Race wheels advantage

When I switch from my training wheels with Gatorskins, to my race wheels (H3 front, Renn disc) with Michelin Pro4's I see about +1 mph increase.

Lots and lots of variables involved, so without access to a wind tunnel there's not way to put an exact number on it.

I even think there's a bit of a placebo effect where you ride faster, just because you think you should be riding faster.

The biggest aero advantage I see on a regular basis is when I go from my hoods to my aerobars - I have to shift up one gear to keep my cadence steady.

Mark

If you can't consistently avg. at least 20 mph I wouldn't bother (yes, I kinwo that's not the greatest measure but it means something to people without a lot of experience).....the advantage vs. cost is way out of wack....there are plenty of cheaper/better ways to make your and your bike more aero/efficient.

I'd say aero wheels make around a 0.3-0.4 mph difference alone on your typical triathlon course.  Add a good pair of race tires and latex tubes and it's a little closer to 1 full mph.

Aerodynamics and rolling resistance impact riders at all speeds.  20 mph average is 2:48 for a HIM and 5:36 for a full IM...those are very much above average speeds for those distances and would the benefits of aero wheels over a standard box rim would be minutes.  Likely around 2-4 minutes for a HIM and 4-8 minutes for a full IM. 

Assuming you have a finite amount of money to spend, I will agree that wheels are not your best bang for your buck.  It's become a little more affordable recently, but labeling an average speed threshold to making aero wheels worth it is wrong.  It's more dependent on how much money you have to spend rather than how fast you currently are.

Considering 85% of drag comes from the rider, not the bike, making the bike slicker isn't really going to be that measurable in terms of speed increases.  Aero gear isn't going to slow you down, but it's a very marginal improvement and no one should expect any miracles from it alone.

At the end of the day, it's still all about the engine.  Building a bigger engine is always going to be the most effective way to get faster.

But all that aero stuff does look cool...

Mark

Not if what you are asking is if the speed gain from where you currently are is worth it.....especially if you include the speed you are currently riding at.

What is probably closer to the truth than any of us want to admit is that if you have to ask the question regarding the benefits of race wheels relative to your riding......you're not ready and won't see near as much gain as you might think from reading these boards.

And they need to do more kick sets!

I don't know about all that.  And Leego , Jason, etc, know more/care more about bike aero dynamics than I do......but I know how many people can't ride at all and have $1500-2500 race wheel sets.  What the new people need to know is that it really doesn't make them that much faster.....spend your money on computrainer sessions if you're just dying to spend money to get faster.

I would say it more like spend on training method/development first, and then look for equipment such as this with what's left over. There isn't really a minimum speed for the aero to be worth it and sometimes there can be situations where it can be beneficial to spend the bit more for the aero. This can be kind of blended together at times too, such as having a bike that can easily be ridden in the aero position. The position and ability in it develops over time. Wheels can be put on at any time. Some people just have the money & desire to do all this fairly quick and there isn't really an issue with that.

Correct...I think everyone's replies illustrate just that...that wheels do not make you that much faster.  I quoted 0.3-0.4 mph for my own experiences above.  I hope that gives realistic expectations for the amount of money that can be invested in wheels.  Granted, my current setup for tris cost me around $550 (used 404 front and a disc cover) so it doesn't have to be in the $1500-2500 range if you don't want it to be.

There are lots of better ways to spend money for speed improvements instead of wheels...just trying to illustrate though that the barrier to the wheel market is not determined by your current average speed, but more the size of your wallet and how many of the other speed investments you have currently exhausted.  There are a lot of female pros that do everything they can to get faster, yet still can't average 20 mph for a tough IM bike course like Lake Placid or Wisconsin.  I'm pretty sure they are justified in using aero wheels though...no?

I understand your point and agree with you.  I see race after race of people who would be better off on road bikes due to their current fit or refusal to use their aerobars.  I just felt like stirring the pot with the kicking comment.

Beats me.  I think most people are better off with the lightest wheels they can find on a course like that.....but that's probably old school learning at this point.  I see quite a few folks, though, who can spin up lighter wheels a lot easier and better than they can deep aero wheels.  Again.....you guys probably have the "studies" to prove otherwise, I just know what I see....and I doubt deep aero wheels are the best choice for every course.

So, would you not agree that someone who is well trained will get more benefit (speedwise) in aero equipment than someone who is not? (unless that's what you were already saying and I didn't follow well).  How about if we take someone with no cycling training and  put them on a bike with no aero upgrades, then give them a bike with all the goodies......same improvement in s/km?

You are all missing the point. Aero wheels looks awesome. Therefore, they are worth it.

/thread.

also they do make you faster. If that is your goal, then you should probably get them if you can afford it. Seems simple enough to me.

If you apply the math, aero almost always trumps weight in a non draft legal race unless the descents are so technical that you need to apply the brakes and can't take advantage of the aerodynamic benefits.  There are many different sites that can apply the math for your like analyticcycling, bestbikesplit, cyclingpowerlab, etc.  

There are lots of elites that use a deep front and a disc rear at Savageman because aero still trumps weight.  The reason why someone looks like they are spinning up a hill easy has very little to do with wheel weight and more to do with pure fitness.  The added weight of deep wheels is less then the weight of a full water bottle.  If someone was struggling up a hill and suddenly tossed a full water bottle off their bike, I'd highly doubt you'd see them start to suddenly spin up the hill with less effort.