Aero wheels - fairings for lighter riders (Page 2)

HAHAHA!!  Can you help me out a bit......I started backwards and went through 3 pages and haven't found anyone at 150 yet......I'm not going through all 56 pages.

This is all just a variation on the myth that you must go X mph to benefit from a disc (or whatever aero item you want).

And yes there are times where someone tests worse with a particular piece of gear.  But that doesn't extend to the general case.

Yeah, that thread is a hotbed of cycling beasts but here are a few I found.

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=3500017#3500017

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=3521098#3521098

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=3849926#3849926

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=3916919#3916919

LOL - I wouldn't even know what that number is.  What I know is what I've seen with new/inexperienced riders.  With more information it appears that the OP doesn't fit into that category....so I have no idea if it would be worth her dime or not....or if money even matters to her.  In the end everybody spends what they want.  I'm glad there are bike shops that won't just push deep wheels on anyone who wants them.

I'll stick to what I've said so far.  Deep dish wheels won't necessarily make a new rider faster.  Learn to ride better first, learn to train smarter second, look for "free" speed last.  There are no shortcuts.

You can do all those things at the same time.  But for someone not sure about buying expensive race wheels... try them out on a rental first.  That's the safest bet if you're not sure about handling / speed / value for the money.

All else equal, deep dish wheels WILL make a new rider faster*.  The problem is that they may change how that rider rides.  If they result in sitting up more often or riding tentatively due to cross winds then the gain could easily be negated.

* may not be anything significant, but it will be faster.  Climbing mountains (not hills, mountains) may be the exception.

Here is a slippery one. http://forum.slowtwitch.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=4274557#4274557

I won't argue that.......but look at any race.....plenty don't.  And telling people that they will be faster when they buy deep dish wheels is just not right IMO.  I like the bike shop guy.

Ah.....so now you want to add position too.....now we're getting somewhere.

Deep wheels are a very small piece of the puzzle.  Bang for your buck is relatively low.

I don't think anyone is arguing with that.  Most people learning how to ride a bike have no desire to go faster anyway and ride the brakes way too much out of fear or simply being uncomfortable.  One could argue that buying an electric bike may not make a novice rider any faster if they aren't willing to use the motor for increased speed, or that increased speed has them end up in a bush.

Jason - follow me around some weekend and look at all of the 10-15 year old kids riding deep dish wheels......then tell me how nobody is arguing what I wrote.  It's insanity......and it's the same insanity when an adult who can't ride buys them.  Obviously, with more information the OP does not fall into that category. But I sure wish more bike shop folks leaned toward the guy who gave her advice.  That's all.  I don't want to hear about how deep dish wheels "make you faster".....that just leaves WAY too much out of the equation.....and it's the whole equation that people need to understand.

Yes, I fully agree that the whole picture needs to be considered, but I'm not sure why you are so quick to defend the LBS when you don't know if they took the whole picture in to begin with.  You are throwing out examples of people who can't handle their bike, when clearly the OP can.  

The OP said that the LBS doesn't sell deep wheels to lighter riders.  That logic by itself is false.  There are tons of pro and Cat1 cyclists that are lighter than the OP who can put down more power or ride faster than anyone on this forum.  Would you back up the LBS in saying they should not sell deep wheels to Nairo Quintana because he's too light?  How do we know that the LBS was not making their statement to the OP based on a logical fallacy or if they were indeed taking the whole equation into consideration.

It is up to the OP to decide whether or not she wants to invest in deep wheels given her situation, but I think most of the people replying are making sure she is informed of the reasons why she should/shouldn't purchase race wheels are not solely dependent on her weight.

Quintana. Currently 3rd in the TdF.

Originally posted by mtnbikerchk

Originally posted by brigby1

Haha. Randee, I think you're looking at a whole array instead of trying to isolate aero vs not. And think you'd be fine with at least lower profile aero rims. Don't know you'd want the 80mm ones I use in windy conditions though even though I've been fine. There is the possibility of mixing sizes too. Like 40 front and 60 rear. The front is the one that affects handle, and by a considerable margin. Could still stay with the basics if that still makes you nervous, or if mixing sizes will mess with the appearance too much!

I've never tried them so I don't know how they handle! The only thing that makes me nervous is buying the "dash saddle" of wheels

That someone from last time will take the blame for this too! 

The borrowing or renting suggestion is not a bad idea either.

bwaaaahahahahah!!  You guys crack me up.  Let's not use elite triathletes as an example of anything for AG'ers... but let's use TdF riders as an example of what is true for the rest of us in cycling.  

Got it.

And by the same token, lets assume anyone who is light doesn't know how to ride their bike.  

Yeah, let's put all these kids on an 808 with a super 9. That's exactly what was said.

Rinny's bike from last year. A 404 and an 808, so a 58mm up front and about 80 mm in the rear. Rinny is small, but also powerfully built. Badmann has a more slight build and has used various deep wheels too. Many pro women aren't going to be much (if any) heavier than the 128. Even the taller Leanda Cave could be close to that. One should never use something simply because a pro uses it, be it a training method or equipment choice or other such things. That's the argument often used for pushing some training practices, but it's always prudent to check for the individuals situation to see how well it actually fits. In the case of the equipment selection here the original statement was quite different. It was for people of a type to not use something at all as opposed to everyone should be using it. The use of the higher level riders was only to show that it could very well be done, however, that same prudence should be used here as well in seeing if that choice will work well for another individual. Is their skill level still sufficient to handle things in the more adverse conditions? Maybe. Maybe not. Many triathletes probably are better off not using an 80 mm front wheel like I do. I'm somewhat bigger, have more cycling experience and am more willing to push that. I might not go quite that deep if I was expecting to face Kona force winds either though. But there are multiple steps down from that between basic box rims and the deepest sections to be considered as well.