I've been given the green light from the mrs for some new wheels. $800 is the limit I'm comfortable spending, looking at Campag Eurus, Mavic Elite S or Shimano RS81.....An outside chance I considered some aero wheels like Prolite Bracciano A42 for $600, but they come in at 1800gms. Does anyone have experience with aero wheels? I'm concerned that the extra weight will just be too much of a hindrance as I live in an area with hills. Or should I just stick with a more regular wheel? Only considered aero look cos they look good!
New wheels - considering aero but not sure about weight penalty
- Thread starter booge
- Start date
Fulcrums are fabulous. Aero is way over-rated except for time trials. Not as comfy, heavy, blown around in cross-winds....
Areo is where it's at! I run ENVE 6.7s; they are light, quick to get rolling and you don't get blown around to much is heavy cross winds! I'm a strong sprinter so I can get them up to speed quickly and I find it easy to keep them at speed as opposed to a shallower rim...I should probably spend more time on the bike to make this easier though.
I have a used set of Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL wheels if you want them cheap :whistle:
Aero wheels are fantastic, and contrary to what a lot of neigh-sayers think, I find I don't get blown around at all. They are also stiffer, probably not as forgiving in that regard however when I mash the pedals I want to go forwards not noodle around.
I have 3 sets, 2 x sets of Zipp 404's, and the Carbone SL's - I can't imagine riding anything else.
Aero wheels are fantastic, and contrary to what a lot of neigh-sayers think, I find I don't get blown around at all. They are also stiffer, probably not as forgiving in that regard however when I mash the pedals I want to go forwards not noodle around.
I have 3 sets, 2 x sets of Zipp 404's, and the Carbone SL's - I can't imagine riding anything else.
Alo661
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Ugh, ENVE's...
Have fun when they come outa true. Also, don't ride them in the wet, the water just pools in the rims and leaves the nipple to sit in a nice water bath and corrode. Go to true it and the nipple snaps, and then the only thing you can do is cut the spoke in half and install a new one, god they are such a good design...
If you can average 35+ km/hr then aero wheels are kind of worth it. If you can't, don't bother wasting your money and get some lighter wheels to help you on the hills.
With your budget, go Fulcrum Racing 3's. They are the same as a campy eurus, expect they don't use the terrible G3 spoke lacing on the rear and replacing a spoke is far less expensive. If you can stretch your budget abit, go Racing 1's. No point buying campy wheels unless you really want the wank factor of having campy written on them.
Aero wheels save one minute over 40 ks in an Olympic distance tri. I had a pair of zipp 440s that we're great in 40 k time trials, sure, but a/ you're not doing time trials b/ you're in hills.
Go light! I agree they look cool, but my racing zeros with ceramic bearings shit on anything in the hills. And my zipp 440s were light.
By "racing zeros" I assume you mean Fulcrum?
I am in the market for a nice set of shallow rims for hills riding. Thinking about RS80 as I can get them used cheap. But I really want some WH9000 dura ace cl24's
In answer to the OP... Aero wheels around the 1500gram mark is where you want to be. They are great for flats rides. It's not so much the overall weight but the aero shape and the weight is on the outer edge of the rim. When doing sustained speeds they begin to act like a gyro and holding a consistent 36kph plus is definitely less taxing on the legs.
Get a nice used set if need be. I bought a great set of Cosmic Carbone sl for $400. On the flats I hate being without them.
MTB Wanabe
Likes Dirt
My recommendation is, as you will be mainly doing hills, is to focus more on the weight than the aero. I would suggest something with sealled bearing hubs(typically lighter than cup and cone systems), aero spokes, and rims with a 30mm-40mm deep aero profile. If your looking at alloy rims, don't go over 30mm as they start to get heavy but carbon rims you can go up to about 40mm with not too much of a weight penalty but still getting a bit of aero advantage.
The other thing to consider is, if you are doing hills and you get carbon rims, is the potential for the rim to over heat during braking. Some are more prone to it than others but still something to consider.
Stiffness in the wheels is also important because if the wheel is flexing around then not all of your power is getting to the ground. So ensure that the wheels are appropriate for your weight and power output. No point in getting a 1200g set of 16/20 carbon wheels if your a 100kg+ powerhouse sprinter.
