind. A number of online mentions expressed concern over 60mm profiles like my Roval Rapide CLX 60's. More profile = more exposure to crosswinds, etc. So, I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

What I found was that while you could definitely feel the impact of the wind, it really wasn't that big of a deal. Not bad per se, just different. Cross-wind gusts were noticeable, primarily with the front wheel, but not completely scary.

One thing I will say is that my bike looks BAD ASS with these wheels. As Josh commented, "It's like a completely new ride." And, he's right. Just looks tough.

Giant Defy Advanced with new Specialized Roval Rapide CLX 60's

As to the performance and handling of the wheels and their impact on my ride, it's really hard to say. Between ripping winds, and the fact that I haven't got a lot of road miles in yet this season (Winter hasn't really wanted to give up in Michigan) I don't think it was an optimum situation to evaluate. By the end of almost 45 miles, I was pretty much cooked. But, I survived those miles, and I think the new wheels made that easier.

More to follow as I get in more miles. Early impressions are that I like 'em.

-Sean-

On A Roll

Well, it's official - I'm jumping to that next level of insanity in cycling. I always thought carbon wheelsets were excessive. Why spend all that money? Are they durable enough for a 200-pounder? Will I need to have them trued every other ride?

After watching my buddy Josh make the move - and seeing how much he enjoyed his - I started to consider this. And, when Josh decided it was time to upgrade to Zipp's, I scored a deal on a lightly used pair of Roval Rapide CLX 60's.

My current wheels are great, but they were built purely for strength with little thought given to weight. Aluminum rims, standard spokes, and Shimano 105 hubs. Not fancy, but functional.

The new hoops are LIGHT. I mean like REALLY light. Hand them to a non-cyclist and they're shocked at how little they weight. Aero spokes cut some more weight and some drag. And the hubs feature Roval shells, with proven, bulletproof DT Swiss internals and sealed ceramic bearings. Yeah, I with they were Chris King's, but they'd have been triple the price I paid to build up new ones with King hubs. One feature I really like? The LOUD clicker. That was one thing that bothered me about my Shimano hubs. Too quiet.

Oh yeah, and they look effing cool...