Wheelsets- So many options

What are you looking to gain through the purchase of new wheels?

Odds are that new $100-$150 wheels won't add much beyond what you already have.

I guess I ll answer that with another question: What CAN I gain from new wheels?  Lets say The sky is the limit?  Will spending a fortune on wheels buy me anything? 

Honestly, I would like them to look cool... beyond that, Im not sure I even know how wheels could help me much.  

I have searched the forums for "The most bang for your buck" and it seems peole agree on aerobars.  SInce I have a tri bike, but I am just a beginner... Im looking for the next step.  Im typically a sprint athlete... Im in good shape, but I don't train year round.  I would like to improve on my past times.  Looking for an edge (apart form more training). 

 

If you buy deep rim (>40-50mm) wheels you gain an aerodynamic advantage, but even that isn'tmuch   (like 90 seconds over a 40K time trial). Some wheels will be lighter than others, but over nearly all triathlon courses that weight savings is immaterial.Some wheelsets will claim to be "stiffer," but again performance gains will be insignificant.

Not a whole lot of "bang for the buck" to be found. Riding significantly more than 600 miles per year will do a lot more to improve on your past times. 

So what about coolness... ?

Nothing looks cooler than a fast cyclist going fast.

If you really want the next step and are looking for bang for the buck, wheelsets are not the way to go.  Aero helmets are, for most, as long as you stay aero.  Here is a good article:

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/features/aero_helmet.shtml

Training more, like Bear says, will give you the most bang for the buck overall, but if you just *have* to get something, which I understand, an aerohelmet is way more cost-effective than wheels.

I'm not an expert - so these observations are that - just my observations from riding.

I got some Ksyrium Elites for christmas. I put them on an 09 Specialized Allez Sport. Riding with a friend who has the exact same bike with the stock rims (mavic CXP22) I noticed a difference in speed going down hill off of a coast. We would get at equal and coast and I would move ahead. Same with when he would be ahead of me and start pedaling, I noticed I could continue to coast and move up a bit towards him. So, a combination of the hubs and total wheel maybe? I'd say yes, especially the hub compaed to what I had. I could feel the difference being smoother when hand turning it when the lbs installed them.

I guess you lose a little weight as well, but how much does that add to overall performance?

I was like you - looking to upgrade bike, and I knew one area was wheel sets. I looked around on the net, read some info, talked to my LBS, mentioned something to my wife but thought I would have a hard time justifying the cost of wheels and left it at that...and they end up under the tree!

And, I sure do like the look of my wheels! and it helps me stay in the bike longer rather than get itchy for a new one.

Edited by barelfly 2010-01-04 6:23 PM

Like most sport equipment there's a decaying exponential curve when you look at the benefit you get from gear vs the money you put into it.  Going from a 32 spoke wheelset the costs $100 to a lighter, more aero wheelset for $900 is going to give you much more of a gain than if you were going from a $900 set to a $2000 set.  You start getting a smaller return on investment for your dollar.

Like Bear said, $100-150 isn't going to give you much gain over the set you probably have (without actually knowing what you have).  But jumping up to a $600-900 set will make a noticeable difference if you're on an older 32 spoke set. 

The rim weight will be lighter so you'll have less rotational weight, which will make pedaling easier, especially if you ride in hilly/mountainous terrain.  This is where I found the most benefit going from an 8 year old 32 spoke set to a cheaper (but new) 20/24 spoke.

Flat spokes cut through the air better, but they also catch more wind if you've got a cross wind compared to round spokes.  I know some people that stick with round spokes because they live and ride in areas with fairly constant high winds.  I have flat spokes and ride with them without a problem though, it's just their personal choice whether anyone agrees with them or not.  But I'd venture to say that most aftermarket wheelsets you'll find will be bladed spokes now and you'd probably have to search harder to find a higher end set with round spokes compared to bladed.

Hubs make a difference, but I'll leave that up to someone else to compare who has more experience.  But I have felt the difference with a good ceramic bearing hub and I'll probably be laying out the extra cash for them on my next set of wheels.  They are just so smooth and quiet... and I'm a gear .

oh, and if you give us more info on your current setup people might chime in with suggestions on affordable wheels that isn't overkill for the bike.  If the bike is old enough it might be worth spending $1500-1800 on a new bike that would have better wheels anyway instead of spending $600 on just wheels, even if it take an extra few months or a year to get that bike.

Could also be differences in weight/aerodynamics of the riders. Yeah, you'll get smoother rolling with better hubs, but every bit of data I've seen quantifies this as minuscle in the scheme of things.

I don't personally have experience with one yet, but I do plan on buying it soon. I know some people on here have recommended the wheelbuilder.com rear disc covers that basically convert your rear spoked wheel into a disc. They are $90 pre-cut for your wheel and will give you the advantage of a disc wheel (except weighing a little more) without spending tons of money.

It's what I plan on doing until I can afford a Hed 3 front and a Zipp sub-9 rear when I win the lottery. 

Mid-way through the summer last year, I upgraded my stock bontrager rims by adding a disc cover to the rear and swapping in a Zipp 1080 for the front of the bike.  Call it whatever you want...coincidence, luck, mental...whatever you want, but...I got faster immediately.  On my normal 15 and 20 mile training routes, I gained approximately .3 - .5 mph average speed.

The wheel builder disc cover works very well....and looks pretty cool too!

Just adding some real life experience info for you to consider.

*** SORRY***
Im currently on a 54 cm Fuji Aloha.  It has full Ultegra components, except for the brakes (Shimano 105).  The wheels are MAVIC 650c Open Pro.  It seems like they have 1000 round spokes.  The hubs are Shimano Ultegra.  I dont know what the tires are, but its time to replace those for sure.

Edited by chandy14ski 2010-01-04 7:29 PM

Forgive ignorance here.  I have never researched this.  Why would one only make their rear wheel aero.  I have seen this in Kona (on tv), but never thought much of it...

yes - true. however, I never really pulled away from him side by side the way I did this weekend prior to having the new wheelset. so, however minuscle, there was some difference.

Someone smarter than me should chime in about this, but...

I believe people don't run discs on the front because of crosswinds will have a greater effect when they are hitting your steering wheel instead of the rear.

If you go to Zipp's or Hed's websites, they have recommendations on the wheel that will give you the most benefit based on your average speed and the usual wind conditions you ride in.

Since you're on 650c wheels, you might be able to get a good deal on a rear disk or other aero wheelset on ebay. As 650 wheels become less common, even on smaller bikes, lots of people are unloading their old wheelsets when they get new bikes with 700c wheels.

I'm noy as convinced that a wheel cover is a great idea. I bought one custom cut for a cosmic carbone. I was no faster. I would have sold it on e-bay but would have felt a little guilty if the buyer was not happy. They are gathering dust at my house

Did you test with a powermeter or simply based on speed?

Shane

... will they fit a 650 c wheel?


Edited by chandy14ski 2010-01-05 8:41 AM

IMHO the Open Pro / Ultegra combo is a good wheelset.
The only things an upgrade will give you are more aero rims or lighter rims.  TO get real aero (and not go with a trispoke), you'll have to change your break pads too - carbon rims need different pads, assuming the braking surface is carbon.

A Zipp 1080 will supposedly save you 90 seconds over 40km.  According to Hed, it makes between 100g and 130g of drag, depending on the yaw angle.
A disc will supposedly save you 104 seconds over 40km.  A properlly cut and installed cover will do the same for under $100.

I love wheels....  That is all.

I have the open pro with ultegra hubs and they are great