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Lightweight wheels vs Aero wheels

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  • March 4, 2014 at 7:00 am #20858
    Miles253

    Now this age old debate is unlikely to be ended by this thread, but I might come away enlightened.

    So a few basics to begin with, I am 75 kg (usually a tad lighter) I have been looking at wheels from Soul and wheelsmith within their lightweight classes. I have sportive aspirations in the near future and racing in the slightly less near.

    At 1300g for a wheelset at about £400 that represents a lot of weight saving for the money, but is it with forgetting about weight and going for a rim with more depth for the aero benefit? Baring in mind that sportives tend to be hilly, am I going to see greater benefit for a lighter quicker spinning up wheel. Is like to hear from both sides of the fence if possible

    In case you want to have a look,

    Home


    http://www.wheelsmith.co.uk/race23

    Also if anyone has recommendations for other lightweight wheels or handbuilt wheels i would like to hear them, handbuilt all the way for value

    Thanks

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Viewing 8 replies - 16 through 23 (of 23 total)
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  • March 10, 2014 at 2:20 pm #778539
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    Tjuice

    Shep73 wrote:Obviously a

    Shep73 wrote:
    Obviously a light weight set of aeros won’t be any where near £400 and cheap ones will be fairly heavy compared to a decent set of hand built wheels.

    Agree in general principal that aeros are heavier than non, but the above statement is not quite true.

    My Planet X 50mm deep carbon wheelset was £400 and was ~1300g for the combined wheelset. I regard that as pretty light (e.g., Fulcrum Racing Zeros are >1400g).

    The compromises were that this was a tubular wheelset (could be seen as a positive by some), and the wheels are not laterally as stiff as other wheelsets at that price.

    March 6, 2014 at 12:05 pm #778537
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    Shep73

    I believe lightweight rims to
    I believe lightweight rims to be more advantageous on climbs over aero rims. Obviously a light weight set of aeros won’t be any where near £400 and cheap ones will be fairly heavy compared to a decent set of hand built wheels.

    Rode in a large group last sunday for the first time since getting mine and I was even more impressed with their performance. Others were easy pedalling and I could coast and still keep up with them on descents.

    Mavic Open Pro rims, Hope RS Mono hubs, DT Swiss SS spokes, 32RR cross/radial- 28 FRT radial. Not the lightest set in the world due to the spokes used but they are light where it matters and they roll like a dream. Also very responsive and stiff. I paid £325 all in for mine but I do get decent discounts at my lbs.

    March 6, 2014 at 8:16 am #778535
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    mrmo

    Miles253 wrote:
    @Mrmo, are

    Miles253 wrote:

    @Mrmo, are you saying that I am unlikely to feel the difference? Marginal gains and all that? I am looking for improved performance over my current wheels which are about 1600g

    Nothing to do with “performance” as such, just cautioning that having deep rims as an only set is probably not a good idea. Strong cross winds, such as we have been having for the last few months are not pleasant. The front wheel in particular will catch the wind and make for interesting handling!

    Yes there are benefits, just a matter of whether the benefits out way the downsides.

    Although where I live, Cotswolds, the 6% rule actually suggests that deep rims are probably not the way to go.

    March 6, 2014 at 4:35 am #778533
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    Miles253

    Well I live in Kent, so it’s
    Well I live in Kent, so it’s pretty hilly no matter the direction, naturally my club runs cover lots of hilly terrain too. So on paper a lightweight set makes sence but with so much information pointing to an advantage using aero equipment up until 6 percent it might be a more worthwhile investment.

    On the subject also, does anybody have any experience with lightweight wheels specifically? Are they more likely to wear out quickly in the rims or hubs or buckle under pressure than say, a 1500g pair ? That could also be an important factor for me.

    Simon E which wheels did you get in the end? And thank you for the links I shall do some searching around.

    @Mrmo, are you saying that I am unlikely to feel the difference? Marginal gains and all that? I am looking for improved performance over my current wheels which are about 1600g

    March 4, 2014 at 5:01 pm #778531
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    Tjuice

    There was a nice little
    There was a nice little thread on the same topic last week, which you might find interesting to get further points of view:
    http://road.cc/content/forum/112006-real-deal-deep-rims

    Might be worth trying the forum search function as well – I am pretty sure I have seen the topic come up a few times in various guises over the years.

    I paid ~£400 and got aero wheels with nice bearings that were just as light as the non-aero wheels I was considering. Yes, there are compromises, but they were right for me and I really feel like they are a material upgrade over the Fulcrum Racing 5s I had before.

    If you are doing most of your riding in a group, or doing plenty of climbing, I am not convinced deep section will give you much benefit.

    I do *most* of my riding solo, at speed, with only limited hills and like to compete in Duathlons, so I felt aero would suit me best.

    March 4, 2014 at 3:06 pm #778529
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    Simon E

    Aero trumps weight on all but
    Aero trumps weight on all but the steepest hills. Some numbers:
    http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40020&t=12619269&p=15290443

    If you’re not racing then I wouldn’t worry about the very small benefit either would bring. The benefit of lightweight / aero / fat rims is grossly exaggerated IMHO.

    If you just have to spend some money then pick a pair that takes your fancy and/or has some good reviews.

    March 4, 2014 at 2:31 pm #778527
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    mrmo

    what I would caution, deep
    what I would caution, deep wheels and side winds, if you have two sets of wheels fine. I wouldn’t want to be riding deep rims as an only option. I know a few people who have been caught out by strong cross winds, to the point the bike ers to unrideable.

    March 4, 2014 at 2:10 pm #778525
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    glynr36

    I use a set of aero wheels,
    I use a set of aero wheels, and a set of lighter (by around 200g) non aero.
    I’ve run them both on a few similar routes, similar-ish conditions.

    On the flatter rides, the aero have a bigger advantage.
    Hillier rides they still hold some advantage, just not as much though. Might be a little more work on the ups, but you gain more on the down and flats as well.

    If you go for something like the new generation of aero wheel, that are fatter so a shallower rim is more aero than a narrower deeper one (especially at yaw angles), in say a 38mm depth, you can pick up the Wheelsmiths which come in at just over 1400g, (at £740 not £400 though) you get a decent all rounder, doesn’t give too much of a weight penalty, and still has aero gains.

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