What I'm going to build for myself is a lightweight set of wheels for doing endurance, hill events, such as the 3 Peaks in Victoria. Sealled bearing hubs, DT Swiss Aerolite, alloy nipples and 28/32 hole Stans Alpha 400 rims. Heaps stiff and durable due to the high spoke count but quite light due to the very light rim. I went with the 400 as opposed to the 340 as my weight ranges from 80-85g so I wanted a bit more stiffness in the rim. These will come in about 1550g with skewers. I could of dropped the spoke count to 24/28 but I considered the extra stiffness and durability offered by having the extra spokes out weighs the extra 35g in spokes.
The other thing to consider is, if you are doing hills and you get carbon rims, is the potential for the rim to over heat during braking. Some are more prone to it than others but still something to consider.
Stiffness in the wheels is also important because if the wheel is flexing around then not all of your power is getting to the ground. So ensure that the wheels are appropriate for your weight and power output. No point in getting a 1200g set of 16/20 carbon wheels if your a 100kg+ powerhouse sprinter.
What I'm going to build for myself is a lightweight set of wheels for doing endurance, hill events, such as the 3 Peaks in Victoria. Sealled bearing hubs, DT Swiss Aerolite, alloy nipples and 28/32 hole Stans Alpha 400 rims. Heaps stiff and durable due to the high spoke count but quite light due to the very light rim. I went with the 400 as opposed to the 340 as my weight ranges from 80-85g so I wanted a bit more stiffness in the rim. These will come in about 1550g with skewers. I could of dropped the spoke count to 24/28 but I considered the extra stiffness and durability offered by having the extra spokes out weighs the extra 35g in spokes.
c3024446
Likes Bikes and Dirt
It’s approx an extra 100gm per wheel for a 50mm deep clincher with alloy braking surface over a normal alloy clincher. My rides are usually 50km with 400m of climbing, with mostly flat sections but some short (1km, 8%) sharpish hills. If I could get 2-3kmph on the flats, surely this 200gm increase on the hills would be negligible? It would be increasing me and bike weight from 98kg to 98.2, this is nothing right?........
scblack
Leucocholic
I have Campagnolo Shamal wheels, the twins of your Fulcrums (as Campag own Fulcrum). They are RIDE magazines favourite wheelset and as far as I'm concerned you cannot go past them. On Ribble from the UK the Shamals are listed for AUD$960. Fulcrum Racing Zeros slightly more.
They weigh just 1425gm, and are a mid aero rim, meaning not super deep but not just a slim rim either.
Great all-round wheels.
Truing is easy, its just a matter of pulling the tire off. I ride mine in the wet and haven't had a problem with them retaining water. Also, all ENVE's are now built with an ENVE Brass nipple not SAPIM alloy nipple, as they have been done in the past.
Alo661
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Except it's weight on the outside of the wheel, rotational weight. 1 gram saved around the rim weight roughly equates to 3 grams everywhere else on the bike. So your 200g increase is more like a 600g increase when climbing. Given your body weight, aero wheels wouldn't make much difference as a percentage change. Go aero if you feel it'll increase your STRAVA times....
Hiding the nipples is just generally a terrible idea, doesn't matter if they are alloy or brass, once water gets in, it'll pool and corrode. Would ride Chinese carbon rims over ENVE wheels purely for that fact.
Last edited:
Except at 40 km/h it's less than 1 km/h.
One minute quicker doing 40 km time trial at average of 40.
c3024446
Likes Bikes and Dirt
This is the kinda thing i was after. Negligible benefit for a social rider like me, except they look cool. Have always wanted to give them a go, but I could spend the $600 or so on something else. I'l put it towards my new shed
It's a pity they look cool, I'm always lusting after zipp 404s but $2500 buys a whole MTB secondhand!This is the kinda thing i was after. Negligible benefit for a social rider like me, except they look cool. Have always wanted to give them a go, but I could spend the $600 or so on something else. I'l put it towards my new shed
How is it different from non hidden spokes? The water can still get in.
Look at the problems Roval have had with their MTB wheels? Using Alloy Nipples they don't even have to have contact with water and the nipple head corrodes then pulls through the rim.