Wheel Swap Out

[cawright1375]

I'm curious as to when others on here that have a dedicated set of winter wheels and a set of summer wheels swap them out. I live in New Hampshire and while spring has been slow to come, we appear to hopefully be out of the woods in regards to bad weather. Then again it did snow on April 1st. The summer wheels are Bontrager Aeolous 5.0 and the winter wheels are Mavic Ksyriums (sp?). The areo wheels were new last June so by then there was no snow left around or even the threat of snow and the resultant salt/ dirt mixtures that get thrown onto the road.

So I was thinking of swapping out the wheels in a couple of weeks, but was also thinking that maybe I could do it sooner.

Thoughts?

 

[JayKosta]

In 'upstate NY' (Binghamton area) there is still a lot of grit & dirt on the roads.
I did 30m on Sunday using my balloon tire cruiser and didn't need to worry.

I'll wait for more rain to clear the winter debris from the roads before I go out on tubulars, or narrow clinchers.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

 

[BrindSurch]

unless you are racing there is really no point using expensive carbon wheels so if i was you i would leave the mavics in all year for training....

 

[cawright1375]

unless you are racing there is really no point using expensive carbon wheels so if i was you i would leave the mavics in all year for training....

And what leave a set of expensive wheels just lying around?

You ever ride carbon wheels? They are so much better than traditional wheels in terms of comfort and speed. High end gear need not be the purview of those who race. With your logic, someone who doesn't race shouldn't have a carbon frame, run dura-ace, red or record gruppo.

I ride a lot and got these wheels after being able to demo carbon wheels several years previously. After the demo ride of 60+ miles I was hooked and as soon as the opportunity arose, I got a set. I don't race. So what?

Why is it that inevitably there will be someone who feels the need to offer up their opinion, when that opinion is not pertinent to the discussion?

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

I roll out on my carbon wheels for special events or races only. Totally pointless in so many ways to train on expensive carbon wheels.

 

[oldborn]

I am racing on Zonda for 400 euros, and Boonen train on Zonda

I love those wheels and i spare them in winter, but i am around 70kg anyway. In winter i train on old Mavic open pro, and Rigida.
I am just preparing to swap them now.
I am buying/planing for some really deep carbon tubulars, then i would also train on Zonda as Boonen do.

 

[brianf7]

Snow what is that is it the stuf they put on Christmas cards!

Winter in Oz is not so bad we race all year road in winter and crits and track in Summer .

I would never train on carbon wheels they go into a wheel bag after the race and only come out for cleaning .
Use lively wheels for training save the carbons for a race unless you have heaps of money or a sponsor who will buy new ones every 6 months.

 

[Notso Swift]

Ditto, carbons can be used anytime... to race. Being first to a coffee doesn't really prove anything.
Now if the OP wants bling then that is fine as well, but if that is the case what we say is irrelevant, except I would urge you to buy a second set of shallow tubs and fit a wider winter tyre on them, 25mm conti gators or 24mm Vittoria pave

 

[ergmonkey]

Come on, guys, I train on my carbon 808's...

...for an hour the day before important events to make sure that my carbon-specific brake pads are properly aligned and that my chain still matches up well with the rear wheel cassette.

 

[LugHugger]

I think that the OP has received the pertinent wisdom of the CN forum

 

[cawright1375]

I think that the OP has received the pertinent wisdom of the CN forum

Well I wouldn't neccessarily call it wisdom...

Rather it would seem as though perhaps I shouldn't ride a Madone because I don't race. I repeat I don't race, I just ride for the fun of it and I like to go fast. The mileage I rack up each year is also a lot, which means I like to be comfortable on the bike. A high end carbon frame, seatpost, stem, bars and wheeels help in all of this.

I also SHOCK, HORROR, ride the Madone outside in the winter in New England. I'm not afraid of dirt or road salt treatments to remove ice and snow. And I've had the bike, with the current gruppo (Dura-Ace) since 2006, and nothing bad has happened as a result.

If you are passionate about something and have the funds why not spoil yourself? And I have to admit to a bit of vanity when it comes to the wheels because they look really good with the frame. If I trained to race then maybe I'd consider not riding them in the summer, but I don't train to race, I ride to ride.

There is a guy who I ride once a year with on the way up to a charity event in Maine - The Trek Across Maine. He doesn't race, he just loves to ride and financially has the time to ride a lot and spend a lot on his passion. He has a nice Storck frame, runs Di2 and has Edge carbon aero wheels, his set-up probably cost more than some of our cars did new. So what you all are saying is that he shouldn't ride this because he doesn't race?

Anyway, thanks for the opinions that didn't really answer the question. I'm surprised this also didn't turn into an I hate Lance thread.

 

[ergmonkey]

I think our comments had less to do with whether you race and more to do with the relative inconvenience of training on deep-section carbon tubulars.

By your own logic, though, since you have no issues--financial or otherwise--using all of your other trick equipment year-round, why don't you just use your carbon non-race wheels year round, too?

Now, to pretend to take your original question seriously: a good time to switch over might be when you can look out the window and see that nearly all of the winter road grime/salt/sand/debris/etc. has been washed away by the first batches of real spring rain storms.

 

[ergmonkey]

I'll also point out that a very expensive carbon road frame and/or high-end groupset shouldn't be ill-suited to regular or even daily use. Both should hold up quite well. Thus, while it may be a little extravagant in the eyes of some, I don't see any especially compelling reason not to use such equipment routinely where cost is little or no object.

The same cannot be said of most deep-section carbon tubular wheelsets. Such equipment legitimately can be said to be ill-suited to daily training/riding. That is why the OP has received most of the responses he/she found to be off-topic or unresponsive. The reason is not because racers feel like being snobbish towards non-racers or that there is something categorically objectionable about using expensive equipment for non-racing applications.

 

[Notso Swift]

Anyway, thanks for the opinions that didn't really answer the question. I'm surprised this also didn't turn into an I hate Lance thread.

What you have a Madone, if I had of known that! LOL

I stand by what I said, if you want the bling (and I also said there is nothing wrong with that) then there is no problem using Tubs with good wide tyres and a bit of puncture slime
As a bonus, if you get the Vittoria Pave every one who is in the know will recognise that distinctive green colour

 

[fatsprintking]

I am interested that you want to use the carbon wheels because they are comfortable.

Most people reserve carbon wheels for racing because they are stiff and responsive as well as the aero advantage and weight.

Most people find a box sections rim like an open pro to be the most comfortable. The higher spoke count means the need for less tension in each spoke and a box section rim is obviously less stiff than a deep section carbon rim.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

I am interested that you want to use the carbon wheels because they are comfortable.

Most people reserve carbon wheels for racing because they are stiff and responsive as well as the aero advantage and weight.

Most people find a box sections rim like an open pro to be the most comfortable. The higher spoke count means the need for less tension in each spoke and a box section rim is obviously less stiff than a deep section carbon rim.

You'll find on this forum that there are a lot of firsts. This is one of those times. In 10 years of racing and 20 years of wheel building I've heard some backasswards comments here about wheels. This one takes at least one piece of the cake, because we've needed more to go around than you'd care to know. Along the lines of religious fanatics that try and tell you dinosaurs never existed, and we all came from Adam & Eve.

You ever ride carbon wheels? They are so much better than traditional wheels in terms of comfort....

Yes I have, and actually use them for what they're made for. And no, they're absolutely not more comfortable, structurally impossible.