Since the virtual mailman couldn't even close the virtual door on our virtual mailbox given all the virtual letters asking about AForce Al33 builds the we got yesterday, it's probably a good idea to give an update on the ol' blog.
The latest info we have puts rims in our hands in early-ish December. Yes, this is a slip from the original non-specific November delivery we originally had. No, this is not a sign of any issue. Delivery forecasts from vendors are a HEINOUS ugly morass that we're exceptionally glad not to be in the driver's seat for anymore.
There is not a disc specific option in the first production. The finish on the ceramic rims is dark enough that I'd put them on a disc build without a second aesthetic thought, and I'm an absolute OCD princess about stuff like that (although Judd, who puts me to absolutel shame in that department, would disagree). I'd even put the ones that now have slightly less than 2000 miles of wear (lots of mountain bike riding and not as much road bike riding in the last month) on the brake tracks in a disc build.
We'll have 20/24 and 24/28 builds. 20/24 is generally appropriate for people up to the 185-ish range from what we can tell, and 24/28 is probably good to 50 pounds over that. Hub options will be as current, with the addition of Novatec A291/F482 hubs for road and 771/772 for disc (both in black only) branded for us.
Pricing will be broadly comparable to HED Belgium+ builds for the ceramic option. Regular machine sidewall options will be less. We haven't got precise final pricing, so that's as closely as we can estimate that.
The wind tunnel trip is still on, I just don't exactly know when it is, as we don't dictate that. Part of life trying to make a buck in this business is that you generally want and need to get a lot more done than you have the time to do. Based on experience and knowledge and riding on the wheels thus far, we're confident that they're quite good, but as it says above the door from the control room into the tunnel zone at A2 (where the testing will be done) "one good test is worth 1000 expert opinions."
Since interest is so high, we'll be doing a pre-sale thing, slightly different to pre-orders we've done in the past. This time, we'll be accepting refundable deposits in order to let people claim a build (the first production run is far from infinite) and give us some assistance in gauging how many rims of what drilling we need to put on lockdown right away. If you'd like to receive updates on these as they become available, please sign up for them here.
And that's what we know. Happy Tuesday.
13 comments
For the Novatec Disc hubs, it seems they are not CLD? Wouldn't CLD be better for (1) weight savings, (2) future proofing, (3) aero, and (4) travel convenience? I know Bitex has CLD road hubs, not sure how they're related to Novatec.
Mike – There isn't even a formally communicated commitment to doing one. We will offer the ceramic rims as a disc option since they look perfectly appropriate for disc builds and a fully disc specific rim as such won't offer any objective advantage (weight saving) over the standard rims.
Jerry – Yup.
Dave,, Do you plan to build these wheels using just external nipples?
That is a reasonable ballpark estimate for Al33 builds with Novatec hubs and CX Rays. It will be more than $700 but not very much.