Stiff, Strong, Aero, Light Wheels what is best

[trek52]

I can get a second hand set of these ;Reynolds Stratus DV 46 UL Tubular what are your thoughts ?

 

[Bustedknuckle]

I have always bought Zipp built wheels. None of them ever arrived with spokes pulled through!

OK, I would hope if they gooned one up they wouldn't sent it to you but in the grand scheme of carbon rims, Zipp measures up poorly. Reynolds and Edge are the best there are right now. Zipp does a great job at marketing but perhaps they need to spend more money on engineering, less on the marketing department.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

I can get a second hand set of these ;Reynolds Stratus DV 46 UL Tubular what are your thoughts ?

Good choice. Make sure they're in decent condition, closely inspect the braking surface for abnormal or too much ware. Check the bonding at junction points around the rims to make sure it isn't delaminating anywhere. Spokes, nipples, spoke tension, trueness, hubs, bearings, etc. Maybe have a shop inspect them if you're not sure.

 

[trek52]

looks like these ones are 2-3 years old with Whyte Industries Hubs will that make a difference and are 16/20's

I really appreciate the support on this !!!

How much better would I be in getting set of zipps made up ?

One last one, I just found in the roof at home i have an old set of corima deep dish wheels, these must at least 10 years old. 24 spoke rear 20 spoke front, is there any point in getting these rebuild with non radial spoking or is the flex in these from the rim. I just rode the rear one around the block and man it has some flex....

 

[L29205]

Good choice. Make sure they're in decent condition, closely inspect the braking surface for abnormal or too much ware. Check the bonding at junction points around the rims to make sure it isn't delaminating anywhere. Spokes, nipples, spoke tension, trueness, hubs, bearings, etc. Maybe have a shop inspect them if you're not sure.

+1
For the money spent if you don't have a good truing stand and a good spoke tension gauge a qualified shop inspection is recommended. Cannot do that with Ebay and related but an auction is always a risk.

Most of the posts have focused on your requests for a light Aero wheel. I would ask the other posters a question. For the requester's weight and requirements of Crit racing and sprinting ability. Is the request the best for the rider? Would not a well build stiff rear wheel with little concern to aero concerns work best? Most crit's are pack races were drafting negates the aero effects of the wheel quite a bit. Rotating mass is a concern for sprinting out of the corners. Pack racing also means you don't get to choose the best line in the race. Therefore a obstacle on the pavement that you would normally be able to avoid is not avoidable. So should the rider in question be looking for the best, low mass, high stiffness wheel, with a proven durability and without a concern for aero?

Thoughts?

 

[trek52]

+1
For the money spent if you don't have a good truing stand and a good spoke tension gauge a qualified shop inspection is recommended. Cannot do that with Ebay and related but an auction is always a risk.

Most of the posts have focused on your requests for a light Aero wheel. I would ask the other posters a question. For the requester's weight and requirements of Crit racing and sprinting ability. Is the request the best for the rider? Would not a well build stiff rear wheel with little concern to aero concerns work best? Most crit's are pack races were drafting negates the aero effects of the wheel quite a bit. Rotating mass is a concern for sprinting out of the corners. Pack racing also means you don't get to choose the best line in the race. Therefore a obstacle on the pavement that you would normally be able to avoid is not avoidable. So should the rider in question be looking for the best, low mass, high stiffness wheel, with a proven durability and without a concern for aero?

Thoughts?

Interesting question, I look forward to the answers. My thoughts on an aero wheel is that I thought the deep dish wheels spun up quicker and help maintain speed ? I could be incorrect however. Would it be better to have a different rear to front ? Last night i got in a breakaway and thought the deep wheels would have been great and with an aero wheel are the spoken not shorter = stiffer.

I am on a lot of forums outside of cycling but this place is fantastic !!

 

[Bustedknuckle]

Interesting question, I look forward to the answers. My thoughts on an aero wheel is that I thought the deep dish wheels spun up quicker and help maintain speed ? I could be incorrect however. Would it be better to have a different rear to front ? Last night i got in a breakaway and thought the deep wheels would have been great and with an aero wheel are the spoken not shorter = stiffer.

