Well, here is another way that you can spend money on your bike. Mavic has come out (in June 2007) with a half-carbon spoked wheelset using the TraComp system that is publicized as stiffer, lighter, and better than the current Mavic Kyserium ES race wheelset. The weight is 1355 gms for clinchers and 1340 gms for tubulars.
The basic technology centers around the fact that the round and hollows 4mm carbon spokes, which have a 2.6 mm internal diameter, won't compress under load like stainless steel or alloy. So they are fragile (think carbon), but less prone to fatigue. Since the rim cannot move as much, the wheelset is deemed pretty inelastic. The spokes and wheel, over time, will hopefully not snap, go out of true, or flex when you stomp on the pedals.
The wheelsets aerodynamic qualities are still under review from the biketechnorati. Mavic's technology allows the spoke tension to be lower and the angle at which the rim is braced to be steeper. Mavic had a few TdF pro riders testing prototypes this year. (David Millar Mavic's time-trial wheel test rodent, had his disc (not R-SYS) wheel blown up to kingdom come within 100 meters of a TdF the starting ramp. So, if you are extra cautious, you may want to avoid first generation manufacturing.)
There are some special tools that Mavic includes with the wheelset to service them, since you have to remove an alloy retension-type ring inside the hub to change a spoke. And for the alloy spokes, you service them the way you service Kyserium SLs and ESs.
If anyone who generally destroys equipment is riding these wheels, put up a post. And tell us how you did or did not break your carbon-spoked wheel. (Driving over your wheel by mistake after you forgot to put it in the car does not count.) Also, list your yearly mileage.
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