Cambria and Avalon

Adam Trahan · Post by **Adam Trahan** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 8:50 pm

I have a set of Cambria and Avalon wheel sets and I must say that these wheels are superior to any wheel that I have ridden over the last 20 plus years of road riding. Sure, I have had a wheel combination that was specific to a certain hill and temperature, but the Cambria and Avalon wheels posses a "wide range" of usablility. They are a good choice in road wheels.

I wonder what they are are made of?

In comparison with Hyper, Abec 11 and Kryptonics wheels, the urethane in the Turner wheels seem to own a certain quality in adhesion not found in urethanes used by the before mentioned companies. I've used mine in extreme temperatures (air temp 100 plus degrees with asphalt temps???)

Is it the urethane that makes Turners bond with the asphalt or is it a compound or ?

I like having a wheel that performs under a variety of conditions. I enjoy these Turner wheels and am bound to purchase a couple more sets.

The more I ride them, the more I like them. I like that quality in a wheel.

Howard Gordon · Post by **Howard Gordon** » Wed Sep 11, 2002 12:17 am

Thanks Adam. The wheels benefit from a good urethane, though it's essentially the same urethane we used in the La Costa wheels. Two other factors probably make a more significant difference -

1. the change from a large hub with a relatively thin urethane layer to a small hub with lots of urethane, which is much quieter and absorbs a lot more road vibration than the small hub, and

2. the semi-centerset hub with inside and outside unsupported urethane lips, which make a big difference in regard to traction

Vlad Popov · Post by **Vlad Popov** » Fri Oct 04, 2002 7:34 pm

Howard,

Any plans of releasing 94-95A Cambrias and Avalons? I feel a strong need for them on the right of coasts, and so do some of my friends. I was about to order a bunch of 94A LaCostas from the guy who won your Ebay auction, but then I thought I’d rather ask you first about the better wheels.
I assume that these hard wheels will be:
1. Used exclusively on front trucks.
2. Will outlast any softer wheel and therefore, will not have to be bought in great numbers like 86A.
3. Can be more expensive to pay off small N sold. I will pay $5-$10 more a set.

Vlad.

Howard Gordon · Post by **Howard Gordon** » Fri Oct 04, 2002 9:08 pm

Vlad -

We ran some harder Avalons early on, and they didn't have any traction - the urethane was so hard that the unsupported lips didn't deform through turns. Maybe at some point we'll try pouring a somewhat harder Cambria, but for most courses, the softer (82a or 86a) Cambrias seem to be faster than the 90a's.

Leonardo Ojeda · Post by **Leonardo Ojeda** » Mon Oct 07, 2002 4:10 pm

how about a softer avalons? 77a 78a?

leo

Howard Gordon · Post by **Howard Gordon** » Mon Oct 07, 2002 9:49 pm

We did pour a small batch of 75a Avalons for the kids to use, and some of the team riders secretly used them at a few races. However, I think the 78a Cambrias have worked better in terms of traction. We're experimenting with some new urethane formulas for the Avalons, so hopefully I can report some news before long - we're looking for better traction with the harder duros.

Leonardo Ojeda · Post by **Leonardo Ojeda** » Mon Oct 07, 2002 10:12 pm

Howard, why is only fr kids use? i havent tried the wheels yet (no $$$) i think that 80a its hard for the rough surfaces i am used to ride in here.

when the team turner used te soft formulas, how did they place in those competitions?

and why u will search traction on hard wheels?

thanx

leo

On 2002-10-07 15:49, Howard Gordon wrote:
We did pour a small batch of 75a Avalons for the kids to use, and some of the team riders secretly used them at a few races. However, I think the 78a Cambrias have worked better in terms of traction. We're experimenting with some new urethane formulas for the Avalons, so hopefully I can report some news before long - we're looking for better traction with the harder duros.

Howard Gordon · Post by **Howard Gordon** » Tue Oct 08, 2002 12:05 am

This is secret team stuff, but I meant to say that I poured them specifically for my kids, Dylan and Lauren, who race on the FCR tour. However, I ran them on some of the steeper courses, Terry Benko used them regularly, and Paul Dunn used at least 1 or 2 of them in his wins at Catalina and possibly Tahoe.

If you want to order a set, I'll sell them at the same price as the other Avalons - just note on your order that you want the "secret" 75a's.

Vlad Popov · Post by **Vlad Popov** » Wed Oct 16, 2002 5:10 pm

Andrew from Moscow, Russia tells me Avalons are no good. They slide on ice.

It’s snowing there big time.

Matthew Wilson · Post by **Matthew Wilson** » Wed Oct 16, 2002 8:03 pm

Vlad, tell Andrew to wrap small chains around them, like you do on your tires in the winter. That should do the trick!

Vlad Popov · Post by **Vlad Popov** » Thu Jun 26, 2003 12:08 am

Howard, congrats to your kids on their success in EU, and congrats to you on getting Luca on Cambrias! If you poor 94 A's for him, could you do a couple extras?

Did he like the wheels, did he wish for softer/harder?

Looking forward to 90A Avalons.
Vlad.

Howard Gordon · Post by **Howard Gordon** » Thu Jun 26, 2003 1:27 am

Thanks, Vlad. In spite of the heat, it was a great trip.

I told Luca that we could pour some harder duros if he wanted. He seemed pretty happy with the Cambria 90's (his board was a LOT quieter), and he seemed to be looking forward to trying the other existing duros. I set him up some Avalon 90's as well, and Francesco Ugolini used them in the rear of his board for the hybrid.

We'll have production quanitites of Avalon 90's by the end of this week.

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