Wider is Better! Looking for Mr. Good Hoops!

Ever since I was a little kid on my P.K. Ripper, I have believed better wheels are the key to performance. I  have been using the stock wheels that came on my All-City Mr. Pink. The stock set up was Shimano 105 hubs laced to Mavic CXP 22 rims. A very durable wheelset but heavy and definitely no bling either. I wanted something sub 1600gram, but still able to support my 200lb body.

After looking and reading on the Web I decided I also wanted my new hoops to have a wider rim. The basic road rim is 19cm wide, but lately there have been some rims that are 22-24 cm wide.
The wider rim offers a better contact patch, allows you to run a slightly lower tire pressure, which will add comfort and prevent flats. HED and Zipp have been pushing the wider stance rim, and even though they are known for carbon they both offer aluminum wheels, Hed has the Ardennes and Zipp has the 30 clincher.

Another source for wider rims is Neuvation, I looked at the R28SWCX, which is really a great value. Neuvation has some great pricing and other wheel options. I also looked at Novemeber Bikes, when I first looked at November their wheelset  FSW 23 was listed as using a Velocity A23 rim, but for 2013 they changed rims, I believe they are using Kinlin's I am not sure which model. I also looked at Velocity as I heard they now offered complete wheels, through the Wheel Department on their website. I looked at the Velocity A23 Comp.

Here is a rundown of the 5 wheelsets I considered,

HED Ardennes CL           1642 gm  $850
Zipp 30 Clincher              1655 gm  $850
Neuvation R28SWCX      1470 gm  $495
November FSW 23           1570 gm  $525
Velocity A23 Comp          1580 gm  $550

And the winner is!!!!!!

VELOCITY A23 Comp

I went with Velocity for several reasons, as you can see they were not the lightest or the cheapist, (Neuvation won both those claims and probably my runner up)

1) The A23 Rim is made in The U.S.A. ( I like that)
2) The A23 Comp wheelset is Built in the U.S.A. (Grand Rapids, MI to be exact)
3) Velocity lets you choose Rim and Nipple colors!! (the Old BMXer in me is a sucker for ano!)
4) The A23 can be run as tubeless
5) Velocity lets you use Billmelater to pay

So I went and place the order, about 5 days later they show up at the house, perfectly boxed and package no damage! I noticed that each wheel is signed by the builder (McBryde) which is cool.
the spin well and seem nice and light, When I ordered the wheels I paid for rim strips and valve stem to go tubeless, Prior to their arrival I picked up a set Bontrager R2 TLR tires and some sealant.
In my excitement to get the new hoops on my bike I didn't pay attention and I over tightened both valve stems ( I know rookie mistake) I have done dozens of Tubeless conversions on MTB's and have only done that once before. So for now I am running tubes but will try Tubeless as soon as I get more stems.

So far I have about 350 miles on the A23's cornering is much better than with stock rims, the spin up quickly, and I haven't had any pinch flats (even running tubes)

I will post a long term review after the have been setup tubeless and have many more miles on them.