700c Wheel and Rim Actual Weights - Mavic, Shimano etc.

These figures are from actual weigh ins off of a digital scale from new stock from an authorised Mavic and Shimano dealers  (Chain Reaction and Duke's Cycle both in Toronto, Canada):
2014:
RS 21 rear rim weight alone: 506g ! Heavy! But strong, solid and asymmetrical w a generous brake track.

2013:
Dura Ace 9000 C24 (WH-9000?) f/r: 620/840g

Ultegra 6700 Alloy f/r: 740/971g

RS80/C50 f/r: 835/1060g

Older Mavic Aksium Race Rear Rim, silver 20h eyeleted and heavily USED/worn: 493g

2013 Shimano Dura Ace 9000 11 speed Ribbed Polymer Cables to 2012 Dura Ace 7900 10 speed Shifters

At last, we can make our 10 speed Dura Ace 7900 shifters work as good as it should...thanks to the newer Dura Ace 9000 polymer coated and ribbed cables, right??Theortetically, yes. But, what about the extra clamping force that Shimano says is needed for these cables because they are sooo slippery?

Well, let's find out....when I install em later this month....possibly tomorrow Tuesday 16th...

You know these cables are good when they're packed like this.

Be back in a bit...

We're back!

Yes, they worked as expected. Marked improvement over stock 7900 setup to the point where it's excellent. 

What I did:

Used new Dura Ace 9000 polymer, ribbed cables with my stock new average housings on 7900 shifter + 6700 r.d. + 11-32 XT cassette on Rocky Mountain Prestige carbon road bike (typical external cable routing).

 

Friggin awesome!  Of course, not as quick/shorter-throwing or light as the current 9000 shifters BUT, pretty darn close and way better than any stock 7900 setup due to the 9000 cables alone.  They do make that much of a difference just as Shimano claimed (20-27%? reduction in friction). So far no issues with the cable clamping but if so, I figure one could simply remove the coating by abrading it off.

Also, big money saved as I avoided approx. $800 to fully upgrade to 9000. While I got the biggest benefit of the 9000 group (super slick shifting via polymer cables) for about $20. But, I got em by getting the complete pair of 9000 shifters.  I still do not know if these cables are available for sale alone. I know they are not available through any of our suppliers. However, I have not checked Shimano Canada...

11 Speed Cross Compatibilities: Shimano Dura Ace 9000, Sram XX1, Campagnolo, Alfine.

I will be trying these combos, esp. 9000 shifters with Srams XX1 11speed 10-42 cassette and Shimano or compatible rear derailleur. Why? Because its bloody desirable as heaven thats why!!! As my Polish boss, Radek frm Wheels of Bloor the largest Cervelo dealer inthe world in Toronto would say: "KOURVA MACH! R u kidding me??!"

Srams widEST 10-42 range superlight external 11spd cassette/gearing now allows a justified use of just 1 chainring thus no front shifting/shiftr/derailleur/2nd chainrng/clearances/xtra weight/cabling etc needed at all! It wld b by nature and simplicity, Lighter, Easier, Smoother, and potentially a stiffer frame due to more room for frame material in tht area.

LET THE TESTING BEGIN AND VIDEOS BEGIN!.... STAY TUNED TO BIKEFX FOR UPDATES.

My Shimano rep didnt evennknow if we cld use non 9000 rd with 9000 shifters :P. Shame!  I bet you can. We must in order to work w 42t cog we need an mtb rd with 42t compatibility. So far, Sram's XX1 is the only one, officially. Unofficially? Any rd with a max. cog tooth of close to 42 will work...just not as smoothly as the XX1's - RD's pulley wheel with less than 42t max may touch the 42t cassette cog in that 42t gear only. That'd be the biggest issue. Next would be tht its shifting path may not match the 9-42 cassette shape but, that is likely a non-issue.

Crap ths is gonna b expen$ive...900$ shiftrs...who knws how much xx1 cass gona cost... Gotta borrow... ;)

STAY TUNED TO BIKEFX FOR THE LATEST TECHNICAL/MECHANICAL STUFF.

NB  An 11+ speed internally geared hub is also worth noting here for non-racers aka, 'US" the people, the rest of the millions of people on earth that bike daily for fun up to multiple times a day all year round for transportation etc. ;)
WHY? Forgetting the additional 100's of grams of weight in the rear and limits against super light wheel choices because only many metal spokes can be built with these IGH hubs....ugh....you DO get a smoother and thus longer lasting chain, super smooth and ultra wide gearing all with little to no maintenance compared to regular/monthly maintenance with external gears. 


***My greatest apologies. My connection did not come through with providing the XX1 parts for testing, therefore, cant test!  Don't we hate it when people don't keep their word folks?

... DT 2012