advantage of deep section rims for slower riders

@Diggery, having upgraded from shallow alloy rims to 50mm carbon rims my anecdotal evidence would suggest that climbing is no slower (possibly because the carbon rims are lighter; I don't climb fast enough for aero to make any difference) and that descending and flat riding are significantly faster and that speed is easier to maintain. I'd also suggest (anecdotally) that different rims enhance different aspects of this. I've had narrower carbon rims and wider carbon rims, some in a more modern aero shape than others and, again anecdotally, the more modern, blunter-shaped, wider rims seem faster than the older, narrower ones. That's just my feeling. Hope it helps! Oh, BTW, if you're on rim-brakes, make sure to get wheels with good braking surfaces. I've had Token wheels before and while they felt fast, their braking performance was rubbish. I've also had Prime wheels and they didn't feel as fast as the Tokens but the braking performance was significantly better.

Thanks a lot for the feedback!
I'm looking at the Prime 50mm black edition as they seem good for the money, lighter and more aero than the cheaper ones.

I'll happily settle for slower climbing wheels in exchange for 'flow' and speed on rolling undulating flats and fast downhills of which there are plenty. If the wider rim gives grip and comfort too it's a winner.

I just wanted to feel a difference for the cash!

Well, I made a purchase so if nothing else, my bike will look cool this summer!

PRSboy wrote:

I would be interested to see actual real-world evidence; on a given day, a rider could cycle a short loop with minimal traffic and junctions at a steady, say, 200 watts, on both sets, and see what the difference is in segment time.  Hardly perfect, but to me more meaningful than the nonsense trotted out in wheel company 'white papers'.

GCN do those type of tests and they always show an advantage to aero wheels.  

pablo wrote:

But let's be honest the look cool that's why we buy them. 

and depending on the rim, they can sound quite good as well.

one benefit of OP going to a shallower depth rim may be that it might have a wider rim section, improving comfort.

My understanding was that the aerodynamics became more important than weight at much lower speeds. Weight saving was most important on steep hills and when accelerating, whereas aero gains were greater at most speeds and at more constant speeds (i.e. when not rapidly accelerating).

I guess the balance between aero and weight will vary according to individual circumstances too - and whether either is very significant in the context of the OP's level of riding I'd be a bit sceptical.

You only benefit from weight savings over aero benefit on a ride with average gradient over 6%, i.e. for most of us pretty much never.  Maybe for hill climb TT's, that's pretty much it.

Remember you're talking maybe a couple of hundred grams, most of us could easily lose ten times that from our bodyweight!

Aero benefits are far more important than weight, in nearly all circumstances except for very steep climbs.  There's loads of research out there, much of it independent, and now you can get decent aero rims which are 1,500 grams, it's not really an either or thing.  

Finally, most contemporary aero rims are fine in cross winds.  My son is only 70kg, and is riding 55mm rims in all weathers.

The difference between 38mm and 32mm will be indiscernible speed-wise. The benefit you'll get from the shallower rim is more stability in crosswinds. 

Hey @Davman, I'd suggest that deeper rims will make you faster. I've had Prime RR50s before now and the weren't the fastest but I'd imagine they'd be faster than 38s. I'd also suggest that the more 'modern' shape of the Prime Black Edition rims might make them faster.

I replaced my ageing 58mm FFWDs with a set of Cero 35mm wheels. I get most of the aero benefits of running deeper sections, lighter wheels and they're better suited to the terrain in the Surrey Hills, North Downs and Hampshire.

So in the 2 hours it takes me to ide to the cafe with my friend i will save about 3 and a half minutes.  Except I wont because we ride together having a chat and enjoying the ride and so we get to the cafe at exactly the same time.  Give me light wheels any day, they make the bike feel better and because I dont race any longer I would prefer my bike to feel nice and responsive to ride (that way I can fool myself that I am still fast and nimble).

Of course, if you race or ride on your own and those few minutes are important to you then go aero.

So rather than taking an actual improvement, you'll imagine one on the basis of weight.

I'm not getting at you in particular, I just find it amusing that so many cyclists still obsess over weight when the facts show us it's less important than aerodynamics, especially given that most of us could probably lose the weight of an average road bike, and be much faster fitter and healthier as a result.

But no, we'll obsess over shaving a couple of hundred grams from our wheelset and maybe 50 off our saddle or bars etc.  And responsiveness?  Sorry, I'm not buying that anybody can discern a difference in responsiveness in a bike with a lightweight wheelset which is 300 grams less than an aero set.

I didnt think for a minute that you were getting at me, I am just saying that for the type of riding I do now (heart condition, almost 60 years of age) there isnt any improvement, real or imaginary, for me buying deep section rims, I will get to the tea stop at the same time as my friend regardless of what I ride.  I may get there using slightly less energy on deep section wheels but it will not be noticable or make the difference to me winning a sprint at the end of the ride home.  I accept that these are factors for people who race but for most of us I dont think it makes a real difference.  I am not obsessed with weight (I know where i can shed 6 kg before i worry about a few hundred gramms on my wheels) but what i do like now is a bike which feels nice to ride and when i go out on my own i am not bothered if the ride takes me 2 hours or 1 hour 57 minutes.

But your bike will look sooo much cooler!

I guess it depends whether you are stronger than your friend, or he is stronger than you.

If he is easing back to ride at your pace, then you will get there faster. If you are already riding within yourself to stick together than saving energy will only reduce calcories burned, not really what anyone is after

You won't get there any quicker but you will potentially use less energy to do so