I am on a lot of forums outside of cycling but this place is fantastic !!

Where the weight is on a rim/wheel does make a difference but it is teeny/tiny, insignificant. No real 'flywheel' effect either. But if you want an 'aero wheel, use one up front. The one is the rear is around a lot of disturbed air, from the frame and your legs so it's effect on aero-ness is much reduced.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

Interesting question, I look forward to the answers. My thoughts on an aero wheel is that I thought the deep dish wheels spun up quicker and help maintain speed ? I could be incorrect however. Would it be better to have a different rear to front ? Last night i got in a breakaway and thought the deep wheels would have been great and with an aero wheel are the spoken not shorter = stiffer.

I am on a lot of forums outside of cycling but this place is fantastic !!

The great thing about deep carbon wheels is they offer this great placebo effect to make you think that you're faster, when in fact it's all you, not your equipment. The real world advantages are barely braking the 1% value, despite what the mfg's claims are. Someone with more fitness is still going to out preform you in a race even if they were on a steel frame from 1992 with low pro wheels, and you're not going to catch them by doing upgrades.

The biggest noticeable difference I feel with deep carbon wheels is stiffness, even more so than the aero aspect. Aero means nothing unless you're at the front all day in a small break, or pulling the train at a solid 48kph. All the advancements in wheel tech are designed for pros who are looking for every advantage they can get. These finite advantages, IMHO, mean less at club level or amateur racing. No denying that deep carbon will make you look more racy though.

 

[rgmerk]

The great thing about deep carbon wheels is they offer this great placebo effect to make you think that you're faster, when in fact it's all you, not your equipment. The real world advantages are barely braking the 1% value, despite what the mfg's claims are. Someone with more fitness is still going to out preform you in a race even if they were on a steel frame from 1992 with low pro wheels, and you're not going to catch them by doing upgrades.

The biggest noticeable difference I feel with deep carbon wheels is stiffness, even more so than the aero aspect. Aero means nothing unless you're at the front all day in a small break, or pulling the train at a solid 48kph. All the advancements in wheel tech are designed for pros who are looking for every advantage they can get. These finite advantages, IMHO, mean less at club level or amateur racing. No denying that deep carbon will make you look more racy though.

Sure, the differences from aero are small and dwarfed by the differences between riders, it's a hell of a lot bigger contribution than weight, which really does make SFA difference unless you're climbing the Zoncolan. If spending big dough on aero is silly (and it probably is) how silly is spending thousands on ultra-light non-aero wheels, or brake calipers shaved from bits of solid unobtanium?

Look, if we were at all logical, we'd get our clubs to impose a weight limit of 7.5 kg and ban rims deeper than 32 mm or so from amateur crits. The racing would be just as fun and we'd all save a packet, particularly when we crash. But we're not, and spending on aero seems to me one of the less illogical ways to lighten one's wallet on bike bling.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

and spending on aero seems to me one of the less illogical ways to lighten one's wallet on bike bling.

Exactly why I built a set for myself.

 

[L29205]

When I first started racing crits in the mid 80's and continuing until the late 90's (still slip in to an amateur race for fun now and than), I decided on a policy of great hubs simply laced with good quality rims that could be replaced on a simple budget. While I worked for a shop at the time and one of the driving forces to my job selection was access to parts at cost and the mentors who taught me how to build wheels. Crits are hard on wheels, I have almost treated the rims as disposable. My average was a rebuild a year. Crits are to easy to get into trouble in, bad roads, frequent crashes, etc. Maybe it is just my position, but I would recommend a good quality mid priced custom built set from a good builder (less than $750 AU) it will get you a great performance and you will not be worried about the cost of replacing a 3K wheel set. After the cost of a set of reusable DT hubs, you have the occasional cost of replacing a spoke or maybe a flat spotted rim.

But this is all open for debate.