Oh no, not again - the curse of Ergal! Be gone, evil spirits! :-)
In my experience Ergals don't "dent," because they are made from 7000 series (Ergal) aluminum. It is stronger than any other rim material, as virtually all others are some form of 6000 series Al. I've hit some pretty good potholes with 24-spoke Ergals, and my riding partners were amazed that they w eren't damaged. Mavic GEL280s (which aren't anywhere near 280 grams, BTW, whereas road Ergals run 280-300 actual weight - see Damon Rinard's website for details) have flat-spotted for me on the first ride from a relatively minor (for the Midwest anyways) road imperfection.
What Ergals can do is experience a fatigue failure and blow out around a ferrule after thousands of miles. If you're afraid of Campy NR/SR crankarms, I would recommend that you not ride Ergals.... (Ship me your NOS ones, and I'll see that they are properly recycled!).
Being quite light, they are not for everone for everyday use, but I've put tens of thousands of miles on some of them without incident. The 60-kilo limit sounds a bit severe (I'm 75 kilos), but I'm a lanky spinner, not a masher, so that may be a factor as well. Your actual mileage may vary, and the Management in no way endorses the use of vintage tubular rims. Eat your vegetables.
Regards,
Greg Parker A2 MI USA
> Message: 16
> Date: Sat, 28 Dec 2002 07:23:29 -0800
> Subject: Re: [CR]Soldered spokes
> From: Bill Bryant <bill_bryant@prodigy.net>
> To: Dennis Young <mail@woodworkingboy.com>,
> <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
>
> Back when they were commonly used for racing, I regularly tied &soldered
> Fiamme Ergals for many customers. It'll be a better wheel that will last
> longer and stay true, especially carrying your 76 kilos. They can be dented
> rather easily on potholes, so I wouldn't recommend them as daily "riders"
> for any rider. Save them for special event usage on fairly smooth roads or
> on the track. Use the Fiamme Reds for normal road riding, it is a fine rim
> and better suited for all-around use.
>
> Bill Bryant
> Santa Cruz, CA
>
>
>
>
> on 12/28/02 6:43 AM, Dennis Young at mail@woodworkingboy.com wrote:
>
> >Hanging on my Christmas tree were a pair of Fiamme Ergal wheels. (Not a
> bad
> >ornament if you string lights around the spokes) These have 28 spokes,
> and
> >given the supposed weakness of these very light rims, along with the spoke
> >count, I am wondering about safety. I have read that these rims are a
> >specialty event rim, and 28 spokes are for a 60 kilogram and under rider,
> so
> >would my 76 kilos be betting against the odds by using them for a everyday
> >wheel. Would soldering the spokes at the junctions add appreciative
> >strength? Does anyone have any experiences with these that would dictate
> >caution?
> >
> >Thanks in advance.
> >
> >Dennis Young
> >Hotaka, Japan