skinnyone

I have been doing some probing into getting new wheels... What kind of weight do you look for in racing wheels... Seems like a lot of people ride deep section wheels, which tend to be a tad heavy...

I am guessing that for a crit, acceleration out of corners is key and hence a light wheelset would help... Of course stiffness is crucial too...

Then there separate SL climbing wheels like hyperons or zipp 202s or the common man versions such as nimble spiders/AC-350... Why not use them in crits if they are stiff enough?... Do they really suck so bad on flats...

for a guy who weighs sub 140 pounds what would you go for... Heavier Aero wheels or lighter climbing type wheels..

Thanks,
-AJ...

pinky

Your racing cat 4/5 right? There aren't too many courses in New England that demand true climbing wheels, so aero wheels will probably serve you better. Honestly I'd go for a hand built set on 30mm rims-something that will be nice and stiff, decent weight and is very repairable (60 a rim as opposed to the 100+ companies will charge for boutique shiznit).

DocRay

lighter. Especially at your weight.

Deep section wheels look cooler, but I doubt there is a real benefit. Reducing rotating mass however, has real benefits for sprinting and climbing.

skinnyone

Thanks Pinky... Yup I will be racing cat5 and thought it would be worthwhile having an extra pair of wheels... I have been honestly thinking about Mike Garcia Niobiums... I can customise to weight, lower spoke counts etc... And besides i am looking to spend < $500.. Its not like my performance is going to be hindered by wheels anyway..

skinnyone

That was exactly the sentiment expressed by our local bike shop guru...

OC Roadie

Check out the American Classic Sprint 350's and 450's. Very light and affordable. I am not sure about the stifness of these wheels, I've been thinking about getting a set of the 350's as a spare set.

skinnyone

Those two are the 2nd and 3rd behind Mike Garcia, on my list... I can find 350s for 350-400 odd bucks on Ebay... Darn good deal... The 420s run around 450-500 bucks...

55/Rad apparently found the 350s flexy but then its probably ok for me...

my58vw

The problem here is you have to whole weight vs stiffness issue. For someone my size a say 1700 gram deep dish carbon wheelset that is very stiff and aero (60 mm dish) is going to be MUCH better than a light 1400 gram wheelset that is flexy. Crits have two components, sprinting and high speed straights. The more aero wheels are going to help on the straights while the lighter wheels are going to be better in the sprints around the corners.

Now what I am interested in is in a sprint situation once the rider gets over say 30 MPH is aero better or light weight. To tell you the truth the best sprinting wheel is going to win you the race, not the lightest or more aero.

slvoid

I've got good news!
You can now have the best of all worlds. A wheel that is infinitely light, infinitely stiff, and infinitely aero.
1130 grams for a PAIR of deep dish aero wheels that are stiffer than most mtb wheels.



A must have!

skinnyone

Did you switch to geico......





Cool wheels... They offered to sponsor me but I refused... They make Jan pay for his...

OC Roadie

I agree for crit racing, lightest is not the most important factor. I think stiffness and how quickly the wheels "spin up" would be more important than light or aero. I think the answer to your sprinting over 30 MPH question would be aero rather than weight, unless maybe your sprinting uphill, but I haven't seen any crits with a big uphill finish. Going back to my original suggestion of the American Classics, I'm thinking the 450's would be better suited to crit racing than the 350's.

MacMan

Unless you're about to go pro, I wouldn't waste too much time on finding weight to drop from the wheels - especially when you can already afford a $500 set like the 350s or a set from Garcia. Want to drop 200g off your bike ... take a good meaty crap before the race and be done with it. Buddy of mine races Cat2. Races on SLs. For everything - local crits to the Tour of the Gila.

skinnyone

I agree that crapping before the race is critical... I am not looking to drop weight on the bike... I am absolutely fine with whatever it weighs... Its just that since I am getting new wheels, might as well get something nicer that will be more responsive albeit affordable... Its starting to look like Mike Garcia all the way..

TheKillerPenguin

But macman, that 200g crap isn't duct taped to your wheel rotating around.

DannoXYZ 

Yeah, wheels aren't that big of a deal, they're disposable anyway. Plan on wrecking at least 1 set a year if you're racing, sometimes 3-4 sets. I build my own at about 1100-1200gms and have a couple extra on hand at all times (need extras for the pit). I find lateral stiffness makes a bigger difference than vertical stiffness (which wears you out on long road-races). So I prefer rectangular wide box-section rims. Most of the time, you're in the draft anyway, so aero isn't that big of a deal. Maybe if you're doing a lot of time-trials, then a separate set of aero wheels is what you'd want, but I wouldn't do a crit on those.

MacMan

Heh ... come ride some of the Illinois farm roads and it soon will be!

climbo

3-4 a year? Mate, I'm staying away from you.

trirmk

I didn't even read all the other replies, but will echo a response that holds true for this discussion and makes everything quite simple with regards to wheels.

Strong, lightweight, aerodynamic - choose 2 out of 3, and purchase.

(you will never have all 3, so pick the 2 most important wheel qualities that YOU want, and go with it. You're the only one who's going to ride these wheels, so you will know what you need)
Hope that helps

DannoXYZ 

Or in extreme cases, you can only pick 1 like me with lightweight as primary factor. Certainly makes a difference in the sprints and cornering ability, but not very durable @ 1100gm for a set of wheels. Bunny hopping or running over wrecked riders and their bikes can sometimes destroy a set of wheels (even when I aim for the neck). Lateral loads are toughest on wheels and having someone ram you at full-speed sideways to push you off the choice wheel in a sprint can destroy a set of wheels as well.