It's been too long since I've been on a nice set of tubulars. Don't get me wrong, the new Michelin Pro3's are "da bomb", but I don't think any clincher, no matter how nice, will be able to match that "pingy", "zippy" feeling of a nice road tubular at pressure. The Zipp Tangente's impressed and it will be interesting to see how well they hold up.
The Edge wheels have also impressed me so far. My first ride out was in very windy conditions and yes, the front wheel did blow around a little which is to be expected in 20-30mph wind and also if you are a light framed guy/gal. My recommendation for those riding in predominately windy area's would be to go with the 1.68's but keep a 1.38 front wheel lying around for when the winds are howling. The rear wheel won't blow around on you regardless of the conditions and the lower profile front will ensure a solid line. This is why you see a lot of the Zipp (High Road, CSC) using the lower profile front. You get all the benefits out of that super stiff/aero rear wheel but cut down the risk of getting blown around while still maintaining some semblance of aerodynamics by running the lower profile front. That and it looks very cool.
When I wasn't resembling a human kite I can tell you the first thing I noticed was how fast the Edge's spun up. This was surprising to me as they are very deep profiled. None the less they accelerating like a high quality low profile wheel, yet far surpassed the likes in terms of stiffness. The accelerate without hesitation. ROCK SOLID.
Overall aerodynamics were impressive. I'm not the type to monitor average speeds as I feel there are too many variables on a day to day basis but I did not I was home quite a few minutes early from my normal loop. I would be nice to have a radial front however as I feel that I am a little handicapped when looking down at the front hub and seeing those spokes 1 crossed over one another. It would be interesting to compare perceived stiffness over a 1x to a radial front.
Despite my worn out front brake, I can tell the braking surface on these is dialed. Edge went to great lengths to ensure a solid, smooth braking tract and this was very evident after only a couple rides.
Conclusion: So far, so good. These are everything I had hoped them to be and more as they spin up faster and maintain speed up long climbs far better than I anticipated. I will check back in after a couple months of riding these and let you know how well they stand the test of time. Going by my sensations on them so far, I am confident there will be no issues. But if there are... You will hear about it!
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