Jeff wrote, in part:
"Which wheels/rims were these? How much did they weight? How well did = they hold up?
For comparison, my zipp 404 weigh in at 1283 grams for the set (365 gm rims). The rim depth is pretty deep at 58mm. They hold up and ride ve= ry well (I am ~187 pounds). Cost is $1300 bucks for the set. The shallow= rim zipp 202 set is 1040 gms. Braking is sub-par on the carbon rims (you d= o brake in racing, or you go off the side like Jan Ulrich a few years back...)."
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Unfortunately, my mind is going, and so I cannot recall the exact weights involved, but I would not be at all surprised if a pair of Fiamme Ergals laced 3x with 16 guage stainless spokes, to a pair of low-flange 6-speed-axle Campagnolo Record hubs, with Clement Criterium Seta Extras, with a Zeus or Campagnolo alloy freewheel wouldn't weigh less, or the same, and be significantly more robust, than any $1K wheelset on the market today. Use High-E hubs, or something of that sort, and the weight goes down even more. Use thinner spokes, even more. Alloy nipples, even more.
Use those super-light Nisi rims, even lighter...but those rims break if you look at them too hard.. <g>
The ride will be better with those Clements too. Criterium Seta Extras are still the best-riding road tire ever made, bar none, imho... puts any other tubular to shame...let alone any clincher, no matter how high-tech.
cost on the used market? $150, or less, for a clean pair of wheels sans tires? Get your Criteriums used, or, just buy a new pair of Veloflex Criteriums.
The only problem: totally incompatible with modern shifting systems, and, so, the entire comparison is, in a sense anyway, irrelevent.
Charles "I have yet to own my first index bike, but I'm working on it.." Andrews SoCal