[AEB]

After reading tons and tons of opinions and comments prior to buying my first pair of ‘aero’ wheels, I thought I’d write a little post giving my first impressions in the hope that it might be of use to others who are looking to get their first ‘aero’ wheels ready for the summer.

For reference the wheels are Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL’s (50mm front and rear) and the bike is a Ridley X-Ride Cyclocross bike.

I popped these on last night as the weather has been looking good enough to keep them on for a couple of days before switching back to my H Plus Son Archetypes for poor weather commuting and daily use.

First impressions are very good, compared to my alloy rims they felt incredibly stiff, and I could run the brake calipers right up to the rims without fear of brake-rub under power/lean angle. Initially the didn’t feel much faster than my alloy rims, but as I got up to speed (about 30+km/h) I started to feel the benefits. It felt easier to hold a speed than previously, and when I put in a good sustained effort of 300w+ I could see that I was going a few km/h faster than the equivalent effort on the same piece of road on my alloys.

I’m very much of the opinion that if you like the look of them, and can afford them, then get them. They might not make you that much faster in their own right, but if they make you want to ride your bike more then that’s the most important thing right?!

It’d be great to hear what you all first thought when you jumped on ‘aero’ wheels for the first time!

AEB

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[phobic_sting]

Well I just bought my first
Well I just bought my first road bike and upgraded the wheels straight away to Prolite Bracciano 45mm carbon clinchers. I didn’t even test it with the stock wheels so I only have my slick tyred mtb to compare lol. However, being quite windy when I’ve been out, this is the first thing I’ve noticed. Sidewinds. My goodness it is a bit scary when a gust hits sometimes, although I am becoming more used to the handling quite quickly. As for aero/speed credentials…well they do feel more spritely and the few times I have been up to speed in the region of 23mph+ it certainly gives at least a perceived effect of holding onto that speed for longer. But let’s be honest, for most of us mortals it is about how they look on the bike I think. They look the business, so you feel the business and I reckon that gives an edge to riding 🙂

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