I had the same questions a while back...before I was on CR. The understanding I was able to gather is that these rims are around 300g and, when coupled with titanium's material strength, are actually pretty durable hoops. I'm 160lbs, and don't worry much about riding mine (fixed gear, on city streets).
There's always the question of riding rare (and essentially consumable) gear like these rims. I end up hoping that there's somebody out there who's better about doing the preservation thing than I am.
What did these things cost, back in the day, compared to an ordinary rim?
Scott Minneman San Francisco, CA
-----Original Message----- From: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org [mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org] On Behalf Of Otis Sent: Monday, May 22, 2006 9:13 PM To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: [CR]Araya Tita Ace Titanium Rims
I bought a wheelset today comprised of Pelissier 2000 gold anodized low-flange hubs laced to 32 hole Araya Tita Ace "78 World Champion" titanium tubular rims. They seem groovy and light enough but do I dare ride them? I checked the archives and although mentioned, the discussion quickly derailed to, "the existence of Galli ti toe clips", and "bamboo as a building material". Without going there again, can anybody vouch for these staying together under a 160 lb. rider who's all about the souplesse. Also any comments on the hubs would be appreciated as well, as I've never seen a pair before.
Cheers, Jon Williams
Grants Pass OR